Kirala

Happy New Year!!! It's ironic, actually it's not, how I told myself I would be dedicated to this blog and this hobby and I'm barely typing this one up and it's been a while since I had this place. I have to find a better way to organize myself and what not. My New Year's resolution should have been getting a grip on time management. Anywhoo I was talking to a friend from SoCal and we discussed our college days when we sushi binge and low and behold I've been trying to get this entry to take off. Now I have the time because I shouldn't be making excuses on things that matter the most to me. Let's get started.

Went here with my friend Jenny after we tried to figure out a place to eat in Berkeley. I came here before with my ex and it left a lasting impression on me. Came back here again (on a Saturday night during a Cal game) and it was PACKED!! Almost an hour wait and when we were seated, we were seated right at the bar with our own "personal" sushi chef. He was quite entertaining and my friend and I were having a nice time until he started being creepy. . . to her. At first he complimented on her looks, then he made a comment on her being Asian. He then started hinting his preference for Asian women along with his statement of his somehow devotion to his wife.

Regardless of the weird service, which at the end he made our food and did a good job on that, we ordered agedashi tofu ($7), scallops ($7.50), hot teas and two deluxe dinners ($30 each) which came with an array of different nigiris which also included a salad and miso soup.

The agedashi tofu was squeal-in-your-seat amazing. On each piece was a different topping (seaweed, bonito flakes, and I don't know the other two), the other two were pretty delicious as well. The scallops were not as flavorful as I remembered the last time, and when I mean flavorful I meant the sauce on top. The scallop was nice and tender by itself. Our deluxe dinner came with 9 different nigiris (tuna, yellowtail, salmon, halibut, shrimp, unagi, flying fish roe, salmon roe, and I forgot one so please let me know if you guys figure it out, please and thank you). The sushi tasted amazing and this was the first time I tried salmon roe so it was a shock of saltiness with every bite. The fish was fresh and After eating everything I was happily-stuffed.

The total came out to about a little $40 each person which was pricey and worth it if you splurge every now and then. The place was very cozy which I totally forgot to take a picture and for everything overall I would go back if I did not get the same sushi chef we got. The waiters were a hit and miss on service; the place was packed and we were located at one end of the bar (in the corner). We were easily missed and had to talk to a few people to get our teas refilled and for our checks.
Kirala was a nice start to that Saturday night because it got pretty interesting afterwards. This is a great place to bring those into Japanese cuisine, not solely sushi. Kirala is not any sushi place, it's a little bit more expensive however it shows sushi in a light where when you leave you appreciate sushi even more.

Kirala - 2100 Ward St, Berkeley, CA 94705
Atmosphere - 5/5
Value - 4/5
Food - 5/5
Service - 3/5
Overall - 4/5