Introduction

Mugendai officially opened in early February of this year, replacing the beloved sushi restaurant, Tokyo Tapas. Having been to Tokyo Tapas many times before it closed, I will admit that the vibe to the new restaurant was strikingly different–Tokyo Tapas being more packed and energetic–and it got me curious.

I tried several dishes, each of which I rated on a scale of one to 10. I will also share my opinion on the price and atmosphere of the restaurant.

Overview of restaurant

Mugendai, a Japanese style restaurant, has a very elegant atmosphere. The lights that hang overhead were dimmed, casting a calming glow upon the place. Greenery and flowers were hung from the ceiling and attached to the rather natural-looking wooden walls. Everything was truly calming. Even the waiters, who were very serene and made the dining experience quite peaceful.

I went before the Friday dinner rush so, naturally, there weren’t many other people there. The food came out rather quickly–much faster than any Japanese restaurant I’ve been to before.

Menus items

Miso soup—8.5/10

Miso soups are absolute staples when it comes to Japanese restaurants, so I ordered it. I was surprised to find that this soup was drastically unlike the others that I’m used to.

The broth was sweet and had less of a punch of initial flavor than expected. Yet, the lack of complexity of the dish did not have me bored–it only made me love the soup even more.

However, the greens inside the broth got me a little distracted, as they were thick and took away from the flavor. I wish that they came in smaller chunks, so I could fully enjoy the unique, yet quite tasty miso soup.

Rainbow roll—9.5/10

This roll tasted unbelievably fresh. The fish placed on top of the roll was refreshing and, honestly, addicting, when matched together with the krab on the inside of the rice.

To finish the dish, the avocado smoothed out the (sadly, overly sticky) rice, and had me thinking that the roll was practically heaven in a bite. I would 100 percent recommend this dish, as it was created on a whole other level.

Chicken fried rice—5/10

When I think of Japanese style chicken fried rice, I think of the classic hibachi cooked right in front of you, flames in your face, the chef preparing the dish cracking jokes and cooking eggs, with a delicious end to the unique experience. This chicken fried rice was neither delicious nor unique.

The rice was actually decent. It was of great quality despite the lack of seasoning on it. However, it was hard to find a bite where I could only enjoy the rice. Each portion had giant chunks of chicken, which, in another dish, would’ve been fine, but it wasn’t what I expected. The chicken was bland and wasn’t even the teriyaki I had hoped for.

Volcano roll—3/10

As someone who goes to sushi restaurants exclusively for the krab, I ordered the volcano roll out of pure instinct. What I found, however, wasn’t pleasing.

The top, with the pile of krab and scallops, was warm and overly flavorful. The bottom was cold and greasy. For a restaurant where the rest of the rolls I tried had been such great quality, I was shocked.

The krab had a good level of kick to it, but the flavor felt uncontrolled. This was the first strike. The second was that the cream cheese ratio to the rest of the roll was overwhelming. Too much of each bite was just cream cheese, and it was honestly disappointing.

Finally, the actual size of the roll once you scraped aside the pile of krab on top was so small. Compared to the other rolls, it was almost miniscule. I felt robbed.

Price and value

The average price per sushi roll was $20 and really, I’m not all that surprised. Sushi is generally very expensive, but I feel like for the quality it was a tad on the pricier side. Sure, the food came out quick, and most of it was high quality, but there were also items that were disappointing.

Though it really depends on the dish, I think Mugendai is a good place to eat, but only for special occasions, due to its high price.

Overall impression

Mugendai is an elaborate Japanese restaurant with an atmosphere that is both calming and intriguing. Most of the food was rather tasty, but it really did depend on the dish.

I plan on going again–7/10.