Avoid Todai in Redmond, WA
Written: Feb 02 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Food and Presentation: |
 |
|
| Ambiance and Decor: |
 |
|
| Quality of Service: |
|
|
|
Pros: On your birthday, on the house
Cons: Food was very disappointing
The Bottom Line: If you like to eat a lot, then maybe Todai is worth trying, but if you want quality, Japanese food, avoid this place.
|
|
|
| Starman77's Full Review: Todai |
Megugrrrl was right (see December 20, 2001 review)... I thought that maybe the new restaurant in Redmond, WA would be better than those in California or other spots, based on the raves I've heard from friends about Todai, but was I disappointed. Everything that Megugrrrl wrote about her three visits to Todai was virtually duplicated in my visit to the Redmond restaurant.
One reason I honestly decided to give Todai a try was because I heard that on your birthday, the dinner ($21.95) was on the house. That turned out to be true. However, the singing of "Happy Birthday" (or rather chanting of the modified song) was so awful that you should request not to have anyone sing for you, if at all possible. I also wanted to try the place because many of my friends have raved about the food, but now I question their judgment.
I aimed for the sushi in the beginning, but the first thing I noticed was that the kids behind the counter were clearly not trained sushi chefs. The sushi rice was hard and cold with very little of the rice vinegar and sweet flavor one expects at a nice sushi place. The sushi rice balls were not shaped to fit the item placed on top of the ball. No wasabi was used to help the seafood item to stick to the rice ball, so it easily fell off. What a disappointing start to dinner, but it only got worse.
The lobster claws looked delicious, but tasted like they had been boiled forever in non-salted, non-seasoned water so that they were devoid of any flavor. The lobster tails were never to be seen during the evening, although there was a tray and a label saying that they were supposed to be there. Maybe I just wasn't quick enough to be there when the fresh ones arrived...
The tempura batter was thick and greasy, not light and feathery as I would expect.
The baked oysters were so covered with garlic that you could barely taste the over-cooked oyster.
I tried four desserts, and all four were virtually inedible, being very tasteless and spongy.
Do I have anything positive to say about the food? The snow crab legs and claws were surprisingly moist and tasty, and out of character from the rest of the food I sampled.
The decor was ok, the presentation of the food was attractive, the service was average. I'm glad I went once, but never again!
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Starman77
|
|
Location: Kent, WA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.