Excellent Sushi
- Miguelito
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Excellent Sushi
I went to dinner last night at Sushi Lab, which is tucked away and hidden in the alley behind Patio.
One of my Japanese colleagues recommended it, along with excellent reviews online (and in the PPP), and a few other friends that had tried it out. So I made a reservation, which is a must. Last night I saw them turn away two groups of people while I was there.
The place has an 8 seat counter (very large and comfortable chairs and spread out, not crowded at all), and an upstairs room with an additional 8 seats.
Everything is as you would expect from a higher end sushi restaurant. A very polite host and pleasant atmosphere throughout (except that the Khmer family in the room upstairs needs to learn how to raise their children to not be yelling in a restaurant, or to just bring their kids to the Pizza Company instead... but that's not the restaurant's fault and I'm hoping it was a one off occurrence there).
You can either order a set menu (Omakase), or a la carte. There are three options for the set menu: $55, $66, or $88. I forget the exact quantities of what you get for each, but they are listed out on the menu. The $88 includes a few extra sashimi and sushi pieces, while the $66 includes a grilled and a fried course.
We opted for the $66 menu each, as it appeared to have a little more variety. Diners next to us went for the $88 because they "loved sashimi". We also added an uni (sea urchin, $9) to our meal, simply because we like uni. For drinks, we weren't quite sure what to order. The Saki was pricey (upwards of $50 for a 720 ml), and I don't think we would appreciate it well enough to justify paying too much. We had already had a bottle of champagne before arriving, so were tempted by the cremant on the menu, but not at $75 for a cremant (which is sparkling wine from France, but not champagne), and we were a little skeptical of the Australian wine for $45 (I don't know Australian wines...). The did have Japanese whiskey for $5 a glass, so that seemed like a great way to end the meal, and some sochu cocktails. We opted for a 180ml saki for $13.50, which gave us something to sip on with the meal without being indulgent.
The treat, on top of the extremely fresh, flavorful and tender fish, was watching the chef do his work. I would absolutely recommend sitting at the bar and not upstairs. He was constantly slicing, molding, and plating, without a break for the entire time we were there (two hours). His knives were also not only beautiful to look at, but clearly insanely sharp.
I'm not going to do a plate by plate, but everything we had was great. One thing that did stand out was a tofu and crab meat soup, with a piece of uni on top, whose flavor transcended into the broth. The toro of course was the star, and the Spanish mackerel surprised me by surpassing other staples such as the sea bass and grouper. The salmon was perfectly fatty and tender, and it reminded me how good salmon can be, when it's not overcooked or doused in too much sauce like at many restaurants.
I wish I could go once a week, but it will be saved for the next special occasion. I'll try to post some pictures later on.
One of my Japanese colleagues recommended it, along with excellent reviews online (and in the PPP), and a few other friends that had tried it out. So I made a reservation, which is a must. Last night I saw them turn away two groups of people while I was there.
The place has an 8 seat counter (very large and comfortable chairs and spread out, not crowded at all), and an upstairs room with an additional 8 seats.
Everything is as you would expect from a higher end sushi restaurant. A very polite host and pleasant atmosphere throughout (except that the Khmer family in the room upstairs needs to learn how to raise their children to not be yelling in a restaurant, or to just bring their kids to the Pizza Company instead... but that's not the restaurant's fault and I'm hoping it was a one off occurrence there).
You can either order a set menu (Omakase), or a la carte. There are three options for the set menu: $55, $66, or $88. I forget the exact quantities of what you get for each, but they are listed out on the menu. The $88 includes a few extra sashimi and sushi pieces, while the $66 includes a grilled and a fried course.
We opted for the $66 menu each, as it appeared to have a little more variety. Diners next to us went for the $88 because they "loved sashimi". We also added an uni (sea urchin, $9) to our meal, simply because we like uni. For drinks, we weren't quite sure what to order. The Saki was pricey (upwards of $50 for a 720 ml), and I don't think we would appreciate it well enough to justify paying too much. We had already had a bottle of champagne before arriving, so were tempted by the cremant on the menu, but not at $75 for a cremant (which is sparkling wine from France, but not champagne), and we were a little skeptical of the Australian wine for $45 (I don't know Australian wines...). The did have Japanese whiskey for $5 a glass, so that seemed like a great way to end the meal, and some sochu cocktails. We opted for a 180ml saki for $13.50, which gave us something to sip on with the meal without being indulgent.
The treat, on top of the extremely fresh, flavorful and tender fish, was watching the chef do his work. I would absolutely recommend sitting at the bar and not upstairs. He was constantly slicing, molding, and plating, without a break for the entire time we were there (two hours). His knives were also not only beautiful to look at, but clearly insanely sharp.
I'm not going to do a plate by plate, but everything we had was great. One thing that did stand out was a tofu and crab meat soup, with a piece of uni on top, whose flavor transcended into the broth. The toro of course was the star, and the Spanish mackerel surprised me by surpassing other staples such as the sea bass and grouper. The salmon was perfectly fatty and tender, and it reminded me how good salmon can be, when it's not overcooked or doused in too much sauce like at many restaurants.
I wish I could go once a week, but it will be saved for the next special occasion. I'll try to post some pictures later on.
- Phuket2006
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are u saying u paid $66 for one person to eat ?....We opted for the $66 menu each!!!!
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
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- Miguelito
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No, not at all. I also added a $9 uni, so food was $75.Phuket2006 wrote:are u saying u paid $66 for one person to eat ?....We opted for the $66 menu each!!!!
When I write something like this I include prices for a few reasons. Everyone is curious about prices, and if I didn't include prices the first comment would be "sounds great, what's the price"? Secondly, sometimes prices are kept so hidden, and you'll have a general idea (expensive, maybe $50ish?). I believe expectations can certainly affect one's experience, so if you're expecting $50-$60 a person, and then it turns out to be $90, that can drastically change the overall enjoyment.
Here is the article in the Phnom Penh Post: Leaving Sushi to the Master Chef.
You'll note that the cost of the fish alone to him for a set will be $35-$50. Now add all of the other costs, which I shouldn't need to lay out.
It was not an inexpensive meal anywhere in the world; but it is actually a tremendous value for what you're getting. And please don't tell me "but this is Cambodia!" Yes, I know it is - so should we not be allowed to import high quality products to enjoy here? And Phuket, I understand that you may not be able to appreciate the food and quality, and I get that. If I looked at all of your camera equipment, and how much you spend on it (in Cambodia nonetheless!), then I would roll my eyes and show you what an iPhone can do.
This older attitude from some expats here, both in the country and on this forum, about prices can be so hypocritical. But I don't want to talk about that -- I was highlighting an excellent meal. Search for "sushi" on here and you'll see many people asking where is the best sushi. Well, I've told you.
- Miguelito
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Eh, it's about knowing what you enjoy and can appreciate. If there was a champagne for $80 we would have thought "oh that's a good deal, let's get that." But I don't need a $60 bottle of saki, nor an $80 bottle of cremant.LexusSchmexus wrote:Miguelito wrote:The Saki was pricey (upwards of $50 for a 720 ml), and I don't think we would appreciate it well enough to justify paying too much.
Baller on a budget... Lame.
Great review, sounds and looks good. (I checked out some pics on the net) https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUser ... 1&filter=7Miguelito wrote: so were tempted by the cremant on the menu, but not at $75 for a cremant (which is sparkling wine from France, but not champagne), and we were a little skeptical of the Australian wine for $45 (I don't know Australian wines...).
Interesting that you say they had French wines on the menu I only saw Australian, and you're right to be skeptical as for example the Fox Grove Chardonnay advertised at $39 a bottle is probably worth about $10, and the Sileni Sav Blanc advertised at $39 worth about $15. IMO the Australian wines are not good value for money particularly when you can get a Bordeaux Superior for around $10, and a sparkling French wine for around$9.
- Miguelito
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That must be an older drinks menu from them, as the Australian wine (I think it was the same as listed) was $40 something (I think $45), and the sparkling was a cremant for $75.
A sparkling sauvingnon blanc from Australia does not sound appealing whatsoever.
A sparkling sauvingnon blanc from Australia does not sound appealing whatsoever.
$80 for fish and rice..............................Baller!
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
slavedog wrote:$80 for fish and rice..............................Baller!
Tax dollars well spent.
Massive stalker
OP, have you eaten the sushi at the Almond Hotel? Comparable? That was the best sushi I have ever eaten.
Cantankerous Curmudgeon
- Miguelito
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Sorry I didn't invite youslavedog wrote:$80 for fish and rice..............................Baller!
I have not, will have to check it out. I would certainly trust them to do a good job there, of course. Seven Seas did a seafood feast a few weeks ago that I unfortunately missed out on, but heard it was quite good. I know where they source a lot of their seafood from, and it is high quality. But, I believe that Sushi Lab has an even higher quality of seafood.Pecahead wrote:OP, have you eaten the sushi at the Almond Hotel? Comparable? That was the best sushi I have ever eaten.
That's OK, I really just wanted to use my new word, baller.Miguelito wrote:Sorry I didn't invite youslavedog wrote:$80 for fish and rice..............................Baller!
I have not, will have to check it out. I would certainly trust them to do a good job there, of course. Seven Seas did a seafood feast a few weeks ago that I unfortunately missed out on, but heard it was quite good. I know where they source a lot of their seafood from, and it is high quality. But, I believe that Sushi Lab has an even higher quality of seafood.Pecahead wrote:OP, have you eaten the sushi at the Almond Hotel? Comparable? That was the best sushi I have ever eaten.
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TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
I live and work near the Japanese embassy in Hanoi. The whole surrounding area is littered with jap restaurants (many with Japanese sushi chefs) catering to the embassy and hotels like Lotte. You're flat out spending more than $50 for a sushi sashimi platter that will leave two of you stuffed. I think that's....you know....amazing.
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Rated R for Ricecakes
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