SUIREN

The two fledgling Japanese restaurants seem to have embarked on a tough challenge of appealing epicurean Williamsburg residences. The only place in this hood for good/decent Japanese dining experience is Zenkichi—except for their prices. So I was quite excited about these newcomers with reasonable pricing. According to my friends, 'qoo' that opened first is not worth trying; poor in both quality and experience. Then comes Suiren. My husband got a flyer and he mentioned the owner was a nice person. After reading good reviews online, I tried Suiren with a few Japanese friends.

Verdict: Unless with a major improvement, I'd never go back.
Reason: The food is a not really good. Although friendly, the waiters don't offer a through service. Almost no Japanese staff here. I have no problem with that alone, but their knowledge of Japanese food/dishes was so poor that we, Japanese, felt awkward and unsatisfied. If they introduce a Japanese culture, I'd like it to be done properly, with a good service Japanese are known for.

As soon as we got there, they told us they had no liquor license. There was no liquor store nearby. I wish they told me that when I called. Our friend managed to pick up some drinks. The waiter served our wine in a tiny glass. With less than a few sips, the glasses went empty. She didn't seem to come back for refills, so we asked for bigger glasses. It wasn't even busy at all... She was probably unfamiliar with this business.

We initially ordered Chicken Nanbam but it was out. I got a bit annoyed by this friendly-yet-inadequate service and asked her what else they didn't have; they were also out of a few other items. Hummm....

Grilled Little Neck Clam
As we were four people, we asked if they could make it 4 pieces instead of 3 on the menu. She checked with the chef and the answer was NO. A bit inflexible, I thought . The clam wasn't fresh. Fishy. Lukewarm. Disappointment.

Eggplant with Miso Paste
It should be so hard to make this dish bad. And they did it. They used Chinese eggplant with really tough skin. Miso paste was overly sweet. I can make a better one.

At this point, it was apparent that this place wasn't owned by a Japanese. Weird as the website was in EN and JP.

Black Edamame
One of the few things we enjoyed. Finally a nice and hot dish.

Iceberg Lettuce Salad
Another so-so dish. Grilled on the surface, served with caesar dressing.

Ramen
They were surprisingly ok. Two flavors: Soy sauce flavor with duck meat, and Miso flavor with veggies. Neither was good on its own. The broth was not rich—no complexity like at Ippudo. Miso version tasted so much of butter, probably a gimmick to add richness. We enjoyed it by blending two flavors.

Desserts
Yuzu Cream Cheese Cake: It wasn't bad. But the yuzu flavor and cream cheese were not in harmony.
Japanese Pancake with Green Tea Ice Cream: The dough was too tough and the ice cream melted completely. Not something you want to pay for.

I hope they will get better soon.