PETE TITTL: Japanese in a hurry still worthwhile
| Saturday, May 07 2011 06:00 PM
Last Updated Saturday, May 07 2011 06:00 PM
MIYOSH AT THE MARKETPLACE
9000 Ming Ave. 663-0307.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Prices: Snacks $2 to $7, a la carte $5.99 to $10, sushi and rolls $5.95 to $10.95, bento boxes $11 to $13. Child's plate $7.
Payment: MasterCard, Visa, American Express accepted. Does not accept Discover and personal checks.
Dress: Casual
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; no alcohol served; some vegetarian options.
Food: Two and a half stars
Atmosphere: Three and a half stars
Service: Two and a half stars
Value: Two stars
Next week: Country Rose Cafe
The owners of Tokyo Garden and Miyoshi have opened a third restaurant in town at The Marketplace, called merely Miyosh. If they kept expanding and dropped a letter every time, eventually they'd open a place called M.
What I would call Miyosh is Miyoshi Express, a scaled-down version of the Stockdale and Coffee Japanese restaurant/sushi bar. It's elegant inside, but everything is scaled down (only 11 sushi and rolls to pick from) and given the competition from neighboring Me & Ed's Pizza and China Bistro, definitely geared to those who need to get a meal in before a particular movie time. Even under those conditions, the quality is a cut above the typical fast food, which is why obtaining a table in the small dining room can be so difficult. On our two weekend visits we had trouble securing a table inside, and almost took it to go.
Over our two visits, we sampled the Bakersfield roll ($10.95), a wings & chips snack ($7), a bento box with salmon, tempura and California roll ($15 for salmon, $13 for beef and chicken), and two fried rice bowls (beef and shrimp, $7 -- chicken is also available). My biggest complaint was that the shrimp tempura topper (shown in the picture on the menu) was missing from the Bakersfield roll, which was also made with avocado and spicy tuna and attractively drizzled with teriyaki and wasabi sauces. On a quality basis, the freshness and presentation was up to what we've received at Miyoshi. Other rolls available include the Las Vegas roll ($7.95, a deep-fried California roll -- pass) a yellow submarine (shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy tuna, spicy mayo). Basically you're limited to variations with shrimp, spicy tuna and crab.
The wings weren't bad, with a thin fresh coating, but they were literally served with Ruffles chips, not the English-style French fries. The rice bowls were broad and quite filling, served in disposable dishes that can be topped with plastic if you want to take it home. A tad on the oily side, and a bit sparse on eggs and vegetables (only bits of carrot and some sesame seeds), but the shrimp were quite fresh tasting and the bits of beef exceedingly tender.
My favorite was the bento box, which had a generous cut of grilled salmon covered in a satisfying teriyaki sauce. There were smoky hints in the seafood that weren't obscured by the sauce, so that was nice. The box also included a choice of tempura or gyoza (I went with shrimp and vegetable tempura, fine except for the limp zucchini) and some wonderful clear rice noodles with mushrooms, carrots, red and yellow peppers. Oh, that you'd get that veggie mix in the rice. Miso soup was also included with the box and served before the meal.
The interior is dominated by a mix of blond and dark woods, and looks nothing like the Japanese restaurant that was previously there. With the flat-screen menu boards behind the counter (you order and they bring the food to your table), it gives off a pretty hip vibe. The kitchen is pretty quick, but inexplicably they don't bring napkins to the table when they bring the food. Since they're a necessity with this sort of fare, it would be a welcome grace note.
As I mentioned, business has been brisk early on. I think the location is great for just this sort of limited concept. As long as you can tolerate such limited selections in your sushi dining and can suppress any lingering cravings for eel.
