second time back here- swung by for lunch some time ago, and the food was value for money enough to make me want to buy the groupon and come back for dinner. technically speaking, it wasn't my second time- it was actually the third. i made a reservation sometime end july and came by for dinner with L, just to be told that they were actually closing for the renovations the next day. as such, they didn't have enough ingredients. they were out of basically everything except for salmon, amaebi and a bit of other stuff, which meant that we couldn't order most things on the menu. naturally, we left and headed elsewhere in search of dinner. that didn't leave us with the most positive of impressions, to be honest. 

so it was with trepidation that we returned. we were the only customers there the entire time. hmm. they'd also changed the menu, and it seems that prices were higher than before. 

we got two bowls to share- the wagyu foie gras uni don ($45) and the chirashi ($35).

the wagyu beef slices were on the thin side, but it was perfectly cooked. weirdly enough, it had none of the char that i love about beef bowls, so the texture was slightly odd. the foie gras, too, while creamy, was missing a sear. the uni was quite meh- none of the sweetness that i associate with uni. it came with a sweet sauce that did complement the toppings pretty well. i liked the japanese rice, which was well cooked and seasoned. 

we were also given complimentary aburi salmon unagi rolls, which was a nice touch. they were a bit heavy-handed with the mayo, but still yummy. 

was tempted by the handmade mochi ($4) on the menu, because handmade! but what a letdown. the skin was thick and hard, while we could barely discern what the filling was. 

according to the waitress, the place is still under the same owner, but the team running it had changed, which explains the change in menu. the food wasn't bad, but it was definitely overpriced- for $45 i could go to fat cow. with the groupon, we paid $49.90 for two people. they do need to do more marketing though. it's worth a try with the promotion.