Topics: Food and Drink, New York, Social Media, TikTok, US News
A social media user has spoken out after going to a high-end New York restaurant and claims the 'only woman in the group' was served 'smaller portions'.
If you went to a restaurant and paid the same amount as the person you were with, you'd expect to get the same portion size right?
Well, according to a TikToker, his visit to a two-star Michelin restaurant in New York didn't quite adhere to these expectations.
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Brooklyn-based filmmaker and food influencer Luis Carlos Alvarez Zaragoza took to his page last month to give a review of his dining experience at Sushi Noz.
The food lover warned followers that this was his 'first negative review in a long time,' going on to explain a meal at the restaurant costs '$700 per person with a wine pairing' and it's his 'sixth time dining here' and despite the restaurant having been awarded a second Michelin star since his last trip, it was his 'worst' experience of Sushi Noz so far.
In the video, he continues: "First up, we noticed the wine pairing seemed a bit off, disjointed, pours came out awkward times and the choice to pair the wine with that dish was never clearly conveyed which for $200 you expect to get a sense of why each one was chosen for that specific dish but this never happened."
However, there was another issue with the experience which has got people the most stirred up online.
The TikToker explains 'another aspect [the group] didn't enjoy' was the 'only woman in [their] group' being 'told she would be getting smaller portions'.
Luis continues: "We know this is a common practice in some places for omakase but she didn't ask for it and if the price also hasn't been adjusted to account for the smaller portions then everyone should receive the same amount."
And it's not taken long for people to flood to the post to weigh in on the issue.
One user said: "SMALLER PORTIONS?? There’s actually no way. How can they even do that?! Especially for the price?? What the heck?"
"It’s usually smaller portion of rice, same amount of fish. I personally prefer it that way, so i can eat more pieces," another responded.
Although, a third user replied: "That's great if you paid and didn't mind. but to make the women's portions smaller. just simply based on her gender. is disgusting. and she did mind."
While someone else said that the part about the smaller portions 'boils my blood'.
However, others questioned whether they had gotten the 'whole story'.
Another user wrote: "It’s a tradition get over it."
Luis told TODAY.com: "It’s a nuanced issue because tradition is often viewed as something to be preserved and respected, but we had to draw the line when someone in our group, the only woman, was given less."
And a spokesperson from Sushi Noz said in a statement to the outlet: "The meal begins with five or six otsumami (small plates), which can be quite filling on their own.
"Before the sushi section of the menu begins, the chef will often ask first-time guests if they prefer smaller rice portions, an offer which they are more than welcome to decline.
"This is done out of consideration for the guest, to make sure they are able to enjoy the full progression of the omakase menu without becoming too full.
"In a traditional Japanese restaurant like ours, cultural and language barriers naturally lead to misunderstandings from time to time — that being said, this is the first time in six years that we’ve heard of these actions interpreted this way, which couldn’t have been further from the chef’s intentions."
UNILAD has contacted Sushi Noz and Luis for further comment.
