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Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: Sushi + Japanese
Re: “Fire Street Food”
Service is just kind of meh. Atmosphere also leaves something to be desired, as the tables are kind of cramped in the very narrow space.
The food, however, is outstanding and reasonably priced. Best curry this side of Calhoun. Working on King street, I eat here at least once a week.
Re: “Fire Street Food”
My husband and I had food from here twice for takeout and once to dine in (in the span of about 2 weeks). We've tried a variety of the items on the menu, and everything has been terriffic. The service was more than fine the time we ate there. I highly recommend the Pad Thai and the Laos Egg Noodle Soup with Braised Pork. You can't beat the food for the price! It's one of our new favorites.
Re: “Fire Street Food”
Great food for a great price.
Re: “Fire Street Food”
I won't go into the whole ordeal...but based on my families experience on a single visit...I have no plans to go back.
Service was weak even though we were seated 6' from counter and there were only a couple other patrons. Waitress was more involved with setting up shop & organizing rather than waiting on customers. Meanwhile, one of the owners(?), a woman, is walking around with a glass of wine in hand and offers no assistance.
My meal came out separately and long after everyone else was served...in a party of 3. Food was not appetizing and bit 'off' from one would expect of familiar dishes.
No thank you.
Re: “O-Ku”
Pretentious, dreadful, so noisy that it was hard to place our orders and we were hoarse when we left. Food mediocre and overpriced. Voting with my wallet, never again.
Re: “O-Ku”
I had a terrible experience - I was disappointed and underwhelmed by the food quality and service. The staff is unfamiliar with the contents of the menu and do not communicate clearly. My order was incorrectly delivered and they served poor quality dishes. When I showed the piece of sashimi that looked as if it had been torn off by a dog, the waitress did not offer to replace the dish. The sushi roll just falls apart and they served lettuce that was not fresh. Not to mention that they had a repairman clinking and clanking in the dining area while customers were still present and eating.
Re: “Tropical Sushi”
Have been to Tropical Sushi on four separate occasions and have had great service until this evening. I left the amount of the bill in cash with the receipt on the table and left a good tip on the other side of the table. As I was leaving the restaurant the waiter came out of the building and approached me in a very angry tone asking why I did not leave him more money. I asked if he was referring to his tip and he said yes. I let him know I left it on the table and his response was "I did not see it." I had to take him inside and show him the tip. I still received no apology, just another angry "well, I did not see it."
If you think a customer has not left a tip, you should not approach them at all. But, if you must approach them, a polite "I'm sorry, I did not see a tip. Did you mean to leave one?" would be a more appropriate response. I will never go to Tropical Sushi again.
Re: “Izakaya Hiro”
Thoroughly mediocre and expensive. We were excited to find a place that went beyond sushi to make a wider range of Japanese dishes. We used to love just such a place in Boston. Too bad that this one is clueless when it comes to making these dishes. If you've never had onigiri, negimaki, or steam buns before, you'll be eating an insipid imitation of the real thing. Even the ramen was hopeless - the broth was bland and watery, tasting like it had come from a packet. What a disappointment!
Re: “Tropical Sushi”
Can't wait to return for the sushi lunch buffet! Had sushi and sake here on Friday and it was delicious! Tried 6 different rolls and they were all great. Fish was fresh. Service was also very good. Definitely recommend this place.
Re: “Octobachi”
Great atmosphere. We sat at the bar on both trips to Octobachi and the service was awesome. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Sushi is really good, but basic. They only have a few rolls to choose from. The hibachi is really good, flavored well, and you get quite a lot of food. The fresh spring rolls are also really great. I love that they are very into the local scene. They seem to grow a lot of their own produce as well. The only big downfall is the Pho. It is not good. At all. It tasted as if they took a beef boullion cube and put it in a bowl of water with a few noodles and a bit of beef. I would really like to see them either hone this recipe or remove the item from the menu because it is really the only blemish on an otherwise stellar menu.
Re: “Octobachi”
I had a sushi roll that was the special that night and it was fabulous. A couple of other sushi rolls off the menu were great, too. Fresh with a nice mix of textures. The sushi isn't cheap, but it isn't unreasonably priced for the quality compared to other places in town. I would not recommend the pho. It is too expensive, and the broth is completely flavorless. Even the accompanying condiments couldn't flavor it enough. The waiter was great-very friendly, laid back, and helpful. The tables are awful. If you so much as set a glass down they jiggle uncontrollably. Crossing your legs under the table or putting your hand on it as you stand up or sit down causes your drink to slosh out of your glass. I'd definitely go back for sushi, but I'd sit at the bar.
Re: “O-Ku”
I know it was 10pm on a Sunday. But, that's no reason for the hamachi nigiri to be almost room temperature and the wasabi to be dry. And the olives in the martini were absolutely tasteless and lacking pimentos in 2 out of 3. This place needs a good scrubbing in the back of the house. Men's restroom in serious need of attention. Also suggest covering the window in the kitchen door. Seeing food scraps all over work surfaces and general unsightliness is disturbing.
Re: “Wasabi - Daniel Island”
We went for lunch on a Friday. We got the Red Dragon, SC Crunch, Diablo and Niminobi. We were hungry. The sushi was very pretty, however the presentation was
a retangular white plate. No pretty garnish, nothing. The rolls were expensive which
is okay if the sushi is outstanding. It wasn't. The sushi lacked the flavor of fresh fish. The only flavor we could detect was that of the sauce and/or the topping on the sushi. Neither of us could tell with our eyes closed what we were tasting, fish or filler. It was passable sushi, but I expected great. My real issue was the service.
After finishing our $62.00 lunch, (including two draft beers), we sat for 10 minutes staring at empty, dirty dishes. No one came to take them. We finally had to wave someone down to ask for our check. I expected better.
Re: “Little Tokyo”
ITADAKMASU = Let's eat!
Re: “O-Ku”
I went to O-Ku for the first time last night and it definitely will not be the last time. The half-off happy hour prices meant half-off our premium bottle of sake. What a great start! I found a new favorite cold & dry sake with the help of the knowledgeable bar staff. (Tozai Living Jewel brand, but I still love my Bishonen at Sushi Hiro too)
I enjoyed the high-quality sushi cut with skilled precision and seasoned so well I enjoyed the yellowtail carpaccio and toro five ways without insulting it with soy sauce or wasabi. Push both aside and use it on the sushi rice rolls if you must. Neither dish is served with rice or nori and I did not miss either as that is not what these expensive but oh-so-worth-it amuse bouche plates are about.
O-Ku is not cheap but it is all about quality, presentation, freshness and Umami.
Our bartender was pretty and I hate to admit my prejudice that in my past experience at other restaurants, “pretty face” usually meant I got mediocre service and lack of knowledge. So imagine my delight to find that at O-Ku, she not only knew her various premium sakes like the back of her hand but she also had a great knowledge of each dish and served it by explaining each piece of the toro and what seasoning was used on it. I hope the other restaurants read this & realize that the server's knowledge of their food & bev does make a difference to those of us that care about our dining experience. How refreshing not to get an answer back like "um, I don't know, I don't eat that" or "Um, I don't know, I've only been here two weeks" or any answer that implies it's all about them and not the customer.
O-Ku seems to be about quality and not making sure you're so full you have to be rolled out of there. If you want lots of cheap & dyed farmed-fish served with tons of rice & dyed picked ginger, then O-Ku might not be your cup of green tea.
I really ejoyed my O-Ku dining experience and can't wait for my tax refund so I can go back for more. Sushi Hiro, (my other favorite sushi bar) you've got competition!
Re: “Little Tokyo”
I absolutely love this place. I only go out to eat about once a week, and this is on our list of regular spots along with Early Bird, Evo, Fiery Ron's and Sesame. I really like the little touches, like the cleanliness and hot towels. And the value is just silly. Almost too much food, it is sometimes intimidating. The salad is fresh and has a wonderful dressing on it, the teriyaki and vegetable plates are insanely good, and the appetizers are nicely done. My only one quibble would have been that the sushi rolls were done in a style that is a large for my taste (not done incorrectly, not all sushi rolls are required to be of the small variety). That quibble was quickly deleted after I tasted the roll. They have nightly specials and all of them are tempting. It pains me to see this place half full, while Los Arcos (not even good Mexican) next door is packing them in. I will continue to be a patron at this establishment, damn good food, damn good value.
Re: “Little Tokyo”
I am a Japanese. This restaurant is the real japanese restaurant in Charleston area. My hubby is American, and we go to this restaurant every time when we miss Japanese foods. We tried the other Japanese places, but Little Tokyo is best. I recommend Gyoza, Yakisoba, Pork/Chicken Katsu... and Banana Tempura w/vanilla ice cream!! Yummy:)
Re: “Kim's Restaurant”
Mama Kim's is already downtown, its just moving the old WOK.
Kim's in WA is closed for good. It is not moving anywhere as of now.
You can still get the same Korean food at Mama Kim's, but they don't have the open Hibachi tables, unless WOK does... I never went to WOK because Kims was better.
Re: “Kim's Restaurant”
So they're moving dt? Any idea when they will open?
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Re: “Fire Street Food”
Oh my gosh. I'm shocked this has 4 stars... the food and service are both MEH. I wouldn't say it's terrible but definitely MEH.