As lunchtime approached the thought of eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had packed did not appeal to me. Instead I decided to check out Kiku with Becks. Parking was already at a premium when we arrived and as we made our way towards the door I hoped that my meal would be as good as the one I had at Miyako earlier in the week.
As we were led to a booth in the back near the bar I noticed that many of the tables were already full of people enjoying lunch. I took this as a good sign that tables were already at a premium so early in the lunch hour. Our server quickly took our drink order and gave us some menus. After looking them over I settled on the 3 roll combo (tuna, spicy salmon and shrimp tempura) while Becks opted for the chicken hibachi with fried rice. My meal came in at $10.95 while hers was $9.95.
While we waited for our lunch to arrive I took time to check out Kiku’s interior. It was dark inside and had more of a lounge vibe than Japanese restaurant. This was not a bad thing, just different than what I was expecting. It also made taking pictures of the restaurant a challenge, and I was disappointed with the several shots I was able to snap. I also noticed that the sushi bar area was overflowing with menus, silverware and other items. It made for a messy appearance and many of these items could have been stored out of sight.
Tuna, spicy salmon and shrimp tempura rolls (upper left to lower right)
The server then brought over miso soup and salad. The miso soup was what could be expected at any Japanese restaurant and the salad was also nothing out of the ordinary. Both were good but I was focused on my sushi rolls which came a few moments later on a simple white plate. The rolls were arranged by group but instead of being precisely rolled and cut they appeared to be a little sloppy. The pieces varied in thickness and height and did not have the precise look I have come to expect when eating sushi. I am not sure if the chef was in a rush, but the presentation could have been better.
However, what the rolls lacked in appearance they made up for in taste. The tuna was very fresh and had a nice firmness to it. I enjoyed the spice salmon. It consisted on good sized pieces of salmon and a nice amount of spice. The shrimp tempura roll was also very good. The shrimp was nice and crispy and still warm. All three rolls were very good and I preferred Kiku’s spicy salmon roll to Miyako’s and also liked that Kiku did not limit customers to only one tempura roll, as was the case at Miyako.
In closing, our waitress was attentive, the restaurant was clean and the food tasted good. I also liked Kiku’s convenient location and would come back again for lunch.
Sweet Tea & Bourbon’s Rating:
Atmosphere: B
Taste: B+
Presentation: B
Service: A
Cleanliness: A
Price: $$
Sweet Tea & Bourbon 