left hungry. i arrived with a party of 3 adults, 2 kids, and 1 teen. we were seated promptly, although any party that is above 4 must be seated in a combination booth/table setup as the tables with just chairs seat only 4 persons. luckily, the ‘big’ table is closest to the open kitchen area and food prep area and an arm’s length from a refrigerator that is kept on the dining room side of the sushi prep area. with the clamor coming from the bustling prep area (at onetimeat least 8 employees were standing back there talking), that seating location made conversation uncomfortable but not impossible. forget trying to see the tv from the big table, and a glass refrigerator always makes for attractive décor.
we ordered soup and appetizers, which arrived promptly. the soups were average. egg drop soup is egg drop soup; however, the hot and sour soup lacked any distinguishing qualities. the problem with the soup is that the portions are so small that at $1.50 to $2.00 per bowl, each spoon of soup amounts to 18 to 25¢. i ordered the vietnamese spring rolls (2 for $3.25) (crab, shrimp, cilantro, lettuce & rice noodle in rice wraps). the amount of crab and shrimp put in the rolls was so small that they were indistinguishable from the heaps of lettuce which dominated the roll. overall, the roll was virtually tasteless with just a hint of cilantro. i asked the opinions of 2 of my co-diners, who concurred. note that this was a bit difficult to do, since knives, spoons, and chopsticks are not part of tableware nor were they offered. the tempura vegetable appetizer was average, although i wonder how they settle on 5 smallish pieces of vegetable as being a $3.50 appetizer. why not splurge and put 10 pieces of vegetable on the plate? that couldn’t amount to much more of a marginal cost and would be much more pleasing.
although i appreciate speedy service under certain circumstances, we were there for dinner not lunch, so when the entrees arrived midway through the appetizers, i was not pleased. my daughter received the child’s portion of sweet and sour chicken ($4.25) which was ample for the average child and which she enjoyed. my 5 year-old son, however, received 6 small chicken nuggets ($4.25) with a small portion of rice which left him hungry. my wife ordered the crunchy tuna roll for $7.95 (spicy tuna, avocado, tempura fried topped with wasabi chili cream). although displayed nicely, the roll was mostly rice fried in batter, which unfortunately was all you could taste. the scant amount on spicy tuna and occasional piece of avocado was indistinguishable when eating the sushi pieces. i could have been eating plain battered rice and had the same taste. two other entrees ordered, the sesame chicken and pecan chicken ($8.25 each) were well-received and of ample portion. these are both very sweet dishes. depending on your palate, the sweetness may overwhelm some diners. i ordered the korean spicy beef ($8.25) (carrots, napa (sic) & snow peas stir-fried in korean hot pepper sauce). like all the other entrees, it was served with a small bowl of rice. i was surprised when i went back to look at the menu when writing this review to find out about the carrots, as they were not discernible in the stir-fry. the biggest issue with this plate was the lack of beef in it. at most 2-3 oz of beef had been shredded up into the stir fry which was mostly cabbage and onion (although not mentioned in the menu description). there were only 3 snow pea pods on the plate (no free peas in the stir fry). the overall taste was adequate, but its lack of overall spiciness defied its description. i quickly ate through the small rice portion provided, but when the waitress came back to see if we needed anything, she did not offer to refill the empty rice bowls or drink cups without having to be prompted. by the way, don’t expect the traditional fortune cookie at the end of your meal.
i need to include that two of the diners (independently of knowing the status of the other at the time) became intensely nauseated about 3 hours after the meal. one required medication. although there is no way of proving causality, the coincidence is remarkable.
i left still hungry after having spent about $16.50 for meal (drink, tax, tip included). i am always befuddled about restaurants that do not understand how to keep diners coming back for limited marginal costs. for example, how much more would it have cost the restaurant to double the portion of soup or rice? i doubt that it would be more than a few cents for each. i would rather have seen double the beef in my meal and paid a dollar more, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost for a table of six. is my return business worth an extra 50¢ of ingredients? there are too many other restaurants to try. i might have overlooked the average taste of the dishes if i hadn’t have left hungry.