Food: ☆☆☆½

Service: ☆☆☆ ½

Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: $$$

Fit for: People Watching, Bar Scene, Notable Chef

Dishes not to miss: Creamy Crab Croquette, Tuna Sashimi Salad, Sushi, White Chocolate Panacotta

Masahru Morimoto’s imposing iron chef personality sure does translate into his restaurant.

His sprawling, modern, cavernous restaurant is quite magnificent. One of the most striking elements is the wall made of bottles filled with clear liquid, which has an interesting play of lights on it. There is a very funky bar area downstairs alongside some really cool bathrooms.

Morimoto’s cuisine, though rooted in Japanese elements, can come to you from any part of the globe. A Matcha panna cotta or a bento box with vegetable lasagna and miso soup is just the “run of the mill” items on the menu.

His traditional Japanese dishes like sushi and sashimi are very good. His panna cotta might be one of the best I’ve ever had – which completely took me by surprise.

One of the best deals is to get the bento box in which you get to try samplings of different dishes. It offers quite a substantial meal without breaking the bank.

Here is some of what we ate: