Kiseki — Restaurant in Livermore

I saw a $12 promotion on a 2-piece bluefin otoro nigiri. I was in the mood for otoro so I decided to visit. I wanted to try more than just otoro. That’s where things got interesting as they had a lot of choices. Normally, abundance of choices does not faze me. This time, I was a little stumped. Ramen, donburi, sushi, yakitori, curry… they got it all. How can a place offer so many different things and still excel. Let’s find out.

4.5/5 Bluefin otoro (tuna belly) - undoubtedly the star of the show as it just melted in my mouth. If I had not ordered so many items, I would have ordered another one. I contemplated… twice, and decided wisely not to order another one.

4/5 Negi hamachi - I love hamachi (yellow tail) so these simple sushi rolls were great. I would have preferred bigger pieces, but I should have ordered hamachi sashimi instead.

3/5 Grilled skewers - the best one was the shrimp. With so much sauce on chicken thigh and shishito peppers, I couldn’t taste the natural flavors of those items.

3.5/5 Curry over rice - Someone had said this was a great value. I agree, at $7, although no meat, the curry had enough flavor. Although the rice was not particularly outstanding, the curry was the star.

Oh yeah, they got their beer license so there was draft beer and bottled beer. I would have gotten a draft beer, but I decided I wanted to try more items so I skipped beer. I found out that sushi was new and only offered on weekends. I believe this was only the second weekend that they had sushi. The sushi chef was knowledgeable, friendly and generous. He made me a fruit dessert that was elegant and refreshing. He also informed me that their fish special would change every weekend depending on what they get. I asked if I should call to find out first before coming in for sushi and he agreed. And that’s exactly what I’ll do next time.

——— 5/30/2024 Updated review ———

Saw Kiseki was listed #71 on Yelp’s top 100 ramen in CA. I remember having ramen there years ago, but didn’t remember much. Thus, came back to try again. This time I finally couldn’t resist and ordered the Asahi draft beer. Really difficult for me to pass up draft beer with Japanese food. They just pair so well together. lol

My friend and I shared a sashimi bowl. It was beautifully arranged. Good to have avocado slices in there. Oh, and the salmon pieces were on the orange slices which imparted a hint of orange. I thought that was great. Sashimi pieces were fresh - no complaints about this item.

I had Black Garlic years ago, but it wasn’t listed on the menu this time. I decided to get Shoyu Ramen with an Onsen Egg (Poached Egg). I really wanted an aji egg (soft boiled egg), but I wanted to try something different. The broth was a bit weak. I was a bit disappointed. I tasted my friend’s shio ramen broth, it had even less flavor. The noodles had a good chewiness to it. The poached egg was a little runny, which was to my liking, but overall, this was probably a 2.5 out of 5.

I must say that the sashimi was much better than the ramen. In my previous experience, I greatly enjoyed their sashimi and sushi as well. I would come back for those items, but as ramen snobs, my friend and I would not order ramen there again. Sounds harsh, but that’s our opinion. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because the service was great, sashimi was enjoyable and they had...

It’s the 2nd time I dined there. The 1st experience was great. The 2nd time, the staff took the order for the drinks and the appetizer. Forgot to come back to take our main order. After 15 mins, I had to walk in to give the order and there were only 2 tables at the restaurant including ours. When I walked in to give our order, our drinks have been sitting at the counter god know for how long. Meanwhile, the other table that sat down at the same time as us have gotten their drinks and appetizer. Long story short, the appetizer finally came out with my main dish after more than 30 mins and looking over at the other table, they were half way done. Our original staff never bothered to come out and apologize. It’s the other staff who came out apologizing and telling us bc there were lots of backed-up orders. However, the other table was able to get all their order within 15 mins. That staff offered free dessert. I still think it’s ridiculous that the original staff didn’t bother to come out and ask how was everything like she did to the other table but when we were paying, she’s quick to come collect the...

I stopped in to Kiseki as I was looking for something flavorful and different than the normal fare around town, and I was delighted I did so. I was greeted by the owner who served me and was attentive throughout service. The ambiance and atmosphere is very calming and simplistic but with a hint of elegance. I ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen and it was superb! So much flavor and boy did it clear my sinuses haha. It was a little quiet on a Tuesday as can be expected so it was nice to be able to chat with the owner a bit at the end of the experience. She noted they had been in business for 5 years as of this month and I added on 2 wagashi to-go at the end; can't wait to try them! Thanks again and looking forward to some amazing Japanese food very soon once...