James L.
Yelp
Giving them a 3 star is being generous, and it's mainly based on the fact that it's a family owned restaurant and the owner's daughter represents the US as an Olympian. Yes, Mirai Nagasu from Arcadia, CA, has roots here in SoCal. Wanting to support them, we finally made a trip here after walking by for years.
Around noon, the place wasn't really busy. A lady pointed to a table by the window for us to sit, and we were greeted with a pile of menus and supplemental sheets. There were a total of 11. Prices were on one, pictures and descriptions were on another, while many items had no descriptions at all. And there were also ramen choices posted on the walls, which were not in any of the menus. It was a total mess before we can even order.
After 10 minutes of struggling and playing match-up with the menus, we finally decided.
Shoyu ramen: because they claimed it's the Best in Town and for a limited time only. Best? In what town? Though the photo showed a soft boiled egg, my 1/2 egg was hard boiled. And it turns out this is a permanent item, NOT 'limited time only'. Flavor was decent, nothing close to being the best anywhere. And this was the highlight of our lunch.
Sushi combo: 6 pieces of various nigiri & 4 California rolls. Sushi was not the fresh, melt in your mouth tender fish we've had at several other places. The nigiri appeared to fall apart when we picked it up. Were they from the fridge? Or even worse ... the freezer?
Grilled cod: decent flavor, nothing special. It was the smallest piece of cod we've ever been served, anywhere. It was a 3 biter. Came w rice, some seaweed that's a bit tart and a super bland piece of tofu that refused to hold any flavor. It's like solidified air.
Oyako Donburi: chicken egg bowl. Super bland and little chicken. Enough said.
Service was decent. But seeing that we struggled with the menus, no one came by to even attempt to assist us.
I see it as our lunch was to support a family's Olympic dreams. But sad to say, we will not be back. Still, wishing the family future success at the restaurant and Mirai's competition in the Olympics.