Coty "Ragdoll" S.'s Profile

I just started venturing over to SR64 (Manatee Ave) on my lunch break realizing that it is just as close as going to other parts of town from my work location.  I tried Thai Wasabi first, and I think that experience totally spoiled me.  Migi Sushi was the next in line for me to try, tucked away in an empty looking shopping center and absolutely no Yelp reviews.  

The interior is dark and lined with sparkling lights, which creates a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.  They also have large booths for conversations that you do not want others to ease drop on.  The menu is extensive and offers Chinese, Thai, and Japanese items.  I overheard the staff speaking in Thai, in case that may influence your choice of cooking style.  We started off with Crab Rangoon (6 for $3.95) only because I was craving them something fierce, nothing about authenticity.  

We also ordered three rolls:
-Rock' N Roll ($7.95)- fried shrimp and cream cheese.  The cucumber inside did not compliment this roll and should probably be left out.
-Spicy Tuna Roll ($5.50)- the tuna was totally minced into jam and mixed with spicy mayo, which made the consistency a little hard to deal with at times.  However, this was the most flavorful of all of the rolls ordered.
-Volcano Roll ($7.95)-a very small amount of shredded imitation crab meat mixed with spicy mayo, it was almost dry.  This was on top of your run of the mill California Roll.  I would avoid this one.

I ordered the Mongolian Beef ($12.95 lunch) because they described it as only having onions and scallion on top of rice noodles.  The description made it seem that it would almost be the right thing.  There was barely any beef, too many purple onions, runny sauce, and a strong vinegar taste with soggy noodles.  It was totally wrong.  I just picked the beef out so it would not go to waste.  The Massaman Curry ($10.95) was ordered with tofu.  The portion was large, as with the other dishes but the curry was runny and not very flavorful.  The lunches came with a delicious wonton soup made with a yummy dashi based broth.  The Spring Roll was filled with celery and not much meat, if any at all.  

As you can tell, I was not pleased with the food overall, it was mediocre and I don't think that I could get myself hyped up enough to ever make my way back here.  The staff was friendly and I liked the atmosphere, but that does not make up for the food.  Thai Wasabi has the same menu offerings with amped up flavor and freshness, (cheaper too) so I will just continue to go there instead.

This is a very convenient Quickly location that does not serve Shabu.  But, they do serve select snack items.  It is easier for take-out tea ordered here than Teariffic or Green Tea Café.  I recommend their clear teas here vs. their milk teas.  My favorite is sour apple green tea with lychee jelly.  The taste of the sour apple blended with the jasmine green tea base is delicious!

They also have some items here like Fruit Vinegar, that I am still hesitant to try just yet.  They play loud dance music at night, which makes it really hard to just walk on by without stopping to dance a little and even buy a tea.

All of the foodies I know have eaten here, except me.  So, I figured it must be good and it is time for me to give it a try.  We were here on a Saturday afternoon, and there were only two other tables of patrons.  The atmosphere is heavily decorated, but still has a home-style appeal.  The owner will come by to check on you and the waitresses are in traditional attire.  

The Beef Sambussa appetizer consists of one small triangle of meat wrapped in a tender crust.  I would pay $2.99 for two of these, but since it was only one it left me wanting more.  The hot spiced tea was amazing and I highly recommend it.

My husband and I ordered the Queens Eight Platter for two, which is $26.99.  It comes with 8 dishes of the Chef's choice.  You can ask for all vegetable or mostly meat etc.  We had a half and half mix.  I was not fond of the lamb entrees, since they were too musky for my taste.  My favorite items were the lentils, the mushroom, and the cabbage.  They are very nice when it comes to dietary needs here.  Most of the vegetable dishes are also vegan.   I am definitely not vegetarian, but I think that their vegetable dishes are their strength, so I will be sticking with the veggie dishes only in the future.

All of the dishes come served on top of bread, which is amazing solo even without the stews.  The bread serving is very generous, but I do not know if it is unlimited or not.

You must try to eat it with your hands, scooping it with the bread for the authentic experience.  But, if that makes you uncomfortable then you can switch over to a fork if you must.

With the amount of yogurt shops in the area, I was not that impressed with Berryism.  The interior is already starting to look really worn-down and the seating and set-up is not welcoming or comfortable.  It is more of a grab your yogurt and go type place.  

The selection of toppings and yogurt flavors are very limited.  However, they do have plain mochi topping.  I was noticing that most of the patrons were ordering smoothies from here, so that may be what they are more known for.  

The plain yogurt is delicious and does have a different flavor than others in the area.  More of a sweet and sour balance than most.  This may be your thing or you might not like it.

This grocery was recommended to me by an expert at Indian cooking because it is one of the larger stores in Tampa.  There is a butcher in the back and also a fairly large selection of related fresh vegetables.  It would be nice to have a grocery with more prepared foods that are packaged and warm/ready to eat.  Like what Viet groceries in the area have, but I am just dreaming.  They only have samosa and paratha.  

The frozen meals are fairly expensive ($5-7) and so are the mixes ($4-7).  In fact, some of the frozen meals are so expensive that you may be better off going to a restaurant for the same item.  The foil packed and boxed meals and canned meals will run about $1.99.  I do recommend coming here for:
-frozen and prepared breads
-ice cream (kulfi)
-large bags of raw spices ($2.49-$7)
-different kinds of flour- like chickpea and rough ground

Most of the items do not have prices marked anywhere on the packages or the shelves, so make sure to ask before purchasing.  Otherwise you may be in for a surprise.

I had a great experience here.  In fact, on the row of Yakatori houses, this one would have to be my favorite.  Of course, it is cramped in here and we were elbow to elbow at the bar, but that is also how it is in Japan so they keeps it real.  The staff is quick to take your order and rush off.  

The Takoyaki is the best I have had so far in the city.  The whole grilled squid was tender and delicious...did I mention it was actually tender? The spicy tuna ball is super rich and burned my lips, yum.  The grilled rice balls were very bland compared to most places and the okonomiyaki was only decent.

The grilled skewers here could have been cooked for a little longer, but it was still delicious.  The chicken balls here are the best I have ever had.

I get the feeling after trying every restaurant on the row that this is the one I will be returning to the most.

They really make you work for your food here.  Constantly having to get up because you do not have a spoon, sauces, burner that works, seafood for your hotpot, and so on- the waiter may not be present, so you just have to get it yourself.  So, think of this as a self-serve place.  The blended Taro milk tea was decent.

As soon as you enter, make sure to grab what you want from the sauce bar, because you may not get a chance later when you are trapped behind your table.  I ordered the Seafood Hotpot for the table and they brought out dry looking roasted chicken breast.  I had to wait another 15 minutes for that correction.  The noodles to my hotpot were Korean flour noodles used in Jajangmyun, but I was not complaining because they were delicious.  The broth is not very tasty however.  My friend had the Pho here and said it was pretty decent.

Maybe I will try the St. Marks location next time or just not go to this chain at all and get some real shabu shabu elsewhere.

I had an amazing experience here.  It is by fat the best Malaysia food I have had in Manhattan so far.  My only complaint is that the rice is too salty and not as creamy tasting as other places, but the other food makes up for it.

Everything we had here was excellent and their menu selection is huge.  We had to order the Roti Canai ($2.95), the bread was tender and flaky and the curry was flavorful.  The Satay Chicken ($4.95) for two skewers was super sweet and not spicy at all.  My cousin wanted the Beef Chow Fun ($5.95), which was pretty good but did not have enough ginger for my liking.  But, at least it did not taste like grass or was too oily.  

I was concerned when we received the Peking Pork Chop ($9.95) because it was covered in what appeared to be sweet and sour sauce with pineapple.  To my relief the sauce had curry flavor and was not as sweet as the usual sweet and sour.  The pork chops were cut thin and fried crispy, but I still do not think that I would order this sauce again.  The Water Spinach with Belecan ($9.50) was a delicious contrast to the Peking Pork Chop.  

One of the highlights of my meal was the Lychee Ice ($2.95), which can be served as a drink with coconut milk or in a bowl as a dessert.  I ordered two of these things, since they were so good and had them as a drink.  I love coconut milk and lychee, so it was perfect for me.  I also had a red bean one, but the lychee flavor was the best.

Next time, I hope to have the Hainanese Chicken, Chow Kueh Teow, Mee Goreng, and Beef Rendang.

It was cold and raining outside and we just wanted some warm and delicious rice.  This was definitely the place for us, since the rice hit the spot.  I had the combination plate with rice, thin sliced beef, dark meat chicken teriyaki, and one tempura shrimp on top.  The curry bowl was also fairly good considering you were in Epcot.  The curry sauce was fruity and delicious, but the minced meat and vegetables in it were a bit processed.  I highly recommend avoiding the sushi, it was the worst sushi I have ever had.  

For Epcot, this was not bad at all, especially when the temperature outside is right.

This is a beautiful location in Gainesville that has some great history.  It is free to enter and they always have some great local fine art exhibits, most of them are juried.  There is artwork in the gallery as well as the upstairs balcony.  I spent most of my childhood here because of this, since my mother is an artist.   Plus, I have been to weddings here, receptions, gallery openings, and even had my own opera recitals here in the main hall.  Which is great for music because of their acoustics and the marble floors.  During any of the downtown festivals and art shows, this is also a great place to walk over to for some AC and to use the bathroom.  I believe there is also a basement gallery that is opened during special events.  

I recommend parking here and also just walking around the neighborhood because there are some of the best houses and architecture in Gainesville in this area.