Kassai

Cuisine: ⁶⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Décor: ⁸⁄₁₀
Value: ⁴⁄₁₀
Overall: ⁶⁄₁₀
This cozy little oasis hidden inside a long walkway sits along the river banks. The quaint interior gives the space a very serene atmosphere that really compliments the beautiful view. Unfortunately, I had high hopes for the food itself, which did not deliver in many ways. Compared to Sushi Midori in Tokyo, the prices were three times as much while the cuisine were on par.
We sat at the sushi counter and ordered the lunch sushi omakase. The chef and his assistant was very nice, but spoke almost no English whatsoever. However, food needs very little words, it simply tastes good or not. As the cooked courses were served, we felt that they were good, though not memorable. However, sushi was where I felt much more misses than hits. Everything was fresh, especially the live botan ebi (he literally took the sweet shrimp out of the aquarium behind him), but the flavor wasn’t there. Was it the temperature of the rice? Or the lack of vinegar? Was the fish just average quality? I would say it was likely a combination of all these factors. What a shame!
I really wanted to love this place for its sheer elegance. If the food could match the décor and service, I probably would have given it four stars.