Michael X.
Yelp
Hana Japanese Bistro has been recommended by friends as an interesting place to try out in the Superior area. I've paid Hana two visits at the time of this review, once on a once on a Wednesday and on a Saturday- both around dinner time of 6-7pm.
Hana Japanese Bistro is located in a small shopping plaza and surrounded with a variety of other restaurants and small shops. Parking may be tight at times, but usually you should be able to find parking - even on busier days where you have to park a bit further and walk to the restaurant. Service at the restaurant is fast, you usually will get your food within 10 minutes after ordering. This is both on slow and fast days of service, and also despite the number of other patrons in the restaurant.
I tried a couple of options offered, from stir fry, rolls, and soupy noodles, which I'll review down below:
Beef Yakisoba ($18): I would say this Yakisoba offered by Hana was more in the saltier side than I would have liked. Though the texture and spread of different ingredients in the stir fry was good, the flavor was lacking in dimension other than salty soy sauce.
Shrimp Laksa ($18): A pretty solid bowl of noodles! The best part of this entree is the broth, it is very rich and hearty - You can taste the coconut and seafood flavor, and both blend pretty well together. The best description I got is that it tastes like a creamier Tom Yum, more of a Tom Kha. I got the udon noodle option and the broth clings to the noodles well. Though the flavor is excellent, the portion isn't really worth it in respect to the price. As after enjoying this bowl of noodles, I was definitely hungry for more stuff.
Spicy Tuna Roll ($5): A pretty standard sushi roll, nothing too surprise. But it is usually hard to differentiate an outstanding sushi roll other than dissecting the roll and just tasting the fish quality.
I would say on average you'll probably spend $16 - $30 for a meal here if you are feeling especially hungry. It does lean a bit more on the expensive side in terms of Japanese cuisine in the Superior area, but there are a good amount of options to try and so far the quality seems good. I would revisit to try the other options!