Cloak & Petal : Creatively Authentic & Visually Appetizing

As one of my many New Year's resolutions, I promised myself to experience more outings on my own (& of course to document them). My first solo "date" was yesterday, I was leaving an event for work, and was suddenly struck with hunger and an intense craving for sushi. I ventured over to the closest spot I knew in Old Town, when I arrived I quickly started to become "hangry" to find that they didn’t open for another hour.

I then remembered that my friend Elizabeth had told me about a new sushi restaurant opening in Little Italy. I got in my car and rushed over, some of the hangry vanished when I was able to find parking in less than 20 minutes on India.

Cloak & Petal,from the outside, follows the restaurant design concept that you see popping up in San Diego. A modern sleek mono-colored exterior, large facade windows, and stand out lettering. As you walk into the restaurant/lounge, you get a fresh feel, paired with the bright and lively artwork of Shane Bowden, action painter and pop artist (who I'm now obsessed BTW).

I sat in a small corner booth next to a huge print asking the question, "Who the fuck is Lewis Vooton?" As I sat, I took in the restaurant's vibe. In my opinion, the ambiance evokes a fresh new take on some of my favorite decades, nostalgia with a modern lounge feel.

Cloak & Petal’s concept aims to evoke a “social sphere humming beneath the levels of ordinary life,” while paying tribute to the Japanese tradition of “hanami,” which celebrates togetherness shared amongst loved ones underneath the cherry blossoms.Like they even say themselves, Cloak & Petal is “an artists dream.”

Now I am not a food critic or a “foodie,” but I will say that the thought and time put into curating their menu stands out and sets them apart from many of the Japanese fusion restaurants local to San Diego. They really made sure to keep the authenticity that is part of Japanese food and culture true, while inserting and appreciating the ingredients of other cultures. With dishes such as their Ceviche Roll, with jalapeno, spicy tuna, cilantro, hamachi, garlic and avocado, paired with a house made traditional sauce(not your average spicy mayo).

And their dessert dish Hougi Cha, which is a roasted green tea creme brulee with amazing black sesame tuile cookies that are house crafted by their pastry chef.

I honestly can not wait to go back to Cloak & Petal for a girls night, to have another amazing meal, paired with excellent service, artistic ambiance, and an overall fabulous experience.