Hojo's Japanese Cuisine

This was absolutely the worst tempura and sushi I have ever had in my life!!! First, let’s talk about the tempura. As a classic Japanese dish, I believe every chef who has the courage to make tempura should master the basic techniques to avoid disrespecting Japanese culture. What I got was a plate of soggy and soft shrimp—so soft it felt like gummy worms—where the batter had completely separated from the shrimp (the photo was taken one minute after it was served). Judging by appearance alone, it seems the chef simply tossed the shrimp into the fryer without using the correct tempura frying method (creating that crisp, uneven texture by flicking extra batter into the oil). The color of the tempura was also pale, suggesting an incorrect egg yolk ratio. Next, the texture. Upon tasting, I encountered batter that was overmixed to the point where the gluten was activated, giving the batter a chewy and doughy texture—a disaster! Of course, when dipping the shrimp into this disastrous batter, the shrimp itself was too wet, as it hadn’t been properly dried or dusted with flour beforehand. This caused the batter to separate severely from the shrimp. The chewy batter and wet shrimp were essentially forced into an unhappy "marriage" in the fryer, but they were clearly incompatible. You can see in the photo how the batter clings to the slimy shrimp like it doesn’t want to be there. LOL. I mean, is this supposed to be a dumpling? This dish was priced at $12. For that price, you could at least add some inexpensive fried vegetables underneath the shrimp to make the portion look larger. Couldn’t you? Next is the sushi. I don’t even want to use words to describe it. All I felt was a few mushy blobs of sticky paste in my mouth. Did you guys accidentally put toothpaste in the sushi? If you’re going to sell sushi, I think you should spend more time researching how to properly prepare sushi rice and enhance the texture, like adding something crunchy inside. The only positive thing was that I liked the level of acidity in the sushi, but that only made it barely edible. I don’t understand how a chef working in a restaurant with a decent atmosphere can get all the basics so wrong. I think watching a few YouTube videos would help you a lot. LOL. Lastly, the sake tasted cheap—like boxed white wine served at low-end restaurants. I understand this isn’t a fancy place, but with a bill of over $60 before tax and tip for two people, this isn’t exactly cheap either.

Wonderful staff, fresh food, and beautiful decor. You couldn't ask much more from a dining establishment. CELIAC SAFE