yurisagawa's Profile
Setsuna in Northgate
Hi! I searched but found no reviews on here of Setsuna, a new Japanese restaurant in Northgate. I found other reviews on line, but they were less informative than I'd like. Has anybody been there? How does it compare to an izakaya? Arigatoo! ^.^
"I Love Wasabi" on Broadway (Seattle)
@terrier - um, I don't remember! I don't think it was powder, but I don't think it was the real stuff either. There is some other root that is often used, that isn't authentic wasabi. Not sure tho... will look, if I go there again. I think the name is more a joke on where the chef is from (I love sushi)
@not_the_bad_Steve - I don't know, sorry!
May Thai (SEA)
My partner and her parents and I ended up at May Thai by accident the other day. It was truly fantastic. The decor was of course beautiful, but the food was even better.
I had the simese watercress (like a cross between bok choi & spinach), sauteed in bean, chili, and garlic sauce - one of the best veggie dishes I've ever had! The flavour was excellent, and the greens cooked to perfection.
My partner got the pad thai. It was beautiful! It was served on a wooden platter, the noodles wrapped in banana leaves to keep them fresh. On the side were bean sprouts, lime, ground peanuts, chilis that they roasted themselves, sugar, and roasted banana flowers. The server let us know that we could mix it to get exactly the flavor we wanted, but asked if we would like her to do it for us (we did!). It was hands down the best pad thai I've ever had, and I've had some pretty good & authentic stuff.
Her folks got a dish that was called something like summer fire - her father loved it, but it was a bit too spicey for her mom. I didn't have it because there was meat, but I was told it was excellent.
It was a bit pricey - about 14-20 for an entree, but it was delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful and the service was excellent. I will definitely go back when I am not so broke.
suggestion: "favorites" & "want to try it" for restaurants; also problem with restaurants search
Hi! I'd like to suggest that each restaurant page have a button for adding it as a "favorite" or to indicate that we want to try it, and then have a place to list them (like my recipes page).
Also, I have noticed that although there are places that I can link to when doing a review, they do not show up when I search for the restaurant (for instance Portage Bay Cafe in Seattle). Please fix?
Thank you so much!
Y
Mobile Chow is Terrible!
Hate the mobile version. Don't use it at all, I go with google or yelp. I'm a bit worried about chowhound keeping up with the tech advances and having appeal to especially younger people, which is odd considering it was taken over by cnet...
"I Love Wasabi" on Broadway (Seattle)
I searched, but I didn't see any postings about "I Love Wasabi", a relatively new Japanese restaurant at 420 Broadway in Seattle. I have been there twice, was favorably impressed both times. It isn't haute cuisine, but its pretty good, fresh, reasonable, and has far more than just sushi (which frankly gets boring to me when Japanese cuisine has soooooo much more to offer!). The menu is quite extensive. Service is ok, but they are nice. I think it was opened by the chef that was at "I Love Sushi". There are very mixed reviews on other sites. Feedback?
Seattle Best Breakfast
My partner, her parents and I went to Portage Bay Cafe this morning for the first time and it was EXCELLENT. Every dish we had was superior. Very fresh, very tasty, very fast. The coffee was hearty & perfect - not over brewed or burned at all. We had:
Corned Beef Hash & Vegan Hash - both excellent, with lots of vegetables but still hearty yet not heavy.
Prosciutto omelet - savory and delicious. Salty but not overpowering or heavy. Small thin squares of prosciutto, with spinach, light fluffy omelet, and a light mushroom gravy on top. Potatoes were excellently seasoned.
What free Rice flour Pancakes - amazingly good! My partner said if she hadn't been told they were rice she wouldn't have known. The best part is you can take these or any other pancake or french toast, etc, up to their toppings bar with a wide variety of toppings, including NOT sweetened fruits like raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, also whipped butter, fresh whipped cream, real maple syrup, nuts, etc.
Also, very fair price. Each dish was 9-12 dollars, and there was a TON of food. We got there right before the long wait started - we got there about 10 on a sunday and only had to wait about 15 min, but soon the sidewalk was packed with people wanting to get in. There were kids, but none were unruly. And the service was good as well - there were so many servers we could pretty much get whatever we wanted right away and some one was always checking in on us.
A new favorite! We will definitely be returning.
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Portage Bay Cafe
4130 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Looking for Korean BBQ Restaurant in Tacoma
I;m not sure - I'm really bad w names! Ring them up tho, they are very nice... (253) 581-1200
Best Korean in Lakewood or STW?
Honey Pig is amazing! And the family is really sweet - they might be happy to make you up something "off menu"
Great new asian place in Lacey (Olympia) - Tofu Hut
Don't let the name fool you. Nor the fact that they bill themselves as Asian Fusion (shudder). Tofu Hut is the best asian restaurant in Oly right now! Rather than asian fusion, I would say that they offer authentic dishes from a variety of asian cultures.
A little about me, so you know where I am coming from on this review: I was born and raised by true chowhound-ies. It is what my family _does_ - we cook and eat good food, from all over the world. My father is of Japanese descent and my mother is from England (don't hold that against her, she can actually cook! ^.^), my step mother's parents are Hungarian and Texan, and we all have traveled (and eaten!) all over the world. We have eaten in some of the most expensive and cheapest places you have ever been. It is not the cost or the hype... it is the food!
That said, living in Olympia is like living in exile. In my opinion, there are almost NO good restaurants here, let alone excellent ones, and the few that are tend to be terribly inconsistent.
I was driving home from a friend's house when I saw a "Grand Opening" banner on a pre-fab looking house like building, and a large sign proudly declaring "Tofu Hut". I am always on the prowl for new restaurants, particularly asian ones (my fav kind of food). I think I am always hoping that this time, PLEASE this time, let it be a truly good place. There are several places in town I do really like well enough, but one needs variety!
My partner, her parents, and I went there together. Inside, the decor is simple, clean, and nice. The booths are a bit like McDonalds, which I thought was odd, but whatever. Their bathrooms are very clean - but don't hold that against them! (it always seems like the better and more authentic the asian restaurant the scarier their bathroom!)
An old family friend always judges each Japanese restaurant he goes to by its mackerel - I judge Thai restaurants by their Phad Thai and how Americanized (aka ketchup!) it is. When I asked the server (who later turned out to be the owner!) if it was brown salty kind or the sweet red kind (she probably thought I was horribly simple, but most people really don't understand the difference!) she was quick to assure me it was the brown salty kind. I ordered it with tofu (I am currently a vegetarian) and she came back to make sure that I was ok with fish sauce. I assured her I was (I guess I am really more of an Asian-tarian ^.^) When it came, it didn't look like like it had that much on it but the flavor was fantastic! Clearly made from scratch, with tamarind, chilies, fish sauce, roasted peanuts, etc. The tofu was fried, but it wasn't heavy or dried out, as many are. It was very light and flavorful, with a thin crispy outside, and warm soft inside (_good_ fresh tofu has an excellent flavor that doesn't need to be covered up). It worked excellently with the dish and the whole dish was a huge hit at our table.
My partner got a kind of seafood stir fried udon in a spicy korean sauce. Now, I like korean very much, but sometimes there is too much uniformity of flavor and it can be a bit bland within that, namely chili powder! But the sauce was delicious, layered and complex in flavor. The seafood was not tough (hard to do often times) and the udon was soft and perfectly soaked up the flavors. Later when the cook (the mama of the owner) came out, she told us how this dish was her creation and her kids always scarfed it up when ever she made it. The only reason my partner didn't eat it all was that she was too busy sampling off all the other plates as well!
Her dad got chap chae with beef, which was surprisingly light. Often Chap chae is too heavy and oily for me. The flavor was excellently balanced, with sesame present but not overpowering (as so many places do).
Her mom got koren bbq ribs. It was just meat and onions, grilled in a spicy korean sauce. I was assured that this dish was excellent as well.
We went there later that week with a friend and I did not have, but I saw a Japanese Curry Rice that looked and smelled excellent and clearly looked like it was made from scratch and not a packet (like most places do). The gyoza also looked and smelled amazing. My friend got the pad thair on my recommendation, although she got it quite a bit spicier! The fried rice I had was not as good as I would have liked - it was made with fresh rice - I prefer it with rice that's a bit older and so more dried out. This time we tried the vegan cheesecake - my friend who absolutely loves cheesecake said it was amazing and she would have to find out how to make it, since it was so much healthier than regular cheesecake!
The next time I go, I am going to get the "tofu sampler", an appetizer that showcases their super fresh tofu.
All in all, I was wonderfully surprised with the quality and authenticity. As well as very reasonable prices! The service was very good, and both times the cook came out herself to see how we were (which for Olympia is stunningly amazing). I made a point of asking when the Korean mama is cooking, and she is cooking for all shifts right now. I would recommend this place hands down and want to encourage people to go there so that it stays around!!!
Basic info: http://www.restaurant.com/microsite.asp?rid=353509&mcn=00056558
Menu: http://www.tofuhutrestaurant.com/MENU_193E.html
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Tofu Hut
4804 Pacific Ave, Lacey, WA
Thai Garden in Olympia Mall
Sigh. The curse of Olympia. For some reason, very few restaurants manage to be good AND consistent! Thai Garden did indeed open again, and it was LOVELY...for awhile. We were going there consistently and were consistently happy. Then the quality suddenly took a dive. The final visit topped it off - my partner's curry was practically tasteless (how on earth they managed it I don't know), my friend's dish was ok, and my tofu stir fry had chicken in it! When I sent it back, it was returned to me with tofu...and lots of little chicken bits still floating around in it! The cook hadn't remade it - just fished out the larger chunks of chicken and added tofu! Ug. Even the drinks were bad. The front staff were horribly embarrassed (and very nice and apologetic) and ended up comping us our entire bill. It seemed to me that they were frustrated themselves and that this sort of thing had been happening a lot. I have heard since then that there was some kind of argument that the chef and the owner had and the chef left. Double sigh.
lunch in Olympia
Depends on what your people are into! As a whole, food in Olympia is not that good. And the places that can be good are usually inconsistent. That said these are some of my favs:
Tofu Hut! My new favorite!!! Owned and run by a Korean mom and daughter. Very consistent, service is good, and the food is fantastic! it is billed as "asian fusion", which is always scarey to me, but they don't just mash flavors together but rather offer a variety of authentic asian dishes. The food is very fresh. The pad thai (which can get old so many places offer it) is actually a fantastic authentic rendition, complete with tamarind, fish sauce, and no ketchup in sight. Their Koren bbq ribs are spicey, savory, perfect. The chap chae is excellently flavored - so many places use way too much oil, especially sesame. And they have a stir fried udon w seafood and korean sauce which sounded a bit strange but was fantastic. I did not have the Japanese curry rice, but it looked and smelled amazing. Oh, and they had a vegan cheesecake, which my cheesecake-crazy-friend told me she absolutely loved.
QB, or Quality Burrito - super funky Mexican Olympia style! They have homemade Horchata as well as homemade Kombucha! Sweet potato fries as well as hand cut thick amazing tortilla chips. Excellent homemade salsa and their tofu tacos are amazing! You get the idea. The only thing I would definitely stay away from is the beans and rice. Strange, but true. Some of their cooks are FANTASTIC and will leave you eagerly awaiting eating-left-overs time. Others of their cooks are...uninspired to say the least. Oh and the service ranges from horrible to ok. But worth the risk most of the time.
Curry Corner - amazing Indian food and spot on every time.
Little De Nang's - best pho around. Their vegetarian broth is sooooo good that I don't even add all the stuff half the time!
Sage's Brunch House - not open many weekdays, but well worth any effort you can make to get here. Sage is the owner, very nice, and is classically trained french chef. Any and all dishes are amazing and she is happy to make something off the menu for dietary restrictions etc.
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Curry Corner
9408 Martin Way E Ste 2, Lacey, WA 98516
Tofu Hut
4804 Pacific Ave, Lacey, WA
Little Da Nang Restaurant
301 4th Ave W, Olympia, WA 98501
Q B
213 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501
Sage's On Rogers
903 Rogers St NW, Olympia, WA 98502
Looking for Korean BBQ Restaurant in Tacoma
Honey Pig!!! Hands down the best Korean BBQ i've ever had (and I've had a lot!) A bit more pricey, but the food quality is sooooo worth it!
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Honey Pig
9104 S Tacoma Way Ste H, Lakewood, WA 98499
Puhleeze ... there must be SOMETHING between the sound and Portland
Curry Corner is GREAT. Lemon Grass is good as well, but their menu is exactly the same for a decade! Cebu is ok - it isn't spicy phillipino, which is what I prefer. Seoul is pretty good as well, for the area.
Have you tried Tofu Hut yet? It is new, on Pacific between Ruddell and College - I think it is the best asian place in town right now! It is billed as asian fusion, which is always scarey, but the super adorable Korean mama-san that is the cook (mother of the owner and very friendly - came out to check on our food both times I've been) is GREAT! she actually cooked each dish the way that country would do it, instead of mish mashing the flavors. The pad thai is the real tangy salty tamarind fish sauce kind, not the ketchup kind! The koren stuff, was of course authentic, but each had a distinct flavor, not just generic hot chili powder, like some places. The curry friend rice wasn't great, but it was up to any other place in Olympia. Oh and they have vegan cheese cake! Made with tofu. My friend who is a cheese cake fiend loved it.
Also, Little DeNang's, downtown, has the best vegitarian pho I've ever had - the broth is sooooooo good that I am torn each time whether to add the hot sauce etc or not because the flavor is so exquisite!
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Tofu Hut
4804 Pacific Ave, Lacey, WA
Little Da Nang Restaurant
301 4th Ave W, Olympia, WA 98501
LA Hound looking for good food in Olympia
Hmmm, well its too late for your trip, but it sounds like you might come up here regularly?
The BEST asian place in town right now is Tofu Hut. Not kidding. Its new, in Lacey on Pacific between Ruddell and College. It is billed as "asian fusion" which is always scarey, but their food is the real thing. The chef is a Korean mama-san! Every dish there I have had is authentic and great! Food in Olympia mostly isn't very good, by my standards. This place has been great and I've been there twice this week alone!
Also, for breakfast, try Sage's Brunch House - it used to be Rosie's on Rodgers. It is on Rodgers st on the westside. It is _excellent_. She is a classically french trained cook. I actually can't eat anything on the menu, but every time I go, I just say what my dietary restrictions are and what I'm in the mood for and she whipps up a masterpiece everytime! My meat and wheat eating friends tell me their dishes are also exquisite.
Racha in Olympia (Capital Mall)
No response at all from Racha! Very disappointing.
Yes, I heart Lemon Grass, but they need variety! The menu has remained exactly the same for years. I do love the new look tho and there is talk they may use the new space as a night club/bar.
On principle I will not go to Bamboo - I can't verify this, but I have heard from a very reliable source that it was started by a former employee of Lemon Grass that stole their recipes.
My current favs are the recently reopened Thai Garden, near the Capital Mall, and Thai Pavilion downtown. Thai Garden is getting up and running and is a bit inconsistent, but mostly excellent (the service is hit or miss, tho). Thai Pavilion has too much of a tendency to not use fresh ingredients, but their sauces and soups are stellar.
Racha in Olympia (Capital Mall)
My partner and I ate at Racha in Olympia last night, and it will be the LAST time we eat there, unless they get new kitchen staff. I have long been a fan of Racha in Seattle. And when Racha first opened here in Olympia it was great! We went there often. However, quickly the food quality went down hill. It got worse each time, until each time we went we had to send at least one dish back to be fixed. The last time, the fried rice was tasteless and the onions in another dish were literally large raw inedible chunks. This time, the tofu in both dishes was still cold in the center - we sent them back, and they came back warmer but not by much and it looked like they had just microwaved it or something. The sauces were excellent, but the Rad Nah had barely any vegetables (all noodles) and the sauce of the Swimming Rama was not warm enough to really wilt the spinach. Both dishes were cold before we finished the meal... and we are fast eaters! Also, the rice was not very good - too much water.
There was almost nobody in the restaurant. I can't imagine they are doing at all well financially. I would strongly suggest that if they are going to keep that location that they do a grand re-opening, advertising that they have a new chef!
I hope they do choose to keep the Olympia location and to improve it, as when Racha is on it is smokin! (and there are very few good resturants in Oly) However, until I hear that they have new kitchen staff I will not be returning to the Olympia location. I sent them an email to this effect.
