I had a terrible dinner at Takara's Soquel location. From the moment I walked into the front door, the reggae music blaring in the background removed me the Japanese dining experience before even sitting down. We were seated in a booth near the ""tiki bar"". Who came up with the idea of putting a tiki bar in a Japanese restaurant?!?!? The menu was limited and overpriced. Of the few genuine Japanese dishes on the menu, I ordered the Chirashi (assorted sashimi over sushi rice) to gauge the quality of their raw fish. As expected, the raw fish was of fairly poor quality. Any true traditionally trained sushi chef would know that such poor quality fish would could only be used in cooked dishes, or maybe even fish bait. Others at my table ordered sushi rolls with english names, of which are usually comprised of many ingredients such as mayo, cream cheese, or sauces which cover up the true taste of the raw fish. . .which is probably the only way most sushi places in Santa Cruz can serve their raw fish since the customers can't taste how bad it is under all that sauce.
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