This is going to be quite the long review so here's the TLDR: If you don't mind thinking "Ah, it would have been great if..." after every dish, you just might find something you like. However, without a single memorable experience, some shocking letdowns and soulless platters, I cannot recommend this place.

Before getting to the food, I'd like to point out that the Japanese greeting used to welcome guests to the restaurant is being pronounced incorrectly by the staff. The greeting is pronounced EE-RAH-SHAH-EE not EE-REH-SHEH-EE. This was not a single person, but the staff in general.

Let's start with the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna. This felt like two random ingredients being thrown together without a thought to synergy or harmony. What normally makes this dish so appealing, is the contrast of temperature and texture between the tuna and the rice. When you take a bite, your palate should be wowed by the contrast, yet, amazed by how the two ingredients come together perfectly to offer a unique experience. Here, the rice was so crispy, that it failed to blend with the tuna. There was a constant battle between the two and what made it worse is that the lackluster rice took away from the flavors of the tuna. Not only is your palate trying to makes sense of the chaos, but your taste buds are not rewarded for going through so much trouble.

I don't have much to say about the Brussels sprouts tempura as I'm not a fan of truffle oil so I only took a single bite. My friends, however, really enjoyed the dish as they didn't even leave a single one.

The crispy chicken was actually both a hit and a miss. While I quite enjoyed how well the chicken was prepared and fried, I just found the dish to be tasteless. They serve the crispy chicken with JINYA's original ponzu sauce which helps to make it less tasteless, but karaage shouldn't be reliant on a sauce or garnish to make it tasty. Serving size is quite generous. Had they nailed the flavor, it would have been great!

It saddens me to say that the Tokyo Curry Rice was the dish I enjoyed the most. Normally, finding a dish that leaves a good impression is a positive, but the Tokyo Curry Rice tasted just as good as the readymade curry packets I can find at a Japanese supermarket. There was no flair, no signature touch, no twist, no love. In a sense, it was the dish that came closest to the Japanese flavors that I enjoy so much because they didn't do anything to it. That said, the rice served was shockingly bad. Curry should be accompanied by soft, fluffy, glistening, semi-sticky rice. Instead, we got dry, crunchy rice. Quite the letdown. The salad served with the curry had no dressing and really didn't add much to the experience.

When I saw the JINYA Tonkotsu Black Ramen, a spark of hope was kindled. The broth was enticingly thick, as Tonkotsu broth should be, and the egg was boiled to perfection. I took a sip expecting to be transported by the deep and complex flavors of the broth, but that was not the case. Yet another thing lacking flavor, devoid of a soul to make it truly unique. What caught me off guard was the chashu. It had a very potent, smokey flavor that further highlighted just how lacking the broth was. What makes a ramen bowl so special is the masterful handling of each ingredient to come together even when the ingredients have strong, opposing flavor profiles. The bowl showed none of that artful play.

Lastly, I tried the Cha Cha Cha* -For Garlic Lovers- Ramen. I was not a fan of the broth, but this is mostly due to personal taste since it was a pork and fish broth but I just didn't find it very impactful. What was really surprising and disappointing was that there was not a single hint of garlic flavor in the broth. This is definitely not something that a garlic lover should order.

Apart from finding the food bland, what really left an impression was the lack of creativity or passion. Having shown so little promise, I can't recommend this place.