[Carmel-by-the-sea, CA] - Akaoni

I think it's safe to say most people have heard of "Soup Nazi" from Seinfield. In researching my next sushi adventure, I happened upon reviews of a "Sushi Nazi." There were a ton of reviews accusing the owners of Akaoni of terrible service. It is a cozy little establishment in heart of Carmel, run by Chef Shinichi Yamada and his wife who works as the waitress. It seemed like there were possibly two other people in the back. One to cook, and another to assist with the bussing of the dishes. Many of the reviews made mention of the chef being angry when soy was used. It's hard to know without more details why. My guess would be that those people were fortunate enough to have the omakase and that the fish was already dressed and really didn't need the soy. I wasn't allowed to order the omakase because I didn't make a reservation (others have said they weren't allowed to order the omakase because he only allows repeat customers that he likes order it). 

Making a reservation did cross my mind, but after reading a few reviews saying that they were hung up on, I thought it would be worth it to just show up when they open. It's a relatively unknown place if you aren't from the area, and I can't imagine people in Carmel waiting in lines the way they do in SF or San Jose. What's the worst that could happen? 

We were a little early, but we walked by to make sure that we knew where it was. There is no signage outside of the restaurant. If you have seen pictures of the small dining area online though, you can tell immediately that it is Akaoni. Around 5:30pm, we walked back to Akaoni to grab a seat. I was actually nervous about showing up at exactly 5:30, worried that he would be mad for some reason at me showing up early. We entered the restaurant at 5:34. The waitress looks at us with a furrowed brow like, what do I do with these people? How do I make them leave? I imagine my face looks like that when I have uninvited guests. Since she doesn't say anything, I hold up two fingers and ask if she has room for two for dinner. She looks at all of the tables; the sushi bar was empty but had RESERVED signs at most of them, and the two tables for four, which also had the RESERVED signs. She finally says that we can sit at the table, but we only have an hour since it's reserved. I try to tune out the chatter of the two ladies sitting at the table on the left as I ask if there is any chance we can sit at the sushi bar. She frowns and says, "sushi only." 

Like it's a bad thing? I smile in what I hope is a friendly way and thank her effusively. She brings out a menu and asks if we would like something to drink. I flip to the back of the menu but there are no drinks. I keep scanning to find the drinks. I want a beer, but it's on the front and there's only one - Asahi. I order a large one and she's off. She has not smiled once. I am all for not telling strangers that they need to smile, but those strangers don't work at restaurants. Does it count as body policing to prefer servers to smile occasionally? 

Chef Yamada is busy behind the counter preparing the fish. From my corner angle, I couldn't see what he was doing, but he was working furiously. The beer arrives and I can't help but notice that it's just the two women who were chatting ever since we got in, and my boyfriend and me. Another Asian couple walks in and gets the same treatment from the waitress - sit at the table and finish within an hour.

This is the most I have ever whispered in a restaurant, and I am not a super chatty person when I am at a sushi bar. I normally just sit quietly and watch the chef work his magic. I always sat quietly to be respectful, but this time is different because I feel like I am not allowed to speak. At Akaoni, I find myself speaking as many lines to my boyfriend as Lady Deathstrike has lines in X-Men II: X-Men United. There is music playing, but it is played very low. I try to remember the last time I felt this way and it hits me, detention. I feel like I am in trouble for something. Trespassing into "local" territory maybe? I know the general rules for eating sushi, but it felt like there were other things happening here. Reviewers complained that they were nicer to locals and would be happy to never see another tourist again (interesting location for not liking tourists though).

The waitress brings out our silken house made tofu. There is no explanation on how they want us to eat it. I assumed since we were both given a bowl of sauce that we just scoop tofu into our own bowls. If I was wrong, no one said anything. Chef Yamada hasn't looked up from his work. I admire the dedication, yet feel a bit neglected. No acknowledgement that we are there. I push those thoughts aside and bite into the tofu. It's not biting so much as just slurping. The tofu is so silky soft that it's like pudding. The flavor is light. I would have enjoyed it more with less of the sweet soy and sesame sauce that it came with as I ended up tasting primarily the sauce and only luxuriated in the texture of the tofu. 

In the midst of this, the chattering women continue their babbling and I hear, "she looks just like a China doll! Why, how short is she?"

As soon as my tofu is finished, the waitress comes by to try and take the plates. My boyfriend was in the process of stacking them neatly for her. 

"Thank you," she says, trying to reach in. I attempt to get his attention to stop being helpful so that she can just stack it herself as she very much wanted to. She repeats firmly, "Thank you." He looks at me confused, as I have actually used my hands to stop him. She takes the plates away and we sit there in our time out.

Chef Yamada continues to work. I see him working on what appears to be our nigiri sets. He briskly molds the fish to the rice and sets it down on the plate. You can tell he cares about his work even if he doesn't seem to care about us specifically. I have sat at sushi bars where the chefs are not very talkative before, but here, the silence feels oppressive. He has not been rude, but I just can't get over how unwelcome I feel. Our nigiri arrive in front of us and he comes over to tell us what we are being served. He goes over each item rapidly and I know I will have to ask my boyfriend later what a few are. We say thank you and begin to eat.

The hobo and hamachi stand out the most. The hamachi is so buttery and good. The uni was also good for USA standards, but doesn't hold a candle to the uni fresh in Hokkaido. If you have eaten a lot of sushi, you will be able to taste that the fish is very fresh and of high quality. One issue I have with it though, was that some of the pieces had too much wasabi on it and it killed the taste of the fish as soon as it hit my nostrils. 

As I am finishing up my platter, the Asian couple behind us receive their order. The Asian woman asks the waitress if they could get another plate. The waitress asks why. The Asian woman says that she would like another plate since they are sharing the platter. The waitress doesn't say anything, just stares at her. The Asian woman says, "Please?" and the waitress huffs off. I can't tell if she's going to bring a plate or not. The Asian woman who asked for the plate laughed uncomfortably, unsure of what she did wrong. 

Normally at the end of a meal, if we are not full yet, we order off of the daily board to get our fill of what we normally can't get our hands on in Sacramento. I can't say with confidence if I was actually full, or if I just didn't want to be in that environment anymore. The waitress came by to ask if I was done with my plate and I said yes. She then took my small bowl of unfinished edamame (I had one in my hand and was reaching for more) and my empty sushi plate. 

When we left, It was at least two blocks before we felt we could speak at a normal volume, or at all after dinner. Happy birthday, Boyfriend! Hope you enjoyed that little treat. Honestly though, I wouldn't say that I don't recommend this place though. For the price and quality of the fish, it's worth it. If you really can't stand to have service that is based on the Soup Nazi, I'd recommend going to San Francisco or San Jose. Or, if it's worth it to you, keep going until Chef Yamada and his wife like you and you get an actual smile. 

14 piece nigiri set ($55 for the day, in the menu it says it starts at $38). Chutoro x2, hamachi, engawa, sake, uni, hotate, amaebi, unagi, seigo, tai, kanpachi, hamachi, and hobo. The quality of the fish is excellent.

The rest of the seats at the bar were all reserved for people we never saw show up. We arrived at 5:34 and left around 6:30pm.

Their housemade fresh tofu ($10)

Use the spoon to add it to the bowl of sauce and eat.

Fried shrimp head (came with the nigiri set)

Nightly specials. The Hokkaido scallops were crossed off five minutes after opening.

Address:

Mission & 6th Ave

Carmel, CA 93921

Phone: (831) 620-1516
Reservations recommended