Takenoko — Restaurant in City of Zagreb

Went here because there was barely any negative reviews and the place looked gorgeous. TL;DR: It's overpriced for the amount and taste of food you're getting. I've ordered ebi tempura and water - I've paid 130HRK for five pieces of deep fried prawn (not shrimp) and 18HRK for 0.3l of water. Look at the photo and tell me it's worth 150HRK. For contrast, I've eaten not only tastier but more aesthetically pleasing 20+ piece sushi plates (including shrimp) for approximately the same amount of money in other certain Japanese restaurants. This restaurant also smelled of dirty feet for some reason. The only thing the place has going for itself is its fancy interior design, I suppose. I would maybe give high prices a pass if the food actually tasted good, but it didn't. The generous amount of 3 slices of vegetables (note the sarcasm, please) - zucchini, carrot and oyster mushroom tasted incredibly bland, and the oil was visibly coming out of it when pressed down with fork. If the prices were lower I'd actually give it a benefit of doubt, maybe their cook had a bad day and made my food as an afterthought, but for that amount of money it shouldn't be nowhere as bad, period. I suppose the high prices serve the purpose of filtering their clientele - it's more about showing off expensive suits and how much money you're willing to spend on small portions of not that good tasting food. That's not to say that I don't dress well or that I'm poor, it's just that I actually want quality and/or quantity if I'm spending that much money on food. So, in conclusion, if you're not into showing off how rich you are with your clothes, and you actually want to get sated and not file for bankrupcy while in the process of doing so (because it would take you like 5 plates), I'd actually recommend going for some other Japanese restaurants in...

A year ago, this locale was excellent. Last week, for a 115€ and a very generous tip, I expected better.

Our waiter was good and prompt. The food has declined in quality. Cold starters - there is nothing more disappointing than lukewarm gyōza. How long had it been sitting?

The yuzu cocktail is a pale imitation of what it was.

Clearly, they lost replaced, or didn't feel like paying for, their excellent bartender and chef. It's a shame. As far as food, drink, and service goes, it's simply the best Asian fusion I've had in Croatia so far.

Our server was polished, polite, knowledgeable, and encouraging. Easily offered suggestions, and was clearly knowledgeable with all food related Japanese terminology.

Cheers to the bartender, their excellent yuzu gimlet was a refreshing, creative delight.

The gyoza, and I hesitate to use so bold a word, were perfect. I can still recall the crunch, followed by the perfect chew of steamed dough and filling. The spring roll, excellent. I enviously eyed a neighboring tables tempura shrimp and vegetables. Something to come back for.

Each piece of sushi was excellent. Carefully crafted, beautifully presented, and a treat to savor. The tuna is of notable quality.

Desert, a recent addition to the menu, was playfully delicious.

To be fair, there were a few technical issues which weren't agregious, however should be mentioned. The cutlery needs a closer eye, as does the general table settings. I did notice the restaurant does allow babies, but to be fair, the tourists behind us were far louder.

Technicalities aside, I found the food, drink, and service to...

Food was good, but not mind-blowing. I might have came with expectations that were a little too high, so I won't let that influence my score.

What does influence it is that, after ordering (quite vaguely, quite intentionally) "some sushi mix so that the 4 of us can try various types", we got a nice looking platter, only to have a few of them taken from us by the waiter with an excuse that "the colleague put too much on the plate".

First of all, even if they did put too much and you messed up, don't take the food from your customer's table after they have started eating.

Second, we never specified how much we wanted. We'd have no problem paying for it if it were left there.

And finally, which might be most worrisome, what did they do with the sushi they took from our table? We had already started eating, so it's not like you can just serve it to someone else.

All in all, a quite pleasant setup was ruined by something so avoidable and trivial that honestly makes me wonder if they deserve the good reputation they get.

As for me, I don't think I'll be coming back as there are a lot more affordable, but equally as good, sushi restaurants in the area, and I have a feeling they put more effort into making their customers feel...