Shiho "Whoa there Cancun!" F.'s Profile

Truly impressed with the boys... rarely get to see Tomatsu in action because he is off on Mondays but these guys produce just gorgeous edible artwork.  I'm not a fan of rolls but their unique combinations get me all the time.  Last night we enjoyed the Halloween and the Party Popper!  

Halloween had tempura sweet potato in the middle along with cucumber and avocado and topped with salmon and black tobikko along with some baby octopus and siracha drawn web on the plate.  !Que fantastico Salamon!

Party Popper not Pooper had tempura fired Jalapeno with just enough heat and a hit of cream cheese and salmon (or was it ocean trout?) and topped with a little tempura bits, more salmon and bright blood red tobikko.  !Tan Bonita!

An Echigo and some chilled sake... running into several old friends... good times.

I really did not want to like this place as I'm a regular at Noodle Bar (#1) and Chopstix (#2 due to convenience of the location and Mikey) however after dining here it's hard not to love this place.   Service was great but I am was thoroughly impressed with the food or at least with what we ordered.  

Spring Rolls (shirmp and opted for fish/chili sauce over the peanut sauce)
Lemongrass Chicken
Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings (my gentleman friend enjoyed these since they weren't Gluten Free)
Crab like Pho (one of their specialties with housemade seafood meatballs)

I mainly enjoyed the spring rolls and my crab soup with this rice noodles.  I tasted the Lemongrass Chicken and it was solid and subtle.  It did not have an overpowering lemongrass taste or feel which I feel is very common (sometimes other restaurants leave bits and threads of the hard lemongrass stalk which make it hard to swallow).  Spring Rolls were very simple... fresh cooked shrimp, rice noodles, a piece of romaine lettuce and a hint of cilantro (not too much thank goodness)... with the fish & sweet chili sauce it was a match-mate in heaven and very healthy food option.

My crab pho (as I call it) was absolutely delicious.  I was surprised to find that it was not fishy just a nice crab flavor and the most moist housemade meatballs ever... they pretty much melt in your mouth in a good way.  It was served with a plate of bean sprouts, red cabbage and a couple slices of jalapeno.  I look forward to having it again real soon especially on a cold evening.

We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple gluten free beers each... did you know Budweiser is gluten free?  En serio.

This place is huge so can handle large groups (I'm talking over a hundred people) so I'm hoping for them they get a large Sunday post church crowd or tour buses or something.  I'd recommend sitting at the bar for more action... it seemed like the regulars were sitting there.  Also if you go in the evening dress warmly, this place is so big and the floors are tiled so it's a bit chilly.  On the flipside to our surprise they offer a pretty decent selection of beers and wine so you can just enjoy a few of those to stay warm... that's what I was doing.

Give them a whirl.  We recently visited because last month one of my friends posted,  " Just had the best dish of 2011. #52 at Taste of Vietnam. Deep fried head on prawns." as his Facebook status.

Thanks Jason!