KazuNori

Cuisine	Japanese
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	7/10
Last Visit	June 21, 2019
Location	New York: Midtown

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General Notes

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An excellent Japanese restaurant that specializes in hand rolls. Minimalistic, elegant, and experts at what they do. This is THE restaurant to go if you're looking for sushi that is both affordable and prepared with precision. Obviously, the food here won't compare in terms of flavor complexity to upscale omakase places, but it's still very good, especially considering its $29 price point. Expect to wait for a while, especially if you come during peak times, but I think it's worth the wait. This is one of the few restaurants I would actually recommend coming alone - you'll get a seat much more easily (I essentially jumped ahead of the line and waited only 5 minutes in a ~40 minute line), and I think you can also immerse yourself in the food and experience more.

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Positives

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> As a whole, the food is very good. The server will recommend you eat the hand roll immediately as it is served - it makes a tremendous difference as the seaweed is crisp and flaky. The filling is also well seasoned and is really flavorful.
> The food is well-paced. Food is served kind of like an omakase-style restaurant - each piece is served immediately as it is prepared. Each sushi chef is in charge of around 10 guests. It works out such that hand rolls are prepared for you at a comfortable rate of around one every 6-7 minutes.
> This is one of the most affordable or value sushi restaurants, especially considering the quality of their food. They have a set menu of toro, yellowtail, salmon, scallop, crab, and lobster hand rolls for $29. These are not cheap ingredients, yet it comes out to not even $5 per hand roll. Like many upscale Japanese restaurants, they also don't request tip.

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Negatives

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> The balance of the flavors and ingredients felt a bit off at times. I would have liked to see a slightly higher ratio of seafood to rice in the hand roll. I would have also liked the rice to have a slightly higher vinegar content.
> The restaurant only offers bar seating. I would not recommend coming here with a large party. Maybe three or four at most.
> The line can be pretty long at times. I came here at 7:45pm on a Friday night, and the approximate wait time was around 30-45 minutes. That doesn't sound too long, but unfortunately they don't offer reservations, and you literally just have to wait in a line in the restaurant to get a seat.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ NZ Sea Bream -- Not actually on their 6 hand roll set menu. I ordered this a-la-carte
• ★★★☆ Lobster
• ★★★★ Crab
• ★★★☆ Bay Scallop
• ★★★☆ Salmon
• ★★★☆ Yellowtail
• ★★★☆ Toro