Matsuei — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

Extremely mediocre sushi with lackluster service. I ordered the moriawase — the chef’s choice of 16 pieces of nigiri — and while the fish was fresh, the rice completely ruined the experience. Each piece was overstuffed with rice that felt straight out of an “all you can eat” sushi buffet in the U.S.: overly vinegared, overcooked, and packed into a dense, sticky clump. The texture was more like Southeast Asian sticky rice — heavy and gummy — rather than the light, airy, subtly sweet-and-sour sushi rice that forms the foundation of great nigiri.

Because yes, great sushi is fundamentally about the rice — not just the fish. Any sushi chef will tell you that. I get that this isn’t Japan, and I don’t expect the chefs here to have undergone years of “rice apprenticeship”. But I did expect something better than gas station/shopping mall sushi, especially since the sushi selections had no real “fusion” angle to fall back on as an excuse for lack of authenticity.

I did try one fusion dish — the udon carbonara — which was decent, but forgettable. It was also laughably small for a main dish, more like a tapas portion.

The ambiance is upscale and refined, but the energy is dead. The staff didn’t seem like they wanted to be there. They wore Japanese samue robes and tossed around phrases like “irasshai” and “hai,” which just felt forced and cringey. So what is this place trying to be — a traditional sushi-ya or a modern fusion spot? It doesn’t commit to either, and in the end, it misses the...

The sushi here is excellent, but the service left a lot to be desired and significantly detracted from the experience.

We had reserved for the bar area on Friday, Sept 19, since the rest of the restaurant was said to be fully booked. Upon arrival, we were seated in the bar area, which was clearly inferior to both the main dining space and the sushi bar itself. What was frustrating is that walk-ins without reservations were seated at better tables and even at the bar. When we asked our waitress about moving, she dismissed us quickly, insisting nothing was available, even though the bar was half empty. Only after my girlfriend approached a different staff member were we immediately offered a much better table in the main dining area. Our waitress never apologized until the very end, when the bill (and her tip) was on the table.

This kind of attitude is unacceptable for a restaurant that positions itself as high-end. If you’re charging premium prices, the service should reflect that, not leave paying guests feeling ignored or misled.

To be fair, other staff members were excellent: the hostess, for instance, noticed a fishbone in our sushi and replaced the plate without hesitation, even though we had already eaten half. The sushi itself is of very high quality.

But ultimately, a fine restaurant is not just about food: it’s also about...

The food at this restaurant was truly excellent. We ordered the vegetarian maki and the acevichado—both were delicious, though we slightly preferred the vegetarian maki. We also tried the carbonara udon, which was very tasty, and the sautéed vegetables with white rice, which were perfectly balanced in flavor. Everything was going great—we even enjoyed three cocktails, and the Matcha one was a standout!

However, the experience was slightly dampened by the dessert. We ordered the banana and dulce de leche dessert, but it took 15–20 minutes to arrive. During that time, the staff repeatedly told us, “It’ll be five more minutes,” but it never came. Since we were with my grandmother, who found the chairs quite uncomfortable, the delay was especially frustrating. We were told twice that they were “cutting” the dessert, but that didn’t seem to speed things up.

Overall, it could have been a perfect dining experience if not for the unusually long...