This joint is very popular in Charleston because there aren't that many sushi joints in that town... But can they duplicate the same success in this town that already has a decent amount of respectable sushi? I think y'all know the answer to that but let's take a closer look anyways. You can't see it from the road, it's behind the Westside Ironworks building. If you see Tom+Chee (whatever that is), then you're at the right building. A lot of moolah went into the interior design, it's dark and woody. The sushi bar is actually quite small for a joint this size... I guess they don't want that many gaijins staring at them while they're working. The bar is pretty big but their liquor selection is a real snoozer (no booze list either), along with their limited cocktail menu. The servers were no help with what whiskeys they had, they said whatever was on the shelf. The sake list is decent but overpriced as expected... As well as their wine list. Is this the trend with outside resto groups coming into town and just price whatever they want and see how the people react and adjust accordingly? If no one complains even better! I didn't have a good feeling about the bartender, so I skipped the cocktails... Me skip booze? Sacrilege! I tried ordering a couple of beers but both were out. Then they also tell me that they're out of a few dishes as well... We're off to a good start aren't we?
I was kinda over this place already and it has only been 5 minzies... But since I'm here, I might as well get at least something to eat and see what the fuss was all about. The server was pretty good but you can tell he was greener than the wasabi. He tried his best, so that counts a little... But that doesn't mean he's gonna get a bigger tip because all the shit that I wanted were all 86'd.
Misoshiru. $4 for a bowl of instant tasting miso soup. How exciting... I can feel the blood flowing down to my nether region like the miso soup flowing into the urinal. I recommend no one get this ever.
Hamachi Carpaccio. The most ripped off dish in sushi resto history... But can this version stand up to Nobu's infamous classic? The yellowtail was milder in taste than most others I have tried in this dish but the jalapeno gave it that pop to wake up the taste buds. It was a decent version but I wouldn't get it again. Put the money into another dish, instead.
Truffle Kakuni, braised pork belly, sweet truffle sauce, shiitake, Jidori egg. This sounded great on the menu... And it came out surprisingly impressive. The pork belly was executed nicely and the truffle sauce really came through on the first bite and into the finish. The shiitake shrooms were glazed with a sweet sauce which the roundeyes would love because they are usually pretty earthy on the nose and tongue. Everything was working nicely until I got to the Jidori egg which I was really excited about... The Jidori chicken is "all natural" and only found in Japan until the last few years where they are half-breeding them on the West coast. Their egg yolks are usually a lot more intense in color, instead of a pale yellow yolk from a regular old cheekan (but I made some semi soft boiled eggs recently that had a sick ass bright golden yolk), it's more bright orange in color... But sadly, this egg was cold and the yolk was dull in color plus it was near hard boiled. Never put a cold hard boiled egg in a warm dish, it really fucks up your taste buds with the hot and cold in your mouth. If the purveyor sold these eggs as Jidori eggs, then they got ripped off... And now, I got ripped off paying for it. Trickle down economics. Thanks, motherdick.
Sashimi & Nigiri Moriawase. I wanted to try the omakase but since so many things were 86'd, I wasn't gonna risk paying top dollar for a full blown omakase with the regular scraps of fish left over in their freezer. Let's try the smaller moriawase to sample the quality of the fish first... Very generic selection of salmon, tuna and yellowtail, how original. I'm usually not a big fan of salmon sashimi but this specimen was on point, very good quality, texture and bite. The tuna and yellowtail were fine, not bad not great... Along with the presentation. Just as expected.
The nigiri was disappointing... Tuna and salmon again. They coulda at least gave difference pieces of fish since I had it already in the sashimi. It's called cost control and the dummies wouldn't know any better. Oh, I fucking know better and always taking mental pouch notes. If you closed your eyeballs, every piece tasted the same... Bland and devoid of flavor... Except for the charred (dark tuna) nigiri which was pretty smokey. None of it was bad, just not that exciting or interesting. For $35, you would expect a little more fireworks and better plating instead of just plopping down the pieces on a blank plate. The sushi rice was an issue but let's take a look at the all nigiri moriawase first...
Nigiri Moriawase. So, just for shits and giggles, I wanted to see what other pieces they would give you in the all nigiri deal... Mostly the same stuff but they did add a scallop, real snow crab, mackerel, and snapper to the mix. I would go for the all nigiri next time. It's not bad quality, they're decent sized slices, but it's just not that exciting. And the bigger issue than the fish itself was the sushi rice... It needs work big time. They broke apart too easily, not seasoned enough with rice vinegar and it was pretty cold. It shouldn't be fridge cold, it should be held at a constant temp (roomish), not too warm, not too cold. Anyone who knows sushi should know that the rice is more important than the fish... But to each their own. This was better than the mixed moriawase but not by much. I kinda have a feeling that the full price omakase will be a let down for the pouch, so I'll wait awhile to try that.
The service was good but additional training is still in order, the prices are pretty high based on the quality and technique I have sampled compared to MF, Tomo, and some UMI dishes. I have not written this place off yet, they still need to work on a bunch of things but I think with time they will get their shit together and push out some good product... With that said, they really need to hurry the fuck up if they want to continue to command those lofty prices for average execution. Once they get into a bad routine, getting out of it will become more difficult with time. Time to crack the whip, bitches! And that mural of the fat Asian dude in rags riding on a scooter is kinda racist... That fucker prolly ate all the dishes that I wanted. Fat slob.
1085 Howell Mill Rd
Suite A3
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-500-2383
http://www.o-kusushiatl.com/
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