MSP’s Secret Ninja Soiree at Masu Sushi & Robata

Ninjas (aka Yelp Elites) ambushed Masu Sushi & Robata (at the Mall of America) to party with Chef Kai and his clan of loyal warriors. Despite the brutal cold and gusts of wind, Yelp Elites came out in full force to have a great time.

Masu teamed up with Joia All Natural Soda to deliver some refreshing cocktails. Whether it was the Coconut Bean or Little Nadi, there was something for everybody. Stephanie K gushed that "The Joia cocktails were absolutely heaven. If I had to live with only of those two cocktails my whole life, I'd be more than happy." Also, the bartenders did an excellent job keeping everyone's whistles wet.

Beverages were complimented with Chef Kai Phanthavong's mouth-watering menu of ninja bites. Tino K said "Everything tasted great and was so texturally interesting – especially the 'bone marrow'. I've never had anything like it and it was hands down my favorite snack'um of the evening." Valerie H noted that "the Togarashi shrimp skewer on curry sauce was fantastic…" Ruth D testified that "The (tuna) sushi looked so good that my vegetarian friend tried one. And came back for seconds." And how can we not forget the vegan yaki noodles that Breanne K professed "blew her mind." We were definitely fed more like sumos than ninjas.

When they weren't sippin' or eatin', the clan got down at the ninja headband making station, aided by a Masu staff member that guided the shinobis with writing Japanese characters. For those ninjas that wanted to move, they grooved to DJ Petey Wheatstraw's old school hip-hop and R&B jams. Hearing Will Smith's "Summertime" was a great way to forget about the winter… Also, thank you Charlie T and Annie A for bringing the sound!

Pixelbees Photography snapped some lightening-quick shots of Elites practicing their deadly moves at the Pachinko photo booth and having a great time. Huge props to their excellent photo skills! Check out our Flickr album!

Masu's staff were the ultimate shogans of service and attendees talked about how friendly and knowledgable they were. They made the evening absolutely amazing! But don't take my words for it, check out what Yelp reviewers have to say here.

Thanks all for coming out and being Yelp's amazing ambassadors!

Cowabunga ninja clan,

Jonathan T aka Donatello and Yelp Twin Cities Community Manager