A non-fancy but perfect 100/100 Japanese dining experience

✨It’s been such a long time since I’ve had such a blissful meal outside. This afternoon, on a sudden whim at 1 p.m., I wanted to go downtown for Japanese food. I searched online for several well-known places, but they all only offered dinner. Only this one stayed open until 3 p.m. The photos on Google and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) were really off-putting... It looked like a plain, run-of-the-mill Japanese fast-food place. ✨But when I skeptically took that first bite of oyster with sea urchin, I was moved to tears by how delicious it was... It was just so fresh and plump—oysters topped with sea urchin and salmon roe, all drizzled with the restaurant’s special lemon sauce. It was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth💥 I’ve bought these ingredients at the Little Dragon Market and the pier before, but they never tasted as good as the ones here. ✨The chef’s choice was only $85, and it came with unlimited sea urchin and fish roe... Every piece of sushi was generously topped with either sea urchin, fish roe sauce, or green sauce. The quality of the fish was excellent; you could taste the fresh, fatty aroma. ✨The Assorted Sashimi didn’t skimp on the fish either. It was solid, with two hearty bites of bluefin tuna that sent me into a state of pure happiness. Japanese restaurants are often a minefield of Instagram-famous spots. Usually, I’m either scared off by outrageous prices🥷 or underwhelmed by flashy gimmicks that turn out to be just so-so. And then there’s always the hassle of reservations or long lines, making the whole experience rushed. Sometimes, just checking a place off the list feels like a chore... 📍Toyama Japanese Restaurant, located near Golden Gate Park. #SiliconValleyLife #BayAreaRestaurants #SanFranciscoDining