Kirby's Korner: Bombay Grill Indian Restaurant & Bar

This place was an eye opener. I love spicy food and cooking with Indian spices, but this place was definitely something for me to shoot for. I couldn't find a good picture to post with this business that was in focus, so you get one of their food. Mouthwatering, isn't it?

Service
The service here can be split into two different ways depending on when you go. The first way is when it is the lunchtime buffet, where service really cannot go wrong. I had a woman dressed in Indian dress that of course matched the food they were serving. For the second way, there is dinner. No longer a buffet but a more normal ordering system. Only small issue I had was the wait once done eating, it seemed like a long time.

Score: 4/5

Food
When I went for lunch, the food did seem a bit bland like they used the leftovers from the day before, but who knows. Regardless of that fact, the food tasted quite well if bland. I had a little bit of Chicken Vindaloo, Tikki Marsala, and a few other things that escape my memory. It is better when you go for dinner. I went for dinner and had their Chicken Vindaloo again, hoping for some spice to it. I was not disappointed. No longer was there any hint of blandness here. It was full of spicy and flavor to the point I was sweating while eating it. So amazing and exactly what I wanted. I even ordered a second Chicken Vindaloo to go for lunch at work the next day, however they gave me Chicken Tikki Marsala which was quite the downer.

Score: 5/5

Decor
This place does not look amazing. I cannot stress that enough. The outside is boring and not inspiring at all. The inside is very basic with a touch of cuteness added in. Could do a lot by making the inside, other than the hostess/waitress dressing Indian, match their food. The colors used are quite drab, maybe to make the food stand out more, but could brighten up the walls some.

Score: 2/5

Cost
This place is decently cheap. Not bad cheap like fast food, but good cheap like amazing food for low prices. My dinner alone cost maybe 25 dollars overall and that includes the second ordering to go. I highly recommend this place!

Score: 5/5

Overall Score: 4/5

Kirby's Korner: Sushi Axiom

I've gone to this place several times as I really enjoy their cooked dishes. I know, it's a sushi place and I'm eating non-sushi food. Oh well, I do what I do.

Service
This place had some decent service. I can only say decent since there is room for improvement as always. They were attentive and were quite helpful when asked.

Score: 3/5

Food
I am not a fan of uncooked meat or fish in general for that matter. However, I was at this place and had some nicely cooked pepper beef with sauteed vegetables. It was perfect. Very peppery in taste but with a nice asian flavor to it.

Score: 4/5

Decor
Very clean and up to date with today's culture. Since it was a sushi place, I would've thought something asian about the place in decor, however I did not really see anything. Very modern and 'hip' to today's culture. I did like the way it looked and was a very 'posh' place…is that how you say it? I'm not all that up to date on all the lingo.

Score: 5/5

Cost
Not the cheapest place in the world, but not expensive enough to break the bank. The price is appropriately matched to the food available. I love how it is presented as well, they obviously take a very good look at how to do so and it shows.

Score: 5/5

Overall Score: 4/5

Kirby's Korner: Thailicious

This restaurant was one of my first experiences with Thai cooking. And let me tell you, it was worth it.

Section 1: Service
The service here was great. We went in and were seated right away, given a minute or two to look over the menu, and then ordered. Very prompt on refilling our water glasses as well as making sure everything was cooked to our satisfaction without hovering.

Score: 5/5

Section 2: Food Quality
I had their Black Pepper Beef, which consisted of "beef, scallions, red pepper, onions and peppercorns in special black pepper sauce served on a hot plate." Directly quoted from their menu. Even though it wasn't as peppery as I was used to, which to me means tasting only the pepper, it was amazing. Very subtle flavors combining with the pepper spice to make a very tasty dish.

Score: 5/5

Section 3: Decor
This place has it's Thai theme going on, however some changes could be made. It is situated as a sort of hole in the wall in a shopping complex. They have a big purple wall that could probably be opened to show the actual cooking process which would also take away the feeling of being in a small box crammed between two other boxes in a UPS truck.

Score:> 2/5

Section 4: Cost
Kind of cheap for the quality of food you get. My dish filled me up and was about $12 USD and they could probably charge double that for the quality of it.

Score: 5/5

Overall Score: 4.25/5

Kirby's Korner: Edohana Hibachi & Sushi

First installment of the restaurant reviews section of the blog!

This past Friday I went to Edohana Hibachi & Sushi for the second time. The first time we went it was a good experience, this time not so much.

Section 1: Service
Now I don't necessarily expect 5 star service when going out to eat, however the service I incurred this past Friday was not the best. To keep you in the loop, this is a Hibachi steakhouse and Sushi bar. I have not been on the Sushi bar side, only the Hibachi part where the cook comes out and cooks everything right in front of you on a flat top grill.

So, the first time going the cook was amazing. He cooked the food and did it in a flashy manner as what is expected of this type of place. The second time, this was not the case. He tried to take the focus off of the food and onto himself. He even went so far as to make a show of tossing chunks of cooked egg into other customers' mouths. Yes it's flashy and showy, but very childish and not really what you should expect when going out to eat.

Side note was the actual waiter. He was very casual and not all that professional. Yes, he did take our order correctly, which the cook could not remember and had to ask, but in filling up my water he did spill all over the glass and table causing a small lake to form and attempt to flow on to me. Thanks for cleaning that up man.

Score: 3/5

Section 2: Food Quality
The food quality at this place is amazing. Each time the food was cooked to perfection right in front of us. The quantities were perfectly sized and filled me up while being quite tasty. I also enjoyed the fact that the cook pours a ginger sauce and hot mustard sauce before everything for you, which ended up being a good dipping sauce for my beef.

The hot mustard sauce was not really that hot, but had decent flavor. The cook also did everything in clear stages with a big show between each causing a little bit of a delay per part of your dish and that made some things go a bit cold unless you ate them as they came to you.

Score: 4/5

Section 3: Decor
This is located in a mall/shopping district and so looks just like another building on the outside. However, once you enter you are greeted by an open area with a small pond that has koi fish in it. Very Asian inspired.

This front area is where the Sushi bar area is located and appears to be very clean and organized.

You walk through an open doorway into a Hibachi steakhouse set up and it fits the part. Mostly looks up to date on repairs and staying in tune with their Hibachi theme. I did notice some issues with the ceiling tiles, but that is not a huge detracting mark.

Score: 4/5


Section 4: Cost
This place is very moderately priced. You get your meal with the luxury of watching it being cooked in front of you. The portions are perfect to fill you up but not stuff you into a food coma on your couch at home.

Score: 5/5

Overall Review Score: 4/5

Kirby's Korner

This is a new section for the blog that I have been meaning to get to for some time. This will be primarily reviews of local restaurants. I will be basing the reviews on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being superb and 1 being horrendous. The criteria will be listed below.

Section 1: Service
How attentive was the wait staff? Was the food cooked properly? Was your table/booth clean when you sat down? Was everything correct as you ordered it? Timeliness? Attitude?

Section 2: Food Quality
Was your food amazing? Was it cooked properly? Were there any screw ups?

Section 3: Decor
Did the place look in good repair? Was the decor fitting for the place or just thrown together?

Section 4: Cost
What the cost of the food was.

Now, this first week or so I will be catching up on quite a few places I've been to over the past month or so. Naturally, after they are posted it will slow down to about 1 per week. I hope you all enjoy that, especially the local readers.

~The Chef