LURE Izakaya Pub

I came here with a friend on a Friday night around 10pm and the techno music was blasting. It has a cool, dark, and trendy atmosphere but it's not the place to start up a good conversation. The wait staff had a black attire with black eye masks. In other words, we had Asian Zorro as our waiter.

We ordered the edamame, seaweed, shrimp rolls, and Hana Fiji Apple Sake. The drink was refreshing and it had a very classy wine glass. The food on the other hand, wasn't very impressive. (Although nothing can possibly go wrong with the edamame and seaweed.) I've heard very good reviews from my other friends, so I'd like to place the blame on the friend whom I went with. I will definitely return to Lure but do the ordering myself or with people who knows their food.

I went to LURE this week for dinner and it was awesome. Service from start to finish was great and food from start to finish was also great.

I heard of LURE when it first opened earlier this year, but had no idea it was in Chinatown. An Izakaya in Chinatown!? Didn't make sense to me! Even when we were sitting inside, I kept saying...it's so weird we're in Chinatown right now. It's just so different then anywhere else in Chinatown. The atmosphere is sleek & modern as is the decor, dark mood lighting with a blue lights giving it a lounge type of feel, with some actual good hip hop playing (not radio songs) or good instrumental hip hop beats. Loved it.

We started with both sake flights they offer...me getting one and my friend getting the other. The waitress was exceptionally great explaining everything fully to a couple of sake noobs. She was great in her explanations and it really helped us prep for a Sake Class we had a couple of weeks later! All the sakes were quite good!

The food was all really good! We tried the foie gras, beef sashimi (spicy but so good!), potato croquette, braised pork belly, lobster spinach noodles, boar katsu and their special spicy wings... My favorite dish of the night was the pork belly, but also really liked the lobster spinach noodles. When I go back, I will get this two plates for sure. The taste in all the dishes was just fantastic and the chef is great on marrying his flavors in dishes. Also, they were super awesome and gave us a free tempura squash dish at the end! We were totally stuffed but still enjoyed them and it was such a nice gesture. :)

I'm just dying to go back here and have since being recommending LURE to just about everyone I know!

My friends suggested LURE for a birthday party, and although none of had visited before, we were really happy with the whole experience. The restaurant itself is somewhat hard to find (some of us were surprised we never noticed the place), so keep an eye out for the pub in the corner.

Upon entering, we went through a hallway that opened up into a ambiance-lit lounge. The servers were attentive in asking for our orders and very accommodating in our requests for seating. The "menus" are 4-5 unbound picture boards, which is great for seeing all the food on the menu, but makes flipping through each page cumbersome.

LURE features Japanese-like tapas - so definitely mix in something new in your order. Hits in our party included the hamachi kama no shioyaki (yellowtail), braised pork belly (tasty and fatty), and the spaceship gyoza.

Overall, we had a great time - so definitely try out LURE if you're in the area!

Pictures: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/GWof3nWURH8fY4YshGrUzw?select=xCLAqLRBODMxJgIx1iBAdA

We came here the day after they officially opened, so I'm hoping that they are still working out a few kinks...otherwise it's a cute and flashy place. I know that this is supposed to be mainly a "drinking establishment" but I really did not notice that extensive of a drink menu and as far as I could tell they only served one beer (in addition to some cocktails and a few other things)....but one beer???? I hope I was mistaken....Anyway being an "izakaya" there is a bit more emphasis on the food than at the typical Japanese bar, but I honestly have to say that there was nothing about any of the dishes we sampled that would entice me to return for the food in and of itself. But for being what it is, an "izakaya," it is a nice, chill place to hang out and have drinks with friends and maybe order a few things to munch on but I personally would get my dinner elsewhere beforehand....

They did mention that they will host live music and events. I think one women said that they will be hosting a fashion show very soon. That definitely sounds fun so hopefully that will work out well.

This place is a Japanese lounge, that serves *small* plates of Japanese-French fusion food. The decor is very hip and modern, moderately dim-light, with colorful lights strategically placed. There is some ambient background music that gets much louder later into the night, so just be aware if you want to go with a large group of people and converse.

If you go to their website, you can find out about their 'theme nights' - such as vampire, geisha, or pink, and if you dress for the theme, there's a 10% discount. Maybe because the restaurant is so new, they weren't quite advertising these themes. My group was the only one dressed in matching pink camisoles and black cardigans.... oops. When we asked about the theme night, our server smiled and said, 'no worries, we were going to give you 10% off anyway!", so maybe they're giving the discount to everyone during their grand opening stage?

The food itself overall is very good and fresh. Here's what we ordered for the 3 of us (with descriptions copied from the menu, and occasional commentary):

[ Blue Shrimp Sashimi ]: served raw, white-soy-citrus vinegrette, cilantro

[ Ika Geso Karage ]: fried squid head with sea salt ::::: Delicious, like giant arms of calamari.

[ Smoked Bacon Wrapped Scallop ]: with tea-honey-citrus marmalade

[ Bone Marrow Spring Roll ]: with tuna, shrimp, golden beet, cilantro, mint, wrapped in rice paper, topped with fresh tomato salsa ::::: I wasn't in love with this as I thought I would be. All of the ingredients went well together, I think I just expected more texture - maybe some bean sprouts in there would have improved it.

[ Duck Breast ]: pan-seared and marinated in japapeno sweet mirin-soy sauce ::::: Sooooo buttery smooth.

[ Beef Sashimi ]: served raw with truffle mayonnaise and chive

[ Rock Shrimp Yamaimo ]: creamy japanese mountain potato purée with organic raw egg over rice ::::: The description for this was really confusing because there were these tiny chunks that seemed like water chestnuts, but which I assume were undercooked potatoes, but I liked the texture that it provided.

[ Baby Spinach ]: brown butter-sake sauce cooked in foil over grill. ::::: The presentation for this was interesting, because it came out in a big crumpled thing of foil.


[[DRINKS]]:

[ Hana Fuji Apple sake ] ::: Very fragrant, just like the Kasugai gummies. The sake was very smooth, and not too sweet.

[ Hana Lychee sake ] ::: Also very fragrant. There was a stronger taste of the sake/alcohol.

[ Ginger Phoenix ]: ginger, sake, sparkling wine :::: Delicious if you love the taste of ginger!

[ The Tokyo Rose ]: ginger vodka, triple sec, pomegranate juice, lime :::: It comes with a ginger garnish on the side. I preferred the taste of the Ginger Phoenix, which had a stronger taste of ginger.


[[ DESSERTS ]]
- None of these were too overwhelming sweet or rich, which I enjoyed.

[ Yuzu Creme Brulee ] ::::: The texture was thicker/courser than average.

[ White Chocolate Matcha Mousse ] ::::: The mouse tasted like a very light and slightly sweet green tea. Heavenly!

[ Bananas Foster Cake ] with coconut mousse ::::: This was my favorite!

[ Coconut Brioche Bread Pudding ] with pineapple confit :::::: This one was the least favorite out of all the desserts. It was a good tasting dessert, however the texture was a bit too dry for me personally.

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There is a BRUNCH menu that has a lot of 'typical' items on it, such as Eggs Benedict, but everything has a Japanese 'twist' to it.... like the Eggs Benedict have a modified hollandaise sauce. OH! Also they have a BloodyMary-esque drink that sounds awesome that I must try at some point in the future. (The menu described tomato sauce, vodka, tonkatsu sauce, shichimi, etc in the drink.)

Overall, I could see myself returning to this restaurant to try the other items. I hope this place fares better than Mulan once did, which used to be in the same spot as this place, but went out of business because it was a fancy Chinese restaurant (would that be called "new Chinese" cuisine?)..... and who really wants to pay more for smaller portions of Chinese food when there's tons of cheaper/tastier Chinese food all around? However, this place does seem more innovative, but it may be too much so for Chinatown.

Me and my family go to Chinatown Square all the time for Chinese food, which is never fancy, never expensive, a little dirty, but always comforting. As you exit the back of the square, you notice this very unusual restaurant, with neon lights, anime TV screens, techno music, and a very untraditional, contemporary menu. Sounds like a great restaurant, but seems way out of place here. I was worried it was a gimmick, a flashy eatery with no substance and high prices. But I had to try it. So of all things, we ending up going for my Mom's birthday...she actually picked it out!

This place is a 180 from the ornate, traditional Chinese restaurants that surround it. This isn't even a Chinese restaurant. DJ booth in the center of the main dining room, blue neon lights on the floor, projected water textures on the walls, the place sets an amazing mood. Great bar as well, which you walk by as you enter. The menus are all pictures, including the one-of-a-kind cocktails. The drinks are a must-have: fresh ingredients, great liquors, beautiful glassware and presentations...no mixers anywhere to be seen. "The Aida", full of fresh strawberries, lavender, and bitter orange, very balanced and fresh, not overly sweet at all. "Agave Roundhouse", a super spicy tequila drink with lime, cucumber, and jalepeno, is amazing as well.

This is a tapas, small-plates-style restaurant, so everything is cheap, meant for sharing, and comes out as the chefs finish them. One of my favorite ways to eat, since you can try so many dishes. Most dishes are under $10, and many are under $5 as well, which is an amazing deal. Some of the dishes we ordered:

-Beef Sashimi, with Togarashi Mayo: Spicy, reminded me of the filling for a spicy tuna roll, only with beef! Thinly sliced, but easy to pick up and eat with chop sticks. Very tender.

-Fries, with Truffle Mayo: Perfectly crispy fries with one of the best dipping sauces possible. Truffle was not overpowering at all.

-Beef Tongue, with Picked Lotus Root: I love beef tongue, this was certainly good. A little too sweet for me, the teriyaki-like glaze on the tongue.

-Fried Avocado: Very unique, and lightly fried so the avocado stayed intact. Very satisfying, almost like eating fried butter!

-Noodles with Tomato, Mussels, Clams, Basil: Sound italian? It tasted just like italian pasta with seafood! The mussels were barely cooked, and had an unusually soft (but pleasant) texture

-Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail Collar): One of the best under-rated, unknown dishes out there. It's like a t-bone steak for fish! Meaty, fatty, full of fish flavor.

-Pork Belly, with Beets, Picked Bok Choy: Very soft and tender, hard to go wrong with pork belly.

-Chicken Wings with Habenero- The wings were fried, crispy, and frenched, making them very easy to eat. The habenero sauce was tasty, but extremely spicy. I suggest not extra-dipping the wings (they're served resting in the sauce)!

Overall, a wonderful experience that surpassed my high expectations. So much great food to try, not overpriced, wonderful environment and service, ultra-modern...this is the place to be! I hope that it's unusual location in the spot of the failed Mulan doesn't hurt their business, but I will certainly be back here. Just coming for the drinks alone is worth it! So many times, we go out to restaurants for special occasions, and enjoy the experience, but have no real intentions of coming back. This is certainly not one of those places.

Uhhhhhhh....this place is interesting.

I suppose the food was good, although nothing really stood out to me as being incredibly impressive. The tomato fried rice was the highlight for me. The rice was wrapped in an egg omelet and topped with some type of sweet sauce, so that was a good combo! The lotus chips, fried chicken and seafood fried rice were also good.

These are small plates, so the waitress told us that we should order 3 plates per person. (Or probably more if you are with men.) It's cool if you go with a group, so that everyone can sample most of the dishes. They also have a pretty big drink list (from mixed drinks to sake), so that's always a fun thing to see. But, if you're looking for the typical "cheap" Chinatown meal, do NOT come here. Most of the plates are more than average, especially considering the size.

We MUST be getting old, though, because we all complained that the music was too loud and we couldn't hear each other. Oy. Sign of the times.

The best restaurant in Chinatown is Japanese!
We bought a groupon that offered a degustation menu. We had
- seaweed salad ***
- salmon sashimi ****
- pork belly ****
- spare ribs ****
- spicy wings (they are really spicy)
- kuro buta **** (the rice could be better but the meat was delicious)
- mousse matcha
- tempura ice cream ****
I also had a strawberry guava soda that was superb.
I don't know if this place deserves ****, I'm undecided about it... I loved the food, the staff was super nice and I enjoyed the ambiance but I feel that they should improve some aspects (there was a little plastic in the mousse matcha, nothing serious and the staff was very apologetic and had a nice gesture, they ofered us the tempura ice cream. They reaction was very positive and we appreciated it).
I highly recommend this place to my friends, I had a good experience!

Lure is one of those places that I would love to love, and I greatly applaud their creativity and trendiness, but I think it's still a work in progress ... or at least, if they wanted me to be a regular there. :x I think it's pretty good for all the other adventurous people out there.

In terms of décor and service, they're totally fine - it's dimly-lit, with colored lights and modern deco. (Unfortunately, this means awful food pictures ... until I learn to use my camera better). The service is friendly and serviceable; the waitress was really good about helping us decide between the strawberry guava and the basil drinks. We ended up opting for the strawberry guava, which was really delicious.

Their menu is comprised of well-presented pictures of the food (the real food actually looks better, which is awesome :D) with their names. The food is definitely for the adventurous. I'd say I'm pretty adventurous with my palate, but this was just not really where my taste buds ran.

Food run-down
- Ponzo scallops: The wasabi kick was really intense, and although I liked the way that the scallops were fried, I couldn't handle the wasabi.
- Chicken karaage: Pretty good. Not much to say on it; fried chicken Japanese style, exactly the way they advertise it.
- Avocado tempura: These were probably the best; I love avocado and the contrast between the crunchy tempura and the soft avocado and the delicious flavor ... mmm. :) Really good while warm.
- Rock shrimp yamaimo: The waiter warned us about the raw egg, but we got it anyway. My boyfriend liked it a lot, and I also liked the flavor of it, but after a while, the rawness of the egg started to get to me. It was a purely mental thing; taste-wise, it was good, but I couldn't eat it anymore. It was cold, which I didn't expect (but should be since the egg is raw ...)
- Japanese curry fried rice with wild boar: This would've been really good if I liked wild boar. However, I've never had it, and it was too gamey for my taste. It was also very tender and fatty (which can be good), but like the raw egg, it was a mental thing again for me. I just couldn't eat anymore wild boar.

Overall, the food was fun and interesting to try. The prices were pretty good; I really like tapas places. They recommended 3 per person to be full, but we had 5 between us and we definitely were full and did NOT finish everything. So don't get a lot to start with.

Mmm! Second time being here :) I ordered a good amount of food and the bill ended up at 67$, so a good $30 for each person (came with my date).

It was pretty loud since there was live singing. The artist had friends supporting and there weren't that many occupied tables since it's Monday night. I think the style of music should range so guests can feel more welcomed (not everyone is into R&B and music with a lot of bass).