Episode #3 of the ""Udon and Roe Show."" If you are looking for REAL Japanese cuisine...look no further than Hakatamon. This is the real deal. The spinach salad and miso served with the meals are wonderful. So many Japanese restaurants lose me with their sesame dressing, but this one is perfect. The Miso soup has a great flavor and tastes very fresh. The pickled cucumber salad is light and refreshing and will be devoured in seconds, so do NOT set your chopsticks down. The nigiri we sampled was sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), and the tai snapper. So scrummy. The fish pieces were much larger than the rice but not so big you couldn't eat them without losing your dignity. Whichever roll we tried escapes me but it was totemo oishi desu. All fish was at peak freshness. Rice had perfect texture and temp. The only downside to the food is that due to a shortage of white wheat, the noodles were not of the hand-made variety that previous posters have raved about. The ramen I had was still very satisfying, reminding me of ramen I've had in Honolulu restaurants that cater almost exclusively to Japanese tourists. ""Well Udon, tell me about the service and ambience"" you say.....patience, Daniel-san. The waitstaff were the friendliest we've encountered. ...even after they had figured out who we are. A good indicator of authenticity in a Japanese restaurant is how many Japanese people are actually dining there, and the place was full of Japanese diners. We went on saturday afternoon and waited 5 min. This place is a ""have-to-go-to"" if you love Japanese cuisine, and like to murder the Japanese language in front of strangers. With Uwajimaya next door, you can make a whole afternoon out of it. After a satisying meal you can go buy a headband and join the Cobra Kai.
Pros: fresh fish, authenticity, Japanese waitstaff and patrons, parking, Cobra Kai headbands at Uwajimaya
Cons: I live too far away to eat there daily. Poor little old me.
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