Saru Handroll Bar

Cuisine	Japanese
Price	$$$$ (51-100)
Rating	5/10
Last Visit	Feb. 2, 2023
Location	SFBA: San Francisco: North

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General Notes

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As the name suggests, Saru Handroll Bar is a sushi restaurant serving up hand rolls. They just recently opened; one of my friends wanted to try it out and invited me. It was a lovely experience! It's definitely on the pricier side, and at its price point I don't think I'd be willing to come back. The closest comparison is probably to KazuNori -- I think the quality is slightly better and a substantially more expensive. Note: the restaurant is entirely counter seating, so it's definitely not the place to go with a larger group.

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Positives

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> I really enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant. Just the right amount of lighting, the interior decor is lovely and minimalist.
> The surrounding neighborhood is quite nice too! A great place to go for a walk in. The wait can be pretty substantial but it's not too bad if you just walk around a bit.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★☆☆ Spicy Scallop -- A little bit too heavy on the mayo for me, but the scallops themselves were nice.
• ★★★★ Eel -- Also very good; excellent texture, perfect amount of sweetness.
• ★★★☆ Hairy Crab
• ★★☆☆ Roe + Mountain Yam -- Don't think I've ever had this before; I enjoyed it but it wasn't particularly noteworthy. The roe was pretty muted.
• ★★★★ Yellowtail -- My favorite piece of the meal, by far. The flavor was incredible, with just the right amount of green onion inside.
• ★★☆☆ Spicy Tuna -- I think this was good but I don't have much recollection of this piece.
• ★★☆☆ Fatty Tuna -- Good but not particularly noteworthy. It wasn't actually that fatty, and it didn't have as much of the richness / savoriness that I was hoping for.
• ★☆☆☆ Seaweed Salad -- A little bland and too heavy on the sesame for me. But a nice, relatively refreshing appetizer