I can't give you a full review yet, because we never made it beyond the small plate section of their extensive menu. We did start off with a seaweed salad (2.99 huge and exceptional), but other than that we stuck with the small plates.
The newly remodelled building is nicely done in an understated modern decor. Subtle Oriental influences can be seen around the full service bar and they have a small Sushi Bar which is fully visible but devoid of the usual seating. The dining area is on the small side; I believe they have eight tables and four booths.
If you look closely, you will notice a few small details such as a few un-patched holes in the wall where a former TV hung, and multiple new flat screens scattered around for the Saints' games next season I assume, unless they are used for televising the Karaoke Singer in action.
That's right folks! Karaoke starts at 10:00 PM and runs until their regular 2 AM closing. I knew it as soon as I saw that towering black speaker on the far side of the room. I asked the waitress if they had Karaoke and she said, "Yes, we turn the lights down at ten, then the Karaoke begins."
She went on to explain that a room off to one side of the dining room, was actually a number of small, private Karaoke rooms. So, take the gang on over to Little Tokyo and get yourselves a private Karaoke Room, after ten.
Not that any of that matters to me and my favorite dieter, who is normally fidgeting in her chair if we haven't finished eating by her six o'clock feeding deadline. But honestly, I haven't seen my particular eater so happy about food in a long while. She never even mentioned the time.
In addition to the spectacular Seaweed Salad, we had three small plates. One was a spicy Tuna Tartar that was very nice. It was of the minced variety common in Spicy Tuna sushi, but it was served in a hamburger sized patty with fried won ton skins flattened to resemble tortilla chips which lent some added texture.
The second was a wonderful Baked Salmon dish. The Salmon was topped with the standard imitation crab recipe used in rolls, then lightly baked in a very pretty spiral. It was served in a large bowl atop fresh cucumber slices for a nice contrast.
I forgot we had a Seafood Salad, also. Beautiful presentation. The colors of the lightly seared tuna, fresh salmon, and orange row, almost jumped out of the bowl. I have never seen tuna that bright; served in small, bite-sized cubes, on a bed of cucumber slices.
Last, but not least, was my favorite. Although I could have used a Sapporo to cleanse the palate, or maybe even better yet, I could have forgone the fish dishes altogether and lived happily ever after with a Sapporo with my Curried French Fries. They were awesome! I knew the dish didn't fit with the others, but I couldn't resist and I was not disappointed. It was actually a dark brown curry with ground beef and finely diced carrots, ladled on top of what appeared to be double-fried frozen fries. I know, but it worked out well.
They had Curried Nachos and I almost pulled the trigger, but I stopped when I realized they would probably serve them in a pile.
The obligatory Red Bean Ice Cream was fresh and served with a topping of chocolate syrup that tasted much better than it sounds. My little dieter also devoured her share of the Red Bean Ice Cream before we paid $39.55 + tip and rolled out of there content and completely unconcerned about calories or which other Japanese Restaurants to try next.
The best Little Tokyo by far, is just a short stroll away and it has Karaoke, too!
How much better does it get?
p.s., the freshness and craftsmanship of the rolls being served around us looked to be outstanding. This place ain't the rest of those joints. All portions were huge. I think spellcheck is messin with me--is favorite really spelled favourite? Screw it, I'm leaving it.
