Ryoshi — Restaurant in Mexico City

Ryoshi was everything you would expect from an expensive restaurant in Polanco. The service was professional efficient but overly intrusive making the meal frustrating and not as peaceful and relaxing as we would have liked. Maybe we just don't understand how to have a peaceful meal in Mexico but we noticed the people next to us having drinks weren't really being bothered. We felt a bit rushed. Maybe we just looked and dressed like we did not belong? If you look at my reviews you can see I've had Japanese all over the world including omakazi at one of the best Japanese restaurants in Japan. By far I'm not an expert but I can make my way through a sushi bar without too much trouble and I'm fairly proficient with the chopsticks.

Hands down this is an extremely beautiful restaurant architecturally designed and decorated wonderfully. Pictures are amazing in this restaurant. We were seated at the sushi bar where there were at least five or six guys pounding out plates of beautifully looking sushi Maki and sashimi.  We were offered wasabi (typical reconstituted light green colored powdered mustard), but I think they may have had real wasabi available. Ginger was also fresh and pickled very well and not bitter.

We ordered seven different types of sashimi which comes in 14 pieces. Also a softshell crab roll. One bowl of rice to go with the sashimi.

For whatever reason  the waiter immediately brings out a bowl of rice and sits it in front of us right after we order. What the heck were they thinking? This is an expensive upscale restaurant and you would expect them to either ask or assume that the rice be brought out with the rest of the meal and not brought out 15 minutes before the meal. It bordered on insulting but I didn't feel like arguing with them and I just put the bowl aside. Service should have noticed this and brought fresh hot rice when the rest of the meal came but they didn't. At these prices they should have.

The quality of the sushi was very good. Fresh smelling without any lemon to cover any bad smells. It was on a bowl of ice, a great touch. Only thing that could distract was the actual cuts, the sizes of the cuts and the shapes of the cuts. Portions were small. In addition, they put little dots of salsa on some of the pieces. One of the dots of salsa woke us up 10 times more than wasabi. It was interesting but personally I wouldn't put anything on the sashimi.

Chefs were extremely professional and well trained. It was a joy to watch them work.  Amazing tasting sushi but also extremely expensive sushi. I'm not saying you can get the same or better at a better price or anything like that. It's just that you're going to be paying a lot for really good sashimi, more expensive than most places in the United States. I don't mind the price but I did mind my difficulties with the service.

The softshell crab was very delicious. Not your typical Maryland softshell crab. I think this was better. Not a lot of fried breading. You really got to see and taste very tender pieces of crab. Only the ends were really fried. It was beautifully plated. Delicious.

Drinks we got were good but certainly more rich in price than in flavor and quality. Nevertheless they were good. I got The hokoro mezcal drink and the other drink was a sake cocktail. Both were really good drinks. Not much alcohol in the sake cocktail if you're looking for something not too strong. Actually both were not very strong but very enjoyable.

We would have loved to stay for more, but the service based on our expectations was too distracting. This was not a filling meal. We went out for boba tea and  street hamburguesa afterwards.

See my Kura and other Japanese restaurant reviews next day for comparisons.

Please know that the response from the management is incorrect. This was not a perfect experience by any stretch of the imagination. It was very good but I would read what I wrote and see that it was not perfect and there is some work to be done at the restaurant specifically with the waitress who...

Exploring Culinary Fusion at Ryoshi, Ciudad de México: A Gourmet's Experience for "Sibaritas".

The pulsating heart of Ciudad de México, known for its rich culinary landscape, set the stage for my visit to Ryoshi, a distinguished sushi destination nestled in the bustling center of the city. As someone deeply entrenched in the gourmet world with a penchant for fine wines, I was brimming with excitement at the prospect of savoring the melding of time-honored Japanese culinary art with the bold, unique flavors characteristic of Mexico.

Crossing the threshold into Ryoshi, I was immediately captivated by its aesthetic – a blend of Japanese minimalism and understated elegance that whispered of Zen gardens. The ambiance was accentuated by dim, ambient lighting and a backdrop of gentle, traditional Japanese music, crafting an environment ripe for a memorable gastronomic exploration.

The Ryoshi team welcomed me with an infectious enthusiasm, eager to unveil the intricacies of their menu. My culinary expedition commenced with an expertly curated sake tasting, a nod to Japan's revered beverage tradition. Each variant, from the crisp, clean profiles to those bursting with rich fruitiness, served as an introduction to the depth and diversity of sake, while priming my taste buds for the culinary delights ahead.

The first course to arrive was a selection of nigiri sushi, where the commitment of Ryoshi to supreme quality was immediately apparent. The tuna, a velvety indulgence, was artfully paired with subtly seasoned rice, striking a delightful balance. The salmon, luxuriously smooth, received a surprising enhancement from a dusting of Mexican spices, lending a novel twist to the traditional flavor.

Then came the pièce de résistance, Ryoshi's signature fusion roll. It was a culinary tapestry, weaving together the finesse of Japanese sushi craft with the robust flavors of Mexico. The roll encapsulated a harmony of textures – the fiery zest of the tuna juxtaposed with the creamy richness of avocado, and the gentle heat of finely sliced jalapeño adding an invigorating pop.

Embracing the challenge of pairing wine with sushi, I leaned on the expertise of Ryoshi’s sommelier. Their choice, a vibrant white wine with aromatic nuances, was an impeccable complement to the delicate sushi, a testament to the versatility and potential of wine in a realm traditionally dominated by sake.

The zenith of the meal was the chef's special sashimi platter. Each slice was a testament to the chef's meticulous craft, offering freshness so palpable, it was as if the ocean resided on my plate. The quality of the soy sauce and wasabi, accompanying these pristine cuts, served to elevate the natural flavors without overpowering the delicate seafood.

We had the opportunity to pair our dinner with Laberinto Rosé, Mexico. Here you have my tasting note.

As the evening unfolded, I was immersed in the seamless fusion of Japanese culinary heritage and Mexican creativity that is Ryoshi’s hallmark. Every dish was more than just a meal; it was a cultural dialogue, a testament to the ingenuity and culinary prowess that thrives in Ciudad de México.

Upon my departure from Ryoshi, I carried with me a deep sense of gratitude for the culinary odyssey I had experienced. The restaurant didn’t just meet my high expectations; it transcended them, offering an unparalleled dining experience that was authentically Japanese yet distinctively Mexican. This visit stood as a poignant reminder of the universal appeal of exceptional cuisine and the boundless opportunities that arise when diverse culinary...

The restaurant itself is beautiful, and money has clearly been spent on the decor. The staff are very friendly, if a little overbearing at times e.g. two of them tried to “help” me off with my jacket while my handbag was still on, which was farcically awkward, but it was the general hovering that was just a bit much. But then when we had a couple of dishes we let them know we didn’t like, they just left them there until we expressly asked for them to be taken away. I guess the reason I wanted to write this review is because I think this place has all the ingredients for success. Lovely people, lovely place and more importantly lovely fish. My main issue was that they weren’t sticking to traditional Japanese sushi which is all about simplicity and instead adding things that took away from the raw ingredients. So the tiger roll came with sweet, deep fried crab on top and a sweet orange mayo or something on the bottom, and basically tasted like a dessert. The spicy tuna maki had no discernible spice but a full coating of white sesame seeds, which added nothing and got stuck in our teeth. And the upselling felt pretty relentless too. At every opportunity we were suggested the most expensive dishes. Sometimes when we had ordered some dishes we were yet to receive the waiter would come back to suggest more dishes. It just felt a bit pushy and was quite irritating. Overall, I think if you ordered well you could have an amazing meal here, as some of the dishes were really excellent, like the pork belly skewers and the tuna nigiri. But I would avoid the maki rolls like the plague and stick to the simpler sushi dishes like sashimi where the potential for ruining the beautiful ingredients...