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john
is currently eating happy hour sushi"consumption with gumption."
If you’re here you must be hungry – I hope the site helps you find better food. We’d love to hear any feedback you might have about the site.
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- Cuisines:
- American, Asian, Japanese, Chinese
- Locations:
Recent Activity
- July 02
- John ate happy hour sushi 02:50AM
- June 09
- John added restaurant Adesso 12:38PM
- May 29
- John is following BananaWoo 10:29AM
- May 23
- John reviewed Kahoo Ramen 03:07PM
- John reviewed SGD Tofu House 02:59PM
- May 19
- John ate kuro ramen 03:17PM
- May 06
- John wants to try Doobu 01:07AM
- John replied to grubalicioussf's review at Doobu 01:07AM
My Reviews (130) rss feed
1 - 10 of 130
Kahoo Ramen
May 23, 2009
A solid local spot for good ramen
A friend recommended Kahoo as a good spot for a quick ramen fix, and I wholeheartedly agree. The restaurant is focused on providing quick service and quick food at reasonable prices, and does a good job of doing so in its small space.
Given the semi-hidden spot behind the Mitsuwa supermarket, the lunchtime line out the door was an encouraging sign. Food-wise I was pretty satisfied, and I’ll definitely come back in the future.
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Spicy Ramen
Pros: Good size, plenty of veggies and meat, and chewy noodles that weren’t overcooked.
Cons: Only mildly spicy, and the spice didn’t have a lot of interesting flavors to it.
But I’d definitely get this again in the future.
SGD Tofu House
May 23, 2009
Authentic, no-frills Korean tofu house
So Gong Dong Tofu House fits a nice niche in the dining habits of any suburban-dwelling tofu lover. It’s a quick, bright and clean spot to get your fix of fairly-priced Korean staples such as SoonDoBu and BiBimBap.
The restaurant is far cleaner than a hole in the wall, and offers a nice assortment of different tofu dishes. To top it off, the waitstaff is efficient and pleasant.
Pho Cyclo Cafe
Dec 23, 2008
Neat decor, decent food, not so decent service
The owners of Pho Cyclo Cafe certainly have an eye for the artistic – or at least the interesting. First-time diners will probably marvel at the full-wall mural of a quaint Vietnamese alley, and the rest of the decor (including the rickshaw) by the doorway matches the theme. Far nicer than your average quick-bite Pho joint.
The food is reasonable but not outstanding, on par with other fast-serve Vietnamese restaurants like Pho Hoa. The menu is fairly varied, at least.
It’s a shame that the service doesn’t match up with the decor. We were slow to be seated, slow to be served, and had to make multiple requests to get tea refills. Perhaps the decor set my expectations too high.
Bottom line – it’s a nice place to stop in for a quick, hot bowl of noodles. Just make sure to demand the service speed that you’re looking for.
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House Special Pho
The typical quick-bowl of pho – hot broth poured over a pre-measured ball of noodles, and garnished with an assortment of meat. Not bad, but nothing outstanding.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- less than $10
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Crush
Nov 24, 2008
Phenomenally tasty 30 for 30 menu
I’d heard all kinds of great things about Crush before finally coming to try out their 30 for 30 menu. Now I understand why so many diners love this place.
The restaurant was packed for a Sunday evening, so we had a late evening seating. Service was prompt and polite, and we never had to ask for water refills.
There was a bit of a snafu getting our orders in, but the kitchen generously comped us a refreshing salad for the extra wait.
The food was absolutely fantastic. I ordered a meat-heavy course, but each dish was extremely flavorful and well presented. Bonus points for the complimentary sweets at the end of the meal.
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Pork Belly
Fatty and succulent pork belly, mmmm…
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Short Rib
The meat on the short ribs came apart effortlessly. The hand-rolled pasta was perfectly done and paired greatly with the cream sauce.
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Cranberry Bread Pudding w/Sugar Cane Ice Cream
This dish is a sugar lover’s dream. The cane sugar ice cream was fantastic. The bread pudding itself was just adequate.
Starbucks
Nov 9, 2008
Nice central location, but lots of choices
As it goes with most Starbucks, it’s all about location, location, location, and this one is pretty good. The drinks are as homogeneous as any other Starbucks, so no surprise there.
I really like the spaciousness of the place, especially compared to some other coffee shops in the area. It’s a nice spot to drop in to read or get some work done on a free afternoon.
The Deluxe Bar and Grill
Oct 9, 2008
Tasty food and solid value
They say the best way to judge a restaurant is by the size of the crowd there, and based on that measure, The Deluxe passes with flying colors. The place was totally packed on a Wednesday evening, and we had to wait 25 minutes for a table for two.
I really liked the comfortable and cozy dark wood decor, and cozy seating arrangements. Service was pretty quick for being so packed.
I was most impressed by the value, or maybe I just came on a good night. The Wednesday night “blue plate special” was a burger and fries for just 5 bucks. Good stuff! I’m definitely coming back, and not just for the good burgers.
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Mushroom & Swiss Burger
A bit overcooked to my liking, but still quite tasty. Big pieces of mushroom made for good substance. Extra cheap on Wednesdays with a purchase of a drink.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $10 and $25
- I tipped
- more than 18%
Mediterranean Express
Sep 26, 2008
Definitely mediterranean, not so express
Feeling a craving for gyros, I dropped in for lunch today and picked up a sandwich. The place was pretty packed with the lunch crowd, and it seemed like everyone had to wait for a while before they got their food.
The sandwich I got was just ok. Next time I’ll try one of their “plates”, which look good but seem kinda pricey.
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Gyros Sandwich
Decently tasty and pretty full of meat. A reasonable deal that I’d probably return again for at some point.
Spring Hill
Aug 5, 2008
A welcome addition to Seattle, but not without faults
I’d been hearing a lot about this new restaurant, opened by the former head chef of the Dahlia Lounge, so my expectations were high when I sat down for dinner on a weekday night. Chef Mark Fuller did not disappoint – overall the food was outstanding. However, other aspects of the dining experience prevented a 5-star rating.
Spring Hill’s menu is small and simple on the surface, but upon closer inspection (and with some explanation) one can see that a lot of time has been spent to create the dishes. Lots of fresh Northwest ingredients and interesting combinations of flavors abound. A large portion of the menu is dedicated to seafood. Overall I thought the food was great – the flavors were unique and noticeable without being excessive.
On the down side, I found the ambiance of the restaurant to be detracting from the dining experience. Everyone at the table agreed that the narrow space made the restaurant very loud, and we all had to speak up and repeat ourselves to be heard. Additionally, the space got a bit warm in the early evening, though it was a warm summer day. Finally, the food came out slow, but it was a nice touch of the waiter to let us know about the “kitchen situation”.
Overall, I’d definitely return to Spring Hill for an occasional good meal, especially when the craving for good food outweighs all other factors.
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Cold & Hot Tartare
Both cold and hot versions of tartare. The hot was better than the cold, which wasn’t actually cold enough, in my opinion. However, the hot tartare was a bit too seasoned for my tastes.
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Prawns & Grits
Small and odd-sounding, but absolutely tasty. The large shrimps are grilled to a perfect crisp, and the grits help balance the flavor of shrimp and garnish. To top it off, the poached egg bursts perfectly to add a nice flavor to the grits.
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Handmade Tagliatelle
Normally I favor meat dishes, but this one didn’t leave me feeling lacking in any way. Plenty of flavor in the tasty noodles, and the mushrooms were the best tasting part of the dish. I’d get this again next time.
-
Salt-crusted chocolate fudge w/ice cream
The ice cream makes a great pairing with the super-rich fudge. At first I was concerned about how the salt would go with the fudge, but it turned out wonderfully, especially when eaten with small spoonful of the ice cream. Sinful, but tasty.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- more than $50
- I tipped
- more than 18%
Nijo
Apr 22, 2008
High-taste, high-priced rolls in a hidden spot
Nijo’s was initially tough to find, as it’s tucked away below 1st Ave next to an alley. At busy times, that would make parking pretty tough, but for a weeknight dinner there was plenty of parking within a 1-block radius.
The interior is small, dark and intimate. There’s a bar area with a giant tv playing anime, and then a more formal dining area with small tables. We got a nice window seat, but unfortunately there’s not much outside to look at besides pedestrians.
Given that there weren’t many other diners, the service was quick and attentive, and the waiter was good at refilling our waters before things got empty. Food quality was quite good – they have a great selection of varied and unique rolls, as well as some solid main entrees and appetizers. You’re gonna pay a decent amount for the food though, so be prepared.
Overall, I’d come back her again in the future to try out some of their other rolls, probably once every 2-3 months.
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Red Dragon
This roll was really fantastic – can’t go wrong with a combination of Unagi and Soft Shell Crab.
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Franks and Beans
Not just a Something About Mary reference, this roll with tempura shrimp, spicy tuna and tobiko was covered with a tasty sauce that made it phenomenal. I’d get this again next time.
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Grilled King Salmon
I was probably expecting more from this dish. The portion was nice and large, but the taste of the fish was just ok. The grilled vegetables and rice was decently tasty though.
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Oyster Shooters
Not bad tasting, but the accompanying sauces were both too strong, overpowering the taste of the oysters.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Shanghai Garden - Seattle
Apr 1, 2008
Surprisingly pleased by the noodles
Ok I admit it, my knowledge of Chinese restaurants in the International District isn’t as good as it should be. Good Japanese or Vietnamese restaurants in the I-District are easy to find, but for some reason I’d always felt that the Chinese restaurants on the Eastside were better than their I-District counterparts.
Dining at Shanghai Garden was a solid first step in redeeming the local Chinese restaurants, IMO. I wasn’t expecting much, and the decor inside is typical for such a restaurant – a large fish tank and some pretty bare walls save for some unappealing pictures of food. Points to them for being cleaner than most other restaurants in the area.
But the main attraction here are the noodles, especially the hand shaved ones. There’s a large selection of different kinds of noodles, and seeing that I really liked what I tried, I’ll definitely be coming back to try the others.
All in all, Shanghai Garden is a solid pick to satisfy your noodle cravings.
-
Braised beef hand shaved noodles
Above average presentation, great beefy soup flavor, and nicely chewy noodles. The beef was tender and not overcooked, too. My only wish was that the portions were larger. =)
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- less than $10
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%


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