Kokoro

07/06/08

the best Indiana has to offer for fusion Japanese cuisine

by eskercurve

I'll be simple about this place: in my years at Purdue, I always took my dates or good friends to Kokoro. The food is astonishing, and you get big heaps of food for the price you pay. His wife is an awesome Chinese cook and he does everything else, and if I had the talent for culinary arts Tony has in his pinky, I'd be content in my own skills.

Having a limited serving staff and only him and his wife in the kitchen does have drawbacks. On busy nights you may have to wait two hours for food. That is because Tony never compromises on quality. On slower nights though, you see a different side to the stern and sometimes unforgiving man. He comes out with his wife, greets you, asks personally how is the food, and gets to know you. Truly a man of extremes, to your benefit, for he combines flavors that one never would have dreamt of if they were sane.

So, if you're looking for traditional Japanese food with original taste, look elsewhere. If you want a bang-on blend of American and Asian flavors, an oasis in a land otherwise starved of good Asian food, served by a man who on one hand is happy you came, but just beneath the surface is a crazy axe-murderer, this is the place.

• Pros: awesome food, large quantities, never compromising anything to expediency
• Cons: never compromising anything to expediency

04/16/07

HORRIBLE PLACE

by sujung

THIS PLACE TOOK FOREVER FOR ANYONE TO TAKE NOTICE OF US. FOOD WAS OVERLY PRICED FOR THE QUALITY THAT WAS GIVEN. I LOVE SUSHI AND HAVE BEEN TO EVERY RESTAURANT IN INDIANA AS WELL AS ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA, ETC. THE FISH HERE IS VERY LOW GRADE AND THE TUNA SEEMS NOT TO BE CHEAP COOKING USE TUNA;' THEREFORE, MASKED WITH SPICY SAUCE AND GIVEN IN LARGE QUANTITIES. IT'S QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY!!! THIS RESTAURANT WAS RAVED BY MANY AS THE BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT.. I WOULD SAY IT'S MORE OF THE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT TYPE OF JAPANESE FOOD WHERE LARGE QUANTITES ARE GIVEN. LOCALS SEEM TO LOVE THIS RESTAURANT DUE TO THE RUDE CHEF, BUT OUR OPINION IS THAT ONE MAY NOT CALL HIMSELF A CHEF IF THE FOOD IS LOW QUALITY. ON TOP OF THIS THE SERVERS DO NOT KNOW THE MENU AND SERVICE IS SLOW. THIS RESTAURANT SEEMS TO USE THIS RUDENESS AS ITS MARKETING STRATEGY. WE LOVED THE OLDER JAPANESE LADY WHO WAS THERE; THEREFORE GIVE THIS RESTAURANT A ONE INSTEAD OF A ZERO.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: poor service, low quality seafood, rude sushi chef,

11/05/06

Where the heck is this place?

by snydley

Didfficult to find even when driving by. The odd whidt light fixtures were the best part of the decor. Ambiance was fast foodish at best. The service manner was interesting because it seemed like we were visited by 4 very attentive young men (dressed in more of fried food and pub colothes than a id-priced restaurant. We were never without someone fillinfg our water glasses, or checking on us and since we were not in arush, the slow pace did not bother us.

The soft shell crab tasted fishy and calamari was unexcitingly bland, with some pieces browned on the outside but raw in the middle-yuck!

Wife had the shrimp temputra and it was easy to tire from EVERYTHING being fried in the same batter-the sweet suace was the best part. Sushi looked like it was hand rolled and the rice was myuch too thick, serving of Wasabee too small and the sushi just plain sub standard. The eel and yellow fin tuna sushi averaged $2.oo per piece which is not outrageous, but the ratio of rice to fish was much too high so it left us teased and unsatisfied. Tony is trying but must get his food quality on par with other restaurants before I return. Not a horrible experience, but once again, too many good places at comparable cost.

• Pros: Service while strange because of 4 rotating servers was good
• Cons: The food quality and presentation