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westbaybanjo
is currently eating at Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels"I like to eat...my stomach's big"
- Cuisines:
- Asian, Japanese, American, Sushi, Burgers
- Locations:
Stats
| Reviews | 18 |
| Helpfulness | 98% |
| Friends | 3 |
| Fans | 3 |
| Profile Views | 1415 |
Recent Activity
- August 17
- westbaybanjo reviewed a restaurant 01:22PM
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My Reviews (18) rss feed
1 - 10 of 18
Yellow Ginger
Aug 17, 2007
Away from Castro
Downtown Mountain View tends to have new restaurants pop up on a monthly basis. Just outside of Castro Street, you rarely find successful restaurants. Yellow Ginger sits in a spot that was a chinese noodle house for the longest time that I can remember. It then was Baba Neo, which didn’t last long. Now, new owners have launched Yellow Ginger. I live close to this place and finally decided to check it out.
The decor inside was definitely surprisingly nice compared to the strip mall exterior. This restaurant is family owned and run, and you can tell by the random people just sitting around in the restaurant, and then occasionally popping into the kitchen.
The food presentation was great and the portions were excellent. One of our dishes got mixed up, but other than that, I’d recommend trying it if you’re into malaysian/singapore food.
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Roti Prata
warm and tasty
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Thai Beef Salad
this dish is spicy! watch out.
tangy strips of beef on a bed of fresh greens
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Firecracker Balls
Good portions. Interesting dish.
fresh ahi tuna rolls slightly breaded and deep friend with chef’s sauce
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pineapple fried rice
nothing to special here. same as most pineapple friend rice dishes i’ve had before
- I came here for
- a family meal
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels
May 18, 2007
Kosher takes a turn for the worse.
This place is an absolute circus. I came here because it use to be a favorite bagel stop of mine. Low and behold, the bagel shop is gone and now it’s Izzy’s. Okay. I can live with that. Let’s give this place a try.
I order the american breakfast, which is suppose to come with an omlette, some veggies, some potatoes and a bagel. Instead, they don’t have any veggies and no potatoes. However, they decide that french fries would go well with this dish. The omlette, isn’t actually an omlette. It’s just an overdone egg. The bagel is plain and getting it toasted wasn’t even an option.
On top of that, the entire time I was there, I was holding my Starbucks drink (during ordering, while I was waiting for my food, and while I started to eat). As I’m eating, one of the waiters comes up to me and says that I can’t bring outside food in. I ask, “What do you want me to do?” He says, you can drink it quickly. Uh…it’s coffee.
That was pretty much it for me. If you’re not going to tell me I can’t bring outside food in when I walk in, or when I’m ordering, or even when the food is brought to me, then why then?
This place won’t last 1 month. I hope my bagel place comes back.
- I came here for
- a meal on the go
- My meal cost
- less than $10
- I tipped
- less than 15%
Library Ale House
Apr 29, 2007
People watching and drinking
On old main street in santa monica, the library ale house is a good place to get drinks, watch a game on the tube, grab some food, or do all three. Not to mention, people watch. You are in west LA.
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Organic Spinch and Strawberry Salad
Maggie’s Farm organic spinach, organic strawberries, toasted pecans and goat cheese, tossed in a poppy seed vinaigrette
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Wild Salmon / Cod Fish and Chips
salmon beer battered fish and a ton of chips
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Manpuku Tokyo BBQ
Apr 29, 2007
Not so Korean BBQ...
Manpuku is set up similarly to a korean bbq restaurant. You can order a variety of meat, seafood, veggies, and unique items to bbq yourself at your table.
The wait staff was prompt and polite. The bbq fans weren’t too loud so that you can have a sensible conversation with the people sitting across from you.
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Beef plate
The beef was tender, cooked fast, and was delicious
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Scallops
You get 3 scallops with each order, and they are huge scallops. I probably didn’t even need to bbq them. They were totally fresh and tasty.
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Garlic rice in a stone pot
rice…good. garlic….good. stone pot….damn crispy. get this…you won’t be disappointed
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Tripe and Intestine
Was never a fan, but after putting tripe on the barby…I might have to have it again.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Hattoriya
Apr 29, 2007
Passing By...
My wife and I literally stumbled on this place as we were looking for a place to eat.
As you walk into Hattoriya, it reminds you of someone’s house, but not quite. As most true japanese restaurants go, there’s one tv playing some japanese sitcom, game show, or cartoon. Most of the people in the restaurant were japanese and each were heads down into their comic books.
The food was original and tasty, yet pricey. Not so sure if there will be a return to Hattoriya.
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Chicken Katsu Cutlets
Nothing special. Chicken was cooked well so that it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
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Crab croquette
One large tasty croquette.
- I came here for
- a family meal
- My meal cost
- between $10 and $25
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Pink Berry
Apr 29, 2007
Better alternative to ice cream
Heard about this so-cal fad and was able to try it while down in santa monica for work.
Being a nor-cal guy, I’m always sceptical about so-cal fads. My friend and I headed over to the Pinkberry near the Sawtelle area after dinner. The line of people was about 20 deep.
We got our yogurt and ate outside. The line of people hovered around 15 people the entire time we were there.
No…they don’t franchise. Already checked.
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Original Yogurt
Had mine with kiwi, strawberries, and the mochi. You have to have the mochi.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- less than $10
- I tipped
- less than 15%
Kappo Nami Nami
Apr 15, 2007
NamiNami not Kappo
Japanese kappo cuisine is typically suppose to have the customers sitting facing the chef. One benefit is to see the food being prepared and having the dish immediately served to you.
At NamiNami, the only area you can see a chef is at the small sushi bar (seating for maybe 4 people) when you walk in. The entire kitchen is closed off and the rest of the seating are at tables.
The decor is nice and spacious. They had smooth jazz playing the entire time I was there (a little odd at a “traditional” japanese restaurant).
The service was a little off, with multiple waitresses asking for drink orders, and only 1 or 2 empty dishes getting cleared off periodically.
The food was decent and portions were okay, but definitely not for the price we paid.
-
Roll Cabbage Salad
4 servings of thinly cut beef rolled up in cabbage
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Salmon Ikura Don
Salmon sashimi and salmon roe topped on white rice. Too much rice, not enough sashimi
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Sashimi Three Kind
Had tuna, squid, and hamachi. The hamachi was excellent.
-
Yamakake Udon
Udon in a broth with a semi cooked quail egg. Nothing special with the udon. Try something else
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Yomogi Tofu
Mugwart tofu…interesting texture
-
Yogurt Ice Cream
Vanilla ice cream topped with raspberries.
- I came here for
- a family meal
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Witherspoon Grill
Mar 15, 2007
Princeton Outlet
The Witherspoon Grill is located in the heart of Princeton, about 2 blocks from campus, and neighboring the Princeton library.
The restaurant is very nice looking and the bar is well equipped.
This is a good place to hang at the bar, or have a nice dinner.
-
Pan Seared Salmon
Served in a buttery cream sauce. Steamed asparagus served on the side. Yummy.
- I came here for
- a business meeting
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Hokkaido Seafood Buffet
Mar 15, 2007
am i in hong kong?
I can never do buffets quite right. My experience at Hokkaido was no different. This place is in the same site that the old Scores sports bar use to be. The food served here is a combination of sushi, chinese and korean food. I think this place is chinese owned, considering most of the people that work here are chinese.
The sushi was decent quality and everything else was so-so. I wasn’t too impressed. But if you’re in a hungry mood for all you can eat asian, this is a good choice. Be prepared to wait a little during peak times.
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $10 and $25
- I tipped
- between 15% to 18%
Naked Fish
Mar 5, 2007
South Lake Tahoe Sushi
The quality of sushi here is outstanding. The portions are extremely generous and the diverse menu will keep you ordering for more.
-
Edamame
the small order is plenty for 2-3 people
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Miso Soup
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Tuna Shroom
Awesome appetizer. Stuffed shitake mushrooms with tuna, fried tempura style.
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Toro nigiri
First time having toro, and it was gooood
-
Heavenly roll
Named after the resort. spicy tuna with salmon on top, sprinkled with green onions
-
Yukon roll
spicy soft shell crab, topped with salmon, flying fish tobiko and a mayo-type sauce. must try!
- I came here for
- fun with friends
- My meal cost
- between $25 and $50
- I tipped
- more than 18%


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