Kuu Izakaya Dining — Restaurant in Denpasar Selatan

Disappointment Review: Wakame Salad, Skewers Tofu, and Rice

As a passionate lover of Japanese cuisine, I recently had the opportunity to try out a restaurant that claimed to offer an authentic dining experience. Unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired.

Firstly, the wakame salad was a major letdown. Instead of the refreshing and crisp dish I was expecting, it resembled more of a watery soup. The lack of texture and flavor was truly disappointing. It seemed as though the salad had been sitting for far too long, resulting in a complete loss of its original appeal.

Moving on to the skewers tofu, I was dismayed to find that it did not meet my expectations. Having enjoyed Japanese tofu in its traditional form many times before, I was taken aback by the restaurant’s interpretation. The tofu lacked the delicate and silky texture that I had come to love. Instead, it was dense and seemed to be lacking in flavor. It was a far cry from the authentic Japanese tofu experience I had anticipated.

To make matters worse, the rice served with the meal was excessively sticky. While some stickiness is expected in Japanese rice, this was beyond what I consider acceptable. It made it difficult to enjoy the rice as a complimentary side dish, as it clumped together and lacked the desired fluffiness. It was a disappointing departure from the quality rice I have come to expect in Japanese cuisine.

On a positive note, the ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant. The atmosphere was inviting and had a distinct Japanese aesthetic, which helped create a sense of authenticity. Additionally, the service provided by the staff was commendable. They were attentive and accommodating, ensuring that our dining experience was as enjoyable as possible.

However, as a Japanese food lover, I cannot overlook the shortcomings in the food itself. While the ambience and service were satisfactory, it is crucial for a restaurant claiming to offer an authentic Japanese dining experience to prioritize the quality and authenticity of the food. I sincerely hope that the restaurant takes this feedback into consideration and makes the necessary improvements to bring their dishes more in line with what Japanese cuisine enthusiasts like...

Before the pandemic we visited Sanur twice a year, we ate at Kuu several times during our stay , so as you can imagine we were so looking forward to our visit again in October! Food was glorious as usual , thank you to the Chefs! The staff however, could not have been more unhelpful if they tried ! We arrived after 9 ( closing time is 10) after a hetic afternoon, and you could see the staff were clearly irritated by our arrival, as they were in the midst of closing for the night , clearing tables and putting up chairs. They sat in the restaurant looking at their watches , glaring at us , willing us to eat as quickly as we could. At about 9.50 we asked for another glass of wine and the bill, so that they could finish and close the till. They refused , saying that they were closing and they couldnt! When we mentioned the time and we still had time for them to close, they still refused. My partner then said we had been to Kuu many many times and this was the last , which they werent at all concerned about ! Its a shame Kuu, you missed out on extra revenue that evening, and now we will go elsewhere when we visit Sanur...

The food was good, but it didn’t matter because the evening was not relaxing at all. Our server hovered over us throughout the entire meal. We didn’t get 5 minutes to ourselves the entire time we were there. Every time a dish was brought to the table, she come over two or three times to ask us how it was. And if we put our forks down, she’d immediately come over and ask if we were done. I’ve never been in a restaurant where the waitress was literally standing behind us the entire time. We were rushed through and it wasn’t enjoyable at all.

I had heard such good things about this restaurant, And I had found them through a gluten-free app, so I was really looking forward to the meal. But I honestly can’t tell you if the meal was good or not because the experience was so unpleasant and we were being rushed to eat quickly. To spend 1 million rupiah for a dinner experience that was over in 30 minutes is not okay!

I don’t think we’ll be going back there, which is too bad because I’m coeliac and it’s the only gluten-free Japanese restaurant...