Cafe Japon, International Mall, Tampa, FL

Date: 01/21/2010
Time: Evening
Type: Restaurant
Where: International Plaza, Baystreet 2223 N. Westshore Blvd B224, Tampa, Fl
Party: 1 Male, 1 Female

Immediate Impression:
Cute place, although must say, the LCD's of swimming fish seems a bit mean, considering this is a Sushi joint and all; guess it's better than live fish!

Service:
Ana, our waitress, was great; very diligent and attentive. Everything came promptly, and I especially like how quickly my dishes were taking away once I was finished. The only thing the server missed was telling me the Ice Tea was flavored tea - I think passionfruit; caught me off guard.

Menu/Food:
The menu was well laid out, standard Sushi/Sashimi, a large selection of specialty rolls, they offer rice paper for $1 more, and for those non-sushi loving people, there is a large selection of non-fish entrees.

I ordered Tuna and Salmon sashimi and the Sakura Roll, miso soup and edamame; my guest ordered a customized Chicken dish. The presentation was phenomenal! The sashimi was delectable, very fresh, chilled just right and the slices were thick; my roll (Salmon and White tuna on top of a spicy tuna roll), was delicious - except for the small bit of sauce on each of them. Sorry, not really sure what it was.

The chicken dish was well worth it. Good portion size and just the right seasoning. It was a mix of vegetables, chicken, and a soy based sauce. My guest added his rice to the dish for more texture. He cleared his place!

The only downside with dinner was the Miso Soup - it was very weak and the seaweed over-powered the rest of the soup. As for the edamame, wasn't spectacular, but still edible.


Price:
Expected! It was over priced for sushi but expected because of International Mall. Honestly, the experience was enjoyable so the price was secondary.

Final thought:
So far, the best restaurant at International Mall; I will definitely go again, there are tons of specialty rolls I would love to try - if I they will make it without all the pesky shellfish!