It was my wife's birthday yesterday and she had a craving for Sushi, so we decided to give Kuma Sushi a try. I need to qualify this rating by mentioning the fact that my wife is Japanese and I lived in Tokyo for 10 years so our expectations of Sushi quality may be higher than others. Saturday nights at Kuma Sushi are special, they offer a buffet style dinner for $21.00. It's an amazing deal when you consider that most dishes on the menu start at double digits so we took a quick walk by the offerings and opted for the buffet. Included in the buffet were Tuna Rolls, Shrimp Rolls, Teriyake Chicken and Rice, Gyoza, Miso Soup, Shumai (Shrimp and Pork) , eda mame, tempura fried vegetables and vegetable spring rolls. There were also plates of freshly cut fruit and parfaits of Sunomono. We did not try these but they looked fantastic.
The service was excellent, our waitress was quick with our drinks which included Japanese tea and always very friendly. Our empty plates were whisked away promptly and teas remained full throughout the meal.
During the first round at the buffet, my wife, daughter, mother and myself tried a bit of everything. My mom tried the Teriyake Chicken and rice, which turned out to be cold. We informed our server and she quickly replaced it with piping hot fresh product. The flavors were subtle and Mom seemed to enjoy it. We had a similar experience with the Gyoza, being cold and having the server replace them with hot fresh ones. The chefs seemed to have prepared a lot of the fried foods ahead of time and as a result they were neither hot nor crisp. A bit of a let down as it was like eating left overs.
The sushi rolls were prepared well but the rice was sticky, which was not completely impossible to eat but once again felt more like an interpretation of what sushi was meant to be than actual sushi. The saving grace was the tempura fried vegetables, prepared fresh throughout the evening. With proper timing, one could watch the Japanese chef preparing the tempura vegetables and help ourselves to them as they were placed in the chaffing pans.
For the price, it was OK. I really wish that this restaurant would step things up a couple notches, focus on quality and authenticity of presentation. Sushi is meant to be savored, each ingredient lovingly paired together to create distinct flavors and textures. The Westin Bear Mountain is a beautiful back drop to what could be a culinary treck out of the ordinary. At present, the sushi being served is just slightly better than the grocery store variety. The buffet offers excellent value, just don't expect anything outstanding. read more
