Hitokuchi — Restaurant in San Diego

So happy I got to try this place.  I did not know the menu is set courses when you get there.. never the less, the menu was still impressive. Made the reservation a month early and we walked in and we were seated quickly. The restaurant had a light yet dark ambiance that was cozy and inviting.

Our menu consisted of, Oysters on the Half Shelf, Blue Prawn and sea urchin, Fish of the day (2x3 Sashimi), Steak Tartar Toast, A-5 Waygu, Bibimbap and Snow Crab Cold Somen.

The Oyster was so fresh and well seasoned with subtle hints of dashing stock and cucumbers to complement and bring out the freshness. It was served with cold Korean noodles that made the whole course comes together in a welcoming way.

The Blue Prawn was delicate, cut up in pieces that were bite size but it was still played out in the bowl in its original shape of a prawn. The sea urchin have a buttery taste with the soy-matinated Salmon Roe that provided balance to the entire dish.

The fish of the day was Tuna, scallops and I don't remember the third one but they were all very delicious with a side of soy sauce and wasabi.

The A-5 Waygu was cut into three small slices, cooked medium and laid over a bed of potato purée with asparagus and Gabli sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly and the flavors were wonderful. You could tell it was waygu as soon as you took a bit! Which I noticed right away, most restaurants will make you question if the meat is Waygu or not but here, I was certain! So good!

The Bibimbap was a bowl of well cooked rice with sashimi on top. Tuna, Salmon and Yellowtail were served with a spicy Korean chili sauce that the server told us to mix it completely and them enjoy, but man I wish I didn't listen to her.. it was so spicy! I mean made my ears steam from the inside! I ate around the Korean chili sauce and ate the rice and sushi and but it had cood flavor before i mixed in the chili.. but it was definitely the largest course the had ans i didn't finish it since I was already getting full my this point. I hate to waste food stuff this price point but this dish a little too spicy, big, and underwhelming :/

Snow Crab Cold Somen has about three piece of perfectly cooked crab in it. It was nice and subtle but by this time I think i was getting full so I ate the crab and didn't finish the dish.

Over all a great restaurant with amazing flavors and the chef is truly inspired and it shows...

Came here for Father’s Day celebration also a rare getaway (from home) because we came across these guys on social media and was excited about it. Having dined here, we are not coming back because of the lack of the true omakase experience, especially for the price. This is more of a drinking place (should’ve known by their translation of Hitokuchi…), and unfortunately neither of us are big drinkers. we both order the menu with recommended variation between the two of us, plus a couple sake and beer…we went home still hungry and not impressed. Everything felt “premade” and was plated at the sushi bar. I was expected a true omakase where the sushi chef prepares each dish there that day but it sounds like the hefty price tag was simply justified because they fly their fish overnight from where they were caught? Talk about unsustainable practice… and then passed on to consumers.

I wanted to see more creativity and play with taste and unique choices on seafood and the blend of (what they are low key proud of ) the Japanese and Korean cuisine training. As we were leaving we felt overcharged but the service overall was good, our server was very attentive and friendly but the food can stand for...

I enjoyed the fish and shrimp dishes, but some of the other items didn’t quite meet my expectations. I noticed that many dishes were served cold, which was a bit surprising, aside from the Matsutake soup, which felt a little too much to finish towards the end of the meal. While I appreciate the concept of Hitokuchi (one bite) and understand this is a more refined dining experience, I still felt a bit hungry and not entirely satisfied afterwards.

The servers were attentive and friendly, although I found the frequent inquiries about which dishes we liked a little overwhelming. Additionally, the sake selection leaned heavily towards Daiginjo, which, while excellent, felt a bit limited. It would have been great to see a wider range of options, especially considering the variety and quality of sake available.

As someone from Japan, I imagined these Japanese-influenced dishes to reflect flavors I’m more familiar with, but I understand the restaurant’s goal was to offer a different interpretation....

Overall, while there were some highlights, the experience didn’t quite align with my personal...