sushi monster 9.5

Currently listening to: Time To Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman

Time to say goodbye.      
Paesi che non ho mai
(to countries I never)
veduto e vissuto con te,
(saw and shared with you)
adesso sì li vivrò.
(now, yes, I shall experience them)

Five Star hit me up to see if I was free for dinner. She was staying at the Pendry (five star hotel) with her boyfriend and wanted me to check out the restaurant there with her and a friend. I didn’t have any major plans, so I said yes.

Let me just say… I was definitely underdressed. Everyone in that place looked like they were headed to a magazine shoot. Meanwhile, I rolled in wearing black pants, a tank top, and a light sweater. Apparently, there was some event happening, and people were looking to hook up.

Still, the restaurant itself was stunning. The ambiance was warm and stylish, with just the right amount of mood lighting. It had promise. The three of us caught up over drinks, talking about work and trips we had lined up for later this year. It turns out we’re all going to the same concert in Vegas, so then we had to talk about where we were going to stay and what the agenda was going to be.

Bang bang shrimp: chive, gochujang aioli

Steak fried rice: wagyu, roasted corn, egg, scallion, spicy garlic, cilantro.

The surf and turf specialty roll: wagyu, lobster, avocado, asparagus, negi miso, garlic ponzu.

Everything came out looking gorgeous—definitely Instagram-worthy. But the moment I took a bite of the shrimp and rice, I felt like I’d just taken a direct hit from a salt bomb. I ended up chugging water between bites just to survive eating that one shrimp and spoonful of rice. The sushi was decent, flavorful, and not trying to ruin my kidneys.

At least the conversation made up for the food.