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Kenmore (Green)
Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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So it's a Saturday evening and I've been studying for a hellish exam all day and cleaning my apartment. Not wanting to mess up the now spotless kitchen, I turned to foodler and ordered a nice sushi dinner from Maluken.
I got a crazy maki, salmon and cucumber maki, and avocado salad.
The salad was good but had more mayo than I usually like. I did appreciate the flying fish roe mixed in and the avocado was very fresh. The portion was just right.
The salmon and cucumber maki was very, very fresh, mostly fish. However, I found that something was lacking. I can't quite put my finger on it. I liked that they offered an 8 piece roll, rather than 6 pieces like many other places for the same price.
The crazy maki was my favorite by far. This was well portioned, the shrimp tempura was light and flaky, there was a big piece of crab and the spicy mayo was very flavorful and there was just enough of it.
I appreciated the prompt delivery service. The delivery man was very nice and even walked up the two flights of stairs to my door rather than making me come down!! Hey, it's a lazy Saturday, I'm allowed.
I'm seriously sad that I can only judge this place on its takeout, because from what I read it is a rollicking good time!
That said, we ordered sushi delivery because the sushi at our usual place was icky Monday night and the memory remained. The delivery took FOREVER (one star off just for that), but once the food arrived, I was pleased. We ordered four types of maki: Boston, crazy, something-I-forgot and the free spicy tuna that came with the $25 order. All were pretty delicious, though one had lettuce, which just seems like a really bad idea. It wasn't as good as our usual place and the rice was a bit off, but I'm definitely not disappointed. And most importantly, the fish was VERY fresh.
The karaoke here is unlike any other I have ever experienced. Basically the songs are played and the words come up on large screens around the place with very strange random videos in the background. Everyone sings every song and it is hard to track down the microphones. So basically this is a great place to go if you want to sing karaoke but hate being in the spotlight and prefer a lot of people singing with you. But if you like your traditional karaoke, then you will be disappointed.
The scorpion bowls are pretty good but the sake bombs can get pretty dangerous!
I like this place for lunch.
Their prices are very reasonable, and their staff is very friendly.
Try the chef maki combo.
Food is good, but being in the old hotel doesn't lend a very elegant dining atmosphere.
The karaoke is presumably great if you're in the mood for karaoke, which I wasn't. Still, despite the enthusiastic singing in the background, dinner was quite good, and reasonably priced. (Probably giving them an extra star just because they had omrice.) The location is very convenient, a great place for dinner before an evening at one of the Fenway-neighborhood venues.
I LOVE THIS PLACE! So I'm obsessed with japanese food and karaoke, and this place gave me my fix. The menu, in addition to the variety of sushi, also has a good amount of non sushi japanese entrees. Which are delish! ...Mmm
One of the really awesome things is about the place is price, for approximately 25 bux, I was able to get appetizers, a sushi roll, entree, dessert and some beer. A great deal considering how expensive japanese food can get.
Also the BEST part of Maluken is the karaoke. They don't have private rooms, it's just projected on the wall in the dining room, so if you're planning on having a romantic dinner with your beloved then maybe this isn't the best place, BUT if you're planning on bringing a gaggle of friends to get drunk and sing to their hearts content, DO IT. The staff was totally hospitable and didn't seem to mind the drunken choruses and sake bombs. Not to mention as the evening progressed we were able to get other tables to join in our drunken revelry and sing hits from michael jackson and queen. Great place!!
Been coming here for 5 years now. Come here for sake bombing, drunk karaoke, and you'll have a good time. Relatively cheap sushi and drinks.
Staff is very nice, once you develop a rapport. Nice enough to give complimentary / experimental new sushi once in a while. Warm hand towels before eating are a nice touch. Bento boxes are ok, decent sushi, I do like their duck soba.
Food (6/10)
Presentation (2/5)
Atmosphere (3/5)
Service (3.5/5)
Value (4/5)
Went here tonight for karaoke with a group of friends. Not impressed.
The karaoke was the main reason for the trip, and a birthday party full of people who didn't understand how to use microphones properly dominated for the first hour and a half. There is no feeling of organization or staff involvement in the karaoke, and if your song starts, you basically have to search for the wireless mics and hope you can pick them up before the lyrics start.
Food and drink were decently priced. Service was disappointing, to say the least. Not surprising since an enforced gratuity meant they had no incentive to do things like walk by our table at anything approaching a regular interval or generally provide good customer service.
Saki Saki Saki BOMB!
5 STARS BITCHES
Weirdest karaoke bar I have ever seen. The scorpion bowls are less dangerous than the ones at Hong Kong.
Good sushi, but their chicken teriyaki was dry and bland. The prices aren't too bad, but I'd go broke if I had it more than once a week.
I went there last night to "sing" karaoke with a bunch of friends and it was a doozy. The restaurant is standard, didn't really try the food. I focused more on the scorpion bowls, which cost like 15 bucks but really do the trick.
The place was empty, even after the Sox won. I think it's cause it started pouring right as the game let out. But they had two projectors aimed at big walls and a couple of wireless mics for crooning purposes.
I did about four jams, as there weren't many people besides my raucous crew getting involved. The wait staff was helpful and tolerant, and they let us carry on until about midnight before calling it quits.
I had never even heard of this place, but it's right in the heart of Kenmore next to Uno. It's not a bad spot for some scorpion-fueled musical mayhem. Although, the karaoke word prompt was a little behind, making my timing kinda shaky (yeah, that's my excuse).
For under $20, you get a boat of sushi. I named mine Jenny. Steal that name and I'll punch you in the soul.
For $7, you get a Sapporo tallboy. So damn cold you'll freeze the fingertips cracking it open. Seriously, you will. Stop laughing Martin, this is a real threat happening to real people. Would you laugh if your dad froze his fingertips off? Thought not.
For free, you can sing karaoke EVERY EFFIN NIGHT ALL NIGHT. I speak truth. What they don't tell you: the US hits from yesterday and today are slowed down. My theory is kinda prejudiced, I guess: the reduced tempo is to help those who keep English as a second language. Witness "Unbreak my Heart" by *NSYNC. Shit was slow. Any questions?
Still, this little attic that could will draw the crowd, fizzled mics and all. PS I love Malena and the way she screams during Hey Jude. Chud puked up Scorpion Bowl. Classy.
Oh. Sweet. Jesus.
I appreciate the populist nature of this place, but for the love of god, isn't there some way the employees can take control of the situation when a tonally-challenged party has taken control of the mic? I understand that everyone should have their turn at karoake-ing, but 3 straight hours of nails scratching on the chalkboard was painful.
Other than the utter lack of talent I experienced at Maluken, the place is pretty much what it claims to be: a decent place to sing along to the oldies but goodies with your friends while sake bombing (a rarity in Boston -- accounted for in my rating). Sadly the karaoke selection is not up to par.
N.B. I didn't eat a morsel here so my rating has nothing to do with Maluken's culinary prowess. (But, based on what I've experienced, I don't think I'd, uh, put this place high on my list of sushi joints.)
I am finally getting around to reviewing this place. My brother and I met up in Boston earlier this month to go to the Red Sox game. Whenever I travel, I like to try local places instead of the chain restaurants and I'm sure my brother feels the same way. This place is not too far from Fenway. So we therefore decided to give it a try.
I'm not fond of tempura and I don't like sushi, but I still like to try new things. I gave the Una-Don a try, which is broiled eel on rice with pickles. I never had eel before, and I was not sure I would like it, but believe me this was good. It also included miso soup, which I like, plus a salad.
The prices here are very reasonable too. I was amazed for the quality of the food we had. Now here's a challenge--try to eat with chopsticks and converse in ASL!
Maluken wins the award for best shit show karaoke. Hands down. Nothing else matters. You come here for the most beautifully tragic karoake of all time.
Is there room for you to even stand up in front of the room and sing? Nope. Is the music selection even vaguely good? Nope. Is the screen projected on a back wall of the restaurant with the fire alarm in the middle of it? Yep. Are the background images that accompany the songs the most ridiculous thing you've seen? Yep. I'm talking weird children, British guards of Buckingham Palace traipsing around. Flowers, women in bikini's, random European subway systems. If this doesn't sound incredible, I don't know what does.
It basically becomes one big sing a long that you can make as ridiculous and cheesy as you like with sake bombs going all around. Good times.
Everything else is just meh and without the karaoke, it honestly might not be worth going to. The sushi is expensive, but good quality. My seafood don was actually really tasty and good. At $8.50 it was a good price too. However, the service was lacking. I had to get up and ask the waitress to take my order. I arrived after the majority of my group, but the waitress seated me so she should have remembered I was there. She barely came back to refresh our drinks throughout the night, so many people ordered multiple drinks so that we didn't have to track her down later.
The cleanliness was okay, not too bad, but not too great.
I was happy enough with my food, but more than happy with the shit show karaoke. It's worth it. Believe me. It's just a beautiful mess.
Sushi + Friday Night Karaoke? What can go wrong?
The good news: The sake bombs were fantastic. They give you large beers and smooth sake. And best of all? The waiters almost expect you to get outrageously drunk. All good things in my book.
The bad news: The service was very unorganized and she couldn't seem to handle our large group. She messed up our orders several times, and all in all it was a little frustrating.
And I felt like I was in Teen Witch or some other god-awful 80's movie once the karaoke started. First of all, the large group sitting across from us were terrible at it (which yes, you can be terrible at karaoke). They didn't even stand up to sing! Sacrilegious. The selection of songs to pick from were ancient, I wouldn't be surprised if they were using vinyl records to supply the tunes. To put it this way, two of my friends sang "The Alphabet Song," and that was like the "Don't Stop Believing" of the night.
Don't get me wrong: I had a blast. But it definitely wasn't the best restaurant I've ever been to. I'd only go back to actually try the sushi, but even then, I'm not sure.
This review is purely for everything except the food, as I have never actually had the honor of dining at Maluken. I've closed the place down at the end of the night, yes, but that was purely by the power of the three S's: song, sake bombs, and scorpion bowls. If you're thinking karaoke night, you're correct, yo.
Karaoke at Maluken is downright bizarre. When you first enter the restaurant, it looks like any other nice, quiet sit-down Japanese eatery. Pretty furnishings, nice artwork, waitstaff with cute floral-print dresses, and so on. Then you make a right turn. And one quick left. Suddenly you are on what seems to be another planet, a planet that consists of rowdy, shocking mishmosh. And this planet has a soundtrack.
There's no stage. There's not even really an area that you could call a stage. But the creative folks always know how to improvise, right? It's in the blood of any true performer. So you stand in your seat.. on your seat... on the table..
And you can tell that the waitstaff wants so little to do with you, and in reality you can't really blame them when you and forty of your closest friends (and the close friends whom you just haven't met yet) are belting out the tunes one after another as scorpion bowls are sucked down triumphantly... as the glorious banging of one's hands as another sake bomb is good and done for effortlessly matches the familiar beats of a Springsteen 80s hit for what seems to be the fourth time that very evening...
And before you know it, it will be a quarter to one and it's down to the last few people in the place and you wonder how it got to be so late so soon... and you feel silly and wonder how you are going to re-enter the real world after being on Planet Maluken, and no one would really argue with you, that is, if they have been there too.
It's not for the faint of heart... not for the shy, the claustrophobic, and those who want a quiet date night in the back room. But if you are ready to just let it all out, bring it. The recipe calls for you, add as many friends as you can, four straws and a drink fulla rum and colors and fruity goodness... and a penchant for singing without boundaries. Lather, rinse, repeat.
This is the worst restaurant I have ever been to.
I went here once for Yelp Karaoke and once for dinner before a concert. Both times my dining experience was inexcusably poor.
Karaoke: Repulsive collection of songs, disorganized, and for some reason they had a projector playing weird images of grass and fields on the wall. It wasn't trippy or creative, it was just bad
Dinner: Slow service, overpriced, neglectful waitress. I ordered a scorpion bowl and sukiyaki. The scorpion bowl was tiny and the sukiyaki smelled and tasted so bad that I couldn't eat it. And I'm a fat kid in a skinny body.
I can't think of anything nice about this place, except that it's near the Green Line and isn't a sports bar. I bet Uno's would have been better *shudder*.
You get a whole boat of sushi for not much money, so your sushi is mediocre, but still okay. Eatable and will probably satisfy your sushi craving. This is not the BEST, but its good. Scorpions bowls are quite good.
I think they get better reviews because of the karaoke. There is free karaoke, imagine drunk college students who just had a few too many sake bombs singing "My heart will go on...and on and on and on" It was funny. Dont go here for the food, go for the show. Food is your ticket.
Staff is a little snobbish, but they do have to listen to the karaoke on the regular basis, I think they maybe just have been scarred for life, so be nice to them.
I have nothing to say about the karaoke. Our service was pretty good as one of our party was a frequent visitor. They came around semi-regularly to fill up water though not the tea. I didn't order any sushi but instead got their tempura udon. Everything was fairly satisfactory though they could have put in a few more noodles in my opinion. Their pricing was standard for what I'm used to. As far as quirks go, they have had tv projected onto the wall which I found kind of distracting but I guess if you're not into the people you're eating with it's a good distraction. Overall it was a pretty good time though I think it was more my company than the restaurant.
Fun for karaoke and sake bombs, but count on very lazy/apathetic service. The sushi there is decent, but if you go there, go for the karaoke.
My boyfriend and I go here when we want sushi. We dont eat the raw fish or anything but we always order the crazy maki (spicy shrimp) and teh soft shell crab which we think is great. I love their spicy mayo as well and always ask for extra. Im sure this place isnt the BEST place for sushi but its our place for sushi and we are happy with that. We always get good service, good food and when we go its always quiet so we like it a lot here and to us the price are pretty decent.
The first time we went here was for a little bday outting and the karaoke was horrible. The wierd videos on the walls just really pushed it over the edge and the edited verison of songs but we still had a good time. We did have drinks that night which was just ok but we wouldnt go back there for karaoke or drinks just the sushi!
Parking can be a pain but we usually luck out, but like I said we like this place but im sure there are better places for sushi but this will do for us!
I normally judge how good a Japanese restaurant is by how good their spicy tuna rolls are. Maluken gets 5 stars! The rolls are large with a lot of tuna and just the right amount of rice. The subtle tempura flakes add a nice crunch.
In terms of service, everyone has been extremely nice, prompt, and attentive.
In terms of ambiance, it's a very casual restaurant with a neat and clean look. There is karaoke (which I have never done but looks fun) and they also have a back (tatami?) room for larger gatherings/parties.
Also a perk for students-10% off with ID!
-Sanju Poudel
I was surprised that I was so impressed with this place. Look, I'm not saying that this is a real nice place to sit down for a special dinner with your significant other, stare into each others' eyes, that whole shebang. But if you come here with for the right reasons (cheap food, large group, general fun times), you can't go wrong.
We walk in and the first thing I hear is Flo Rida on the radio. I thought that was a bad sign, but not to fret, that was only being played out front. Scanning through the menu, I noticed that the prices here were kind of inconsistent: some things are super cheap while others are on par with more expensive restaurants. Being a cheapo, I went for the box special, which came with shrimp and vegetable tempura (very slightly underfried, but the best I've had in a while), salad, miso soup, rice, dumplings, 3 pieces of California roll, and fruit. All for less than $9!!!
I really liked that this place was so big and spacey, too, with their several rooms and minimal decor. Actually, they don't decorate much because they have to have white space to project the karaoke stuff. Go with a large group for maximal fun and just order round after round of drinks and food. I only went with a group of 3, but I still liked that it was relaxed and non-pretentious.
HADOUKEN!
Ok, when I read the name of this restaurant, I think of the fireball attack both Ryu and Ken use in Street Figher 2 to win their battles so they can face off against M. Bison. They've got that blue fireball thing, and everyone's like, aaaaaah! But then they get up as though, oh, I didn't get hit by a freakin' blue fireball. I don't care if you lived in Siberia, or if you're a green guy, or if you have claws: if you get hit by a giant blue fireball, it's probably going to hurt.
So, why does this explanation of Street Fighter 2 matter? Actually, it doesn't, beyond the point that Maluken's karaoke is like a hadouken. It's strong, but you're left wondering whether there should be something more. Whether it's the lack of Journey in their repertoire, or the weird video projector backgrounds that evoke some European/Canadian landscape, it's a weird experience.
Now, on the plus side, it's an incredibly fun experience. Their karaoke list isn't too bad: a nice mish mash of 1980s and 1990s standards coupled with some public domain stuff (yes, you can sing "Baa baa black sheep"). You'll want to come with a group though, as it's far more fun that way.
As for the food/ambiance, food is quite good: I got a box dinner for $9 which satisfied me quite well (miso, salad, rice, shumai, California roll, and chicken teriyaki). And the beer/sake were good as well.
One quick thought: the bathrooms smell a little too much like mothballs. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever dealt with in a bathroom, but it was a little disconcerting.
Overall, this is a nice place and a great place to do karaoke with new friends, old friends, and especially Yelpers :)
Three stars because my idea of a good time consists of more than Chinglish-ed sit-down karaoke, watered-down drinks, and downright disappointing food.
All praise goes to the agreeable staff that brought out round after round of scorpion bowls, seeing the dollar signs from our crazy antics. It's a relationship both parties understand. So elbows out to the BU kids hogging the mic, we'll be back.
I had dinner here around 7:00 last Wednesday night. Maluken was quiet and looked like any other sushi bar I'd ever eaten in. The staff was friendly and they all seemed to know my friend.
We ordered a couple rolls of sushi, and he decided that we wanted it brought out on one of those boats (this may or may not have been a date). The rolls we ordered were all pretty standard: eel, tuna, yellowtail, and salmon were all accounted for. I do remember that we ordered the Chef's Special roll, which had salmon, tuna, and avocado in it, among other ingredients. It was all pretty good when it came it, although the rolls weren't always wrapped as well as they could be. The Chef's Special Roll was one of those ginormous ones that is really awkward to eat in front of other people and completely fills your mouth, so beware. The big rolls were the ones that fell apart the easiest, for the record.
As the place became a little busier, large, rowdy crowds starting to dominate the restaurant. Oh, and then the karaoke started to get set up. Yikes. Maluken is clearly not intended for a quiet dinner. Instead, it is much better suited to a big group of friends with a thirst for scorpion bowls and public humiliation.
I'm going to give this place 3 stars - because while I had an unlimited number of stars of fun... that was due to my GROUP and not the ESTABLISHMENT.
Here are the reasons why it's only 3-stars:
* Weird funky moth ball smell in the bathroom that sticks to your clothes
* Tooth brush, razor, etc on top of the towel rack in the "secret" bathroom
* Karaoke said to start at 9:30 and took until about 10:30 to get this started, and we got there at 8:30!
* Weird, weird, did I mention WEIRD backgrounds for the karaoke? Now, when someone is up there singing "You're the one that I want" - I don't usually envision goats, little kids, scenes from random scenic places in Europe, or fighter jets. I want Grease in the background... or something somewhat related to the song! ;-)
Good points:
* They don't mind you doing Sake bomb after sake bomb ($$$$$ in their pocket - as each Large Sake and Beer = $17)
* They have huge scorpion bowls ($$$$ in their pocket - $15 each)
* Their spring rolls and ginger ice cream was fairly tasty
* Tables are made for easy clean up!
* Karaoke in and of itself is fun to watch/participate in... and I say this being SOBER here, no sake bombs for scorpion bowls for me!
Take a larger group here, and you'll have a blast! Karaoke is a bit ghetto in the sense of they just put on the song and don't say "and now we have Joe 6-Pack singing 'I've got friends in low places'" - they just start playing it and the karaoke-ers have to figure that out for themselves - which can cause confusion if more than one person sends up slips for the same song... just fyi
Karaoke starts at nine. That's a load of elephant crap, because they didn't even get going until 10:30... after we had to ask SEVERAL times when it was going to start, and each time they lied and told us it was starting right then.
Karaoke selection: TERRIBLE. I mean, there were a few classics... but it was by far the worst song selection I've EVER seen in my entire Karaoke life.
Food -- decent -- not even worth elaborating on that.
Service -- far under par. When we were practically the only table there... the waitress actually came over ONE time in a HALF HOUR. That's just terrible. And that isn't including the times we had to go and get staff to find her and send her over.
Secret Bathroom around the corner from the other bathroom -- good to know.
Sake Bombs -- don't hit the table too hard or the shot of Sake will fly into your lap.
Ride home from Roni -- priceless :)
According to pals, although I'm generally one of those people for whom it (luckily) isn't obvious when I'm drunk, there are still several things that give me away.
- Apparently, I start doing the 'crazy eyes'. Or just 'eyes'.
- Apparently, I like to say 'dude' much more than I normally would.
- Apparently, I get much more cuddly.
- Apparently, I get much more giggly.
There are more giveaways, but another one:
- I actually jump up and grab the mic with glee when it reaches my turn to sing at karaoke, rather than blushing and shying away as 'normal'.
Sure, Maluken can be a bit divey-yet-not-divey-ish, the food is a bit overpriced, and it attracts a ... um... diverse crowd. But pile a bunch of drunken friends in for a karaoke takeover and you've got yourself a recipe for a good time. Even if there's a mean old woman forwarding through our songs so she can get to hers. Even if there's a dude who loves the sound of his voice and won't shut up even though he's so bad he's making your ears bleed. Sake bombs absolutely help with the festivities, and I have to say this was a remarkably good place for a bunch of friends to pile in one big loving par-tay for an otherwise bittersweet farewell sendoff.
This place has so many things going on at once (seems to be the norm) that I don't even know where… Read more »
One star for the ridiculous karaoke backgrounds. One more star for the awesome but expensive scorpion bowls.
Unless you're with a rowdy group of your closest friends that can make any train wreck fun, you can skip this one.
Awkwardest set up for karaoke. Yes friends, worse than that place downtown that rhymes with Rimeright (it's so plain and stark and eh for a downtown venue). People were sitting in their seats to sing. SITTING.. in their SEATS.. to SING. The person who invented karaoke machines is rolling in their grave. Blasphemous! How can you embarrass yourself if we can't see yo face!
Okay let's get organized.. where to start..
SERVICE: Well.. let's just say our waitress isn't going to jump on Yelp and fan me any time soon. I may or may not have almost hit her several times while working it out to choreography from Dancing Queen. You can't censor/limit space on geniusssssss, woman! She wasn't the friendliest woman but she did keep her eye on our drinks f'serious. Every time we were about to hit bottom, she came round and asked us if we wanted another. The rest of the staff was pretty cool.. getting our songs played etc.. but they did fudge a few times and skip over people.. At the end of the day, I might poke myself in the eye if I had to serve drunken people singing karaoke, so I give them props for that.
FOOD/DRINKS: I had some gyoza.. passable I suppose. I also sampled some tempura which seemed tasty but I was already one and a half scorpion bowls in. So who knows. Not sure if I'd come back here for food.. probably would head down the street for sushi. I did love the scorpion bowls. Not to mention, they got bigger each time we ordered one.
KARAOKE: Selection is pretty good. Gotta love the Asian scenery that accompanies each song. HOWEVER, some song titles don't have artists attached.. so when one of our fellow songsters picked "Be With You" thinking it'd be Mr. Big.. Enrique Iglesias came on instead. Whoops. It was Russ S. though, so he rocked it out no doubt. Oh and one mic pretty much broke while we were there (we didn't do it.. swearz).
AMBIENCE/FELLOW PATRONS: The decor is not quite divey and not quite classy either. There's two single stall bathrooms and someone pointed out that one smells like mothballs. It is pretty good for groups though. The restaurant.. not the bathroom. As for patrons, methinks that some bros come here on the regular so that they can take over the mic. I don't think I've ever been pissed at people while doing drunk karaoke.. but I was at Maluken. There was one guy that pretty much sang every other song.. and there was an ANNOYING twit family that I probably would have brawled with had they not left after singing their dumbass song.
Whoa. I'm somehow still mad. haha.. Oh Maluken. I'll give them another shot if they get new mics and I'm too lazy to head out to Razzy's or something.
I have never had the desire to eat sushi or sing karaoke, but I sure was here the other night. Why? Because my tumblr friends wanted to go and the idea "seemed" exciting.
Unforunately it had a few downsides:
1) The mixed drinks are all made with sake. Sure, I got a lady-like strawberry daiquiri, which was made from packaged strawberry powder mix, but was nonethless still overpowered by sake.
2) The non-sushi related menu items didn't seem appetizing, including my utter amazement at the breakfast item "ketchup fried rice omelet.
3) The table was sticky
4) The layout of the place is obnoxious at best. There are three "rooms." A back-room Japanese style "screened" room, only there isn't a screen, so the BU freshman probably being served underage with their European 40 year-old dinner companions were super loud when sake bomb hour hit. (They did 3 sake bombs...is that legal?) The middle room has the big karaoke screen on the wall, but where was the mic? The front room has the sushi counter and like two tables. They should knock down that center wall and open that shit up!
5) The waitresses are like on permanent "break." They are milling about and hanging at the sushi counter and gossiping and sitting down with their shoes off and feet up.
6) It was like pulling teeth to get the karaoke turned on and to then get a song book, then to find some paper to write our choices on, then once we got all that they started up the songs for the other room, never giving us a mic of our own, so we'd have to fight the BU freshmen girls for their mic. That's ridiculous, y'all.
Some good reasons to come:
1) If you like getting drunk on sake drinks and wine and Japanese beer.
2) The decor isn't bad
3) You are shy about karaoke because you probably won't get/have to sing anyway.
4) You aren't a sushi snob
5) You want to eat Japanese food and drink and be left alone by your waitress.
I came here for a tumblr meetup (http://www.tumblr.com if you are unfamiliar) to partake in their sushi karaoke festivities. I got there early and the waitress came right over, thank goodness, cause there really wasn't anyone in the place.
Once everyone arrived we ordered more drinks and food. I ordered spring rolls and a scorpion fruit punch....both of which were decent....I have had worse and I have had better. I would like to try more food another time to give it a better review.
As for the karaoke, Tuesday night does not seem like the night to go here. The karaoke was monopolized by what appeared to be freshman from bu doing sake bombs...oh well maybe they just looked young.
So... I think I will try this place again on maybe a Thursday or Friday night and order a little more food.
Okay. So I may be the only Asian in the world who doesn't like karaoke. What can I say? I'm allergic to bad singing, including my own.
So obviously I didn't go during karaoke hour. The place is decent sized and looks clean. I bet it's hopping at night, but I just wanted my sushi fix.
The sushi was good, the nigiri was pleasantly proportioned, and the service was attentive yet not too attentive. It's a nice place on the middle tier of sushi houses.
I see 6 votes for not good for kids, which is probably true... during karaoke hour. Hahahaha!
I read all the previous postings and was amazed with what everyone was saying. I'll just share with Yelpers my own personal experiences with this place. I've been to Maluken about 7-8 times now as of date. Each of the times I've been here, I had fun. Maybe it was with friends, or maybe it was just my outlook at this place.
Food: Alright on the non-sushi stuff. The waitresses brought out fresh Scallops to me on the table and informed us that this is the catch of the day. I was absolutely impressed because I've never had a waitress in a Japanese restaurant brought out fresh food and showed it to my table. So, knowing that it was fresh, I took an order of it.
The Scallops I ordered as MAGNIFICENT! You have to admit that this place does a stellar job in Japanese food presentation. And as you know about tipping, once you tip well, they will remember you. AND YES, THEY DO REMEMBER YOU and treat you VERY WELL the next time you're in with FREE SUSHI SAMPLES from the Sushi Chef himself. That's my personal experience when I was there.
Ambiance: True, the set up is awkward, but what more fun can you have singing with other people at different table while sitting with you friends on you own table singing your heart off to "The Summer of '69".
Service: YOU TRY DEALING with other people in this large and loud place and tell me how you would've handled it yourself. They do an alright job. Like I said, if you tip them well the first time, they'll definitely treat you really well the next time you're in. Hey, what other places give you HOT TOWELS to refresh yourself? Tiny touches make this place nice and comfy.
Price: A little pricey, but hey, it's Kenmore Square!!!
I was looking at the menu and was like "Omelet rice"? WTF?! So of course I ordered it. And i got what I asked....an Omelet with ketchup over rice. It was gross.
My friends were wiser and went for safe choices like...errr I dunno..SUSHI. I should have followed their example.
I didn't like the noise...bad singing. Yeah..I don't like this place. Go with a bunch of friends to go karaoke somewhere else. I prefer my meal in peace.
...Don't get Omelet rice. DON'T DO IT.
Interior was classier than I had envisioned, although I will confirm that the bathroom has a huge pile of mothballs in the corner.
Started with a Mai Tai. Apparently they have a limited liquor license for beer and wine only, so the Mai Tai was made with Sake. It was OK, but didn't taste like a normal Mai Tai would (obviously).
Seaweed salad was very good... that's hard to mess up.
Ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll and an UnaAvo Roll (eel and avocado). Spicy Tuna Roll was very good, although the size and filling of the pieces varied, from being full of tuna to barely having any tuna in it. I hate when rolls are sloppy. The UnaAvo Roll was incredibly salty. I ate it, but it was not very good.
I came here with a group of Tumblrs who were eager to sing karaoke. I had to ask the staff at 9:45 to start the karaoke machine, and the set-up was beyond awkward, with two karaoke stations- one on a huge screen in the middle of the regular dining area, and another in a tiny, private room. The underage BU kids overtook the karaoke machine with Britney Spears and Journey almost immediately.
Overall, great company, mediocre food. I'm glad I was able to check this place off my sushi list.
Went here with a bunch of yelpers and had a grand ol' time. Sake bombs! Karaoke! Bad singing! I'm happy.
The place is cute enough and if you come early, you basically have the place to yourself and can do lots of singing. I will probably be coming back, most likely buzzed.
Prices are decent on booze, though I didn't have any food. Service is pretty good. If it gets busy they may not check up on you much, but you can just walk right up to the sushi makin' area and order whatever.
Oh, and I will mention that this place isn't "seedy" at all. I've been to same nasty karaoke joints, and this one is quite inviting.
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Asian Fusion
Boston, MA
Category: Sushi Bars
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