Great Neck Restaurant Guide

A native of Yamagata, Japan, Koichi had his start at Sankou, a high-end boutique restaurant in Tokyo. There he observed first hand the meticulous attention the older generation of chefs paid to their creation. Food was not just food, but a chef's artistic expression.

Unsatisfied with Sankou's tradition bound approach and eager to see the world, Koichi traveled to the United States to work at the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia. There he was allowed some freedom to experiment with an American interpretation of Japanese cuisine.

Feeling that his years of practical experience would benefit from additional formal training, he spent nearly a year at the Centro di Formazione di Gusto Culinary Institute and at Siena La Botega Del 30, a Michelin one-star restaurant in Turin, Italy, immersing himself in an entirely different culinary and cultural tradition.

Emi Seki
Manager

A graduate of Housei University in Tokyo, Emi worked at Sankou for seven years. After first moving to California, she eventually settled down in New York

For the longest time, Emi lamented the lack of kaiten style restaurants in the New York area and especially on Long Island, where she lives. She had enjoyed this popular style of dining so very much during her time in Japan. Emi imagined a restaurant where the guests can enjoy a variety of tapas portioned dishes in one sitting all at reasonable prices. As a mother of two girls, she imagined a place where a simple but well thought-out kids menu lets the children have a fun dining experience too. She imagined a place where during the leisurely hours of the afternoon, one can stroll in with friends and family to sip tea, nibble at the mousse cakes and enjoy a long conversation.