Bay Area Asian Restaurants

From Snowulf

Jump to: navigation, search

Oh god... It seems like all I do is go out to Asian restaurants. Well thats mostly true actually. Except its not really all Asian, mostly just Japanese and Chinese. Originally the idea of writing up a review/list for all the places I've been was a joke - but damn - I've gone too so many now... that its worth it to write them all down. As a note, I'm not trying to hit every places in the Bay. I'm mostly based out of the East Bay - so thats where most of the reviews are from.

Policy: I'm not a big fan of trying "new things" so I will go an order the same type of food at every restaurant, this does provide me with a method of comparison. I try to get feedback from whom ever I goto dinner with (Mostly L-San and Occasionally Sir G), and I'll note it here if I find out. I believe in visiting every place twice, even if it is bad the first time, I'll try again - just in case it was just an off day. If I get sick from eating there, I'm not going back. I don't post numerical scores, because they are useless.

Contents

De Ming's Asian Cuisine

Ahh... De Ming's is my favorite place to go, Ever. I go there often enough that the guys that work there know what car I drive, and write my name on a table before I get in, maybe thats a sign I go there too much?? Nah. I really like the guys there, they have always been nice and friendly, and seem to be on equally good terms with all the regulars. Anyways, the lunches there are very cheap, and their food is always awesome. My mother and I particularly enjoy the Salt & Pepper Chicken (I really recommend you try it). They have a few strange dishes for a Chinese place, like "Japanese style fried rice" which is nothing like Japanese fried rice I know, but it is damn good. I have yet to meet a dish there that I didn't like. Occasionally the guys there will have the chefs make a surprise dish, and they have always been tasty (even if they were outside of my normal range of what I eat). Good Food + Good People = Best Ever.

Yuki of Tokyo

Yuki used to be my favorite places to go for Japanese. It was a little pricer, but I enjoyed it. I haven't been there in a long time now. Maybe I'll have to fix that...

Fish On Fire

Fish on Fire has some really tasty food. My main problem is that everything is entirely too expensive. For 3 people, it was $60+ (after tax/tip). Granted there were two small appetizers ordered, but all in all - its an expensive place. I had beef udon, which was different, but good. By different I mean, in had onions in it, and some greenery I'm not normally accustomed to seeing. Typically the sushi has been very good (again, expensive) but the sashimi appetizer I had was less than impressive. L-San had the beef sukiyaki and said it was some of the best she's ever had (I noticed it also had onions in it). Sir G had the tonkatsu and he said "it wasn't bad. nothing to write home about, but good".

Isobune

In most cases, I like to goto a restaurant twice before I'll write it up, or write it off. This is true of Isobune, which for the record, is in Oakland, but is about 1 block from Rockridge BART. The first time I went to Isobune, the service was TERRIBLE. We sat down at the tables, L-San ordered sashimi dinner and I ordered Udon. After 20-30mn, I gave up on my Udon and asked for the check. When the check came with the Udon on it, I asked for it to be removed since I never received what I ordered. The check came back run (with my credit card which I shouldn't have given him yet - my mistake) with the Udon... and the lady with the Udon in tow. I left a zero tip, this is one of the few times in memory that I've ever left a zero tip. I should have left a 1 cent tip, but I was too hungry to care.

My plate "Collection"
The second time around was much better. We sat down at their sushi bar, which has a series of sushi boats running around. These are the "for show" kind of boats either, they actually have sushi on them. What I didn't realize at first was that the plates were color coded for how much the item was. Of course most everything of interest was $3.25, especially the Salmon which I had a bunch of. I was displeased with the selection though. While there were the staples (Salmon, Tuna, Tobico, etc), there wasn't much variety. There was supposedly Toro (Fatty Tuna) but I didn't see any. In addition I only saw one hand role the entire time. They did float watermelon from time to time, which was a tasty way to finish dinner. All being said, the sushi was very tasty, and I was happy. The total for the three of us (Note: Sir G was there, but didn't eat much) was just under $100 after tip/tax. While it is expensive, it is probably cheaper than most Sushi places for the same amount.

Oh Sushi

Oh Sushi is what a sushi place should be, and most are. The staff is friendly, the food is good, the sushi is good. Of course this comes at the prices of being a bit expensive. Last time I had their "Deluxe Bento" (I do love Bento's) and it was really good. The Teriyaki chicken was very good, as was the Gyoza and Sushi. The Bento also came with California rolls and Tempura, which I honestly didn't get much to since I was full already. The other thing I've enjoyed about Oh Sushi is the fact that it is small and never that busy (at least in all the times I've been there).

Peking Village

This one was a bit out side of my normal area. I happened to be meeting a friend "half way" so I picked a Chinese place at random. I have to say their hours are a bit strange, for example they are open for lunch between 12:00 and 2:30. Most places its 11:30-2:30 at least. The food wasn't fantastic. I enjoyed the Sweet & Sour Pork that I had, there was nothing wrong with it (hey, if it isn't rubbery, I'm content). The portions were plenty. My mother (Yes, I take my mother to lunch ONCE in a while) wasn't terribly enthusiastic about the food. On the bright side, this place is REALLY cheap. For the 4 of us that were having lunch, plus two drinks the total was $28 after tax (tip not included). Awesome!

Ume Sushi

For a while it seemed that L-San and I were going to Ume every weekend, if not more (probably more). This place is GREAT. Their food is always excelent and their prices are actually very reasonable (that means cheaper than most similar Japanese restaurants). Do be careful going for lunch on a weekday though, as there are many corporate offices in the area and Ume tends to be PACKED.

Nama Sushi & Teriyaki

Hey, I love Teriyaki, so any place that has it in their name, I think you can't go wrong with. I've only gone here a few times, but their food has been good. Their prices are on par with most Japanese restaurants. In the times I've been there, the place hasn't been that busy, no more than a handful of groups.

Yokoso

Yokoso is located in a shopping center than they are trying to revitalize. So far it is going well, and Yokoso is no exception. Their food is good. Nothing that I've had has disagreed with or disappointed me. Last I went I had the tonkatsu and was left wanting more, it would have been nicer if there was just a little bit more - but for most people (Who aren't starving) it would have been enough. The service is always pleasant, and they have the coolest looking glasses. I know it is a strange comment, but the glasses they serve soda and water in are very unusual. Next time I go I'll have to take a picture. The prices are on par with similar restaurants.

Kaiwa Sushi

"Lethal Miso"

Fujian

Lots of food, good stuff. 2 item combo bento dinner is enough for two lite eaters.

Oi-C Bowl

Chinese

Korean Kitchen

I figured that L-San and myself had been to Chinese/Japanese more than enough recently so we thought we'd try something different. L-San is a fan of Korean food, so I found a local place and off we went. Korean Kitchen isn't a sit down restaurant, per say. It does have seating, but it is done in a fast food style. I did see alot of people doing takeout. This place does have a variety of dishes, and isn't Korean only, more of a "Korean Twist" kind of thing. They have Appetizers, BBQ Plates (including "Breaded port cutlets" which I'd call tonkatsu), Rice bowls (Chicken, veges, etc), Noodle Bowls (Chicken, Beef, Port, Seafood, Saimin, etc), House Specials (Actually Korean dishes) and Udon/Soba (Beef, veggie, Zaru, etc). The prices aren't bad, and its fast food so there isn't much service to be worried about (but the people did seem nice). The food though, was not impressive. The pot stickers were much heavier on the breading and VERY deep fried, the Udon I had (while very colorful and filled with lots of strange things) was bland and L-Sans ????? was overly sauced to the point in which she didn't finish it.

All in all, if you are looking for a (relatively) quick Asian bite or a different twist on old favorites, give it a try. All in all, I wont recommend it for regular eating. We will try it again, per policy, but unlikely to eat there again after that (unless the second time around is AMAZING).

Out the Door

Retrieved from "http://wiki.snowulf.com/index.php/Bay_Area_Asian_Restaurants"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox