I've been here several times, but I'll concentrate this review on the time I went with a group of fifteen. I wouldn't actually advise going with a large group, as the place is quite small. I'd forgotten just how small it was. Me mates and I were packed in like sardines because there was a group of 11 at the next table which left very little room to get in or out of our chairs/booth.
Our waitress was nice, efficient, had an excellent memory, and was darn cute, too! She remembered my avocado allergy when I ordered my second roll.
The first time I went here a few years ago, I simply ordered pumpkin tempura and nothing else. And that pumpkin tempura is like waking up and finding a pot of gold next to the rainbow that is your bed. I also got the Crunch roll (shrimp tempura, avocado [which I nixed], cucumber, and crunch). That roll was average. I don't mind saying I was disappointed in it. The waitress and sushi chefs came together and made sure there was no avocado on that roll, so kudos to them for that. Despite the lackluster roll, I ordered another [different] roll. I have never ordered two rolls in one sitting. Never. One usually fills me up. I think the reason I was able to order two at Tomo was that most of their rolls are a bit smaller than rolls you get at other sushi restaurants. At least, they seemed smaller to me. The second roll I got was bigger than the first, actually. That one was a Tempura #2 (smoked salmon, spicy crab, avocado [nixed], and cream cheese). That roll was heavenly. It crunched in all the right places, yet it was soft where it needed to be. The various flavors were a match made in Heaven that created a beautiful medley in my mouth! My taste buds cavorted carelessly in a field of culinary nirvana! The sushi and my saliva danced a waltz on my tongue! My mind overfloweth with fleeting thoughts of naming my first child Tomo or Tempura #2! Okay, I'm making myself sick with all this poetic nonsense.
The only flaw during the dining experience was that the waitress brought out dessert menus and took those orders before I was finished with my second roll, so I wasn't yet able to know if I could fit a dessert in my tummy. Once I was finished with my roll, the dessert menus disappeared, and I couldn't remember anything that was on them. I ended up going to Whole Foods afterward to get something. Would rather have gotten something at Tomo, as the desserts that my dinner mates got looked really good, though the desserts seemed a tad pricey.
Most of the rolls were a tad pricey, too, but I've come to expect that at sushi parlors. I got two of the cheaper ones. Two rolls, pumpkin tempura (I got only two pieces), and an iced tea came to $30 with tax and tip. Seems a bit much, methinks. And the menu from which I ordered was labeled "Specials". The rolls on that menu were still expensive. The cheapest one was $8.50, I think. And I was still hungry when I left, which is really saying something. This is coming from someone who can eat merely two small meals per day and not starve.
Still, the food, for the most part, was good. Everyone else at the table seemed to enjoy what they got. I actually doubt the competence of my dinner mates, though, as they all decided to go to Cool River afterward. Eek!
I've been back several times since, and I am actually considering going again today. This is THE best sushi in Austin. It simply is.
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