Tsu — Restaurant in Annapolis

I went to this “Japanese restaurant” for a quick meal after work. I had to go back to work in a couple of hours, so I just wanted a peaceful, relaxing meal as I was VERY tired and hungry.

I just wanted noodles and a broth of some kind. So, I ordered their “tsukemen”. I looked at the menu and saw a surcharge for meat, which I thought was odd because tsukemen isn’t served with beef, chicken, or shrimp. It’s basically a plate of room temperature noodles that you dip into a hot rich broth or dipping sauce (in a separate bowl). But I just thought the proteins listed were the ingredients used as the base of their broth, so I order the chicken one and wait.

When I got the dish I asked where the second bowl for the broth was and the bartender said “what broth?” To which I replied “the broth for the tsukemen….the dish requires a second bowl to dip the noodles in…also, why is everything together in one dish?” He just said “this is how we do tsukemen.”

I was actually very mad because why would you put the name of a dish on your menu, and then do nothing that makes the dish unique and serve it? It’s not tsukemen if you don’t dip the noodles. I got served a single bowl of oily noodles with a few pieces of charred chicken and steamed broccoli, and an egg on top. It was cold, I wanted a hot soup.

So then I ordered the udon which is supposed to have a broth. Not yaki udon, I ordered their udon. Ugh, they gave me the same flipping thing. Sticky room temp noodles with the egg, same pieces of chicken, same pieces of broccoli and no broth? I asked for a broth to make it a soup and they said they could get me a bowl of broth. Omg….it was literally just warmed up chicken stock. I was so upset. Everything had one taste together: butter. There was no other flavor except the taste of oil and butter in the udon. Even the egg tasted like butter.

I was so hungry, and tired and I went to this loud place where they were blasting hip hop/pop/rock music, where the staff wore short skirts and were partying at the bar (which is fine if you’re into that kind of vibe). I should have known something was off when I didn’t see a sushi chef at a counter preparing food, but instead a girl on her phone when I walked in, ignoring me, and then when I asked for a table she said “for one person?!?” (So I just said I’d sit at the bar). This place is NOT a traditional Japanese restaurant. It appeals to a certain type of crowd who doesn’t want to sit quietly and enjoy their meal.

I just paid and left, then went to an actual Japanese restaurant about 6min away walking distance, and ate there. It’s funny though because as I was eating at the new restaurant a girl who worked at Tsunami came and ordered from the restaurant I ended up going to. I knew this because 1) it was quiet enough that you could actually have a decent conversation with your dining guest, and 2) she knew the waiter there and said she was working at Tsunami now. Funny how you now work in a “Japanese restaurant”, but come to a traditional one and order food from there.

Anyway, I won’t be returning back there ever again. If you want good Japanese food and don’t want to be bombarded by loud music and served by indifferent waitstaff who don’t know why things are the way they are, don’t go there. Go...

We really enjoyed the food experience and will definitely be back to try more things.

Very different feel than most sushi or Asian restaurants. Decor and music is very hip and more like a club. The bar was very lively and large. An older crowd might not be a fan but shouldn’t let that deter them from the amazing food.

Unique cocktails. We got the Thai-ed up. You could taste the Thai tea but the vodka was very apparent. Crimson tea was ginger beer forward.

The menu has a variety of Asian items, many with a unique twist. We tried a variety of things.

Nightly special - coconut lime scallop ceviche with homemade wonton chips. The scallops were small so you could fit many in a chip at a time. The coconut flavor was mild and there was a slight kick of heat to balance it. The chips were very airy and crisp. Highly recommend it!

Kamakazi roll - fish was fresh with a firm texture and mild flavor. The roll was wrapped tightly and the wasabi was potent

Coconut curry seafood soup - we originally ordered the mussels, but the server recommended the soup instead since we like curry. Amazing recommendation. They make the coconut curry in house. It was like an Asian version of cioppino. The broth was slightly spicy and there was lot of seafood. The fish was in large pieces and very tender. Recommending getting a baguette for dipping or side of rice to pour it over.

Shiitake mushrooms steamed bun: came as a set of 3. They are mini taco like; not a dumpling. The steamed bun was soft and fluffy. The mushrooms had a unique flavor and the veggies added a great crunch or offset the bun.

Make sure to save room for dessert! We had the banana lumpia. Filipino style fried banana with homemade peanut butter ice cream. If you like peanut butter and bananas you...

ROACHES, BEWARE!! We have friends who have visited multiple times and raved about the sushi and craft cocktails. Having the rare night off and having to stay in Annapolis for the night, we decided to give it a try. We went late, so the loud noise and upbeat tempo was to be expected. We are in our early twenties so this appealed to us. We walked in and nobody greeted us for awhile. Never being here before, we weren't sure if we sat ourselves or to wait for a hostess. Finally the bartender recognized us and told us to pick a seat.

We got to our spot and a young waitress greeted us. She was nice enough, prompt and addressed any questions we had. We ordered the Siriacha mac and cheese to start, and it was delicious.

Next our sushi came out. Looked great, was very excited. We started to eat, and when I went to grab my water glass I saw a roach on the table very close to our sushi. I very calmly alerted my boyfriend of the critter, and we tried to get a picture or squish him to show the waitress. However, he scurried off somewhere before we could get him.

We told our waitress about the situation, and all she told us in a round about way was that "it happens". My boyfriend and I both live in a historic town and work in an old restaurant and understand that roaches happen. However, never have I seen one on the tables. I lost my appetite immediately. On top of it all, nobody offered to comp us! I was so nauseous and upset we paid and left. We should have tried to get part of our meal comped but I was so grossed out I wanted out of there as fast as I could....