HeJi Restaurant — Restaurant in Vilnius

Atmosphere: I love the bold, interesting approach to creating a truly unique and special gastronomic venue in Vilnius. However, from an Asian perspective, it does feel a bit like a Pan-Asian Disneyland, and to be honest, a bit tacky—almost like it's trying too hard to be fancy. I’m not just talking about the inclusion of various interior elements from different parts of China, South, and Southeast Asia, but things like shiny golden body art, red ribbons, and birdcages are giving off 90's high society club vibes (not in a good way). That said, I can appreciate that it’s geared towards a Western audience.

Food: Very interesting and ambitious take on East Asian-inspired cuisine. The Hokkaido bread and arancini were the tastiest things I’ve eaten this year so far. However, in the current menu (January 2025), I don’t understand the heavy reliance on mushrooms. I love mushrooms, but it was definitely overkill—especially the maitake and shiitake combo (before and after other mushroom dishes for vegetarians). There are definitely other ways to dial up the umami flavor and other seasonal vegetables, both in Lithuania and Japan, such as radish, cabbage, ube, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, etc. Also, the slice of Wagyu with the Takoyaki—pretentious and didn’t add anything to the dish. To me, this was a rather unfortunate interpretation of going bold and experimental with a tasting menu, but the quality and craftsmanship of each individual item were high.

Service: Outstanding service—very attentive, warm, and helpful. In fact, I can’t remember ever having better service in Lithuania. If you visit, I would recommend the sake pairing. It was definitely worth the money, served by someone with expertise and passion. We were also lucky to be there during live music, and the singer was absolutely amazing, playing many of my favorite songs.

All in all, the service elevated the entire experience from 3 to 4 stars, and I would still recommend visiting if you're willing to pay for quality and a unique dining experience in Vilnius. It's also a relatively new place and I'm sure it will get better over time.

For people who don't appreciate the concept of tasting menu or Vilnius developing an interesting gastronomy scene, please visit fast food chains or takeaway Asian food, you will be...

It was the first fine dining restaurant I've been to that offered a tasting menu that was not only amusing but also truly satisfying. The cuisine skillfully fuses traditional Japanese flavors with European haute cuisine, resulting in sometimes unexpected but always delicious dishes.

The sashimi and tartars were beautifully presented without any overpowering condiments - just the raw beauty of the ingredients, enhanced by a few high-quality additions, like a dash of real wasabi for the fish or crispy dark bread for the beef.

The tamago with unagi and wagyu had a little too much going on in one bite for my taste, but it was immediately followed by steaming hot arancini that was as delish as arancini can get.

The chawanmushi was an amazing crossover between fine dining and comfort food, its many ingredients masterfully balanced to complement the dish. It was followed by a main course of perfectly cooked halibut, accompanied by a few sauces that completely transformed the experience - in the best way.

Dessert was amazing. The yuzu ice cream could have been served on its own and still be impressive, but it came with a variety of accompaniments that matched it surprisingly well, down to the tiniest detail, like a birch juice gel.

The finishing drink with mochi was a lovely touch, and the drink itself became my favorite part of the tasting menu, alongside the tuna, beef tartar, hamachi crudo, and the strawberry cake dessert.

The sommelier recommended a sparkling rosé, which paired well with almost all of the dishes and made the wait between courses a genuinely...

The environment is wonderful and pleasant but the food was disappointing.

The serving of non-alcoholic drinks was a joke. Half the cup was taken up by ice, the glass was small. The Green Jasmine cocktail was disappointing. The taste reminded me of chilled green tea with honey like Nestea. The round ice made it difficult to drink, because the nose was touching the ice. The price was 12€ for a cocktail.

The 'Unagi sando' did not make a big impression. The sandwich was very oily and there were no additional flavors to compensate for that oiliness.

The main dishes 'Baby Cockerel and Ocean Catch' were not bad in terms of portion size. The chicken was cooked deliciously, but very oily. I also had to try the fish, but in terms of flavors, it simply lacked flavor, and the butter sauce with spring onions served with it did not enhance the taste.

After tasting the first entrèe, we were disappointed, so we decided not to order desserts and coffee, although the waitress insistingly was offering them.

We said goodbye to the waitress as we left the restaurant, but she didn't answer us, even though she was walking straight towards us.

I'm not a big fan of fatty food, my stomach just hurt after the dinner. I would not recommend it to my friends.

We spent 200€ and thanks God we had champagne at home. It was the best tasting part after...