HIROKI — Restaurant in Philadelphia

We came into the restaurant 10 minutes before our seating, and no one was in the foyer, and no sign offered instruction on if anyone would be returning to seat us. We went outside, waited five more minutes, and came back in. Again nothing. When we opened the door to the dining room, we were rushed by the manager and ushered back out. Felt awkward, and uninviting.

The staff knew very little about the ingredients. When asked about the marbling grade of the wagyu (which she pronounced wahgoo), I was told she didn't know, but she'd ask; but not before giving me a look which read as "why ask such a pretentious question" despite the meal costing $200 pp. The chef then told her that he also didn't know the BMS grade of their wagyu. The fact that a chef could possibly pay for such an expensive ingredient and not know the quality of said ingredient is egregious. At what price point are they buying this meat that they can be so flippant about its value? Are they overpaying and forcing that price onto customers?

Some of the food was outright flavorless. The caviar that adorned a perfectly poached egg and deep, sumptuous dashi had literally no flavor. Not some flavor, not little flavor... The caviar, another impossibly expensive ingredient was completely flavorless. Had it not been for the dashi below, I would have sworn that I had come down with Covid. (Even salmon roe from local sushi joints have flavor...)

The same goes for the black truffle that accompanied the improperly seared Wagyu. It had no scent, no feel of truffle, and tasted similar to a razor thin slice of a button mushroom purchased out of a supermarket. How they managed to coax the flavor from two of the most flavorful ingredients on the planet eludes me. But either they were old, they were bought from the Dollar General, or I've been duped.

We were lectured on how during traditional Japanese meals, you eat with your fingers. They gave us small wet cloths to wipe our fingers on in between courses. What they neglected to mention is that you're not supposed to touch the fish-- ever. The reason that sushi is eaten with your hands and sashimi is eaten with chopsticks is that you're not supposed to touch the fish, but it's acceptable to hold the pickled rice. Yet, they even tell you the wet cloth is to wash the oil and soy from your fingers. No. And herein lies the issue: The rice portion was so small, that the fish draped over on all four sides. Meaning I was just touching the fish, every time. When I asked for them to increase the portion size of the rice to better match the cut of the fish, and offset the amount of wasabi, I was outright told no.

They have no standard application of wasabi. On some pieces I was receiving two to three times the amount on a piece that my company was receiving during the same course. The opposite was also true on later courses. On one occasion, one of my party members removed over half of the wasabi from the sushi she was given and it was still far too much. The only thing consistent about the sushi courses was the inconsistency with which they were prepared. The knife cuts left not only the fish mismatched, but the ginger and cucumber pickles as well. The rice ranged from small portions, to awkwardly small.

The seating we purchased was from 6:30pm until 8:15. After the toro course-- which was close to last and the only piece of sushi I enjoyed enough to warrant the cost of the meal to that point-- I had asked for the kitchen to make another round. Every sushi Omakase I've ever been to, including Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo, offer repeats of anything on the menu. I was told that they couldn't accommodate the request, as the seating wouldn't have enough time. After dessert was over, we had 22 minutes left on our seating, and again I asked, since her timing was clearly ahead of schedule. I was denied. We were asked to make room for the next seating, so that they could clear down.

The staff was cold, the food was lifeless. This is sushi for people who don't know sushi. If that's you, get ready to break the...

If this is your first and only Omakase experience you shouldn't be disappointed. But if I have to rate this $200+/person Omakase restaurant fairly based on what it presents. Hiroki should be a 2/5. Omakase means you put trust in the chef. After today's experience, I'd safely say no I don't fully trust my chef tonight.

The good: cozy atmosphere. Quiet. Great for a two-person date. However I felt there was nowhere to place my feet at the sushi bar. I'm 6 feet and my feet were just hanging in the air. good service from waiter/waitress With Mr. Hiroki being trained under Mr. Morimoto, I was afraid he would present things highly Americanized (and controversial like the one in downtown Philly). To my surprise he did successfully left his own personality and mark to his own menu. There are some bold creations but none is deviant. Some examples are the rice cracker in the roll, the wagyu sando, the use of conger eel.

Room for improvement: no communication from the chef. He seemed very overwhelmed. No eye contact. No intro to fish. No greeting. No signs of hospitality. It solely destroyed the experience of Omakase - imo people came to sushi bar hoping they could know more about what they eat and feel good about the food, not to look at a cold face. The flow could be better. I got seated at 7:10pm, spent first 40min on the appetizer, still hungry, getting bored, and staring at the quiet chef preparing the fish for the dining table behind me. Anago was cooked for too long. The flesh fell apart. The menu was too generic. The descriptions were often "Japanese Snapper/Urchin". OK? Are they from Hokkaido, or Tokyo Bay, or Okinawa? These would make big differences. What part was used? No information. Not to mention the description for Toro was simply "fatty tuna". Again lack of information. Basically same seasoning for every single piece of Nigiri. There was no progression or connection between courses. It got boring later in the night. A few details that made me uncomfortable: a. chef patted his peer's back with bare hand and went back to making sushi with the same unwashed hand. b. chef dropped a plate. He must be tired tonight. c. chef made a nigiri, didn't like it, dissembled it and threw the rice back into the rice jar. d. chef dropped a small piece of wasabi on the paper towel. PICKED IT UP AND USED IT ANYWAY. Hello?

With little competition from good Japanese restaurants in Philly. Hiroki has the potential. It can def be better. As what it is for now, it is mediocre. If the owner's goal is to establish a profitable business, they made it. But this restaurant is a long shot from a fine dining Omakase. The future doesn't look bright though. On their website they are hiring new sushi chefs with only 1 yr...

We've been to one-star Michelin sushi places in SF and NY. Hiroki was better than each, definitely the best sushi in Philly we've had (haven't been to Royal Izakaya yet). If you're like us (enjoy complex flavors in amazing ingredients with chefs deftly sculpting the natural beauty rather than intense engineering), you'll love this.

Hiroki elevates the preparation and service of sushi to an elegant, integrated art form with excellent fish, a relaxed intimate vibe, and extraordinary attention to fresh ingredients and optimally timed execution. Wonderful Omakase if you're looking for an experience, not just a dinner. The focus of the restaurant is on the food--presentation, ingredients, even the restaurant's lighting is optimized to showcase the color of your meal. Sitting at the bar is a must--with the chefs right across the counter, you optimize the timing for how certain dishes are delivered. The result: a much more powerful punch when it comes to texture. Generous number of dishes of exceptional quality. Watching the chefs, you get both dinner and a show. They are excited to tell you about each dish and hint at the subtle differences.

The restaurant employs a traditional, intimate design with music that relaxes the discipline associated with sushi preparation and decor that gives a nod to the building's history. Unlike other places, restaurant design is not so busy that it takes away from the food or the performance of its preparation. Take advantage of the AWESOME toilets before you go--they're an experience as well!

Flavors form a symphony with a clear narrative arc throughout the evening. Notes from the light introduction for your palate to the "key" and "genre" disappear into flashes of spice and vinegar. More complex flavor characters are introduced, followed by a story in lean fish of increasing complexity. After a unique transition, a toro to uni build-up is the centerpiece of...