Eatery - Geisha House (CA)

2773 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Japanese, Fusion
www.geishahouseoc.com/

I really wasn't expecting much when I came in, and I got what I expected. To be honest, I came to Geisha House because the food truck my friend and I wanted to catch wasn't at its scheduled location for lunch; he was hungry for Asian fusion food so this was the closest place to where we were. I didn't have high expectations because the reviews on Yelp had it at 2.5 stars. Walking inside and sitting down, we ended up both making fun of the decor and the restaurant's attempt to be "posh/chic." Also, he noted how the chefs weren't actually Japanese which is why they didn't respond when he spoke to them from the entrance in Japanese.


So we were there for lunch, and the place was fairly empty. Complimentary edamame was given but it was unsalted/unseasoned. I ate it for healthiness' sake. The lunch menu was cheaper than the dinner/regular menu but still considerably priced for unauthentic Japanese fare. Our meals came with miso soup which I found to be a tad grainy and uninspired.


My friend got the "Screaming Geisha" roll and let me try some. I didn't really want to order sushi there considering the look of the place but since he ordered, I gave it a shot. It was okay. I couldn't really tell that I was eating sushi though. I know that a sign of good sushi is the lack of fishiness but there seemed to be a lack of flavor in general in the roll aside from the spiciness in the spicy tuna filling. I think what did it was that the sushi wasn't cold either. Lackluster sushi makes me sad but hey, props on presentation!


My entree was the filet mignon. I didn't think that it would be such a small piece for the price I paid nor did I expect for the meat to be drenched in teriyaki sauce. That definitely masked the natural flavors of the beef; not all that great. The other food on my plate was pretty good - I actually liked the salad and its dressing. The rice was nice and sticky as Japanese rice ought to be. Unfortunately, the main star of the dish was supposed to be the beef, and I was unimpressed. I don't have any plans on returning.