JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF
Kanpachi ume tiradito at Ruka.
Where to Ruka, a new restaurant in the Godfrey Hotel from the people behind Yvonne’s.
What for A taste of Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine from a team with impressive resumes. Executive chef Preston Miller was previously at the Breslin in New York, and the sushi bar is steered by Oishii legend Ting Yen.
The scene Crowded, late, midweek. Thumpy dance music makes deep talk difficult. Young, well-dressed people Instagram with enthusiasm. Women speaking Japanese eat sushi at tables made from tree-trunk cross-sections. Dragons curve around stone columns; walls are covered in black tile carved with geometric patterns; murals channel Peter Max’s Asian vacation. Multicolored strings warp and weft their way across the ceiling, looking like a proto-poncho on the loom. People depart; more people show up. Many wild-looking cocktails — in smoking glass vessels that resemble modern mate gourds; in alligator-shaped pitchers — are consumed.
What you’re eating The menu features sushi rolls; tiradito, Peru’s answer to sashimi; hot dishes from the wok; “monumental” plates to share (whole crispy Japanese butterfish, grilled long-bone short rib); and more. Nantucket bay scallop ceviche comes in yogurt leche de tigre with candied bulgur, scattered with pomegranate seeds; a kanpachi ume tiradito comes with a tiny scoop of apple-shiso sorbet crowned in gold leaf. It’s all very delicate. Order the octopus lomo saltado for something more solid and you’ll be surprised — the “shoestring fries” it’s served with arrive as a lacy garnish. Honey, they shrunk the spuds!
Overheard A smiling server presents the menus to a two-top: “We have options, ladies,” he declares. Several “ladies” later, the dames are in distress. “If he calls us that one more time,” one hisses. “He calls us that every time,” her friend replies. “Here’s your sippy cup,” a man says archly to his companion, delivering a large beverage. “It looks great in here, despite the Tory Burch logos,” a man observes, looking at the geometrically carved black tile. A chef torches something at the sushi bar, and nearby diners sniff the air. “Something’s on fire,” one says nonchalantly, then goes back to sipping his potion.
505 Washington St., Downtown Crossing, Boston, 617-266-0102, www.rukarestobar.com
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.