Matsu — Restaurant in Oceanside

This is a brutally honest experience. My girlfriend spent $450 on my birthday here and I’ve eaten at a lot of establishments I didn’t review, but this one - I just have too.

Quick review: Atmosphere - 0/10 (smelled like sewer) Staff - 10/10 (can’t ask for better staff) Food - 2/10 (nothing was worth talking about in a positive note aside from the second dessert and the tempura shrimp (maybe)). Girlfriend scored it a 0/10 (her first one ever). Value - 0/10. We don’t mind spending money when the food is delicious. Quick Shout out to Born and Raised for their prices being high but their food tasting amazing. It’s just heart breaking when the food is inedible AND super expensive.

Final thoughts - save your money go somewhere else. Please.

Long review: Let me get the good things out first - the staff is friendly, fun, cool, sweet, etc. They were accommodating and absolutely funny to talk too. The GM as well. Just super personable and easy to talk to too. Great background story and very easy to root for her. If I could solely recommend coming because of the staff - I would do so…But I come to restaurants to eat.

1st- It smells like sewage - possibly because it’s an old building but it’s just Hard to enjoy the atmosphere while simmering in poop. My girlfriend immediately smelled it and I just got random whiffs of it throughout the night. A few of the staff acknowledged the smell but said they’ve worked there for so long they forget it’s there.

We got the 10 course meal with a bottle of wine. $450ish. We tipped high because we’re those type of people. Beware that you pay upfront when you make reservations. It’s probably a good tactic because you’ll feel embarrassed having to pay for this food after you’ve tried it.

Wine was great. Vigne de Malina. I’m not a big wine guy so I can’t tell you if that’s good or bad but taste wise, it was great. Red wine.

1st course meal - some kind of Salmon eggs which was absolutely inedible. Horrendous is an understatement. Best way to explain it as normal as I can is a fishy custard with fishy tasting and smelling balls that explode in your mouth. Neither of us could take a second bite. Again - Extremely fishy. Food aversion high.

2nd meal. - “some kind of cabbage dumpling” describes the next meal as stated by one of the staff when I asked her to dumb it down for me. 3/10 for being edible but my girlfriend gave it a 0/10. Another plate we couldn’t finish.

3rd meal - 2 little wraps with squid, Sauce, and sunflower seats. Squid had good texture - girlfriend: 4/10. I gave it a 3 /10. First plate we both finished.

4th - tempura shrimp. The first meal I finished the plate for and wished for more. Tasted like sushi tempura shrimp as it had spicy Mayo. My score - 7/10, girlfriends score 5/10.

5th - Blackened cod. Me: 2/10. Girlfriend gave it a 0/10. She could not finish the plate. I finished it because I was hungry. Extremely fishy and undercooked.

6th - scallops mustard seats and maple mushrooms. Scallops tasted like corn. Girlfriend gave it a 0/10 & I gave it a 3/10. Food aversion high.

7th - pork cheek/ roses - a surprisingly unique meal which doesn’t mean much in terms of flavor - just story. This was by far the fattiest piece of pork I’ve ever had in my life. 4/10 me. My girlfriend a 0/10.

8th - Raw Duck breast with Wasabi, 2 skinny Carrots, and some carrot sauce. Girlfriend gave it a 0/10 I gave it a 6/10. Above average but not by much. I’ve had way better duck in tacos.

9th meal (dessert) Mochi waffle , some kind of PINE FLAVORED ice cream, and brown sugar syrup. PINE FLAVORED abomination. 0/10, girlfriend gave it a 0/10. This tasted like I was eating a Christmas tree. We Couldn’t finish the first dessert.

10th (2nd dessert ) chocolate bark with ice cream and tangerines. This was amazing. Girlfriend and I gave it a solid 8/10. Tangerines had no flavor but by this time, we were so dissatisfied and disappointed that I would’ve thought McDonald’s was gourmet. I will say this has the milkiest chocolate bark...

Last night’s dinner was one ill never forget. The Chef’s counter 11 course tasting menu at Chef William Eick incredible Matsu restaurant in Oceanside.

A completely encompassing dining room reveals itself once you open the door to the simple front labeled with only a small Matsu sign. You’re whisked away to a Japanese wonderland. The entire staff is welcoming and attentive to every detail you could imagine. The chef’s table begins by sitting at the last two seats on the bar right at the pass in full view of the kitchen and each dish being plated.

The first course was a Japanese Hamachi wrapped in lightly grilled romaine lettuce with Kumquat koshu and macadamia.

The second course is the famous, if you’re following @matsu_oceanside, cabbage gyoza.

The third course was an absolute knockout sunflower and squid dish.

Fourth is a simple and perfect execution of shrimp tempura. The Ebi is coated in an impossibly light and crunchy batter made of only 00 flour, water and a touch of potato starch. The Tentsuyu dipping sauce is a perfect pairing and the creamy drops of dynamite sauce provide a lovely accent. I kept thinking to myself how can tempura be this good, it was a revelation.

Fifth course is a Seabass with curry Imo mochi, onion and matsuyaki. The delicious fish was served with a perfectly crispy piece of skin, one of my favorite parts of cooked fish. The mochi provides a nice chewy texture to play with and that’s where the curry comes through nicely.

The sixth course was one I couldn’t stop myself from raving over. Japanese scallops are lightly seared on one side and left raw on the other served with pickled shiitake mushrooms and a mustard seed egg yolk sauce. The whole dish is draped in a crispy fried piece of dehydrated mushroom dashi. This could be the best scallop bite I’ve ever tasted. Perfectly delicate and each bite is packed with so many harmonious flavors.

Seventh course is a pork belly over pork fat caramel with rose hip jam and fresh rose petals. The Jam was a nice contrast to the rich pork and pairing each mouthful was a perfect contrast. A touch of the rose pedals give a little tart flavor to balance the whole dish. I think I’ll be working on my own pork fat caramel and putting it on everything!

Course eight is duck served with roasted turnips, fresh persimmons and matsuyaki sauce. The duck is served medium rare and if you’re never had it that way it’s magic. Zero gaminess, and all of the flavor! The duck fat is rendered out so it’s crispy on the outside without being fatty at all.

Course nine is A5 BMS11 Wagyu beef served with caramelized onions and fresh wasabi. First of all, for those that have never tried this level of beef I can only describe it as meat butter. Impossibly tender and the meatiest flavor you can imagine is what comes to mind. The wasabi adds a nice contrast in each bite with a slightly sharp note that enhances and does not overwhelm the Wagyu. I was very careful to slowly savor each bite of this special ingredient. For those who are not doing the chef’s counter, the Wagyu can be added to the meal and I would highly recommend it as a standout dish.

Course ten takes us into the first of the desert courses. A matcha waffle served with kokuto and a Sudachi, Japanese citrus, and pine sorbet. The citrusy and piney sorbet is the perfect fresh palate cleanser to switch gears from the rich beef course and continue the tasting adventure.

The eleventh and final course is a caramelized white chocolate and apple with blonde miso. I’m not usually a fan of white chocolate but the pieces were carefully caramelized and dusted with a Japanese buttermilk powder, then paired with the miso it creates a dessert umami bomb that’s the perfect sign off for one of the most amazing tasting adventures I’ve...

Matsu is a singular dining experience that while expensive will be memorable for more than just the food.

The dining environment is minimalist in a way that imbues the Japanese concept of Ma. There is a spaciousness that is felt in the main room of the restaurant and even within the design of the restroom. The tables are thoughtfully spaced allowing enough room between them for the servers to move freely and for a balance of spaciousness and intimacy. Everything in the space felt intentionally placed, the decor, bottles behind the bar, the tables. There is no natural light in the restaurant. The few windows are covered, which creates a feel of having stepped out of the world and being suspended for the time that you are inside the restaurant. Each of the tables are individually lit to highlight both the individual table space and the food that is placed on the table. Even though only a quarter of the tables were occupied on a Saturday night, it did not feel empty.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the name of the person who had made the reservation and brought to our table. A warm towel was offered for washing our hands. The staff was attentive, welcoming, and offered guidance on the cocktail menu. They have a great menu of cocktails, wines, and sakes. The whiskey cocktail, made with Rittenhouse Rye, was phenomenal, the table agreed that it was easily one of the best whiskey cocktails had in quite some time. The mixologist behind the bar is an artist who creates incredible alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. Multiple servers were involved throughout the course of the meal for a table of four and each of them responded to questions about complementary drinks with thoughtfully considered recommendations for sake or cocktails that would pair well with various dishes.

The same spaciousness that is felt in the ambience of the restaurant is also conveyed throughout the dining experience. The servers are attentive and present without being intrusive, the courses are timed to allow enough time to both complete the previous dish and savor it before another dish arrives. The food is perfectly placed within each dish (every dish throughout the coursed dinner being different and complementing the food it carries). Each course for a table of four is delivered by a team of four staff members, who in seemingly choreographed unison set the food down before each guest, pour over any liquid that finishes the dish, and then describe what is front of you. All dishware and silverware are cleared after each course and the next are specifically delivered for the course to come, including the opportunity to choose your own knife with one of the courses. It was a delight to not know what was coming next and to take a step into unknown culinary spaces with each bite. The combination of flavors, textures, and ingredients throughout the meal were incredible, unlike anything I have eaten before. Each dish was unique and even the dishes that did not stand out sparked curiosity and delight in trying something new. The consensus favorites across the table were the Koji Duck, Scallop with Shiitake, Cabbage Gyoza with caviar, and the Caramelized White chocolate with Blonde Miso, but the entire tasting menu was excellent.

With a meal like this, you are not just paying for dinner, you are paying for a thoughtfully curated culinary experience in a dining space that complements the elevated...