The food can be good, but it's the servers that are the biggest issue, and that can ruin your experience. It's always a hit or miss with this place. Some times you'll get that one server who is on top of everything, other times you'll find yourself being ignored, having to grab your own menu and find a seat. Good quality sake and a Thai selection, but presentation is VERY lacking. My mother is a travel agent, and I've had the privilege of eating at many different restaurants when traveling with her, especially those serving Asian cuisine, and this one was hyped up by all the locals and other businesses around.
This last visit was the worst and enough to make me not miss this location when I'm gone. I was ignored, had to grab my own menu, find my own seat (despite the large sign saying wait to be seated). I was asking about the quality selection of sake, but the woman knew nothing about any of them. She gave me taste test of them without carding me (thankfully I'm over 21 for their sake), and when I asked for a traditional Japanese sake set to serve the sake in, she brought me out a glass instead (sake is meant to be taken in shots). This ruined the atmosphere for me, as that is part of the immersion experience. I got a very blahzey attitude from her, and she seemed impatient to take my order (2pm on a Wednesday is not busy at all). I wanted to spend money on a good meal and purchase a bottle of good sake, yet this woman had no clue or simply did not care.
The food was good and the presentation lovely (the chefs always do a great job). I love the bento boxes and bibimbap, this time settling for an expensive bento. The server was in a hurry to drop off the food and leave though. The food is not cheap respectively; a bento box can reach up to $20-$25 depending on what you want, and the cheapest meal is $10 respectively.
The dumplings were way too crunchy for my taste (if you have sensitive teeth request boiled dumplings and be specific). The tempura however was on point - delicious, crunchy, and soft in the middle. The rice was just right, too, not being too soft or sticky yet not undercooked. The miso tends to be too salty with too much miso, and no spoons are provided so you must drink from the bowl.
The spicy beef was my favorite - just the right amount of spice and full of flavor, but not tough.
The sushi was very disappointing. I ordered the spicy salmon and the kamikaze and was surprised by the quality of it. The fish tasted warm in the spicy salmon and there was not enough of the spicy sauce. It was essentially a California roll with some salmon and a drop of sauce. I ended up sending it back as it was too much to stomach and I worried I might get sick from it (salmon had a weird taste in top
The kamikaze was bland and tasted over fried, with the rice tasting way overcooked.
The sake was probably the best part as it is a good quality brand, and the coconut sake goes down smooth.
There are great places to eat at in Pullman, WA, but this place is not one of them. read more