Kevin W.
Yelp
Thank you, Yelp, for connecting me to this wonderful establishment.
I had first noticed Bento & Bowls from the Yelp "Hot & New Businesses". I did a little search and didn't think much of it, since it was a good 10-15 minutes away from work. Having an appreciation for numbers, it would be a 15 minute drive, if I were to call 5-10 minutes before lunch, another 15 minutes to drive back to work, meaning a short 30 minutes to fully enjoy my lunch bento or lunch bowl.
After work, one day, I decided to hit the gym and take Broadway to Highway 24. At a stop, I noticed Bento & Bowls and recalled the glowing review from Emma, Stephanie, and the 5-star average review. Well, I know where I'm stopping. I proceeded to make a sharp right (sorry drivers behind me), to cut into the curb that fed into the parking lot (it was also dark, and the lighting was a bit difficult to see).
The menu was relatively simple. A good 20-30 items, with the option of bowl or bento. Pictures of the various items adorned the transparent barrier, where you can see the chefs preparing your food. A team of 4-5 were working in the small kitchen area, with one of them shifting to help me.
Being a fan of the most basic Korean BBQ meat, I ordered the Spicy Marinated Chicken Bento. With tax and tip, it ended up being just short of $20. B&B made it fresh to order, took the projected 10-15 minutes, giving time to scroll on social media while the barbecue aromas danced around the room.
Once it was ready, my eyes were delighted with the nice bento box presentation. They had a separate container for the rice, and 5 sections separating the foods. The salad with dressing, banchan 1 (pickled zucchini, broccoli, and bean sprouts), banchan 2 (kim chi), jap chae, and the barbecued items. The meal felt very balanced and well worth it for the price.
I wouldn't say that the bento is big enough for 2 meals, because I usually eat for two, but I appreciated the variety, the various textures, and how fresh the food was. Gold star in my book.