Kiroro Sushi — Restaurant in Belmont

Ok, where do we start. This is a new sushi joint in the Belmont-San Carlos area and sushi aficionados we are, had to try it out. It was a bit of a weird feeling because the interior and the menu pointed towards a low-end sushi/roll joint but pries certainly pointed way upwards.

Food : they were definitely using high quality ingredients. The dishes were definitely non-traditional. They tried to be contemporary / fusion Japanese, garnishing their sushi and sashimi with ample sauce. But this is where I think it goes off... Everything is just soaked in sauce. Everything is salty, decorated too much, and "pressed" and beaten with the back of the knife unnecessarily. I think the chefs are imitating what they have seen and learned, but they do not know the principles behind why fish is treated in a certain way. Ramen was also a bit weird. The noodles itself were great, but the broth had depth missing. I only give it 4 stars because the place was extremely busy and I want to give it a second chance.

Service : the place was a havoc. I guess because of the newness, there were a lot of people filling in all the tables, and then some. And for whatever reason, the 3 servers covering the restaurant simply couldn't keep up. The sushi bar was run decently, but the other cooked dishes took extremely long. Again, I want to give it the benefit of doubt as it is a newly formed team with rushed crowd.

We'll definitely give it one more try but at these prices, I expect things to be...

Quality of some of the items is good - 4-5 stars . Quantity - 2 stars ( I’ll explain below), pricing - 1-2 stars . First off this is not upscale dining by any means . 17$ for soft shell crab appetizer ! This gives tariffs a run for the money !! I have had soft shell crab from Burlingame to Santa Clara in regular sushi restaurants - which range from $8 to $12 at the best unless it’s an upscale dining . Sushi - It’s hard to find any roll without avocados on it . This way they skim the crap of the actual sushi and slice it as thin as they can and just fill everything with tempura or imitation crab . Challenge me and try to look at their rolls menu - This has becomes a problem with many sushi restaurants and so I try and identify places that are not stingy on their cuts and stuff with avocados and cucumber and other cheap and imitation stuff !! There are some unique dishes with a small whole fish sashimi which is fine but $33 with tax seems a bit high . But since it’s something unique maybe ok . You can take many other items including edamame - like almost $10 with tax seems slightly!! WTF!! Would I go there in the future ? Maybe for select items . But if I want nice good thick cut sushi and sashimi I have good other options which are priced well . Only reason I gave 3 stars is due to some unique items and style. If they change to a fine dining maybe there’s a chance eith pricing and less skimping on the sushi and...

I ordered the “Deluxe Chirashi Bowl” on DoorDash and was satisfied with the meal. Some points:

Overall, the cuts of fish are very high quality. I applaud them for this. Chu-toro was cut generously. The sauces are too overpowering. It felt way too salty with how much ponzu was drizzled. Traditionally, chirashi/kaisen don bowls should highlight the fish. I felt like I was tasting too much sauce for my liking. The rice was not enough to “balance out” the saltiness. Then, there was also this sour-sweet relish that, by itself, could be good. But they drizzled so much of it I couldn’t taste the fish/rice anymore. Overall, too much sauce. I appreciated how they added their “signature touch” to the chirashi bowl with puréed yam. It balanced the salmon. Presentation is very good. I liked how they scored the salmon. Good touch. For a deluxe chirashi bowl, I was let down with only a single piece of uni and a single piece of amaebi. Usually, uni should come in two pieces? Somewhat understandable, since Santa Barbara uni is expensive these days (I’m pretty sure it’s Santa Barbara uni). Rice is okay—nothing special unfortunately. I admit I have pretty high standard with my sushi...