SOICHI

Just like everyone else, I wanted to try this place ever since I saw it got a Michelin Star. I brought my wife here for our 4 year anniversary and I was so excited! I never ate at a restaurant with one Michelin Staf before. Made the reservation 5 weeks in advance and paid $25 per person to hold the reservation. I used to live in Japan and am always looking for those flavors in the states!

My wife and I picked the Soichi”s Full Omakase option on the menu. $169 per person. Sounds reasonable gor omakase.. but it really wasn’t..

First we tried some sake while we waited and the waiter gave us three he recommended after my wife told him what she likes.. we ended up going with the Hoyo Kura No Hana Daiginjo. It was one of the best sakes I’ve had thus far. The a let us pick out sake shot glasses and brought it out to is in a gorgeous small glass pitcher.

The first course comes out with was the Seasonal Tasting dish on Soichi’s Full Omakase. It started so good with the oysters that were so flavorful with flavors that took me back to when I used to live in Japan. Next was a fried and soaked type of fish.. I really don’t remember.. and I don’t remember the way the other dish was but they were just okay. The last one was their tofu and that was the most velvety tofu I ever had with great flavors again!

The next course was the Chef’s choice of Seasonal sashimi. While all the first was fresh, three brought us out soy sauce for dip because they didn’t dress them with any marinate. This was okay but I felt underwhelmed by this course..

The next course was the Jidiri steamed egg custard. Present so cut on a small place. When we opened it so good! There was a piece of shrimp and a scallop in there with some mushrooms. It was pretty good but some how I got tired of eating it after a few bites..

The next course was Chef’s choice of marinated grilled fish, with a sweet potato chip, a pickled leak and a shishito pepper. While the fish was very well seasoned, the pickled leak was the star of the show.. and the sweet potato.. everything else was underwhelming..

Next was the 12 pieces of sushi from the Soichi’s Full Omakase option. The first plate came with 4 sushi and a fried sardine and it got us excited all over again after being a bit underwhelmed. The fried sardine was perfect and was a nice pair with the sake. The four nigiri pieces we were give were again fresh and with nice subtle flavor but they didn’t blow us away.. honestly some of the pieces tasted… and I hate to say it.. like metal..

The next three nigiri were again, pretty fresh and had good flavor but not great flavors and it wasn’t glowing us away..

The next two sushi were gunkan of roe and uni. There had well balanced flavor and were both of great quality.

The last three nigiri was marinated tuna, tuna toro and the tamago. The marinated tuns again had that metal taste.. the toro was definitely star of the show and the tamago was also very well made.

The next course was the light fish broth, it was nice and hot but beyond the temperature.. it was underwhelming..

The hand made ice cream was also very good and nicely plated with another sweet potato chip. I do wish we had more sweet potato chips because they were pretty good.

Over all the food was good with some bites that were impressive and others that left us looking for more.. we paid $425.60 not including tip.. and outrageous amount for what we received and I am so sad.. I feel so fooled by this place.. I have had much better sushi at Azuki for a quarter of the price. I’m sad to say it don’t recommend this place..

Eating here was a transcendent experience. I can’t describe it in words. This place is not over-hyped, it’s everything you’re looking for in an omakase experience in the US and more. The service was next level, everything tasted fresh and refreshing, and found new dishes that I fell in love with and didn’t know existed before.

Absolutely exceptional! I am visiting SD for a work trip, and went to SOICHI after asking a local for a sushi recommendation. I got the Nigiri Omakase and it was worth every dollar. The staff were so friendly, each dish and piece of sushi was an experience, and the overall vibe of the restaurant was wonderful. I am really glad I treated myself to this for my final meal here. The restaurant itself is small, so make a reservation well ahead of time. I took a gamble by going without on, and fortunately they were able to accommodate me at an outdoor table, but seating is limited, so plan ahead. Sit at the bar for an enhanced experience (I was able to watch the chefs through the window here and there, but I felt a bit like a voyeur haha). Seriously, such a great place.