It’s time for another Japanese cuisine review. This restaurant is quite famous in Shanghai’s Japanese dining scene.
Among restaurants of this caliber, only this one and Shuten have managed to open multiple branches,
so naturally, comparisons with Shuten are inevitable. The ambiance here is excellent; the only downside is that there are no restrooms inside, requiring you to use the mall’s facilities.
However, the private rooms are much better than Shuten’s in terms of size, decor style, and comfort. The menu is exquisitely printed and updated regularly like a magazine—very beautiful.
The service is impeccable. As for the food, it’s not strictly traditional but rather more creative.
Each of their signature dishes is beautifully plated, though the prices are quite high.
The signature Uo Kura Salad tastes good, but nothing surprising—just average, neither impressive nor disappointing.
The 8-piece sashimi platter is indeed very fresh. The medium-fatty tuna, sea urchin, sea bream, and sweet shrimp are among the best quality I’ve ever had.
However, the portions are quite small, not as satisfying as what you get at Shuten or Hassen Shuzo… Personally, I don’t think it’s worth the price.
The Wagyu beef is served on a sizzling hot stone plate, accompanied by fish fillets and mushrooms.
It looks stunning, but you need to remove the beef from the stone promptly, otherwise it will overcook or stick to the surface.
The meat quality is excellent; even without any seasoning, it tastes delicious.
The cod tastes good too, but the portion is quite small—it seems to be a single serving.
The fried chicken wings and Dobin Mushi (steamed soup in a teapot) are just so-so, though the prices are relatively affordable~~
The signature Eel Rice, ranked #1 recommended dish, wasn’t actually that amazing…
It comes in a huge pot of rice; two people probably couldn’t finish it, and if shared among three, each person only gets a few pieces of eel.
We couldn’t even finish the rice, and overall, I still feel it isn’t worth the price.
At the end, we were given a complimentary mango-flavored ice cream, which tasted quite good.
Overall, the signature dishes taste quite good, the sashimi is fresh, and both the environment and service are excellent.
However, the food service is extremely slow—you basically finish one dish and then wait ages for the next. The Eel Rice took over an hour to arrive.
Also, the value for money is just average. Although the meal was enjoyable while eating, it lacked the sense of satisfaction you get at Hassen Shuzo.
This meal cost over 1,200 RMB, so I feel it might be better to go to Hassen Shuzo instead~~~ Of course, the ambiance there is much worse~~~
Photos taken with SONY NEX-5R + 35mm f1.8, post-processed in Lightroom.
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