Kuidaore — Restaurant in Ottawa

TLDR: Servers messed up badly but still charged us full price, service was very slow, food was bland, owner very rude!

The first time we tried to come here just over a year ago, they denied us entry because we are American, which was frustrating to begin with.

Now that they've opened their doors to foreigners, we were excited to try it.

We placed our orders, and ordered hot sake while we waited for the dishes. At some point while shifting things around to make room for the appetizers, my husband accidentally knocked over the bottle of sake, spilling most of it. The server did come back with a rag to clean it up, but didn't offer to replace it, which I thought was strange, but I assumed he would instead take it off the bill.

When they brought our main course, mine was missing. The woman who dropped it off was clearly in a rush, so I waited, assuming it was coming out shortly. Another 15 minutes went by, during which time nobody updated us or checked on us (our server should have noticed something was missing). Finally, my husband flagged down our server, and asked him what was going on. He went to check, and came back to say that he had been told when he first put in our order that the kitchen was out of rice, so I needed to choose something else. He had apparently forgotten to relay that information to me. Also, just confusing, because everyone else at the table ordered a rice dish, so why was mine the one they couldn't make?

He was deeply apologetic and I understand that mistakes happen, so I wasn't mad. I just chose some gyoza hoping it would be quick, because my friends were still waiting for me to have my food before they ate theirs. It did come out about 10-15 minutes later.

The gyoza was okay, a bit watery. My husband and friends had different versions of chicken katsu, which they also said was okay. It then took a long time to get someone's attention so we could pay for the meal. To be clear, we were there at 4pm. It wasn't busy. It's crazy for a Japanese restaurant to run out of rice, of all things, let alone so early in dinner service.

Most frustrating of all was the fact that we were charged for both the full bottle of sake and the gyoza I got as a replacement for my katsu. I can sympathize with servers making perfectly human mistakes, having been in restaurant service myself for many years, but in this situation I would have comped both the sake (if not just replaced it) and the gyoza. We spent a lot of money on our meal, and overall it was very disappointing. Mistakes I can forgive, but a failure to make up for them in some way, I can't.

We're total nerds and love Japanese food, so we were really hoping this would become a frequent spot for us. But please, be a bit more generous with your customers!

UPDATE: I have considered the owners' response.

My first retort would be that the 'vax passport' they mentioned was non-existent - we tried exhaustively to get them. It was not required by Ontario at the time we tried to dine in. Not a big deal, but don't lie.

Yes. We did consume some of the sake (certainly not half). The spill was an earnest accident and I have never worked for a restaurant that didn't give people the benefit of the doubt until obvious advantage was being taken. Yes, we stayed for 2 hours - WE DIDN'T WANT TO. It was mostly waiting. Finally, it amazes me that the owner insists that because I consumed the gyoza, it shouldn't have been comped, and suggests that I'm just looking for a handout.

To be clear, my issue isn't so much with the servers, but with management. They openly admit that they often run out of menu items. Regularly running out of items that aren't daily specials, not comping for server mistakes - hallmark signs of a poorly run floor and kitchen. There is no excuse.

This was an opportunity to amend my review to a better one, but the reply in totality only proves my point: absolutely terrible customer service. They would rather double down than show some grace and admit their mistakes. How...

I was blown away...almost. Walking in the doors the atmosphere is WOW! The servers are fantastic as well! The food was good but a let down compared to the other two. Our family (2A2C) went in to dive in to the Japanese deep end with this place and it was almost fantastic. Being greeted by and sat by the servers (Rain and another who unfortunately we didn't get her name) was an ntro to the dedication, friendliness, and wonderful personalities that we would enjoy throughout our time here. One can sit and look around and be amazed and entertained for hours at all the Japanese bits and bobs and art and what nots all through the place. SO MUCH COOL STUFF!!!! UNfortuenately that idea was put to good use as the food was not coming out in any type of timely manner. Our family sat and was shortly brought water. After another table ordered (the place is actually a little small serving only about 25-30 but with one small swection closed due to lack of staffing), we placed pur order. We ordered a kaarage, a tempura shrimp, a chicken teryaki rice dish, edamame beans, a summer special octopus dish, and a tempura shrimp and avocado maki roll. Our server informed us that we were behind a big order (guessing it was the table of 4 that ordered before us) and that our roll would be delayed but the rest would come out on time. Again...good thing there's a lot to look at because the food was slow. No way to phrase it otherwise. I believe there was only one cook working (that's all we saw) and he wasn't breaking any land speed records with his movement. When the food arrived it was hot, fresh, and well presented. The only real set back was that it didn't really jump off the flavour charts. For such an amazing look to the place and such amazing server personalities we expected the flavours to match. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad at all...just dull and a little boring. No big bright mouthfuls to be had, instead more uniform flavours and a general ho hum to the tastes. We wanted a little more to eat and asked if they could make something more like a different beef style maki roll and the chef went to it. And.........almost 30 minutes later a little maki roll hit the table. Beef was good but underwhelming to say the least. At least I would applaud the effort. Dessert was beautiful house made trios of mochi that should not be missed! In the end this is a great little place with a wonderful atmosphere and amazing service but as it is a restaurant I can't give more that 3 stars to the food as it was lack lustre and...

Kuidaore's ambience, friendly and inviting service, and fantastic food make it hands down one of the best restaurants to visit in Ottawa. If it is your first time, they have items on the menu with gold stars that are recommended either by the staff or are popular items among customers. TRY THEM! It was my first time going so I got wasabi fire shrimp and kaarage (fried chicken with a slice of lemon and what I believe was a mayo dip) as the appetizers and I was not disappointed! Everything was freshly made and you could tell when you bit into the food. For the drinks, please please please get their Matcha Lemonade. The lemonade was not too bitter and not overly sweet with just the right amount of matcha to add that depth of flavour. This is my new favourite drink! For the entrees, my partner and I got Tonkotsu ramen (with pork belly) and Grilled chicken ramen. Both are fantastic choices with hearty broths that warm you right up. There are spicy variations of the ramen on the menu too for those who like a little heat. For desserts, we got fried matcha icecream and black sesame icecream. At first glance fried icecream did not sound like something I'd want but now it's something I'm going back for! The dough is lightly sweet and airy and the icecream inside still holds its shape and does not melt too much. It had a crunchy exterior and very soft interior and was not soggy at all. The black sesame icecream was a new flavour for me so I took one bite to first take it in and then two more bites to decide whether i liked it or not. I do. The nutty flavour of the sesame is not overpowering and blends really well with the creaminess of the icecream. Top tier combinations! They have imported Japanese soft drinks as well (Ramune) and alcoholic options too (Sake) that we did not try on the first visit but we will in the future. Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had in Ottawa and will definitely be...