Isao — Restaurant in Khlong Toei Nuea Subdistrict

Inarguably one of the best Japanese fusion sushi restaurants in Bangkok, not only for its food - which is utterly delicious - but also for its attention to good restauranteurship. Where to begin ...

Isao accepts both reservations and non-reservations equally, dedicating the first floor to the former and the second floor to the latter. That's quite thoughtful and makes it convenient for last-minute diners. There's also a covered waiting area outside with classy wood benches.

Ordering is simple via the QR code and web app, which also shows you the total price including VAT. Neat! However, the drinks need to be ordered with the wait staff. What's missing - and its a very good thing - is the service charge. That's up to the customer, as it should always be.

Despite an almost full dinner crowd, the food came in good order though not necessarily in the expected sequence, i.e. not all the side dishes came before the "main" meal, but that's forgivable given how tasty everything was.

Our ravenous group of four had the agedashi tufu, edamame, fried calamari, gyoza, pickles, and seaweed salad as appetizers, followed by the crispy spicy tuna nigiri and the jackie, crunchy, and dragon Isao special rolls. Then we had the sesame garden salad, tori karaage, katsudon, and salmon shioyaki set.

For drinks we had hot green tea (the restaurant was cold) and two glasses of the fruity and delicious hoshiya mutenka joto umeshu on the rocks from Kagoshima. I also wanted to try the soshu but decided that might have been too much alcohol for one meal.

With barely enough room for dessert, we ended up sharing the vanilla caramel parfait, which ended a perfect meal and cleansed our palates.

The only thing that marred an otherwise near-perfect dining experience was the rather boisterous group behind our table, who seemed to think they were in a pub and were oblivious or just plain rude towards everyone else. Oh well.

So, if you're looking to celebrate a special someone's birthday, for example, instead of taking them to a place that our group recently went to, take them to Isao. It's a far better choice and you'll be...

I’m not the type to leave reviews often, but when I do, it’s because I loved the service.

My wife and I were craving Japanese food and remembered this spot near AYBKK (by the way, if you’re into yoga, check them out — my wife goes there regularly while I’m still sleeping!).

What initially caught our attention was the restaurant’s exterior. After a quick look at the Google reviews, we decided to give it a try — and we’re glad we did.

The food was excellent, with portions noticeably larger than most other Japanese restaurants we’ve tried. Everything was fresh, tasty, satisfying and original. (If you order the Dragon or Jacky, you will know what I’m talking about).

But what truly made our experience better was one of the staff members. She had the kindest energy, and her smile was as warm as her heart. She even asked us if we were okay after the earthquake the day before — a small gesture, but one that really stayed with us. Throughout the meal, she checked in on us, making sure everything was good, but never in an intrusive way.

The next day, by pure chance, we bumped into her in the street — and she immediately recognized us, greeting us with the same genuine smile.

I realize I haven’t said much about the restaurant itself, but honestly, that’s because the combination of great food and beautiful service is what will make us come back.

One small note (just a personal thing) — you can see the chefs working behind the counter, but not actually see them cook. It’s a minor thing and doesn’t take away from the overall experience.

To the chefs: don’t change anything. The food is fantastic.

And to the wonderful lady who served us: never lose that smile — the world needs more...

Came here for their infamous rolls and their clearly extensive selections, and the dinner did not disappoint. All the dishes are well prepared and freshly made. The highlight was the sandwich style rolls as well as the engawa roll and the spicy scallop dish (non-roll) (had also forgotten all the names). For dessert, the matcha affogato was just ok.

The waiters are accommodating; though, some may seem rushed and lost focus when myself and the companion wanted to request for orders.

The atmosphere is neat and the feel is modern Japanese. However the aircon right above me leaked water onto the table. Lucky enough we had already finished our meal before it had happened. But then again, this is an oversight and if the water gets into the food it's not at all good - a hygiene issue of the restaurant and a loss of atmosphere.

The food here was the saving grace - all very fresh, flavourful and deliciously imagined. The attentiveness should improve - if not on perfecting customer service, management could use some attention to facilities that provide sense of cleanliness and unneglected...