Food prepared for delivery was available as soon as I walked through the door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dieter Jacobs
Great dining experience. Creative and delicious food and friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Donburi, Chicken and Pork Gyoza
Phil Jasperson
Ordered the Ribs which I will say was a great choice. If your expecting the way we cook ribs when grilling American style your in for a pleasant surprise as they were different in a great way. Flavor seasoning and sauce on point. The Chicken Katsu was like the best we ever had. was not dry. Very tender and moist like you would hope for. We will be going back again.
Parking: Had to make a couple trips around the block but no to bad
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Katsu with 626 Sauce, Pulled Pork
Bellingham Lady
I used to live in Olympia, and I came back to visit friends. They took me to this restaurant for the first time and I was very impressed. I tried two appetizers and two main courses. Each dish was perfectly seasoned and not excessively salty like a lot of restaurants. Everything looked fresh and not heated up. I had one appetizer with broccolini and kale. I don't particularly like kale but this was delicious. I had a second appetizer that had mushroom filling, but was fried. It was not soggy with grease at all. The inside was fluffy and light, and the outside was delightfully crispy. I had the spaghetti with crab and it had a light delicious sauce with just a small touch of spice. I tried my friend's dish which looked like some kind of fried meat, perhaps katsu. The meat was perfectly cooked, hot on the inside but not dried or greasy. The outside had a nice crispy crust. I don't normally like katsu but this was exceptional. After the meal, I learned from the waitress, who is one of the owners, that her husband was the chef and he was trained at a Cordon Bleu school in Australia. He had worked in a fine restaurant before opening this place.
The restaurant was not particularly crowded on a Saturday night, but I believe it is due to the location which is in the center of downtown. Unfortunately some people are reluctant to go to that part of town at night, but I actually did not feel unsafe. I really encourage the local community to support this restaurant and it's young owners.
I was sort of avoiding this place until recently. French and Japanese? Huh? Donburi? I had a vague notion of donburi as an eggy rice dish I wouldn’t really like. And I thought it looked spendy.
I was wrong on all counts. I went in the other day and had the crab meat spaghetti, and was truly amazed at what I got. First thing, I realized there was an underlying flavor I couldn’t recognize, but that struck me as very umami rich and felt like something from SE Asia. Maybe crab paste? I don’t know but not only was it unique and delicious, it was also the perfect amount of flavor - it could have been overwhelming but was perfectly balanced. His was my first clue that there was a sophisticated hand at work.
Then I noticed I was eating very thinly sliced garlic and onion, but like I’ve never tasted them. The flavors were tamed significantly, the flavors were really subtle, and the knife work that produced these perfectly thin, perfectly uniform and perfectly cooked ingredients was top notch. I thought “wow, this guy has had some serious training!” Every bite was a delight, and I never solved the mystery of that flavor.
I just went back for a donburi lunch with chicken karaage. What a delicious, delightful bowl of rice and corn and aioli and soy and chicken karaage (fried chunks), for less than I’d pay for a big bowl of so-so pho at all the pho places! So not spendy at all, actually!
In short, it very much appears that there is a seriously qualified chef behind all this, with a clear and distinct vision that blends flavors as probably only he can. I’m now really curious about his background and what led to this Japanese-French fusion, but it clearly springs from a skilled cook with a strong personal vision to offer Olympia.
We’re lucky to have him and I hope you all go and check it out!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrei I
Good food and decent prices
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus Confit
Darnell Kebo
10/19/24: I was very excited about this place opening and was looking forward to visiting, however, I have really mixed feelings about it.
The four of us had dinner on a Saturday night around 530p so it's fairly early and only about 4 tables were occupied. The interior is beautiful as well as the place settings. We were seated quickly however service for the remainder of the night felt....off. I observed the crew and realized there were two in the kitchen, 1 server (doing the cocktails too), and 1 buser. This explained the reason for the slow service and I sympathized. Then I saw the server start cooking in the kitchen and another server appeared which looked like they were brought in at the last minute and didn't want to be there. I truly felt for this crew.
Food was good. Highlights were the broccolini and the katsu. Chicken karaage don came with a sauce drizzled on it. I much prefer to have it on the side and this affected the flavor so I was just okay. Tempura was a bit heavy on the batter but the deluxe tempura is a really good mix. Katsu curry was very nicely fried and so crunchy juicy.
We also ordered the duck croquettes and crab don. Both were good however not super amazing.
I'll go back to try other things because you can tell they do offer a really good menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ezra
I recommend the chicken katsu with the 626 sauce. Their date pudding dessert is very good as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jay Miller
Absolutely loved this place! The cocktails are amazing—seriously one of the best I’ve ever had. The octopus was cooked to perfection, so tender and flavorful. But what really made the experience special was the service. The staff, especially the girl who helped us, was super friendly and attentive. She really made us feel welcome and took great care of us. Definitely a place I’ll be coming back to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen and Maria
Chicken katsu & unadon was spot on! Unique menu, can’t wait to come back and try the other items. Perfect ambience!
Food was very bland. And then everyone in my party got food poisoning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Porcini Mushroom Arancini Balls, Kale Salad, Salmon Donburi
Caitlin Donnelly
The food is fantastic! Each dish had a balance of distinct flavors. I had the hamachi carpaccio, porcini mushroom balls, roasted kabocha squash and kale, aburi salmon don, and the hojicha panna cotta, and a previous time also tried the duck croquettes. My favorite dish has to be the hamachi carpaccio. Another favorite was the panna cotta—it was simultaneously rich and light with just enough sweetness. The server mentioned they steep the hojicha tea into the cream overnight to bring out the flavor. Thanks for the incredible meal! Will definitely be coming back.
Had a great time here with my wife for a quick Friday Night Date. She had the octopus salad and I had the Ribeye. Phenomenal food and service. No stretch to say this may be the Top Chef in Olympia. Family owned and operated like a lot of great downtown spots. Feels good directly supporting a family. The price was no where near what it should be for dishes of that creativity and quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ronda Larson Kramer
The vegetarian donburi and salmon donburi were fantastic as were the drinks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Tazo Inui
This place is fantastic. DO NOT sleep on it. The service is fast, the cocktail list is small but inventive, the wines are decent. The coleslaw with the ikura is ‘chef’s kiss’ good. I’ve gotten the octopus every time and it’s so. good. every. time. The kabocha is a wonderfully complex vegetarian dish. Next time I have to get the tempura because I want to, but there’s so much good stuff…
Kid-friendliness: Kid chairs, little kid silverware and plates, willing to simplify foods for younger kid palates
Food prepared for delivery was available as soon as I walked through the door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great dining experience. Creative and delicious food and friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Donburi, Chicken and Pork Gyoza
Ordered the Ribs which I will say was a great choice. If your expecting the way we cook ribs when grilling American style your in for a pleasant surprise as they were different in a great way. Flavor seasoning and sauce on point. The Chicken Katsu was like the best we ever had. was not dry. Very tender and moist like you would hope for. We will be going back again.
Parking: Had to make a couple trips around the block but no to bad
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Katsu with 626 Sauce, Pulled Pork
I used to live in Olympia, and I came back to visit friends. They took me to this restaurant for the first time and I was very impressed. I tried two appetizers and two main courses. Each dish was perfectly seasoned and not excessively salty like a lot of restaurants. Everything looked fresh and not heated up. I had one appetizer with broccolini and kale. I don't particularly like kale but this was delicious. I had a second appetizer that had mushroom filling, but was fried. It was not soggy with grease at all. The inside was fluffy and light, and the outside was delightfully crispy. I had the spaghetti with crab and it had a light delicious sauce with just a small touch of spice. I tried my friend's dish which looked like some kind of fried meat, perhaps katsu. The meat was perfectly cooked, hot on the inside but not dried or greasy. The outside had a nice crispy crust. I don't normally like katsu but this was exceptional. After the meal, I learned from the waitress, who is one of the owners, that her husband was the chef and he was trained at a Cordon Bleu school in Australia. He had worked in a fine restaurant before opening this place.
The restaurant was not particularly crowded on a Saturday night, but I believe it is due to the location which is in the center of downtown. Unfortunately some people are reluctant to go to that part of town at night, but I actually did not feel unsafe. I really encourage the local community to support this restaurant and it's young owners.
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu, Porcini Mushroom Arancini Balls, Kale Salad, Crab Meat Spaghetti
I was sort of avoiding this place until recently. French and Japanese? Huh? Donburi? I had a vague notion of donburi as an eggy rice dish I wouldn’t really like. And I thought it looked spendy.
I was wrong on all counts. I went in the other day and had the crab meat spaghetti, and was truly amazed at what I got. First thing, I realized there was an underlying flavor I couldn’t recognize, but that struck me as very umami rich and felt like something from SE Asia. Maybe crab paste? I don’t know but not only was it unique and delicious, it was also the perfect amount of flavor - it could have been overwhelming but was perfectly balanced. His was my first clue that there was a sophisticated hand at work.
Then I noticed I was eating very thinly sliced garlic and onion, but like I’ve never tasted them. The flavors were tamed significantly, the flavors were really subtle, and the knife work that produced these perfectly thin, perfectly uniform and perfectly cooked ingredients was top notch. I thought “wow, this guy has had some serious training!” Every bite was a delight, and I never solved the mystery of that flavor.
I just went back for a donburi lunch with chicken karaage. What a delicious, delightful bowl of rice and corn and aioli and soy and chicken karaage (fried chunks), for less than I’d pay for a big bowl of so-so pho at all the pho places! So not spendy at all, actually!
In short, it very much appears that there is a seriously qualified chef behind all this, with a clear and distinct vision that blends flavors as probably only he can. I’m now really curious about his background and what led to this Japanese-French fusion, but it clearly springs from a skilled cook with a strong personal vision to offer Olympia.
We’re lucky to have him and I hope you all go and check it out!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good food and decent prices
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus Confit
10/19/24: I was very excited about this place opening and was looking forward to visiting, however, I have really mixed feelings about it.
The four of us had dinner on a Saturday night around 530p so it's fairly early and only about 4 tables were occupied. The interior is beautiful as well as the place settings. We were seated quickly however service for the remainder of the night felt....off. I observed the crew and realized there were two in the kitchen, 1 server (doing the cocktails too), and 1 buser. This explained the reason for the slow service and I sympathized. Then I saw the server start cooking in the kitchen and another server appeared which looked like they were brought in at the last minute and didn't want to be there. I truly felt for this crew.
Food was good. Highlights were the broccolini and the katsu. Chicken karaage don came with a sauce drizzled on it. I much prefer to have it on the side and this affected the flavor so I was just okay. Tempura was a bit heavy on the batter but the deluxe tempura is a really good mix. Katsu curry was very nicely fried and so crunchy juicy.
We also ordered the duck croquettes and crab don. Both were good however not super amazing.
I'll go back to try other things because you can tell they do offer a really good menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
I recommend the chicken katsu with the 626 sauce. Their date pudding dessert is very good as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely loved this place! The cocktails are amazing—seriously one of the best I’ve ever had. The octopus was cooked to perfection, so tender and flavorful. But what really made the experience special was the service. The staff, especially the girl who helped us, was super friendly and attentive. She really made us feel welcome and took great care of us. Definitely a place I’ll be coming back to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chicken katsu & unadon was spot on! Unique menu, can’t wait to come back and try the other items. Perfect ambience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Unadon
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was very bland. And then everyone in my party got food poisoning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Porcini Mushroom Arancini Balls, Kale Salad, Salmon Donburi
The food is fantastic! Each dish had a balance of distinct flavors. I had the hamachi carpaccio, porcini mushroom balls, roasted kabocha squash and kale, aburi salmon don, and the hojicha panna cotta, and a previous time also tried the duck croquettes. My favorite dish has to be the hamachi carpaccio. Another favorite was the panna cotta—it was simultaneously rich and light with just enough sweetness. The server mentioned they steep the hojicha tea into the cream overnight to bring out the flavor. Thanks for the incredible meal! Will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Porcini Mushroom Arancini Balls, Hamachi Carpaccio, Aburi Salmon Don
Had a great time here with my wife for a quick Friday Night Date. She had the octopus salad and I had the Ribeye. Phenomenal food and service. No stretch to say this may be the Top Chef in Olympia. Family owned and operated like a lot of great downtown spots. Feels good directly supporting a family. The price was no where near what it should be for dishes of that creativity and quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The vegetarian donburi and salmon donburi were fantastic as were the drinks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
This place is fantastic. DO NOT sleep on it. The service is fast, the cocktail list is small but inventive, the wines are decent. The coleslaw with the ikura is ‘chef’s kiss’ good. I’ve gotten the octopus every time and it’s so. good. every. time. The kabocha is a wonderfully complex vegetarian dish. Next time I have to get the tempura because I want to, but there’s so much good stuff…
Kid-friendliness: Kid chairs, little kid silverware and plates, willing to simplify foods for younger kid palates
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus Confit, Hamachi Carpaccio
Loading...