OK, so I was engaging in a bit of nostalgia recently on Yelp when I ran across Sesame Hut on Long Point. "Could this be the same little cafe I went to in Northwest Mall's food court back in the 1980s as a teen?" I wondered.
It sure is! Even down to the old neon sign in the place!
Short version: A cute Mom-and-Pop throwback Chinese restaurant with a smattering of great dishes, big portions, friendly staff and Sirius XM 80's jams in the background. If you're in the northwest part of town, check it out!
Long version: As a kid, I remember going to the Sesame Hut outlet in Northwest Mall and enjoying (back then) the piping-hot servings of bulgolgi, shrimp tempura, chicken teriyaki and mountains of fried rice with egg rolls. It made for a quick and tasty lunch in those New Wave 1980s days.
Fast-forward 40 years and Sesame Hut is back in business as a stand-alone. I had to try it out for old time's sake.
The first thing I noticed is that the place itself is located in a old converted Taco Bell building - you know, the original kind from the 1970s with the stucco walls, tiled roofs and a spot overhead for the famous bell.
By the way - that's another thing I miss: going to the old-school Taco Bell for an enchirito (remember those?) and Frito burritos. You know, back when they were made with fresh ingredients, and not the packaged ca-ca that they use today? But I digress.
Once inside, the menu is pretty obvious - it's printed in BIG LETTERS over the cash register. For those of you who either lived in Rio Linda or went to public school (or both), there are pictures of the food on the opposite wall so you can identify what you want to eat without looking like the village idiot.
One day when it was still winter outside, I tried the bulgolgi. It was the first bulgolgi (Korean barbecue) I'd eaten since Sesame Hut closed. I was prepared for massive disappointment.
I was wrong. It tasted as great as ever! Juicy chunks of lean beef in the tasty black sauce that I remembered so well. I almost wept with nostalgia.
Along with it came the perfect mountain of fried rice - piping hot - and the crunchiest, tastiest egg roll I've ever had since the Go-Go's had a #1 hit.
A few weeks later, I was in a fried-food mood - we all get those from time to time, especially if we're dieting - so I ordered the shrimp tempura since I remember how tasty it used to be. Would it also take me back to those glorious days when Reagan was in office and everyone was talking like Moon Unit Zappa?
Two words: IT DID. Picture attached to make my point.
As Christine K pointed out in her previous well-written review, the standout item with the shrimp tempura was those perfectly deep-fried onion rings. There wasn't a drop of excess oil clinging to them (or the shrimp) and they were piping hot. The manager was also nice enough to provide some extra dipping sauce.
I have to point out that everything here is made fresh and to order, so make sure to arm yourself with some patience. Just let them take your order, sit down with your drink and listen to some Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac and other early 1980s jams that we Gen-X people venerate so well.
If I have to deduct a star, it's simply because of the location and the calorie content - nobody can eat fried foods every day and not look like Michael Moore. Plus, the neighborhood is a bit sketchy and the parking situation is pothole-laden. Still, don't let that deter you from taking a time machine back to those glorious early 1980s with some Chinese comfort food! Like, totally! read more