Shiawase

We were running around town one day and decided to swing by Shiawase in Allen. We rarely make it to that part of town since it's quite far. But I've heard nothing but good things about this place.

Shiawase
2540 N. Watters Rd. #100
Allen, TX 75013
(214) 383-4462
http://shiawaserestaurant.com/
Price: $$-$$$

Apparently the original owners of Densetsu in Plano, which is one of our favorite sushi spots, so we had high hopes. We got there pretty late (after 1pm) and the place was pretty empty. It's way bigger than Densetsu.

We were seated immediately but took a while for someone to come and take our drink orders... Keeping in mind that they have gigantic sushi rolls like Densetsu, we tried to keep the order small. hehe.

Hiyayako (organic Japanese tofu served with green onion, seaweed, fish flake, and ponzu sauce) $6.25~ Pretty good. The tofu was silky and soft. Nothing super amazing though. I do still prefer the fried Agedashi tofu in general. hehe.

House Green Salad (spring mix salad with tomato, cucumber, carrot; served with house dressing) $4.50~ I always like to have some veggies with every meal. I liked their dressing a lot.

Shooting Star (ahi tuna, salmon, yellowtail, crab meat, avocado inside; topped with smelt egg; served with Japanese mustard sauce) $14.95~ 

These rolls were ginormous!! Definitely a 3-4 biter. Wow... and LOADED with sashimi. Everything was fresh, they definitely didn't skimp on the seafood. Deeelicious. I liked the added flavor of the mustard sauce as well.

Fashion Show (California roll topped with ahi tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, shrimp, smelt egg, spicy tuna, spicy scallop; served with yuzu and sweet eel sauce) $15.95~ 

This is probably one of the prettiest rolls I've ever seen in my life. Each of the rolls is topped with a different kind of fish (or seafood). It's just so beautiful! And it's about 2 whole pieces of sashimi on top of EACH roll. OMG! Soooo worth the money. Goodbye Rainbow Roll, this is now my favorite. haha.

It was a great lunch. Shiawase definitely delivered on the food. And I don't believe Densetsu has some of these rolls so we'll definitely have to come back. And we were stuffed! NOMS!

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Nobu - Chef's Tasting

A while ago I bought a deal on Living Social for a 6 course chef's tasting at Nobu Dallas for 4 people. I've been to the original Nobu in NYC and was not impressed at all but this deal was pretty damn good. Plus I had an additional discount on Living Social so that knocked the price down even more! Turned out to be about $46 a person after tax and tip. I think we saved over 50%!

Nobu
400 Crescent Court
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 252-7000
http://www.noburestaurants.com/dallas
Price: $$$$$+

I have never been to the on in Dallas. It's inside the Crescent Court Hotel (beautiful btw, if you haven't been). You can either park in the self parking garage and get your ticket validated at the restaurant, or you can do valet... I think it's like $4 if you are dining there.

Our reservation was at 7:30, and we got seated immediately once we checked in. The place is much bigger than I imagined and the decor is great. A lot of great accents on the walls and dim mood lighting.

I went with my fiance and 2 other friends. One of my friends was running late so we ordered our drinks and waited for her (for as long as we could... haha). My fiance got a hot tea. I loved the teapot. 

And my other friend got some sort of cucumber drink.

Finally we told the waitress to start serving, we were too hungry to wait any longer! XP

1st Course: Yellowtail Sashimi (jalapeno slices, soy sauce). 

Very nicely presented. We were a little worried about the portion size since we were all very hungry. And usually tastings have smaller portions, right? The yellowtail was super fresh. The waitress recommended us eat a piece with a slice of jalapeno and a cilantro leaf. I don't like cilantro, but the combination works. It was a good start.

My friend made it before the 2nd course came out. Seared Salmon (Japanese spicy sauce, shaved radish). 

Really good salmon. Fresh. I loved the spicy sauce, even though it wasn't really spicy. And the super thinly sliced radishes added a nice crunch and lightness. I liked this better than the first dish.

3rd Course: Miso Cod (with eggplant). 

I love miso cod. So much flavor and usually melts in your mouth. This one met the expectation. It was delicious. I even ate the eggplant! (I'm not a fan, usually.) I said I would love to have some rice to go with this and others agreed. So we got a bowl of rice to share. Great combo. I ate very slowly to savor it all. Best dish of the night, although so far everything has been delish!

4th Course: Tenderloin (with Peruvian anticucho sauce and spicy sauce). 

 

We were all worried we would still be hungry after this meal, but this course started making me change my mind. haha. The tenderloin looks small but man, I was getting full! I would've liked the meat more medium rare, it was closer to medium. But it was still super tender. I really liked the flavor on the meat. The duo of sauces were interesting. I'm not sure if I liked either of them. I think the meat can hold its own without the sauces... The charred pepper was actually quite spicy when you get to the part with the seeds. It added a really nice heat to the dish.

5th Course: Tuna and Yellowtail Roll (with avocado and spicy sauce). 

For some reason I had it in my head that this was a 5 course meal. So I was a little confused when they served us sushi for what I thought was the last course. I quickly found out it was 6 courses. hehe. Score! I was officially full by now. This was a big course! I am determined to eat it all. haha. Really beautiful rolls with the thin slices of radish around the outside. The pyramid presentation is cool too. And the colors from the fish and avocado made me think of a painting. Delicious too. I loved the radish on the outside because it gave it a crunch and freshness. The only complaint is that their wasabi wasn't strong enough! :P

6th Course: Miso Cappuccino (milk chocolate miso brulee, vanilla ice cream, candied pecans, cappuccino foam). 

For our last course, we saw a waiter carrying these around earlier and peaked our interest. Miso cappuccino? How cool! It came in a cute little cup. I loved the presentation. The foam was puffy on top and looked so good. I kept forgetting it was foam and expected it to be more like a mousse consistency. But it really was foam. Super light. But to eat it, you scoop all the way down so you get all the layers. The candied pecans added a crunch, a much needed texture. The miso brulee at the bottom was the best layer. Rich and sweet. It was a really great, and unique dessert. I didn't get much of the miso, but I think it mostly added a slight salty element so that it brings out all the other flavors. Now give me a giant mug of it!!

This was a great meal. Completely different than my initial experience at Noby NYC. (Everything tasted the same there for some reason, and ridiculously overpriced.) I'm glad I got the deal. This is not a cheap restaurant and I don't know if I would pay $20+ for any of our starting dishes... I wonder if a la carte dishes are slightly bigger in portion. But anyways, I got a great deal. The food was delicious. I loved the decor. And we were all stuffed afterwards! Service was also really good. Sometimes the waiters bringing the food aren't very good about describing the dish but that's probably my only complaint. The manager came over after to scan my deal and she was super friendly. Asked for our opinion of each course and told us what the chef's thought process was for each one. I like learning about those things. Makes you appreciate the creations more.

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Roy's Hawaiian Fusion (and a big surprise!)

Surprise! We went to Roy's again. haha. Definitely one of our favorite places in Dallas. My bf told me he had made a reservation there for dinner on the 4th because he had a project that's ending and he wanted to celebrate. Naturally I said yea sure! And I was glad that his project was gonna be done... he had been so stressed lately. :( We always go to Roy's for special occasions. They always make us feel special and of course the food is fantastic. But little did I know.. his project wasn't a work thing like I assumed. After dinner we went home and watched July 4th fireworks on his roof where he proceeded to propose! What what?? The "project" wasn't work related at all, it was his months of planning the surprise proposal and getting the ring! Awww. So... SURPRISE to me! haha. What a sneaky guy. :P And of course I said "yes!" :D He's such a sweetie. hehe.

He said the plan had to include good food and Roy's holds sentimental value in both of us so it was perfect.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion
2840 Dallas Parkway
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-6263
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/locations/tx/plano
Price: $$$$

We had an earlier reservation since we wanted to get back in time for the fireworks. And I saw that they had extended their happy hour (Aloha Hour) times as well as the menu. I suggested going a little earlier and trying some of the appetizers at the bar.

It's been awhile since I've been to happy hour at Roy's but from what I remember, their wagyu sliders are pretty awesome.

I chose the Crispy Pork & Steamed Buns (green apple slaw, red dragon sauce) $6~ 

Very good. The buns were steamed nicely and so fluffy. The pork was crispy and had a ton of flavor with the sauce. I loved the addition of the apple in the slaw. Never had that in a steamed bun before. It added sweetness and a freshness and a crunch. I would totally get these again.

He picked the Tempura-Crusted Ahi Roll (spicy togarashi miso butter sauce) $6~ 

There was too much rice to other stuff ratio. We wondered if it's because it's a happy hour item. But I liked the way they did the tempura. It seemed more liked breadcrumbs instead of an actual tempura batter. But it was nice and crunchy. And the miso butter sauce was good. Just needed more tuna!

They also have a list of cocktails on special for $6. He ordered a Mai Tai.

We finished right in time for our reservation. We were seated immediately. As we were sitting down, we told the hostess that we were so happy to hear that they put the classic version of the Misoyaki Butterfish back on the menu. She agreed that it should've never been off the menu! It was definitely a highlight to our week when we found out. :) Our waiter was super friendly and quickly greeted us, and he was fantastic throughout the night. 

We pretty much knew what we wanted going in. And since we had some food at the bar already we didn't order too much.

Lakanilau Roll (Wagyu beef, snow crab, tempura asparagus, avocado sesame miso, truffled greens) $16.90~ 

We tried this for the first time last visit to Roy's. Love it! I love the flavor of the beef with the truffle. Sure beats the tuna roll during hh! haha. It doesn't even need any additional soy sauce, it already has so much flavor.

Misoyaki Butterfish (Alaskan black cod, baby bok choy, Furikake rice) $34.60~ 

They brought back the Classic preparation of the butterfish!! About time! The Classic is the one with the bright green wasabi cream sauce. One of my favorite dishes of all time. He called ahead to pre-order it when he made the reservation. But then we found out they brought it back! Apparently enough people have complained/requested it that corporate knew they made a mistake. And according to our waiter, Plano is special cuz we got it back on the menu first! :D We asked them if they could split it since we were sharing. They have a $5.99 split plate charge, but we went ahead and did it since basically each person gets their own rice, bok choy, and most importantly... the wasabi cream sauce! The half portion was actually perfect. I mean, I can totally stuff more in my face, but my stomach might not be able to hold it all. haha. The fish was cooked to perfection. Melts in your mouth! Hence the name. The sauce is divine. I can just bathe in it. :P

Baby Greens Salad (shaved carrot, grape tomato, Japanese Yuzu honey emulsion) $9.90~ 

I wanted some veggies to supplement the dinner. In hindsight, we could've done without it. But it was good. Very light, fresh, wasn't overly dressed or filling.

Needless to say, it was a fantastic dinner. He did good by choosing the perfect restaurant. AND surprising me later on the rooftop. haha. And I guess in the future posts I have to refer to him as my "fiancée"! And thanks to Roy's for another great meal. :)

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Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

We went to Roy's again last Friday. Love that place! The main purpose was because my bf wanted to try their limited time Winter Trio. (And luck would have it, I happen to get a $20 off coupon in email! It was meant to be. haha) I had emailed the restaurant a couple weeks ago to see how long it's around for and they told me April 6th, so I made a reservation for 3/28. However, the day before our reservation, I came across an article saying that the dish is only through 3/23. Wait, what? So I called the restaurant to check. Apparently the lady I had first communicated with from corporate had sent the restaurant a message saying to have this for us when we went. How awesome is that? We definitely felt super special! :) Roy's has always had amazing service and I was completely impressed with this.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion
2840 Dallas Pkwy.
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-6263
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/locations/tx/plano.asp
Price: $$$-$$$$

We arrived for our 7:30PM reservation and was immediately seated. I immediately noticed that they had changed the entire look of their menu. It's thinner and more sleek looking now. And they've just updated to their spring prix fixe last week.

We got some waters and their spiced edamame and ordered a couple of cocktails. We really like their low calorie Coconut Frappe and Mai Tai Ultra.

We started with the Lakanilau Roll (Wagyu beef, snow crab, asparagus, avocado, sesame miso, truffled greens) $16.95~? 

I recently saw this posted on their facebook page and it just sounded amazing. A tad pricey for a roll but it was sooo worth it. The quality of ingredients were great. I could definitely get the hint of truffle which paired really well with the wagyu beef. Wagyu literally means "Japanese cow", they are well fed and have a high amount of marbling. In Japan, wagyu can be synonymous with Kobe. The beef was sliced thin on top, really tender, and the asparagus had a nice crunch to add texture. I normally like to dip sushi in a thick wasabi paste (meaning I put a bit of soy sauce with my mound of wasabi, haha) but the sesame miso was yummy on its own and I only used minimal wasabi. We both loved it.

My bf obviously got his Winter Trio (Hoisin-Glazed Duck, grilled Kalbi Beef Short Rib, Singapore-Style Crab Cake; served with Asian vegetables and noodles) $26.95~ 

I'd say the duck was my favorite. The beef short rib was his. He really enjoyed the dish, I thought it was just ok. I've had much better other stuff at Roy's. It was just a bit sweet overall. Everything was cooked well and tender. But the crab cake was too salty. It did taste better when we ate it together with the duck. The noodles were a tad overcooked, and I'm a stickler for soft noodles.

I came in with the mindset to try new things this time, since I normally get the butterfish. I decided on the Dynamite Baked Hawaiian Swordfish (bok choy tempura, oshizushi rice, dragon sauce) $26.95~ 

I think I've only had swordfish one other time in my life so I wanted to try it again. I know that swordfish is a denser fish and it was... it was more like a steak. haha. I loved this dish. It was on the heavy side with the dynamite sauce on the fish, the cream sauce, and the tempura but oh sooooo good. If you've ever had a volcano roll, it was like they took that sauce, covered the fish, and baked it. Deeeeelicious. The rice was seasoned and had a slight tang to it like sushi rice. It paired sooo well with the sauce. The dragon sauce is basically a Korean chili sauce, not really spicy and had some sweetness to it. And I've never had tempura bok choy before. It was nicely fried and added another texture to the dish. I liked my dish way better than my bf's. :P I scraped my plate clean! Had to get all that yummy sauce.

For dessert, my bf assumed we were getting the chocolate souffle cake, but guess again! Trying new things, remember? The waitress mentioned the Lemon & Ginger Creme Brulee (topped with berries), and it sounded really good. 

I don't normally prefer creme brulee but the lemon and ginger combo sounded refreshing. And it was! The flavors made it seem lighter than normal creme brulees and it was a great finish to our meal since we were both pretty full.

Once again, we had a great time at Roy's. I got to try a bunch of new things. :) Our waitress was all smiles and did a great job. I'm sure we'll be back again in no time.

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Edo Japan - Rockwall

I went to Edo Japan this past weekend. It's my bf's favorite place for sushi so he really wanted me to try it. 

EDO Japan Steakhouse, Sushi, & Bakery 
1067 Interstate 30 
Rockwall, Texas 75087 
(972) 722-2555 
http://www.edojapantexas.com 
Price (for sushi): $$ 

Walking up to the restaurant, it's pretty unassuming since it was just in a strip mall. But once we entered, it was bigger than I expected. The decor was really nice and modern. Red, white and black were the dominant colors in the sushi bar area. And there's hibachi on the other side of the restaurant. 

Our waitress warmly welcomed us and brought us our drinks. The cocktail my bf wanted wasn't on the menu anymore, but they still made it for him. I got hot tea since I was a little sick. I liked the little teapot. 

I let him order since there were specific things he wanted me to try. I love pretty much any kind of sushi so I'm totaly up for trying whatever. 

We started with the Stuffed Pepper Shrimp (crab, shrimp, jalapeno, cream cheese; tempura battered and fried) $12?? I'm not too sure how much it was... $12-15 probably. 

It was presented beautifully. All the different layers of colors and textures in the peppers over a bed of spring mix lettuce. It was delicious but very rich. It could totally be a meal on its own. The cream cheese was the source of the richness and brought everything together. The addition of the jalapeno was nice. It gave it that bit of spice... wasn't actually spicy though. The tempura batter added crunch, another layer of texture. I really liked it, but I don't think I can eat more than 2 pieces. haha. Definitely a must try! But share! :P 

Scallop Volcano Roll (California roll, scallop on top, eel sauce) $13~ 

I love volcano roll with either crawfish or scallops. This was pretty good, but not the best I've had. There wasn't much scallops but definitely a lot of crab. The rolls were made well. I didn't care for the eel sauce though. It was different than any eel sauce I've had anywhere else. The flavor wasn't as robust as I'm used to and it wasn't as dark in color either... It was still good though. 

Rockwall Roll (tuna, salmon, whitefish, asparagus, avocado, panko deep fried, eel sauce) $11.95~ 

I normally don't prefer fried sushi because they get a little too greasy. This one wasn't. I really liked the panko batter which made it crispier and lighter. 

Edo Special Cucumber Roll (tuna, salmon, white fish, yellowtail, crabmeat, asparagus, cucumber) $12.95~ 

I picked this one. It didn't have any rice in it. I thought it would something different to try. The colors were beautiful. And it was very refreshing. I liked that it was carb free after the other rolls with rice. The cucumber added a nice crunch to it. The fish were all very fresh as well. I liked it a lot. 

I also got a ginger salad (sorry no picture). The portion size was pretty good and the ginger dressing was nicely done. They brought it out a little late and the waitress immediately said they were going to comp it. How nice! :)

We were stuffed, surprisingly... Normally I can eat a lot of sushi, but I wasn't too hungry to begin with. Plus the appetizer was VERY filling! I really wanted to try their desserts since "bakery" is in the restaurant name. But I figured I'd be back again in the near future so I opted not to. Supposedly their cheesecake is really good! Until next time... 

Our waitress was fantastic. She was super cheerful and checked on us frequently. It made the dining experience even better. We had a good time. I'll definitely be back! :) 

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