This is a fast food type of place with the usual Hawaiian fare (mix of japanese, chinese, korean) which basically serves “comfort food” with big helpings of starch and fried bits. It’s one of my favorite places and I think some of menu is very good ..and some items are on the “meh..” scale, so your milage may vary depending on what you order.

The chicken katsu has been my favorite for the last several years. It’s always been hot, crispy and juicy whenever I’ve ordered. It’s light on taste (salt, etc) otherwise but the dipping sauce is good.

Their macaroni salad seems to be made with a thicker and creamy (Japanese?) mayo so it’s more on the richer side.

The BBQ chicken musub still has it’s skin on, so it’s juicy. The marinade seems to be a ginger teriyaki sauce and it does tend get messy but that’s just the nature of the beast with it’s 2.5 inches of white rice, LOL!

They also have things like spam musubi, or the Loco Moco (hamburger patty, rice, brown gravy) that are “meh” for me. Not too tasty and you can make it yourself at home. The BBQ Korean ribs were ok, could have been better quality beef. Wasn’t really impressed with their fish plate.

This is one of those hole in the wall, neighborhood places. Good food, decent prices but probably not somewhere you’re going for an impressive first date or birthday celebration ;)

What’s worth mentioning is that there’s a “salad bar” where you can add whatever you like (the usual plus extras like sprouts, pineapple, olives) the burgers are nice and juicy. In other places, it’s usually the water from tomatoes or lettuce that’s running down your chin so those two take it above the usual fast food hangout. The cheese fries also have a nachos type of cheese taste to it so that’s a little different from the normal diner type of food too.

This is one of my favorite places for prime rib although it’s a bit of a drive.

I took off one star for the size of the place, the tables can be close together and there are often large parties so it can get loud. Lucky for me, I find the whole place cozy with it’s warm wood tones, so it doesn’t bother me unless I’m trying to get to my table and leave.

Like the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, there is a limited menu of meat (prime or steak, three sized cuts), creamed corn or spinach (can request without cream), mashed (or garlic mashed) potato and a popover with a salad starter and house bread.

Of all the times I’ve been there, the meat has been tender and tasty and the steaks have a great, crispy & crunchy sear with whole peppercorn gravy.

Lastly, I am very fond of the owner of this restaurant. He’s there every time I’ve been there and can be seen taking care of his patrons. You’ll often see him chatting with various tables like they were old friends (and in most cases, they are!) with genuine warmth. I find to be a lovely and quaint touch.

I took off one star only because of shop decor and friendly flies, the food is very good and IMO excellent for the prices. The service has always been friendly, especially considering the amount of traffice they get.

More on the shop, it’s tiny and shares space with a fish market/counter, there are a few tiny chairs and tables and I’ve seen strips of (occupied) fly strips hanging from the ceiling so it’s REALLY no frills but the food area and counters are clean. I have never seen flies buzzing around the work area or landing on the food, etc. tho. There also isn’t a rank fishy smell or mildew that you’d sometimes find in some “hole in the wall” restaurants.

The sushi is excellent with a very wide variety, more than you can find in surrounding neighborhood restaurants. Prices are very good to excellent for the variety in their menu as well as the quality. The fish has always been very fresh and you can taste the sweetness, the rice is light/medium seasoned (you can taste the tang of the vinegar but it’s not overpowering). Their spicy rolls and marinates are mild (I’m not a fan of spicy foods so YMMV), they don’t burn a whole in your tongue but they do give you a little kick.

They have a high turnover, mostly takeout, but they do churn out orders at a very impressive speed (usually 10 to 15 minutes during lunch on a normal day, 20ish minutes during a busy day) with very few mistakes. I’ve been a customer for almost a decade and have only had two or three orders with mistakes. I think most of that was just because the person taking my order didn’t speak English as their primary language and staticky cell phones. They DO always repeat the order back to you though, so if you pay attention you’ll be able to catch any mistakes.

..and I don’t mean to sound snarky? But it’s quite novel to go to a Japanese restaurant and be served by Japanese people and hear Cantonese or Korean in the background ;)

Went for dinner on a weeknight with a reservation for the first time, we had to wait about 20 minutes.

There were a few parties waiting ahead of us and more people came in after us as well so the place was pretty popular. Service was super friendly, the wine and drinks selection was quite large but service was a bit slow in between courses and we spent about two hours there. That just made more time for our party to enjoy each other’s company :)

Value, quality and taste wise, I give this a two star. I don’t feel that there was much variety or that the quality was worth the price. I would go back only for the dessert fondue or for people who are interested in fondues/first timers.

The appetizer fondue I could have done without, (stale, as per tradition) bread cubes, apples and veggies. Nothing particularly special (for the money). The main pot was delicious for what it was and I would have loved to take the liquid back home to render down for a sauce, buuuut I like my meat a little on the bloody rare side so boiling it isn’t quite up to my tastes. I would say we were full due to the food and time spent to digest, not so much the quanity. The dessert fondue pot was the best, the chocolate was rich without being too sweet, we were served cheesecake, brownies, marshmellows, rice crispies and fruit with the chocolate. The chocolate covered strawberries were super delicious and my favorite.

I would suggest checking out one of the city’s Asian Hot Pots buffets for a better price and variety for those who are a fan of fondue type of restaurants. Hot Pots don’t have cheese usually but you’re able to grill and boil your own meat and seafood.

Went for lunch around 1pm on a Friday and enjoyed the experience. We were seated quickly but the restaurant was on the small side and can be loud at times. Service was good, a little slow but the meat was delivered to our table at a good pace and hot.

Lunch was around $15 with all the meat you want with a supplementary buffet with soup, veggies and starch. The buffet food, overall, was average to good with delicious crunchy but moist rolls but obviously you have to be a meat lover to fully get the best out of this restaurant.

The meat choices were somewhat limited (but it was lunch, so no complaints) and while the cuts had their own unique texture (some are naturally chewier, but I didn’t get anything that was “charred shoe leather”) they were all moist and flavorful. You can’t beat the piping hot chicken wings with hot crispy skin :D The grilled pineapple was also a nice tangy compliment to the meat choices.

Tip : Get an extra plate from the buffet bar for the waiters to pile the meat on instead of your plate.