Critic's Review
Review 4/30/19
I didn't like the idiots who owned this place before (New River is now completely out of business, thankfully), so thats a reason that I didn't come here sooner. It's kind of an odd location. They have a parking lot across the street dedicated to the restaurant. It was pouring out and I didn't have an umbrella in the car. Tick Tock. It was 2:48 and lunch ends at 3. But finally the rain stopped.
Inside the place looks a lot different than before. The weird blue seats have been replaced with Phat Boy's signature black and white. I never, ever, sit at a sushi bar. It's not something I'd consider doing.
The dining room is small but not too cluttered. It looks like a small restaurant.
Another signature is the murals. This is how they Roll. Very catchy.
I ordered iced tea, and pondered the menu. Ice Tea comes in a can.
Dear Server: if iced tea isn't freshly brewed like in 98% of other restaurants, it's worthy of mention when the customer orders. I mentioned this in my last review, but apparently they don't give a shit what I think.
Not bad tea, but no refills with a can. $3.00 for iced tea with no refills is too much. I'd ordered the Sashimi lunch special, which includes soup or salad. Miso soup is the only choice. YUCK. How about chicken broth? Or Hot Water? Both better than Miso. If you want to stand out from others, offer something other than Miso or salads with weird dressings. I went for the salad.
The salad came out right away.
Wasabi dressing, whatever that is. Didn't taste any wasabi in it, but it wasnt bad. Too bad there was no lettuce in the salad, just weeds.
House music fills the air.
I was still eating the salad when the sushi came out. "Are you done with the salad". "No, Im not". This seemed to set my server off a bit. Do you have to finish the salad before starting on the sushi?
The sashimi lunch has less sushi than I got in the other place. The same amount of tuna and salmon, just sliced thinner, and no snapper. I didn't like the snapper anyway.
The plank serving tray is edgy, but I prefer a tray with edges. Stuff slides off these trays. dishes have rims for a reason. To keep the food from sliding off the plate. This is particularly important in America where you have a lot of people who aren't really that good with chopsticks.
The California roll is particularly good. The rice doesn't have that sushi rice taste; it almost buttery. Very good. And it doesnt fall apart when you bite into it. Please teach everyone else how to make these.
The sushi quality here is excellent. It would be nice to have an option other than table soy sauce for dipping, but that's the only thing they have here. Time to break out a second sauce, guys.
Conclusion
Aside from the $3 can of colored water, the $11 lunch isn't a bad deal considering it comes with a salad. I'm not a big sushi eater, but this is a decent lunch option.
Who'd have thought I'd lunch at Fat Boyz and Phat Boy within a week. But I did.