Kamakura

Great service and food. Came here for lunch after after reading about them on Boston Globe. The chef was so kind to customer make the poke lunch because of my gluten intolerance. Got to thank him personally. Fish felt as fresh as what we get in California. Highly recommend ordering some nigiri. They made sure to specify that the sauces were gluten free. The desserts were also delicious. Family really liked the green tea tiramisu (which I couldn’t have) and the tofu pudding with a burnt caramel.

Pretty good Kaiseki, sushi not as good (4/5 by UAS standards) Went there on Saturday after I went to O Ya yesterday. I also went to Gion Nishikawa 祇園 にしかわ/Sushi Gion Tadayasu in Kyoto, and Kioicho Mitani/Sushi Nakamura 鮨 なかむらin Tokyo this summer. So I am on the harder side to impress. (I was going to give 4.5 but there is only 4 or 5 on yelp? It was closer to 5 than 4.) Their decor is very nice and new, 3 floors in total, and I sat at the first for Kaiseki/Omakase, I was the only one there at 1F from 530-730pm. The lack of guest for Omakase is probably one of the reasons their sushi quality suffers. It just wasn't as fresh as other top tier sushi restaurants. Though the sizes are big (especially compared to O Ya where is basically half their size) and it is still very fresh compared to your normal sushi shop. The Kaiseki part of my Omakase was nearly perfect, beautiful plating and strong favors. I think they made the favor stronger to suit the American palate. Being Chinese I am a fan of that, but some Japanese purist might not like it as much. I paid a 20 or 25 USD upgrade for the Wagyu steak, definitely was the best part of the dinner, even better than what I tasted in Gion Mouriya in Kyoto. The sushi part is a bit weak when compared to the wonderful Kaiseki part... It was good but not great especially when compared to what I had in Japan. I would say the rice needed a bit more vinegar. I talked this with the chef, he told me that vinegar evaporates during preparation of sushi. Again as with the freshness of the fish, I think the lack of guests definitely played a part here. More guests = more sushi being made = fresher fish = more frequent rice preparation. The favors of the sushi also seemed to be on the stronger side (more sauce was added I think.) Again I liked it as I stated above. And their knife skill could also use a bit more work, as some cuts on the sushi were too long or not clean. But I informed them I have a bit appetite before I went in, so it might have something to do with that. (They did made portions of the course bigger and I appreciate that very much, O Ya in comparison didn't email or call beforehand to discuss anything) (In Japan if you aren't full after omakase you can always ask the chef for a bit more and it is usually free) For the deserts/drink. The desert was good but the matcha drink that came with it is weak... I think either too much water was added or the matcha powder wasn't that good. For sake the selection was good but nothing premium or expensive. I went for the sake flight which was good value for the price, and the sake offered was pretty good especially for the price. Though I didn't get to see or take any pictures of the sake bottle, which was offered to me in Japan as well as O Ya. Maybe there is something they can work on here. (If I can take a picture of the sake bottle then it is much easier for me to remember which sake I liked and order them later.) Sake flight was 38 for 3 cups, the sake pairing I had in O Ya for grand omakase was 150 for around 6 cups (there was probably 1-2 cups more but I had to stop before I was way too drunk.) So the value isn't bad, but I think they should look into getting some more expensive sakes here. O Ya offered me Dassai 23 and 39 for the pairing and had Dassai beyond for sale (though at 3-4x markup.) The place is new so they might not have as much clot as O Ya in getting ultra premium sake, but even myself managed to get 2 bottles of Dassai beyond for 400 a bottle in USA. (300 in Japan) The chef was very friendly and talked to me after the meal. Considering the price (around 300 for everything I ordered) when compared to O Ya (500+ with pairing and tips) I am probably coming back. Overall I would 100% recommend this place, just maybe try the Kaiseki omakase before you do the sushi one.

What an amazing experience! The kaiseki was truly out of this world! Each course came out with excellent timing, and each one was beautifully arranged and truly unique. This was far beyond a typical sushi omakase, including vegetable, soup, and meat plates along with fish, ending with a dessert course. Overall, it was 10 courses and it took us about 2 hours, which was excellent timing. My absolute favorites were the mushrooms, which were so aromatic everyone could smell them coming off the grill, the cod, which was torched and tender, the very fresh sashimi, and the duck served on a hot stone with mushrooms. We sat at the bar, and had plenty of time to chat and also see what the chef was making for us next. What's more, we were brought a surprise course of incredible sashimi! Truly a magical evening!

If you live or visit Boston, this is where you need to enjoy an amazing meal. Attention to detail. Culinary craftsmanship displayed at its highest level is what you can expect. The chawanmushi is superb. Make reservations for the kaiseki menu. How is this place being so overlooked!? Boston has it's very own Japantown located right inside of this beautiful quaint restaurant.