Yakuza by Olivier, Cascais — Restaurant in Cascais

Alright, mates! So, we fancied a go at this Japanese Fusion joint, "Yukuza by Olivier," right next to our lovely Resort, after hearing all the buzz. Let me tell you how it all panned out, mate!

Started off with a bang by ordering the Taco Sakana – crispy, salty corn taco shell, stuffed with white fish, guacamole, and a zing of fresh lime. I mean, seriously drool-worthy, you won't believe it! And then, we dug into the Salada Wakame – a seaweed salad jazzed up with sesame oil and some crispy fried lotus root. Bit of crunch, bit of bounce, lovely stuff!

Now, here comes the heavyweight champion – Yaki Udon De Lulas. Juicy squid, broccoli, cauliflower, and snow peas dancing together in a mighty symphony of flavors. And don't even get me started on them Udon noodles – just spot on, mate!

Moving on, we took a leap into the Gunkan Toro territory. Picture this: Tuna Belly, Tuna, Foie Gras, and a sprinkle of leek – every bite was like a taste explosion, I kid you not! But, hold your horses, because here's the knockout punch – Nigiri Wagyu Trufado! A quartet of handcrafted Nigiri featuring Wagyu that melts in your gob, quail egg confit, and delicate truffle slices. Absolute showstopper, that one!

We weren't done yet, mates. The Spicy Tuna and Temaki Toro took us on another flavor rollercoaster, and the Gunkan Rei with its Salmon, King Crab, and Quail egg had us in raptures.

Time for a sweet finish, and boy, did they deliver! The waitstaff tipped us off on the desserts – Creme Queimado de Jasmin Com Gelado (Jasmine Crème Brûlée with Guava Ice Cream) and Fondant de Cha Verde Gelado (Green Tea Fondant with Sesame Ice Cream). I tell ya, the crème brûlée's caramel top was a masterclass in cracking perfection, and that Fondant, oh my days! Bursting with green tea matcha charm, it was a fondant to end all fondants.

So, to sum it all up, "Yukuza by Olivier" knocked our socks off, mates. If you're after a symphony of Japanese Fusion flavors that'll make your taste buds do the cha-cha, this place is where it's at. Cheers to a food escapade to remember, right next door to our...

Yakuza is a nice restaurant. The service was prompt and professional. It is located in a resort hotel in a posh area, so service, decor, location are all up to high end standards.

The food was tasty enough and we enjoyed the meal overall. If you have limited experience with sushi, want to impress someone by paying extravagant prices, or generally aren't interested in authentic food, this might be a 5-star for you.

Why I'm only giving this 3 stars is largely down to value. I did fully expect to pay high prices at this venue. But the sushi portion sizes were miniscule. The 4 slices of otoro for 21eur would have been fine if they were thick, and about twice as long. But they were thin and small and did not satisfy.

We knew just by the fact that the place is named for Japanese mafia that it would be inauthentic (this would be a big taboo in Japan and not attract respectable clientele.) Having made peace with that going in, it softened the blow to learn there were limited offerings of Japanese beverages. Nihonshu (sake) was inexplicably not listed on the menu that we could see, though they did have a couple of bottles on display up front and we learned late that we could have ordered it. The single shochu listed on the menu was not available. They have an Umeshu, and a Japanese whiskey. The Japanese beer is bottled. They did also have a gin from Kyoto (季の美) that I like and made a very nice gin tonic with it. I would maybe give half a point back for that if I could do 3.5.

Again I want to reiterate that the taste and general quality is good. We had a crunchy ika (fried squid) appetizer which was nice. The serving of 4 gyoza were small but tasty. The non-complimentary miso soup was fine. Depending on what your expectations are you might be very happy eating here.

But what you will not get is value for money, or any semblance of...

The food was great, and the ambiance was lovely, but the service was absolutely terrible. Our friends had to wait two and a half hours for their meals, while the rest of us had already finished two or three dishes each. And in the end, they didn’t even receive what they had ordered—without so much as an apology.

When we asked to have the delayed dishes removed from the bill, the staff initially agreed, yet the final receipt still included everything. The whole experience was incredibly disappointing and completely ruined what was supposed to be a special evening—especially since one of the guests left without a meal on...