Restaurant Review - Hisa Japanese Cuisine

Hisa Japanese Cuisine

21 South Street
Westborough MA 01581

(508) 898 - 9262

The tweet from an accomplished son of a former boss (now friend) was the opener:

- Have you reviewed Hisa in Westboro since the new mgmt came in? Had a nice V-day dinner there since it wasn't jammed. Thoughts?

- Have not been in a while. This is a good weekend for it though! Thanks.

Hisa is located just off the Rotary on the right hand side of South Street, across the street from My BlackBerry was picking up the WiFi from , so obviously South Street is close, too.

Entering the restaurant was interesting. Opening the door, the door chimes seem really loud…like, “Oh my God they are going to think I’m obnoxious” loud.

The new owners are coming up on two years at the location. The basic layout is reminiscent of the prior restaurant, with the same water stains on the black ceiling. There are some subtle decorating improvements, including a new tatami seating area, for those wanting a more traditional Japanese meal seating, and a glass half wall at the entrance. The new version is more pleasing than the prior.

After standing at the entrance for a while, I wandered over to the sushi bar and asked the sushi chef (nicknamed Mr. Sushi by me) if I could have a seat there. I could, so I sat down to watch the sushi being prepared and promptly starting tweeting my friend:

- What was your take? I'm there, and they seem understaffed.

- Service was slow for us too, but food seemed improved. Luckily, we were in no rush.

- I'm sitting ringside (at the sushi bar). I like what I'm seeing!

- Hopefully the food makes up for staffing. On V-day it saved me. And we lived upstairs when it was Thai, so I have a soft spot!

I went right for the menu, an extensive list of appetizers, sushi, sushi meals and the like.

Placing my order, I took the ambiance in. There were assorted couples enjoying a Saturday evening dinner, the tatami seating area was not occupied, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj played very softly in the background. The restaurant did not seem busy, although Mr. Sushi never stopped the entire night. In fact, taking pictures of him was a challenge since he was in constant motion.

Throughout dinner, a large number of people came in through the door to South Street, and also from the condos above. On this night, take-out far exceeded those dining in the restaurant, and Mr. Sushi says it varies by night.

My order of caterpillar maki, including eel, cucumber, avocado and tobiko (flying fish roe) and spider maki (deep fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado and tobiko with spicy mayo) were quickly served on the same plate in an attractive yet simple presentation.

The caterpillar was cool to the taste (as it should be), with the spider warm from the deep frying (we like this – some restaurants use prepared crab.)

I was in the mood for a little dessert, and felt like ice cream (even though I’ve heard the Cassandra warnings about mixing ice cream with sushi). Coconut ice cream was a nice finish to the meal.

Overall, I’m struck by how there’s a restaurant in Westborough putting out an excellent product and not being packed on a Saturday night. My tweeting friend was right, the food was excellent. Once the staff decided the guy taking pictures of everything wasn’t evil, the service was very genuine.

Make it a point to visit Hisa Japanese Cuisine. You’ll be happy you did.

Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday   11:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Friday                                       11:30 AM  – 10:30 PM
Saturday                                   Noon – 10:30 PM
Sunday                                      Noon – 9:30 PM
Closed Tuesdays

Hisa Japanese Cuisine gets a GREEN LIGHT…go and enjoy.

About the RAG scale:

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

       Amber Light – Use caution

       Red Light – Save your time and money

The Author

Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994. His reviews are what he would tell friends, and are not an academic analysis. You can follow him @glkelley or www.garylkelley.com