I almost hate to write this review because it will let the secret out. There is a great sushi restaurant in Brookline, MA. I know, I know ... there are lots of great sushi restaurants in Brookline. In fact, there are 3 within a 3 minute walk of Tsunami. However, I think this one offers the best experience and food in its price range in this neighborhood and in greater Boston.
The restaurant is small and crowded. There are about 9-15 tables depending on how the tables are configured. The chair backs of your table just about touch the chairbacks of the table behind you. There are also a few seats at the sushi bar. The furniture is made of light wood. There is one long bench along the wall that serves as seating for several tables. Large blue square pillows indicate where patrons sit and make sitting on the seats and bench comfortable. It is not too fancy and overdone but perfect for a neighborhood place.
The menu was about average size and included most Japanese dishes you would expect to see. There was also a sushi bar and a separate a la carte menu for sushi. We tried the oshi tashi which is cooked spinach salad. In this restaurant it was covered by a tangy sauce which we hadn't had before but liked very much. I had a salmon sushi plate for dinner, including 4 pieces of sashimi on a bed of raw carrot strings, 4 pieces of salmon nigiri and 6 pieces of salmon maki. My friend had tempura udon noodles, which were good and filling. We also ordered sushi a la carte. The sushi prices were about average, or even on the low end, for sushi, although all of the pieces were extremely large and very, very fresh. It looked like there were some options on the menu for vegetarians and, if you are willing to eat fish, you will be very happy here. The staff seemed very accommodating and might also be willing to alter a dish to make it vegetarian.
There are not many desserts on the menu. However, they do have fried green tea ice cream.
For those who need dessert and are not too hung up on flavors, there is an ice cream shop only a 3 minute walk away.
We were greeted and seated immediately. Water arrived shortly and food arrived quickly after our order. Water and tea were refilled frequently and dishes cleared away promptly. Clearly, English was a second language for some of the waitstaff but nodding and smiling did the trick and did not affect the service. The service was perfect, efficient and friendly. This would be a great first date place and it looked like several couples in the restaurant were on a casual date. There were groups of friends and a few men in ties. Otherwise, it was student-casual. You could feel comfortable in jeans or dressed up for a date. I didn't see any high chairs and my 7 year old was the only child in the restaurant on the night we ate there. There is no children's menu.
Tsunami was a perfect mix of good food, decor, ambiance, service and price. It was one of the best dining experiences I have had in a long time and I highly recommend this restaurant.
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