Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes

Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes Restaurant Review:

With a high ceiling, teak screens with wooden slats, and glass-enclosed, fabric-wrapped columns, Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes, a monastery reborn as a dining complex, looks every inch the upscale Japanese restaurant. But the surprise is that a meal can be very affordable, especially when ordering a generous set menu. Meanwhile, the extensive selections range from starters, salads, sashimi, sushi, tempura, teppanyaki, grilled items, hot pot, rice and noodles to desserts. Worth trying are the premium sashimi platter (served with freshly grated wasabi), the sumptuous and multi-flavored spicy aburi salmon roll and the trio of egg sushi --- a fresh and simple departure from the standard fish sushi. The assorted tempura, too, impresses with its crispy and light consistency. Meat eaters willing to spring for the Wagyu beef platter will be richly rewarded with chunks of tenderloin, sirloin and rib-eye sliced for easy grilling at the table. Skip dishes made with cream; the deep-fried, creamy stuffed crab and grilled scallops in spicy cream, for example, are doused in heavy cream that drowns the natural flavors of the seafood. Unique desserts include the kyo-style dumplings (skewered, Chinese-style) and soybean mocha --- sweet, savory and totally satisfying.