Koto Izakaya 古都
I went for late night sushi with Kish and HC on Friday night. I splurged a little bit and ordered a 300 mL bottle of premium sake called mizubasho junmai ginjo (水芭蕉純米吟釀) ($35). It was very smooth and didn't have a strong bite. I normally prefer my sake served warm, but I enjoyed this chilled.
The spicy salmon sashimi was pretty standard ($4.95). The hot sauce actually tasted quite Korean or Chinese as it was piquant and intense in flavour. The salmon slices were thick and fatty, so the dish was not bad.
However, I liked the red tuna tataki ($5.50) more because of the sweet and sour sauce. The sesame seeds and green onions also helped bring out the flavour.
HC ordered a salmon tempura roll ($2.99) since he's not into raw fish. I didn't try this, but it also looked pretty standard and carelessly made.
We tried a few nigiri ($0.99 each) and they were decent, but I was not impressed since I just ate at Takeya a few nights ago and found the nigiri there a lot better. The fish and seafood here was not as fresh.
The salmon and hamachi sashimi ($5.50) was average, just like almost everything else.
The deep fried takoyaki ($2.99) was way below average. I should have known after seeing the words "deep fried". The outer shell was hard and crispy, and the texture of the whole thing was just not right. I think that takoyaki HAS to be made in those special takoyaki grills.
The worst item by far was the spicy tuna hand cone ($1.99). The seaweed was soggy and impossible to bite through. And I have never eaten tuna meat with more chewy tendons.
The worst part of the experience was not the food, but the service. The place was small and packed, and we had to grab whoever was passing by in order to get any service. Not to mention the lady owner had a bit of an attitude. I was taken aback by her comments and felt patronized, so I'm discouraged from coming back here again. It doesn't matter how good the food is (and it wasn't) or how cheap the prices are, I'm not going to give my business to someone who does not treat me with respect.
The spicy salmon sashimi was pretty standard ($4.95). The hot sauce actually tasted quite Korean or Chinese as it was piquant and intense in flavour. The salmon slices were thick and fatty, so the dish was not bad.
However, I liked the red tuna tataki ($5.50) more because of the sweet and sour sauce. The sesame seeds and green onions also helped bring out the flavour.
HC ordered a salmon tempura roll ($2.99) since he's not into raw fish. I didn't try this, but it also looked pretty standard and carelessly made.
We tried a few nigiri ($0.99 each) and they were decent, but I was not impressed since I just ate at Takeya a few nights ago and found the nigiri there a lot better. The fish and seafood here was not as fresh.
The salmon and hamachi sashimi ($5.50) was average, just like almost everything else.
The deep fried takoyaki ($2.99) was way below average. I should have known after seeing the words "deep fried". The outer shell was hard and crispy, and the texture of the whole thing was just not right. I think that takoyaki HAS to be made in those special takoyaki grills.
The worst item by far was the spicy tuna hand cone ($1.99). The seaweed was soggy and impossible to bite through. And I have never eaten tuna meat with more chewy tendons.
The worst part of the experience was not the food, but the service. The place was small and packed, and we had to grab whoever was passing by in order to get any service. Not to mention the lady owner had a bit of an attitude. I was taken aback by her comments and felt patronized, so I'm discouraged from coming back here again. It doesn't matter how good the food is (and it wasn't) or how cheap the prices are, I'm not going to give my business to someone who does not treat me with respect.
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