Jackie A.
Yelp
2.5 stars
This place missed the mark for me in a huge way and for a variety of reasons.
Little did my husband I know, that yesterday was Music Friday. This event had an impact on my enjoyment of Issei. A small ensemble, parked themselves close to Issei's entrance. They were quite loud. There was the disco music in the kitchen, additional music in the restaurant itself and the trio, just outside - that, combined with the rising voices within (cause who can hear anything); was maddening and chaotic. I did ask the waitress to lower the kitchen music and that helped, somewhat. Additionally, where to enter and where to exit this restaurant, mystified several. I thought it was just me. The hubby pointed to the stationary sign; oh - I see, the entrance is too the side. While leaving, I bumped into the sign that was at the entrance/exit; I simply don't know.
The restaurant's interior was lovely, lots of hardwood flooring, windows, warm lights - a very cool and hip vibe. The chairs were a bit uncomfortable, though; a kinda small seat.
Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable. My husband had many questions and she was quite informative and friendly.
Now to the food: Chashu Yakisoba was a huge disappointment for me. I was looking forward to those homemade noodles and they were perfectly chewy, but that was the only positive. Assorted fresh veggies, says the menu description - not so. I spotted a few greens, small bits of chashu (I would have preferred it, in its whole form), drowning in an overly sweet, lacking any reminiscence of tang, sauce. To tone down the sweetness, I begged/asked for a spicy sauce. The waitress brought me some chili oil; it only helped a little.
I, too, was disappointed that some ramen standards were considered extras and at an extra cost. Granted, the extra cost wasn't a fortune, but with entree prices at around $18.00, the bill could easily escalate and ours did.
A chicken ramen, was in my mind, inedible. Too many of this and that, sounding intriguing on a menu, but taste wise - not for me. I've had broths taste so good, that I could actually determine all the different subtle components. This combination of ingredients, were too distracting and the flavor, lost, unidentifiable.