Sushi Bar 29 — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Came in at the beginning of today's Thursday lunch opening. Ordered veggie sukiyaki with extra tofu.

Food: Loved it. First thing I noticed was the amazing aroma from the dish. Full-bodied, sweet, and smelled like mushrooms. Then the presentation: everything was neat, balanced in color, and served in a large metal bowl that looked well-lived. The veggies tasted fresh, and reserved their original tastes: not overcooked. The texture of the yam noodles was very satisfying: stiff at first, they cooked in the soup and got softer, but still had a satisfying bite. The textures of all the ingredients were varied due to different cooking techniques (blanched, raw, simmered, etc.). The broth was sweet (maybe just a tad much) and savory.

Service: The waiters were very courteous and responsive. They made the experience very pleasant.

Environment: There are a few rooms. I was seated in the street-side room by a window. It had dark colors and a subtly elegant design. In the background was soft, smooth jazz, which I loved.

Value: My $14 Sukiyaki was worth $20 imo. With the service and environment, at least $22. Only thing was an additional ~3 oz. of blanched tofu cost $2, whereas it'd be worth about $0.40 in store. It's a small cost though, and I'd argue having that tofu addition specifically with that meal increased its value by at least 3x.

Will...

Alright, you gotta hit up Sushi Bar 29 in Santa Barbara with the fam, and it did not disappoint. I ordered the Hurricane Roll and the Red Dragon Roll, and out of the two, the Hurricane was the clear winner. Had that perfect crunch from the tempura, spicy tuna on top was solid, and while it could have used a little more sauce, once I hit it with some eel sauce, game over. So good. If you go, I would highly recommend getting the spicy edamame too. Whatever sauce they coat it in just hits, and honestly, it brought the Red Dragon Roll to life. I would even suggest the chef toss that same sauce on some of the other rolls because it adds a whole new flavor to the mix. The fam also ordered the tuna nuggets, basically spicy tuna on crispy rice, and they were fire. Great texture and flavor. We paired them with some gyoza, tempura green beans, and more edamame, and everything came out quick and tasted great. Service was super sweet and on it with all the orders and refills. Friendly and fast. It is a small spot tucked on the corner, kind of a hidden gem type feel, but the fish quality was on point, and everything we had was fresh and flavorful.

Surprised how good everything was to be honest, but the reviews didn’t lie. The whole family left full and happy. Will for...

Avoid. Review:

Sushi: American-style sushi of low quality here.

1. Sushi rolls and starter of poppers consist of low quality ingredients, small portions, and dressed with strong tasting Americanised sauce that shouldn’t be near sushi (all too common sadly).
2. salmon nigiri is cut with dodgy knife-work (see picture) and I strongly suspect the fish has been frozen (appearance, served temperature being cold, texture).

Service: Front of staff have mixed experience levels from the completely beginner so the medium-tenure. Low communication skills and staff took no notice of the low quality food being left behind when asking for the bill.

Kitchen: The kitchen is open which would in most circumstances is a positive thing (love it!), however sadly in this case revealed the amateur, unspecialised kitchen operation and mobile phone usage by undisciplined staff with a lack of purpose. Poor quality control, no specific training in Japanese sushi preparation noticeable in any of the staff along the cook line including the cook who’s designated to prepare the fish.

Price: expensive, 75 dollars for 1.25...