poke

Overall taste: 8.75/10 | 2017 | 281 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116

+++ = highly recommend | – – – = do not recommend

This is our favourite restaurant is Boston so far!

img_20170201_170514_124 — **+++ Pineapple** – elyx, yuzu, lemongrass, citrus soda (for two, $21) *[We thought lemongrass would give it a weird taste, but it’s extremely subtle. We really like it but if you prefer your alcohol strong, this is not for you]*

afterfocus_1485405798425 — **Ahi tuna poke –** soy / sesame / ginger / togarashi / coconut rice ($22) *[It’s good, but it’s something we can make ourselves at home]*

afterfocus_1485405320788 — **+++ Uni benedict toast –** sunny side up quail egg / hollandaise / brioche ($18) [This is really good; everything from the brioche, hollandaise sauce, quail egg to uni. If would have been better if they use Santa Barbara uni (which they sell separately) instead of Maine uni. I wonder if we could request that and pay more for it]

afterfocus_1485437755717 — **– – – Tuna carpaccio –** pickled hon-shimeji mushrooms / house ponzu / fresh herbs ($18) *[This is okay, but it’s something you can get in a lot of Japanese restaurants. We also found the ponzu sauce to be overpowering.]*

afterfocus_1485438547388 — **Torched salmon belly –** avocado / cucumber / green apple / miso glaze ($16) [We actually couldn’t taste the miso glaze. The sauce they used tasted more like unagi sauce. They burnt the salmon skin and the top layer of avocado intentionally to give it a smokey taste. Jeff really likes it but Lynn is not a fan of the charcoal taste.]

afterfocus_1485550364832 — **+++ Hand-chopped dry aged steak tartare –** truffle aioli / buttered brioche / quail egg / parmesan ($16) *[We mentioned before that we’re big fans of steak tartare and this is the best we’ve had in Boston. This dish is the main reason we gave such a high rating to this restaurant]*

Overall Taste: 6.5 | 2017 | 1 Haviland St, Boston, MA 02115

We were invited for their complimentary tasting event, but we try to stay as objective as we can. They are still having a soft opening now, and their grand opening will be in a few weeks.

We thought that the sushi rice was too bland; it almost tasted like white rice with no added vinegar, salt, or sugar. The raw fish was at room-temperature and that really bothered us as it should be cool (sashimis are usually removed from the fridge just prior to serving).

However, we like the flexibility of being able to choose your own combination of toppings, mix-ins, and sauce. We also liked their Japanese matcha latte and Taro tea, which were creamy and not overly sweet (bottomlesss house drinks for $3.06).

Pictured above: Large bowl ($6.12). Toppings – tuna, salmon, masago, avocado (+$1.65 each). Complimentary mix-ins – scallions, roasted garlic, red onion. Sauce: creamy garlic. (Total price: $12.72)

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