Maybe one of the worst lunches of my life at Kuno Sushi. I shouldn't bash on a small establishment that appears to be owned by a husband-and-wife-team who do everything but at the same time, don't open a restaurant if you can't make it work and you serve awful food (although this place was full around 1pm - seems popular with the lunch crowd).
I looked past the atmosphere and decor of the place - dingy, dimly lit, sticky tables - because some of the best places are not necessarily the most inviting or the cleanest looking.
Trouble sign #1 - the gray-ish tint of the pickled ginger
Trouble sign #2 - when I took a bite of the salade de choux and realized it wasn't fresh cabbage but slightly fermented, almost like sauerkraut, with an unpleasant, slick oily finish (and I like kimchee and sauerkraut).
Trouble sign #3 - the miso soup - after looking at the brown-ish broth and the gray-colored tofu floating around I wondered if it was made with dirty water left over from mopping the floor (if they even do that). Really, the thought passed my mind not once but twice. Then I decided maybe it was better for me assume they used red miso (or something to that effect) but I couldn't stomach more than a few spoonfuls.
All I really wanted was a nice salade de choux and a cucumber avocado roll! Denied - it was a set menu with a few offerings. Seeing that I don't like raw fish, I went for the Mix Don, which had some chicken, grilled salmon and pork katsu. I think the tastiest part of my meal was the rice, which wasn't even sticky and was doused in teriyaki and soy sauce. The (non-panko) breaded pork was impossible to bite into and the chicken was way overcooked, as was the salmon (look at the color on that poor salmon! and its not just from the overly sweet glaze).
Trouble sign #1 - the gray-ish tint of the pickled ginger
Trouble sign #2 - when I took a bite of the salade de choux and realized it wasn't fresh cabbage but slightly fermented, almost like sauerkraut, with an unpleasant, slick oily finish (and I like kimchee and sauerkraut).
Trouble sign #3 - the miso soup - after looking at the brown-ish broth and the gray-colored tofu floating around I wondered if it was made with dirty water left over from mopping the floor (if they even do that). Really, the thought passed my mind not once but twice. Then I decided maybe it was better for me assume they used red miso (or something to that effect) but I couldn't stomach more than a few spoonfuls.
All I really wanted was a nice salade de choux and a cucumber avocado roll! Denied - it was a set menu with a few offerings. Seeing that I don't like raw fish, I went for the Mix Don, which had some chicken, grilled salmon and pork katsu. I think the tastiest part of my meal was the rice, which wasn't even sticky and was doused in teriyaki and soy sauce. The (non-panko) breaded pork was impossible to bite into and the chicken was way overcooked, as was the salmon (look at the color on that poor salmon! and its not just from the overly sweet glaze).
The chirashi some got looked like a mound of irregular-cut glistening fish (of questionable freshness) someone threw on top of the non-sticky white rice (apparently, the reason we went is because the fish was "really fresh" but I have no idea - I had my doubts). But the thing that upset me the most was that the fish was butchered - literally. This man is no sushi chef. If you're not a sushi chef - don't serve sushi (or in the very least learn to cut it!)! Look at the monstrosity
I was under the impression sushi was an art form! At least put some effort into it. Misshapen rice that falls apart, chunks, rather than slices, of fish of varying thickness, huge, 2-3 bite maki pieces, and, apparently, the rice was even warm enough to somewhat cook the underside of one of my friends' slices of salmon! Like I said, I feel bad bashing on a mom-and-pop shop but if you don't take pride in your food and cooking it (it didn't seem like they did), please, I beg you, don't ever open a restaurant or any kind of eating establishment. It will show.
I was under the impression sushi was an art form! At least put some effort into it. Misshapen rice that falls apart, chunks, rather than slices, of fish of varying thickness, huge, 2-3 bite maki pieces, and, apparently, the rice was even warm enough to somewhat cook the underside of one of my friends' slices of salmon! Like I said, I feel bad bashing on a mom-and-pop shop but if you don't take pride in your food and cooking it (it didn't seem like they did), please, I beg you, don't ever open a restaurant or any kind of eating establishment. It will show.
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