Kuu — Restaurant in Houston

I've never bothered to rate a restaurant, though after living and working in restaurants and bars all over the world, it's safe for you to assume I've had some decent meals and know a thing or two about service.

I called ahead last night, to ensure I'd be able to dine solo at the sushi bar. I was told, "That's not a problem, you and your group can come in and we'll find you a spot." Ok. I did just mention I was coming in to dine alone, no biggie, maybe it's busy and it really doesn't affect anything.

Upon arrival, in a mask, I stood at the hostess stand for 6 minutes, waiting to be seated. I observed 3 servers and unmistakably a hostess all having chats across the restaurant, giggling, and every now and then peeking over at me, I guess hoping I would leave. I'm assuming they thought I looked like a "low-end diner" and they wouldn't have to be bothere .

Eventually a bus-boy walks by, and I ask him to grab someone. Hostess finally walks up, and asks very briskly, "Can I help you?" Now, as a restaurant manager, I can tell you that the first impression, and line of defense for any restaurant, is their host team. They are the first and last people to see a guest, usually, and can really set the night off with proper welcome, menu presentation, literally anything other than acting like a guest is bothering them. I replied, "Sure, I'd like to dine alone at the sushi bar." She grabs two sets of menus, attempts to seat me AT THE ONLY DIRTY AND WET SPOT ON THE ENTIRE BAR. I ask if it would be ok to sit somewhere clean, and remind her I'm dining alone. She rolls her eyes, and that's literally the last time anybody other than the bus boy, who brought me a water after 7 minutes of me looking around, and the sushi chef, whom I asked to take my order of 13 pieces of nigiri.

After realizing I wouldn't be getting offered a drink, I walk up to the bar and call for a Japanese whisky on the rock. She says she'll bring it over in one minute, which I didn't for a second believe, but decided to try out. 5 minutes after my first board of nigiri hits, FINALLY a server approaches to tell me they don't have the whisky I ordered (totally fine, just don't wait 10 minutes to tell me, please), doesn't ask me a single thing about the food or even if I wanted to order something besides sushi, and returns just in time for me to have finished my last piece of otoro (melt in your mouth, no complaints on the food).

I tell her it's safe to bring the check, which unsurprisingly is the quickest and most efficient part of the whole "service." I regret not bringing cash, so I could directly tip the sushi chef who helped me, and will return today to do so. Other than that, safe to say I won't be returning. Plenty of better options in Houston, though your experience might differ from mine, if the staff thinks you look worth their time. My fault for dressing casually as a person of color, I guess.

TL;DR-

Definitely have never had poorer or more...

I definitely feel this place have a lot left to be desire. My friend recommended me to try this place out, but I held it off because I've been spoiled by Uchi (I'm sorry I've done wrong, I will never bad mouth you again). I have reunited with my love for Uchi and Kuu is just not up to par. Parking is a bit confusing in the garage because it says it is valet, but no guy was there to valet your car. I was fine with that anyhow, but they need to remove the unnecessary sign. The hostess greeted us prompty and showed us to our table when we walked in (we had reservation at 7PM). First glace at the menu, I was truly impressed and wanted to read everything to see what I wanted. I split a meal with my other friend and we order a variation of menu items. We tried: Wagyu Beef Sashimi $45: This would have better paired with the hot rocks because it has a lot fat so you can cook it better with the hot stone. I like the pairing with the citrus which cancelled out the fattiness but it's like you're eating pastrimi...cold and fatty. Foie Gras: By the time they brought it to our table, the temperature of the foie gras was cold because of the thin cut. It was not what I expected so I'm not as impressed by it. Creamy Rock Shrimp: It was melted cheddar cheese tossed with shrimp. The shrimp was cooked well, but the taste was just okay Uni: It's buttery, but the grade of it is not high quality. Given it is only $9 per piece, but it doesn't have the firm texture that looks like tongue. The color on this was a nice golden yellow so it is still pretty fresh. I didn't ask where the uni is from, but I am not interested since it's not that great. Otoro (medium and wrong cut): It's okay, not too crazy about it because it's not the right cut, but I do appreciate them letting us know that so we wouldn't expect it at the otoro quality. The manager said it would be half price since it's not the right cut which was very nice and honest of him. Poseidon: Where to start? Definitely sounds good on paper, but too much going on in real life. Different types of fish in the roll and you can't distinguish each piece. I usually don't bother with rolls, but since it's a new place I figured I try it out. Not impress, wouldn't order this. -Rin: equivalent to a shrimp shrimp tempura roll. The imitation crab taste overwhlems the shrimp tempura so you can barely taste any of it. Sliced jalepeno adds flavor, but disappears quickly. Wouldn't order this either. -Japanese Breakfast: Sauce is bland, pork was overcooked -Hot Rocks: Not a good version, I tried adding garlic butter, ponzu sauce, lime...even soysauce. It is just bland. They need to sprinkle salt and pepper or something. Also, the cut of the meat is way too lean for the hot rocks. In total, we spent $210 with tip which isn't bad, but I don't feel like it's worth the money. All in all, will I go back again? Probably not. Will I recommend this place? Probably not. I tried it out and I know it...

So nice, I ate there twice!! Had to come to Houston for work, and the hotel was in walking distance. Right off the bat, I liked the ambiance. If the weather is nice, I recommend sitting in their outdoor patio area. It was late afternoon, so they had twinkly lights throughout the square, and little flickering candles on each of the tables. It was a quiet, relaxed atmosphere! Great if you're traveling solo, or meeting a friend or colleague, or just a casual girls night out!

They have a pretty extensive drink menu. I always go for the sake. This time I tried their hot sake one evening and unfiltered sake the next! I prefer the unfiltered! It is served chilled, and tastes milder and sweeter than the typical hot sake. It was delicious!

I started out with some pan seared garlic edamame with my sake. One night I got the Seared Peppered Salmon salad with edamame dressing. It was delicious and just the right portion! Both evenings, I got the Rin sushi roll. It has a tempura fried shrimp surrounded by sushi rice with a little cream cheese and avocado inside, then rolled with nori and topped with a spicy aioli and thin slivers of pepper on the top of each slice. Dipped partially into soy sauce, it was just the right combination of spicy, salty, and savory. The nigiri I tried was the akaushi & quail egg (seared thin slice of wagyu beef & over medium quail egg). The flavor was good, however I wasn't as big a fan of the chewy texture of the more raw beef. The sake toro (salmon belly, yuzu kosho, & ikura) was delicious, and the Kani (snow crab). My particular favorites were the ikura (salmon roe) & yuzu tobiko (yuzu flying fish roe). The salmon roe was savory and mild in taste, and the yuzu roe was crunchy, salty, & savory.

For dessert, it is worth the wait if you order the ube soufflé! Takes 20-25 min to prepare, and comes out piping hot so I recommend letting it cool down a bit or blow on it before you dive in...so you don't risk burning your taste buds like I impatiently did! It comes with a small cup of coconut cream which I drizzled on top of the soufflé and allowed to soak in. It is sweet but not rich like most desserts that leave you unable to finish it. Small enough portion to be enjoyed by one person. The crispy coconut fries are interesting because they are spicy. Wasabi perhaps? The ube candy bits that come as part of the garnish are sweet and delicate and a little chewy. Note that the large grains of what look like rock candy on your plate are actually sea salt. I was a bit taken by surprise haha.

Overall, it was a great way to round out a day filled with conference talks; a quiet setting to rest your mind or clear your head; or a great place to chat and catch up with a friend or coworker! I will be visiting there again on my next stay...