Takai by Kashiba — Restaurant in Bellevue

great ambiance, but sushi bar may be better -

Since Takai doesn't open on Mondays, we had to celebrate my husband's bday one day ahead. I booked it one week ahead since all the sushi bar spots were taken and there were plenty of dining table reservations left. Through research, I found the entrance of the parking lot is on the 2nd street next to semicolon cafe, and the discount code to use for the parking app to get 2 hours of parking for free (hint: the code is the food that they serve, don't wanna be explicit so people won't abuse it).

We were 7 minutes early and was told that we can either get drinks at the bar area or just wait for the exact time.. since we weren't drinkers, we decided to just wait. 2 minutes past our reservation time (7:45 pm), they led us to our table at the corner of the store. The little round table is rather romantic. Surprisingly, there were no other guests dining at that time. I'm guessing they only do one dining table reservation at a time and the reservations are 15 min apart.

Upon sitting, we can choose either complimentary water or sparkling water. They refill the glasses throughout the meal and the water was also from a bottle instead of tap water.

During our meal, we get the following: 1*. Appetizer (3 small bites of assorted dishes) Minced raw tuna with seaweed (so like a handroll without rice) 4 pieces of sashimi 6 nigiri sushi Chawanmushi (savory egg custard) 3 pieces of tuna from lean to fat 7*. A piece of cooked salmon 5 nigiri sushi with tamagoyaki 9 miso soup and a small hojicha ice cream from Nana's green tea.

Based from the reviews, #1 and 7 can change randomly for each day. Everything was fresh with a good quality, but it wasn't as formal as other omakase places I've been to because there is no sheet of paper listing everything you will be served for the day (or maybe it's for sushi bar only). I also felt like their dishes are also more americanized and less authentic.. the cooked salmon was disappointing as I could have made something similar at home. The miso soup was also disappointing as I'd prefer a really good cup of green tea to go with the ice cream. We got sparkling champagne on the house to celebrate his birthday, but the portions were small. The sushi rice was also smaller portion, even though they did ask us if the rice portion was fine after #4. I thought it would be nicer to get the customization figured out before serving anything. I also felt one of the salmon nigiri wasn't as high quality as the rest. The service was also a bit lacking as they never refilled my ginger pieces, though my water was refilled constantly. Again, it's the small things that is lacking..

This place is nice, and the ambiance is as romantic as you can get in Bellevue that's somewhat close to canlis. However, the meal lacks some wow factors. For example, I still remember the delicious rice from Taneda or the complimentary cake from Sai sushi. Just like other people said, it's good but there is something missing. The only thing that was interesting was the tamagoyaki since the upper half has a hello texture, and the lower half have a cake texture.

When I was in Japan, I enjoyed my kaiseki meals there when they turned common ingredients into something else through cooking, and it's like an art. This isn't a kaiseki restaurant, so quality is more important and I think the sourcing of ingredients or the type of ingredients they source didn't meet my expectation. The portion was also smaller than expected, even the hojicha ice cream served was like 1/2 of the ones from other omakase places.. Though to be fair, dining table experiences tend to be less fancy and you have more intimate time with your partner which I appreciate.

The con unfortunately outweighs the pro so we are unlikely to visit again. I will likely explore the omakase places that I haven't been to but heard about for a while.

This place is more like a 3 for me, but I'm giving it a 4 since my husband had a good time here and we talked a lot...

I absolutely love visiting here, I've come 4 times now, tried the sushi counter twice, and table omakase twice nice.

Table Omakase: 03/2023 & 07/2023 Sushi Counter: 03/2023 & 07/2023

(Yes, I visited within the same month for both months, I'm a huge fan of edomae style omakase)

Table Omakase Experience is a wonderful option if you want time to speak to the guests you're dining with. It's still very interactive with the staff throughout the dining experience, and the staff is amazing with their knowledge of the dishes and drinks. It is an EXPERIENCE, which means they present the dishes and drinks and explain the items to you. Expect this, this is part of the experience. It is, of course, a chefs omakase, so you dont know whats in front of you until they place it down and explain it. Don't be afraid to ask them what drinks or dishes are called again. The table omakase begins with fresh hot towels and a sakazuki starter drink of your choice (either tea or sake) "the sakazuki cup is a beloved part of Japanese culture and is often associated with warmth, hospitality, and celebration." The spacing between the courses is perfect, allowing us a few minutes to enjoy the flavors and talk amongst each other what we just had. I highly recommend the wine/sake pairing every time you visit. It's custom paired to match the courses for that day. You get these boosts of flavor rolling in your palate. Table omakase has a mix of sashimi, side dishes, sushi, etc. It's honestly a really fun and beautiful experience to enjoy! Perfect for a meal that depicts edomae tradition with Jun-Sans bold aging and preparation processes, along with the kitchen chefs touches on several dishes.

For a really true chefs omakase experience, you can choose your option of sitting at the chefs counter and being served by Jun-San himself. The experience here is quite upgraded in comparison to the table experience, different dishes, and different cuts of fishes. Check out all the photos I've posted. There's a ton! There is obviously a price difference, I actually prefer to eat at the chefs counter because I get to eat that sushi fresh from Jun-San to me. As well as get first-hand experience being served from one of the few true edomae style sushi chefs in the world. Just as you experience at the table, you receive wonderful service from the sushi counter server, they're very attentive and you are presented with every detail to fully experience what they're serving you that day.

Chef Jun-San is amazing, he's got a very thick Japanese accent but just listen and focus closely, he explains the culture behind some of the dishes. Don't be afraid to talk to him or ask questions, he is very passionate about his work! Servers are also there to help answer questions too, Jun-Sans favorite cut is the sardine, and honestly, I'll have to admit I think it's now my favorite. Its by far been my favorite bite every time I have it there. It's like biting into a bite that lingers and develops more and more as you chew into it, take a sip of that pairing and you're diving into an abyss of eye rolls to the back of your head. If I had a choice I would love to take 10 more pieces of it. Mmm. So delicious!

Obviously there's so much I could explain and talk about on here.

Point is, this is an experience, come to taste, smell, learn about this style of dining. They follow very traditional processes and preparation, don't expect what you see in casual hyped up sushi spots. This is where you come to appreciate real love for Japanese food and passion that's put into these carefully constructed dishes and sushi.

I'm a huge fan and really love coming here! I appreciate the time, love, and experience I receive with every visit. Highly recommend!

Note: omakase portioning is a lot of food, it's a full meal, don't eat before you come in.

Parking: 2 hours free validation, use the code- sushi

Dress code: business casual, you can even come in more formal/dressy/...

If you're looking for an omakase experience that will leave you feeling as pleased as a wet sock, then Takai is the perfect restaurant for you!

I have to say, I was really excited to try Takai counter experience based on all the online and friend reviews claiming it to be one of the best omakase restaurants in Seattle. And I have to admit, the location is pretty great and comes with free two hours of garage parking, which is a rarity for other omakase restaurants in town.

The service was warm and attentive, and Chef Jun was great, offering just the right amount of interaction with each guest. However, I have to say the meal and beverage were a massive disappointment.

They had fresh fish, but their choice of seafood was quite safe and boring but their oroto and chutoro were good. I was expecting some interesting and unique fish, but sadly, that was not the case.

But wait, the real kicker was the sake. My group and I always pair omakase with Japanese sake, and we were expecting a great selection at Takai. Unfortunately, the sake experience at Takai was agonizing. The bottled sakes start at $170/bottle, which is about the same price for a person's omakase, and if you don't want that, the only choice left is to order a single glass. We ordered a chilled sake, but to our horror, our sake was served at room temperature! Our waitress poured quite a lot in our glasses in the first round, so we had to painfully drink our warm sake and that truly ruined our experience. We had to ask a different waitress to take our less than half bottle of sake back to chill to the proper temperature. Honestly, this is a very bad mistake for a restaurant that claims to be high-end and authentic, and it's just unacceptable when you're paying ~$200 for a bottle. Also, their sake really didn't live up to that high price.

Overall we paid over $1000 for 3 people So, in conclusion, while Takai may have a nice ambiance and service, it's certainly not worth coming here with high expectations. I'm giving this restaurant two stars, and that's only because of the service and ambiance. But when it comes to the meal and beverage, you're better off going somewhere else.

Bon appétit, or in this case, bon...