Haru- Boston

With such a prime location in Boston's coveted Back Bay, I was surprised to walk into Haru for lunch on a weekday to find the entire dining floor empty less for one woman dining alone. Perhaps this place picks up the pace during their dinner service because it's a great establishment for dates, business dinners and whatnot. The interior is clean and relatively minimal though upscale. Our friendly waitress was such a joker and when asked where the restroom was located inside the restaurant, she facetiously responded with something along the lines of "there's no bathroom here, but I think there's one across the street that you could run over and use really quickly." I love servers who aren't afraid to kid around and have a little fun with the customers.

Rock Shrimp Tempura

Served extremely fresh with a crispy batter and a tangy, yet creamy spicy sauce, this appetizer was definitely one of the best tempuras I've had in a long while. The coating, as mentioned was crisp and thankfully neither heavy nor greasy. As for the inside, the shrimp was succulent and meaty. Additionally, the portion was generous and there was more than enough to share, although it's so yummy you may not want to.

 

Super Dynamite Roll

Encased in a light crunchy shell, the dynamite roll consists of eel and asparagus dressed in a spicy mayo/ sriracha sauce. Haru definitely has their coating down pat since the tempura on this roll was just as marvelous as the tempura coating on the rock shrimp appetizer pictured above. The eel was sweet and extremely fresh. The mayo gives the roll a much welcomed hint of heat.

 

Lobster Roll

How can you go wrong with lobster? Evidently, you can. I was looking forward to this roll the most and it was unfortunately a big letdown. The lobster meat itself was not only bland but also scrawny and not very fresh. Lettuce, avocado and mango are the remaining ingredients that compose the roll but we all know that lettuce adds as much flavor as water in terms of taste. Overall, this roll could have definitely used a sauce or some mayonnaise to enhance the flavors.

Dragon Roll (Pictured in Background)

We obviously ordered way too much food but for the last roll, we selected the dragon roll which is pretty standard in many Japanese restaurants. The roll consists of eel, avocado and kani (crab). Drawing from the sweet, delicate flavors of the crab while adding a bit of salt from with the drizzle of sauce on top, the dragon roll is a perfect balance of the two tastes.

Boston Uncommon Roll

How come all of the prettiest rolls are always the ones I can't eat? Though I didn't touch this raw roll, I couldn't help snapping a few photos. According to my lunch date, the Boston Uncommon Roll is just as fresh and as delicious as it is pleasing to the eyes. The gold paper, although it contributes nothing in terms of flavor, gives the roll that extra pizazz to catch your attention.

Ambiance: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Food: 4 out of 5
Verdict: Though a touch pricey, Haru delivers some whimsically-named but highly fresh, quality rolls.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/haru-boston