Kunihiko K.
Yelp
We went to this place at 12:10pm on Sunday. Their opening was at noon. Not crowded, we got a table, water, menus right away. Our waitress came and gave us some recommendations. Good start!
Our orders:
Ginger milk bubble tea w tapioca
Vietnamese pork egg roll
Baked rice with japanese teriyaki beef
Korean shrimp jap chae
Malaysian spicy string beans
Drink:
Ginger milk bubble tea w tapioca -
2 stars / 5 stars
We don't really like the "sticky" texture of sugar syrup they put in the drink. I thought ginger flavor was nice and strong, but a little too invading to go with meals.
Appetizer:
Vietnamese pork egg roll - 4 stars / 5
Nothing wrong with flavor, not bad, not great. But I loved the texture of the fried skin. It was nice and thin and for a great crisp, very easy to eat with crunch sounds after every bite!
Rice:
Baked rice with japanese teriyaki beef
5 stars / 5
Absolutely loved it. And I think this is one of the item everyone should order for the first try. When it was served, it already looked exciting. Smell was great, and Smokey flavor was so good. I would try this again, or other "baked rice" menus (maybe Malaysian one) and it's worth coming back for this item. Portion is big enough for a couple, so if you don't wanna spend too much, I think this is the one to go for.
Noodle & seafood
Korean shrimp jap chae
3.5 stars / 5
Flavor was great. Shrimp was juicy and soft. But one big minus for me was "gap of temperature". Noodle was nice and hot, but shrimp was lukewarm. Clearly they were cooked separately but after they tossed them together, they were not heated enough.
Vegetable
Malaysian spicy string beans
4 stars / 5
First impression, I thought it got a pretty weak taste. But I was wrong! More you eat, more flavor piles up. And it ended up "addictive". Very good vegetarian dish. Not super spicy, even my stomach is weak to spices, I could enjoy this one. I think this would an opener for party occasion.
My rate as total was 4.5 stars out of 5. Definitely go back for other menus, and baked rice menus are my favorite. Below are some negatives from my point of view. But they are still "soft opening". So I believe they can easily fix it before full opening.
1. Toilet
Even though we went there 10 mins after opening, urinal was pretty dirty. Not hand sanitizer and no paper towel. Clearly nobody checked it last night or before opening.
2. Smile
I am Japanese, and I understand "asian shyness" attitude. But a few frowning faced guys near the entrance were a little intimidating before the meal.
3. Employees communication
We got a waitress and a waiter coming back and asked the same questions several times, like drink order, appetizer orders, are you guys ready.... etc. probably better communicate a little more to each other before asking customers. But again after "soft opening" time, I am sure it will get better.