although we live nearby this relatively new place (they opened last year), we hadn't been to this restaurant until one of our friends told us to check it out. it is easy to miss when one drives around on the 82nd avenue because it is not right on the main street. \r
we were immediately greeted by the staff when we entered. it wasn't' packed but the atmosphere was lively. there were families with young ones, couples, and etc. we sat at the sushi bar and ordered vegetable tempura to start off. to our surprise, the tempura was exceptional. we have been to those ""fancy"" sushi places around Portland but we don't always get what we pay for. we didn't expect to get top-notch tempura at this small, local restaurant but we did. \r
then off to nigris (sushi). it's $2 to $4 for 2 pieces of nigris. the price is what you would expect. it was fresh and tasty. supposedly this place has a wide selection of rolls called ""state rolls."" Rolls are dirt cheap. $3 to $6. some were in sub-$3 range. we paid $7-9 for the same rolls at other places. despite its low price, the quality of rolls were excellent. if you're a bargain hunter, i recommend their rolls.\r
i had miso soup with my dinner and my wife ordered Udon. the owner told us that his wife makes the soup from scratch unlike many other places where we use the pre-made soup. it definitely had gourmet quality to it. \r
for desert, we had green tea ice cream as usual. they also have mochi ice cream on the menu.\r
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bottom line: top-notch tempura, fresh sushi and very reasonably priced. also superb service. we will definitely go back.
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