Izakaya Seki - Calumet-Norvelt

Steak fried rice, toro sashimi, udon noodles with pork belly, Japanese scallop sashimi and black cod were excellent and the perfect amount of food for two people! Looking forward to returning soon to try other dishes.

Friend wanted to come here for his birthday, between the two of us we shared a total of seven small plates as recommended by the waitress portions were about right, we left feeling satisfied bordering on full. I think we would have been fine with even one or two plates less.Anyways, starting with the good thoughtful of the restaurant to provide hooks for coats/bags at bar seating, and I appreciated the waitress not charging us for a drink refill. The restaurant also served a complimentary dessert for my friend's birthday, which was easily the highlight of the meal in my opinion.The not so good none of the dishes were particularly good. Taste was mostly one dimensional, with one flavor overpowering the others. I found a lot of it overly greasy and salty, particularly the grilled wild onions and the dashi broth. Braised pork belly was a bit tough and dry, and fried rice completely lacked flavor. Tamagoyaki was too sweet and seemed overcooked/not fluffy. Udon noodles had no chew. Overall, pretty disappointing considering the price. But even at half price I don't think I would reorder any of these. Plating wasn't particularly attractive either, aside from the dessert, so I didn't bother taking any photos. In fact, I think I'm actually doing the restaurant a favor by only attaching a photo of the dessert (plum ice cream with a biscuit).As for service, it was fine. The sushi chef told my friend to take off his bag quite rudely and seemed to stare at us throughout our meal which made me uncomfortable. Could just be his personality based on his interactions with the other workers, but he was not pleasant.

The server was extremely knowledgeable and made great recommendations. The food and sushi is expectional. The ambiance is cozy, intimate, and perfect for a memorable dining experience.

Need to be considered, foods are ok but need to pay 20% of tips “recently” they said without awareness in the menu or before taking the order. 0 service and wants 20% of tips?

Service was absolutely horrible. Don’t come here on a weekend evening. Mediocre food.