Hakone — Restaurant in Castle Downs

Went here for dinner today since my friend had to have his windshield replaced and I was left feeling like I had made a terrible mistake choosing this place. At first glace from outside you can tell that this is a little family run restaurant and there's nothing wrong with that at all I'm all about supporting small local businesses. I usually don't reviews often when it comes to family owned restaurant as I can imagine how difficult it must be to manage but I am writing this today in hopes that the owners read this. I've had Japanese food all over the city, high end, low end, supermarket you name it. I don't judge them all the same but I do judge them for what they are.

When we walked in the owner and another lady were sitting down either on their phone or on their laptop which I found weird as it was 5 and most restaurants are beginning their dinner rush. One of the ladies which I presume to be the owner took notice of quickly, slid on her slippers and brought us to our table while the other gave little to no expression, nether the less we were quickly seated and brought menus. There was a Vietnamese show playing on the T.V with the volume on and no music playing which I found to have set a very unauthentic Japanese atmosphere. I'm not trying to say that someone needs to be Japanese to open a Japanese restaurant or anything but at the very least it would have been nice to have some Japanese sounding music in the back and not the Vietnamese news. While seated I notice that the table was sticky as if it wasn't properly wiped down with a damp cloth. As well I notice that the sushi case was empty which make me question the freshness of the fish. Word of advice if you plan on using the washroom you have to first ask the lady to turn on the lights since there is no switch in the washroom. . When I asked the (server/chef/owner) about it she told me that she didn't want strangers walking in just to use the washroom. Fair enough. The back of the dining room is full a random assortment of boxes and other miscellaneous items. It a little storage are which I found to be unprofessional.

The food was nothing to be impressed about. My friend and I had the beef tataki to share and a bento box each as our mains. I had the deluxe bento which came with grilled salmon, beef, sushi or sashimi, miso soup, rice and a salad. My friend had the Bento box 1 which came with chicken, tempura, sushi or sashimi, miso soup, rice and a salad. The beef tataki came pilled with onions seaweed and a side of hot chili past which was I personally enjoyed. The beef though seemed to have turned color as a result of not being wrapped properly and tasted off .Regardless the beef tataki was definitely the best dish we had. For being a one women operation the food did come out in a timely manner. With that being sad that came at an expense. The miso soup came out quickly and was quite delicious. The rest of the bento on the other hand was an assortment of odd flavors. The rice was obviously microwaved, I could tell because the bottom was really moist which mean that they probably placed the rice in a a bowl and added some water on top and then microwaved it. The beef was absolutely disgusting. I don't even want to think about it anymore. The only comment ill make is that I'm glad I didn't get food poisoning. The salmon was pretty tasty tho and I'm glad I started with that. The cali cone I had wasn't bad either. I'm glad I chose the sushi option over the sashimi since I had to watch my friend pull out bones from his salmon. The chicken was just as bad if not worst then the beef

In the end we were brought our bill extremely quickly as if the owner really wanted us to leave and we were given the same careless expression by the other lady which was still on her laptop. In conclusion I will not be back but that does not mean I am discouraging anyone else from trying the restaurant just try to stay away from the bento the rolls may be the way to go from what I have read from...

What can I say? My husband and I have been coming to Hakone, ever since we moved into the neighbourhood 15 years ago. It was different then. Our waitress wore a traditional kimono and the tables along the windows were always occupied. During the Summer, the air conditioning was working full time, a great relief from the heat and humidity outside. During COVID, take out was an effortless experience. Now, it's like another reviewer has stated: it's like the owner, who is also the chef, is welcoming you into her home. She prepares the dishes in her kitchen or the sushi bar and then brings them to your table one after another, with just enough time between courses to savour all the flavours. No rush. Just amazing food and service. Everything on the menu is wonderful but my husband and I have become very fussy in our old age. For take out, we order lots of salmon nigiri and a dynamite roll. Truly scrumptious. Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of dining in the restaurant. We started with the mixed tempura. Here, it's served the way it should be, almost too hot to eat and crunchy to the last piece. Then we had the salmon nigiri. Simply the best. We closed our meal with the dynamite role. Amazing! A dynamite roll is great as take out but so much better when eaten in house. The heat from the tempura shrimp, does something to the mayo and avocado that is simply divine. A true culinary experience. Great food! Great service! And the most wonderful host and chef that you could...

I have never been here before but I'm always willing to try new places. The minute you walk in, it had a very peculiar smell and was reminiscent of walking into someone's home was there was stuff tucked into corners like the restaurant was someone's personal storage space. When my friend and I walked in, we were glanced at before being seated. Service was kinda slow but the menu seemed promising. We were the only ones in the restaurant besides a few others, but I started to notice family members of the owner walk in and out of the kitchen in their socks which was kind of shocking.

My friend and I ordered the assorted tempura and the Boat to Boat (sushi/sashimi boat). When the Boat to Boat arrived, normally for about $45.00, I'm expecting more than 5 pieces of nigiri, 1 roll, and 8 small pieces of sashimi. The tempura was mediocre but the sushi and sashimi was visibly freezer burnt or dry. The rice for the nigiri had an over powering vinegar taste to it and was very wet. The surf clam had discolouration all throughout, the octopus had that texture of when you bite into a partially thawed out piece of fish, the masago on the roll featured in the boat was a opaque light orange colour which is far from it's usual appearance, and the other pieces were extremely fishy in taste and had a...