Bushi Tei - Japanese French fusion from a michelin star chef

Close to Japan Town you find this restaurant that has nothing to do with the average Sushi -Bars you find in the Japan Town Mall. My pics are not great but trust me it looked great and tasted even better and cooked to perfection.
We ordered tuna tartare, yuzu marinated grilled calimari, lobster and crab for starters which we all shared. For mains day boat sea scallops, kurabota pork and sonoma duck breast. The scallops and the pork were my favorites!
The chef is meticulous and checked in frequently to see all is ok. If I had enough money, I would hire the chef immediatly as my personal cook!
The interiour is stylish, zen and we truly had a great evening.

This place is great for a special occasion.



1638 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115-3604, Verenigde Staten
(415) 440-4959

Website

HOURS:
Lunch : Mon.-Sat. 11:30- 2:30pm
Brunch: Sun. 11:30- 2:30pm
Dinner: Mon.-Sun 5:30-10:00pm

Mifune - for great Soba noodles

Checking on reviews on the internet for sushi places in Japan Town, it appeared that Mifune was a favorite for Soba and Udon lovers. I decided to give it a try and ordered warm Soba tempura.
The dish looked pretty sober, but the broth was o so so nice.
I would go back for this dish only. I did not try anything else from the menu.

Shopping in Japan Town is expensive and you will find similar products in China Town for a better price (Asian Image is a good shop). The only places I liked product and price wise was New People Gallery and Soko Hardware shop just outside the Japan Town mall

1737 Post St
(between Buchanan St & Webster St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 922-0337

Website 

Nara Sushi @ Polk Street - Cheap and cheerful

Walked by this sushi bar several times and decided to give it a go.
I don't think this place is run by real Japanese, but at least was greeted in Japanese when we entered the restaurant. Tried sashimi and a bento box. The salmon sashimi was very good.
Service was friendly and restaurant pretty relaxed (and not loud).

Cheap lunch/ dinner combo's starting from 2 items for 7.50/ 9.50 and 12.50 for 3 items including miso soup, salad and rice 

This place is great for a quick and affordable daily sushi fix.

Next time I would order the bento box with 2 items (take at least the sashimi with something else as long not the california roll...) and order a seperate additional roll with no mayonaise in it...

1515 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109, Verenigde Staten
(415) 567-1515

Website

Business Hours

• Sun - Wed 11:30 am - 12 Midnight
• Thur - Sat  11:30 am - 2 am
Late Night Dinning

Soku Hardware - Dobin Mushi pots and all equipment you need for cooking and more @ reasonable prices

On my search for a Dobin Mushi pot in the Japan Town Mall, I was stunned by the prices they asked.
On my way out I noticed a hardware shop opposite the mall and decided to try my luck there.

Really, you don't need to go anywhere else for Japanese goods, teapots, tableware, kitchenware for great prices. I found Dobin Mushi pots priced at 19 and 26 USD. In the mall prices started from 69 or so.
They also have a great selection of chopsticks and other cute stuff and if you need a hammer, they have that too.

1698 Post St
(between Laguna St & Buchanan St)
San Francisco , CA 94115

(415) 931-5510

Check out some pictures of the shop and inventory here...

Sanraku @ the Metreon - Sushi escape near Moscone

Not really eager to eat from the boxed lunches while at a conference at Moscone, escaped to this place just around the corner in the Metreon.
They offer decent food and is not too pricy. Sashimi was good.
Lunch combo's starting from 12.95 and dinner combo's from 16 usd. It was always busy during lunch time, but I always managed to get a table.

Great place for a quick sushi escape when you are near to Moscone 

Website

Takajo - My standard stop in Luxembourg

Yes Yes Yes, these guys know how to make good sushi and is my favorite sushi spot in Luxembourg.
A small no nonsense Japanese Snack shop with take-away and a couple of tables located in the Belair neighbourhood.
In summer you can enjoy a your meal on the sunny terrace.

They have a  limited menu, but everything is super fresh.
The rice has the right, perfect taste. I asked the chef to tell me the secret of the rice but guess it has to stay a secret. At least he doesnt use kombu.... Said it was a matter of experience. I need to interrogate more!

Prices starting from 7 - 18 euro for a maki - sushi mix or sashimi mix.

They deliver as well and I can't count the number of times I have done that :). Catering; sushi platters available.

Only open for lunch during the week.

For the latest updates on the menu, check their facebook page




Takajo
2 A, Rue Jean Baptiste Esch
L-1473 LUXEMBOURG
+352 26258109


View Larger Map

Ono - disappointed in Rotterdam

A new trendy place at the "Kop van Zuid" in Rotterdam which gave me high expectations of the food.
I was invited and we tried many different dishes from the menu. To be honest I was not impressed by the food nor the service... They had a ponzu sauce which was a strange hot & sour red mixture and defenitly nothing to do with Ponzu...
Not very Japanese and the waitress was slighlty clueless on Japanese food.
I have to see the place looks really great, now just the quality of the food and service will need to match the great look of the place.

Worth visiting Hotel New York, the former office of the Holland America Line, it is just around the corner

Antoine Platekade 1005

3072 ME Rotterdam, Nederland

Routebeschrijving

010 4863962

Website

Roka London - Superb food in a hurry @ a too noisy place

I was invited to Roka, a buzzing, trendy place in the media district and apparently sister restaurant of Zuma.

A popular place with long waiting queue but thank god we had a reservation.

You have to get used to the noise and watch out for the waiters who are flying by with plates of amazing food.

Indeed, the food is amazing from start to end. The menu is designed around the robatayaki (open charcoal grill), which we did not try and went for a selection of sushi, sashimi and black cod miso.

But....After we had dessert we wanted to order some more, which was refused and we were asked to leave.... We didn't expect that when you book a table at 8PM!
The waiter told us you can use the table for 2 hours (?!) and that people in the queue were getting upset and they had to give them complementary drinks (so, is this my problem?).




The goods: Superb food, quick service
The bads: Noisy, They will kick you out if they find you stay too long at your table...


37, Charlotte street
London W1 T1RR
+44 20 7580 6464

http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Conclusion: I really think the food is outstanding, but really dont find it appropiate to get kicked out especially when you are spending quite a lot of money with them...(it's not cheap). Maybe I am too European...

Feng Sushi - Their phone number is on speed dial

On those rainy evenings in London where I really don’t want to get out of my Hotel…
Feng Sushi is the rescue. The food is good, fresh and beautiful wrapped as well which adds to the feel happy factor :), sometimes with a personal note on the hand roll maki saying "For Kim".

• Good selection and the have seasonal menu's
• Value boxes: 22 piece Sushi Box @ £18 is the most expensive
• Many different branches throughout London, some with delivery only, some for eating in

http://www.fengsushi.co.uk

Le Zai Sushi - Good addition to the limited # of Sushi places in Lux

Opened end of last year, I went and tried this with my colleague for lunch today.
Two entrances, one for the restaurant; one for take-away.

The restaurant is quite big , decor tasteful, zen and gives you the idea it will not be cheap...
For lunch they have some good deal menu's: Miso, Sushi choice and salad for 13 Euro. We sat down at the terrace and ordered a Sashimi platter (20 Euro), Sushi menu B (lunch menu) and some tempura. All tasted very very very fresh, the tempura original; with sugar cane with fish wrapped around.
Apart from Sushi they also have some nice hot food dishes; the duck dishes looked extremely yummy.

I probably will come back to try the duck, but for the Sushi I prefer Takajo.

www.lezai.lu

273, route d'Arlon
+352 27397476
Luxembourg

For take-away:
+352 27397476
Take away Menu

Tip: Huge shady garden behind the restaurant, suitable as well for a group dinner or party..

Rating:
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Classy
Bit pricey.. as many things in Luxembourg.. I mean 70 euros for lunch for 2......(ok including 2 glasses of wine, coffees and a gin tonic for my friend"

Hare & Tortoise - Simple, clean & affordable

Cheap and cheerful.
Simple, clean restaurant where many people get some take-away as well.
The menu is varied from salads, veggie duck rolls, yakirori, tori gyoza, tempura, ramen and of course Sushi.

Sushi nigiri (2 pieces) from £2.40
Sushi Combo's from £7.50
Ramen from £5.50
Roast Duck & Rice £5.75

What can I say, it tasted good and suitable for daily sushi fix!

www.hareandtortoise.co.uk

296-298 Upper Richmond Road, London Putney
T: +44 20 8394 7666

Tip: They have 5 branches in London, Bloomsbury, Ealing, Kensington, Putney and Blackfriars

Kamo - Hidden gem in Brussels

I had some difficulties finding this place, but oh so glad when got there.
About 10 tables and a bar seating. Chilled and Zen atmosphere.
Many Japanese people dining, always promising!

Divine cuisine with some very interesting combinations, all very yummy.
They seem to have dedicated chefs for some dishes.
Make sure that you book in advance, so you don't see the sign "Complet", when you try your luck.

Avenue des Saisons 123
1050 Ixelles, België
+32 2 648 78 48

Rating:
Food: Outstanding
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Classy, Zen
Bit pricey... A Sushi Fix for those special occasions...

Ichiriki Sushi House - Will stop here again when around

We took the Ichi-Riki deluxe which includes Miso. It was delicious! Food was very fresh.

Phone : +44 20 -7233-1701
Web : www.ichi-riki.net
Address : ICHI-RIKI, 17b Strutton Ground, London, England SW1P 2HY

Tip: It's a small restaurant, 6 or 7 tables and it closes at 10 PM. But, if you manage to get a table and you're in the company with good friends this is really nice. St-James park and Buckingham palace are nearby for a walk.

Posted by Moonbeetle from Belgium - date of visit  20 May 2010
Rating:
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Cosy

Would you come back? Yes

Thank you Moonbeetle for sharing your experience!


View Larger Map

Sushiya - Naaah.... not worth it

Fancy take-away shop with a couple of tables. They have 2 locations in Maastricht of which one conveniently on the Big Market Square (Grote Markt).

Sushi combi's starting from 5.50 (3 maki's 2 nigiri pieces) to 14.50 Euro (7 maki's 3 nigiri pieces)
All fresh but bit expensive for what you get.

They also have party sets:
3-4 persons 45 Euro
6-8 persons 85 Euro

www.sushiya.nl

Markt 4, Maastricht
+31 43 3258732

Wycjer Brigstraat 25, Maastricht
+31 43 3500020

Tip: There is a huge underground parking straight under the Big Market Square called Mosea Forum, the best spot to park your car. Once you get out of the parking, you will see a huge oriental supermarket! I get most of my stuff here.

House of Sushi - Sweet people, nice happy food

Whale nigiri?
You can get it here!

The miso soup was super nice and served in a big bowl.
Good portions of sushi/ sashimi platters with lots of variety.
The chef gave us an additional maki roll on the house. (My son thought this was the best!). The green tea just as it supposed to be and plenty of it.

Everything super super fresh.

The restaurant is located in a new area of town, with lots of offices around.
Inside the place was stylish and cosy enough. The waitress (Philipino married to a Norwegian) was super nice (and craving for warmer whether..)

We paid about 750 NOK (90 Euro) for 3 people which is very cheap for Oslo. Good deal was the sashimi in ponzu sauce; about 20 slices for only 150 NOK.

We stayed near the central train station and had to take a taxi to get there.... 8 min ride about 220 NOK! ouch...

House of Sushi Majorstua
Ole Vigsgate 15
Phone 22 93 31 00
Open every day: 14.30 – 21.30
http://www.houseofsushi.no

Tip: Get yourself a FjordPass or OsloPass when you travel to Norway. The FjordPass will give you a good discount on hotels and the OsloPass will give you free access to many museums, public transport and discount on restaurants.

Rorbua - Ever tried smoked whale....?

Arriving late at Oslo, we wandered to the Aker Brygge and decided to trust my Routard guide book.

Rorbua is just off the main 'boulevard' and had a cosy feel to it. Big wooden tables, old black and white photos on the wall all in the fisherman's theme. Lots of locals come dine here too it seems.

This is not a sushi place, but I think many sushi or fish lovers will like this place.

We had 'Whale on a plate' as appetizer (these are not the big blue whales but the smaller ones they catch in the fjords...). See photo, some flat bread, put a slice of whale meat on there, some onions and salad and finish of with some sour cream.

It tastes a bit like smoked ham! Very nice with a cold beer.

I ordered oven baked stock fish for my main dish which was absolutely delicious.

Very reasonable prices, nice terrace outside for the summer time.

Stranden 71,0250 Oslo

22 83 64 84 Website

Izaka-Ya - You can't get more Japanese in Brussels then this...

Around the corner from the Avenue Louise, you will find this casual but authentic Japanese restaurant. No sushi here, some sashimi, but mainly typical Japanese dishes.

The place is run by Japanese and the visited by many many Japanese people.

They all come in with a big smile, obviously happy to get a 'taste of home'.

Yakitoris are a speciality here and very yummy. Large choice of smaller dishes, so why not go for a Japanese Tapas dinner!

• Advice you make a reservation; This restaurant was packed every time I went there and often just had a seat at the bar.
• 
  
• Chaussee de Vleurgat, 123,
  Brussels 1000, Belgium
• +3226483805

Review on Tripadvisor

Nobu - The place for amazing food for people who don't need to communicate...

I was invited to this very glamorous, trendy, up-scale place with a club atmosphere. 2 floors, a place to be seen....

First thing I noticed was that the music was really loud.
We had a big round table and I could only hear my neighbours left and right of me.
Communicating with the rest of my friends was hard.

We had a mixture of dishes and all presented beautifully and very tasty.
I am not a dessert person but it was the best I ever tasted.

This place is very pricy, so good to get invited to;)
The food is an experience, the noise level a bit too much for me...


15 Berkeley Street, London - 020 7290 9222
www.noburestaurants.com