Oversize lanterns and paper parasols swing from the rafters; chopsticks big enough to joust with jut out from the walls. The atmosphere at this cafe is so animated, it sometimes feels like a giant rec room.
The place also knows how to please. A mostly Japanese fusion menu is focused enough to keep the raw-fish purists from grumbling, yet even sushiphobes will find something to like.
Plates like tuna tartare, Thai-curry bouillabaisse, and strip steak with Szechuan spice are dependably delicious, while newer takes like smoky wok-charred Chilean sea bass, paper-thin slices of buttery yellowtail with sesame-wasabi ponzu, and a salad of cilantro and onion prove that the kitchen hasn’t grown lazy.
Want sushi? Go for the rolls. Combos like the Raku with eel, egg, avocado, and cucumber, the kimchee-spiked Seoul Train roll, and a marvelous salmon roe and quail egg combo are as tasty as they are festive. Just like Raku.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
