Osaka Sushi Lounge Vs. Tsumani

It has been quite a long time since I trashed one of Lebanon’s top places, so today’s lash out goes to Osaka Sushi Lounge located in the Kantari area.

For almost a year now, I have been hearing from friends that Osaka is the best sushi place in town. According to everyone, it’s supposed to have the best atmosphere, best service, and the best sushi in terms of variety and taste. So on Saturday, and after a month of contemplating the visit, my husband and I decided to try it mainly because we couldn’t get a reservation at Tsunami, our regular sushi place, because it was fully booked.

And so it goes, we arrived to Osaka at 10:30 pm, and sat at the bar until one of the tables was cleared which took about 7 minutes. We sat down and looked through the menu at the very limited variety and decided on what to order. After 20 minutes of waiting, my husband finally motioned to the waitress to notice that we were ready to make the order.

While we waited for the food to arrive, I couldn’t help but notice that the restaurant was not divided into a smoking and a non-smoking section. Usually at sushi places with an open bar, guests are prohibited from smoking on the bar because it’s directly over the food while it’s being prepared; at Osaka, sushi and cigarette smoke mixed perfectly in an atmosphere of ultimate Zen! (Super sarcastic tone)

The food arrived with a great presentation, but I wish I could say the same thing about the taste. Each and every piece of Maki was spicy, even the ones that didn’t include “spice” in their descriptions, not to mention salty to an extent that you are not able to taste the ingredients.

So in a nut shell, if you are looking for over priced, smoky, and salty sushi, brought to your table with bad service, then Osaka is your place!

For reservations, please call 01-360630

Tsumani, on the other hand, has a menu that is filled with pages and pages of different types of Sushi, Sashimi, Maki, salads, appetizers, and hot dishes to an extent that you can visit once a week for a whole year, and still order something new each time, as is the case with my husband and I.

The service is speedy and friendly, and if you choose to sit at the “non-smoking” bar, you will really enjoy watching a pair of very professional and talented chiefs make your delicious sushi with such skill that triggers your appetite even more.

So in a nut shell, if you are looking for affordable, clean, and delicious sushi, brought to your table with friendly and professional service, then Tsunami is your place.

For reservations, please call 01-337327