Sushi Sakai Suchi and Saki Bar

 Sushi Saki serves many things.... especially sushi.
They had quite a selection and make beautiful "party boats" too!

Please see their menu, here.

This is a family owned restaurant.... with lots of room... and options for seating.  It is located at the intersection of Bowdish and Sprague... in Spokane Valley at 11520 East Sprague Ave.

It is also pretty authentic.

Here is our tea and miso soup!  It was, "Oh sooooo good!"

While I have tasted sushi. and I like many of the flavors, it's not my favorite things o the menu. 
We selected the tempura vegetables.. which IS one of my favorites!

and we were in the mood for Korean...


We ordered Bolgogi!  Pork and Chicken.  Here are the condiments that were served with it:

One can be happy when you can enjoy it the next day also!

They offer catering, and private rooms and rates for  private parties.  They are also listed on the Urbanspoon "gluten free friendly" restaurant list if that is of interest to you. too.

Avacado Buffet

This restaurant has closed or changed names.
       *****************************

There is yet another new restaurant in Spokane, as of May 2011 anyhow.  It's called, the Avocado Buffet.  Geo noticed it while driving by and he took note of this sign:




It reads, "Chinese, Japanese, Korean Cuisine."


Needless to say, a few days later we had to give this place a try. 

It is kinda tucked away in this shopping center, 328 North Sullivan Road.








Inside, it is very attractive; I liked it.  I especially liked the higher tables. 

We were there after eight, but they stay open till nine, and I must say, they did a good job of making sure the food was available till closing time.  There were food items that I liked better than others, but over all I thought it was great restaurant... if you like Asian buffet.


Selections I remember were:
sushi, shrimp in butter sauce, barbecue spare ribs, egg roll, curry chicken, sweet and sour chicken or poured on them,) chow mein, pork bulgoki, teriyaki chicken, and there was more;  I just do not remember all the items I saw.  They also had a salad bar and desserts.

I am not sure if the menu changes throughout the week or not, but there were some nice options.



If you eat here, I recommend that you skip the American style plates and go for the Japanese styled ones.  They are great!




Pictured here is:  (clock-wise) 
Hot and Sour Soup,
Cucumber Kimchee
Garlic Green Beans (my favorite)
Curry Chicken, (Yum!)
Deep Fried Chicken pieces, for dipping in
         Sweet and Sour Sauce
 and an array of various melons
                           ...from the salad bar.

As I mentioned, I especially liked the special Japanese style plates with sections to put your food in.  They are a very nice way to serve and eat your food. 

Geo had the spicy seafood soup.  He began with just a taste and had "seconds."  Here is the "firsts."  It was definitely spicy and definitely seafoody.  It even has little squiddies in it.


Not for the novice spicy food eater..... if you know what I mean.  For the adventurous novice, the Hot and Sour soup was great.

They had great iced tea too... several flavor choices.... not Coca Cola flavored tea though.





Me?
Green beans and kimchee cukes, please.  Yum!

While we still have our favorite buffet (and Asian) places to eat in town, we are glad there is a wide variety of buffet style restaurants in Spokane, and we welcome another one.   No doubt, our favorite buffets are ones with an Asian flair!

Bonsai

On a recent outing to Coeur d'Alene, ID, some friends recommended Bonsai to us, telling us how neat of an environment it was downstairs. 

They informed us that this place had a little stream with fish and turtles for the enjoyment of their guests indoors.  We had walked past outdoors before, and seen a stream there but had no idea that they had one inside, with fish! Well, it was late and we were hungry, and since Bonsai serves Asian food, one of our favorites, we just had to check it out!

 
We were escorted over a bridge to sit at a table on a little island that had a stream around it.  Needless to say, we got a great close-up  experience with the fish and turtles while we ate. 

The children in the restaurant really enjoyed the creatures.  Apparently restaurant personnel provide the children food to feed the critters too.  It was a delight to watch the children giggle and laugh... and talk to, and about, the turtles and the fish.

As for the food, though it was unique in some ways, it was great-tasting and pretty too.

We ordered three dishes...from their "special deal" menu... and special of three dishes for $24.00, (or something like that) We ordered... if I remember correctly.... General Tao's Chicken, a Hawaiian Chicken dish and  Schechuan Beef.  It came with rice and was delicious.  They even have little bamboo sticks for eating your food!








Bonsai is near the big resort, the Coeur d'Alene Resort at 101 Sherman Ave....

Upstairs is a beautiful sushi bar.... and a bar that serves alcoholic beverages too.  But downstair, is where you'll find the swimming turtles and fish.

Baek Chun Sushiyama

Well, we have found another terrific restaurant... Baek Chun Sushiyama located  at 13032 W 14th Ave in Airway Heights.  It is hard to believe we have driven right by this one many times and never thought to give it a try, that is until tonight.  I am not sure what lead us here... probably the Korean food advertisement, but I am sure glad we found this place.

If you have never been here, and if you love oriental foods, this is the place for you!  It is the place for me, that is for sure.  It's a really pretty little place, decorated so nicely and it serves really great food.

Baek Chun Sushiyama specializes in both Japanese and Korean food, I have since learned that they have a special reputation for sushi.  We felt very welcomed and well cared for during our meal too.

In addition to a restaurant, the owners run an oriental food store that shares the same building.  The store is filled to the brim with all kinds of foodstuff that you might want to have handy if you enjoy Japanese or Korean foods at home.  I loved browsing up and down the isles looking at all the interesting things.

Geo ordered Korean, and I ordered Japanese.  He had the Kim Chee Soup and I had a Bento with Teriaki and Tempura. 

Here you see his soup with all the Korean trimmings--- These we delicious.  The Kiim chee was awesome. 

Here is my Teryaki Chicken Bento---

The Bento came with all sorts of yummy tempura, some side salads and California Roll.  (a.k.a. sushi)  To my surprise the sushi had fish eggs on top.  These kinda looked like orange sprinkles.  I ate them.

Wow, I have never eaten caviar before... fish eggs either....  I wish I could rant and rave but they were so small they were almost unnoticeable... except I had to go and ask what it was on my sushi.

"Fish Eggs"

They were not so bad.  Geo loves caviar, and often has tried to get me to eat them.  HE did not even have to try, I just ate them, he helped a little because we shared.

I am so glad to have discovered this little place.  It iw well worth the drive to Airway Heights to check out all the little restaurant that they have hidden over there.  This one is a little gem....  a little bit like those sparkling fish egg sprinkles, you might say;  definitely "a keeper".... and one we will visit again... and again!

We will be back... soon!