Teriyaki Express is Asian food but in addition to the food, they also have drive-up or order- in espresso. The restaurant has gone through several changes, even a change of ownership, but the most recent addition is that of a sushi bar. Personally, I was sad to see the Teriyaki bowls disappear, I still think it would be good for them to have at least a low cost item on their menu for the drive by eater... a small "to go"teriyaki bowl, but apparently they do not. Most items on the menu are around 8.00. Also, I do not get too excited about sushi, (except the kind with veggies only.) We do drop in here from time to time because of the convenient location, the cleanliness of the place and we like the people there too. Besides that, it's Asian food.
Nate almost always orders Bolgoki, which is a beef stir-fry sort of dish. Hew like it here because they are light on the onions. I ordered the combination plate, which I really enjoyed. I loved the way it was served on a plate with little compartments. They are a little light on the sauces in their foods, mostly they serve soy sauce, which to me is rather boring. It's like a staple food when it comes to oriental flavors, so its nothing "special."
They seem a little conservative, that is, not wasteful, which is a good thing in my opinion, but for example, in a large group we ordered two orders of goyza, and they brought it to us all on one plate. (made me wonder, "Are they conserving plates?") The service might be described as a little conservative too, tea is not served to the tables unless you order it. Also, because we lacked silverware at our table, and had to request our check, it seemed like they were not quite on top of things all of the time, but they are sometimes a busy place and I think perhaps there maybe a little bit of a language barrier to cross as well. None-the-less, these are very friendly and considerate to all their customers, the food is good, and good portions too.
I got a chance to peek at the sushi bar. I love the colors of sushi when it is on a plate and I love the flavors of ginger and wasabi, I like the rice and nori seaweed too, (mostly when it's filled with veggies.) I must say, the sushi bar looked wild and fresh!
I mean, there were octopus legs and to me that is just plain wild! There were many other delicacies I am sure, but what struck me the most was the octopus legs. (If you like octopus and other ocean wild things, this could be for you.) Everything was packed beautifully on ice in a beautiful array in their showcase and I could tell, they take their sushi making seriously. It kinda made me think about ordering a California roll, but I didn't.
I did not have the same experience. I ordered the Ika salad and was served octopus instead of the squid I was anticipating. Next I ordered the Alaskan roll that was supposed to be salmon, avocado, and cucumber. If there was any avocado I could not see or taste it. But I checked my bill and sure enough I had been charged for a squid salad and a more expensive Alaskan roll. Too bad....I was excited to have a sushi joint so close to my home! I was not in the mood to point out the mistakes...but I wish the owners luck nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI love this place! My husband and I love sushi and have gone to every place in the Washington/Idaho area that we know of that makes sushi, and this place by far surpasses them all! It is not much to look at from the outside, but it is probably one of Spokane's best kept secret. You walk in and this family owned restaurant is casual, but so friendly! We have gone there 4 or 5 times since we found out about it about a month ago and they remembered us from the very first time we came in. It is a husband, wife and their family, they are all about the quality and perfecting the art of sushi making. He gets his fish fresh twice a week from seattle and can make any sushi/sushimi roll or Nigiri roll that you can think of. He is so creative and puts so much time into making sure even the smallest of details is perfected! It is truely entertaining to watch him make his little pieces of art. They have good relaxing music playing in the background and since it is so new and not well known yet, it is very nice not to be crowded or have to wait long periods of time for your food. I would much rather spend my money on a well run family owned business who is just doing it because they love it and are trying to make a living rather then going to one of these big restaurants in town that make your food as fast as they try to get you, out so that they can get more people in. I strongly recommend trying it and guarantee you will want to go back and tell everyone you know about it. There is other food as well that is really good, all made with fresh ingredients for the people who aren't so big on sushi. As for all of our experiences we have not had a bad one yet and actually have left so happy everytime we can't stop talking about it!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I love sushi. We recently moved here from the midwest and couldnt wait to try out the new (to us) sushi places! I really like this place! They are very friendly and welcoming. I try to stop in there once every few weeks, and they are always friendly and the food is always fresh and delicious!
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