Kemuri Japanese Barú

Kemuri Japanese Baru is located in Redwood City so a bit of a trek from SF but it was worth the effort. Let me start by saying this restaurant is classy and gives off an upscale vibe. But in all reality it is a very nice casual eating spot with a beautifully decorated interior. We had a reservation and were seated right away. Service was polite and attentive. The food is fantastic but does come at a price. We came to celebrate a birthday so who cares about the cost right? We each chose one of their lunch specials and or the paella bowls. Some meals have an option to add Uni on top. I think was a bit pricey but was very fresh and tasty regardless. The proteins were fresh and very tasty with the rice perfectly cooked with a crispy texture. The Wagyu with Uni was excellent each bite was heavenly. Kaisen Sashimi Paella excellent with good assortment of fish. The Smoked Pork Katsu Teishoku was very good and very large portion of meat.Then we added a few appetizers to fill our bellies. Table favorites where the Kemuri Cerviche Mackerel which was flame charred at the table. The Shitake Karaage mushrooms crispy with great flavor and the crispy shrimp fried so that you can eat the entire shrimp, head and all, really good. Drinks where good at normal prices. Will want to go back for the next special occasion.

I had such a great dinner at this restaurant. The menu is fun and interesting and everything was delicious. Service was good and the inside is nice. Pork katsu - this is the thickest piece of pork I've ever seen katsu-ed. Juicy and delicious. It does not come with rice. Ikura salmon Benedict - my favorite dish of the night. A perfect combination and the egg yolk was the perfect sauce.Mackerel ceviche - you've never had ceviche served like this I guarantee you! It's a beautiful side of mackerel, sliced up and blow-torched at the table, then you dress it yourself very simply with lemon, wasabi, and a delicious sauceSkewers were all tasty but maybe not worth the price for me. I really appreciate all the seafood options though!

Went with group of friends last Sunday for dinner. Interesting dishes but I'd like to make some suggestions:1. The bread that came with uni flan was burnt on the bottom side. We could ask to remake but they shouldn't be bought out in the first place.2. The marination was salty in most of the dishes.3. The skewers was bought out pretty cold as well, which I don't think yakitori should ve served that way.

The food was great! They give generous amounts of uni! The food sizing was a tad small for the price though. The waiters were great and parking was relatively easy.

I had a rough NOC shift so I decided to go out and get something to eat so here I am. I waited outside 10 minutes before they opened and I am glad they did because this place got packed so fast. I ordered the Uni flan, the seasonal wagyu bone marrow, 3 premium skewers (Hokkaido Hotate & Uni, Uni x Wagyu x Ikura, Maguro Toro Negima), and the Kurogami ice cream and matcha mochi. The Uni flan was very unique and was an explosion of flavor with every scoop. The skewers were all well seasoned and very enjoyable. The Wagyu bone marrow was very tender and the side salt and wasabi complimented it very well. The Sesame ice cream with matcha mochi was very creamy and had the right amount of sweetness to it. The staff here are really nice. They checked up often and they even gave great food recs. The restaurant itself is very contemporary and gives off late date night vibes. All in all a great experience. Definitely check this spot out. Try it out if you like. :)

Food was really good, just the salmon skewer was a little bit on the drier side. Otherwise flavor and presentation is good! Karaage chicken was very juicy! Service was amazing, they took the time to explain the menu. It is a great place to meet with friends, drink and munch on some tapas.

I finally went back to Kemuri after many years and felt like I had a much better experience! The food is still expensive (expect $25-$50 or more per person for dinner) but I overall thought the food was very good and high quality.I sat at the bar with my friend and we shared chicken karaage and edamame. The edamame was doused in oil and spices which I really liked. The chicken karaage was also pretty decent and I liked the mayonnaise sauce that came with it. The pieces were quite large and juicy.I got the wagyu garlic steak butter rice and I really liked this dish. It was very fragrant with the sliced garlic. The plate was really hot so don't touch the handles for awhile. I ordered the extra $3 dashi soup that you pour onto the rice for an ochazuke. The rice itself wasn't super crunchy despite it being on a hot iron plate. But it did taste nice with the dashi broth. They don't give you a lot of steak pieces but the pieces were nice and juicy.I also tried my friend's oxtail udon and liked it as well. The broth was very rich and the noodles were a little on the thinner side but chewy enough to my liking.Service was good and they were able to refill our water jug which was good since I drink a lot of water!

Came for dinner on a Monday and it wasn't busy. I ordered the unagi bowl and salmon benedict which was recommended by our server who said it was popular with customers. I thought the salmon was eh I'm not sure I liked it in the benedict form. I like salmon ikura bowls but was not a fan of the appetizer. The unagi bowl was tasty, but on the dry side. Inside for the ambiance I'd call it a casual nice date night spot. Given the price and quality of the food I'm not sure I'd come back though.

We've been coming to Kemuri since they opened. For a while, around the main COVID years when everyone is going through tough times, it seemed Kemuri too was going through a challenging phase. I'm very glad to see from a recent visit that Kemuri has come back to its glory. =D | Ambiance | The vibe here is trendy Japanese-y. Low-lighting, with a bar along the left wall. There're a few outdoor tables in the front patio of the restaurant. | Service | Friendly and attentive| Food | My favorite here is the ox-tail udon - with its deep flavors, this dish is an excellent finish to a meal. Their wagyu garlic rice is also very good, with balanced flavors and yummy, crispy texture on the rice; get the dashi to enjoy it two-ways! I also like the corn tempura and dishes from their binchotan grill.Our other favorites are sadly not on the current menu: smoked pickles (so unique and yummy!), straw smoked chicken thighs w/yuzu kosho, and the unagi shirayaki. We saw Chef Takeo Moriyama there on our last visit and gave him our request, hopefully he'll bring some of those back!

I visited this place on a Wednesday night with a couple of friends. We had made a reservation, but it didn't seem necessary as it wasn't very busy. At first glance, it looked like they might be short-staffed based on how tasks were distributed, but the team worked efficiently to provide good service.The food was exceptional and stood out from typical Japanese restaurants, offering a variety of unique flavors that are definitely worth trying! The service was fine since it wasn't too busy, everything came out in a reasonable amount of time.The ambiance was cozy and dimly lit, perfect for more intimate occasions. The overall vibe was relaxed, and I appreciated that we weren't rushed with the check.I'd definitely recommend this spot and look forward to coming back!