Sakana — Restaurant in Goa

I remain conflicted as I post this review in these dire times, especially for the F&B and hospitality industry, however, I do believe that everyone must do their part.

I’m going to talk about two separate issues:

I was at Sakana for lunch a few days ago. Having been on the road for a while, a friend and I were hungry, and seeing as they were open for business, we went in, and without a thought sanitised the menus, table etc that we were to occupy. We used our own sanitisers as this is standard practice for us. Later we realised that there was only the single sanitiser at the entrance of the restaurant. After settling in, we noticed that none of the staff, neither serving nor kitchen (the huge open kitchen gave us a view of this), were wearing masks at all.

Assuming that a Japanese restaurant run by a Japanese lady would be taking adequate measures I asked one of the serving staff about their masks, to which he replied, “our madam says we don’t have to”. To give them the benefit of doubt, I asked if I could speak with the lady when she had a few minutes to spare. When she did come over, I asked the question again, and expecting an explanation that would make sense, I was a little taken aback with her aggressive response wherein she said that we were welcome to leave, eating there was a customer’s choice, and that was how they did things around there and that’s how she runs her restaurant etc (not paraphrasing).

Additionally, she went on to briefly (almost ranting) say that they did regular temperature checks, her staff doesn’t leave the premises at all, and that she was running at depleted capacity. Still a little shocked at the aggressive attitude, I ended the conversation by suggesting that if she was that confident, she should get the staff tested and have results on hand as an explanation or to satisfy similar question from customers; and to show that they were taking precautions that were different, but strict.

I do entirely agree that the moment I choose to eat outside or venture outside the safety of my home, I am responsible for my own health.

I do understand that the industry is suffering very badly due to the pandemic, and not just in Goa. However, safety is not a unilateral responsibility. Whatever the reason maybe for her to open the restaurant (ranging from the need for money, or simply business), an establishment also takes on responsibility to be safe, cautious, and take adequate measure to ensure the safety of their staff and patronage. Right from the supply chain of materials coming in, to the staff breathing the same air without filters, and breathing out over the food and drink that they are toiling over, no filters, no repeated regular sanitisation increases the risk of infection.

Both customers and establishments of any industry that have opened their doors take equal responsibility to make sure that protective measures have been taken.

There are smaller, less established, more local, more budget eateries that are taking such detailed and heavy measures for their staff and customers. Sanitisers at the entrance, outside the loo, at the tables, cameras in the kitchen so show how all staff members wear gloves and masks etc etc, it’s not much to ask for.

At this point, we were just keen to eat and get out of there. As the food was coming to the table, we called for the bill. 16 pieces of sushi that were California and Smoked Salmon Roll, we ate only 3 out of 16 pieces, because the rice was dry, the salmon was discoloured, and the Edamame was strictly ok, all in all, below average food. The Teriyaki Beef was good.

If you’re going to take a risk, at least let the food be so good that it’s worth it.

Also, would this owner not follow these rules in her own country? Or because it’s India so Sab...

Been wanting to try Sakana for a long time because of their Sushis that is highly spoken about. I don't know if it's just my bad luck or there's been a change in Chef, I definitely don't recommend it. Here's why:

Starting with Gyoza. Just look at my photo of the Gyoza plate and you'll how unappetizing it looks. It looks soo different from the way it was presented before (as per the reviewers photos from 1 year back) but the taste was okay. Moving to Sushis, first we ordered California Tempura Rolls with Crab sticks and the Ebi Katsu Rolls because we wanted something crunchy. The fried bits in both of these rolls were way too oily specially the panko bits added too much oil to the palate. Since we had a bad start already, we wanted to try something different and ordered the Smoked Salmon and Avocado spicy roll. As the name states, we expected a smoky flavor to the salmon. But, nothing. And also usually the spicy sushi rolls either have a spiced Mayo or a hit of wasabi. Again nothing. No spice hit at all. Not even the slightest bit.

For those who say Japanese food is a little bland, I know the quirks of this cuisine and I'm a huge fan of it. But my food experience at Sakana was a flop totally. The service and ambience was good but I travelled 30kms for the food and...

Went here for dinner. Extensive menu. A lot of options even for vegetarians. The portions are decently large and filling. Would highly recommend the chilly garlic edamame. We enjoyed our time here.

The management and staff are very proactive and helpful. I had an experience I feel compelled to share. After dining, I mistakenly thought I had left my bag at the restaurant. In a bit of a panic, I reached out via their Instagram page to inquire about it. As it turned out, I had actually left my bag in my car, but the response from the restaurant’s team was nothing short of remarkable.

By the next morning, I received a call from the team. They informed me that they had conducted a thorough search but were unable to find my bag on the premises. More than that, they called to check if I had been able to locate it elsewhere. This level of concern and proactive communication is rare and truly...