Sushi Boat

Location: San Jose, CA
Cuisine type: Sushi Boats bar
Atmosphere: sushi bar or table option, smooth music, traditional decor
Meal: dinner
Price range: ~$3 - $6 / sushi plate
Overall grade: 7.25

Nina

The fact that I don’t remember too much of what I ate here speaks to two different things - one, that it’s been quite a while since I ate here and I really should be more diligent about keeping up with the blog; two, the food here has not been too memorable. Of course, that means not only that I was not particularly blown away by their selection, but also that there I didn’t encounter anything particularly bad - that would stick with me for much longer.
In broad terms, this place is a somewhat typical mall restaurant - accessible, quick, and with just enough unique atmosphere to make you forget you’ve already spent half the day on your feet, hopping from store to store for a dress you’re only going to wear one. But I digress. We chose the serving style that’s near and dear to my heart - the sushi boats - where fishy yumminess passes slowly in front of your eyes on little boats chained together, while you pick and choose which plates will leave the boats and join the growing stack on your part of the counter. I like this not only for the large variety of choices (at the better places, which I would say this one qualifies as) and the option to ask for customized plates from the sushi chef directly, but also for the bite-sized portions on each plate which allow you to try much more things than if you had to settle for a couple off-the-menu rolls or even a “chef’s choice” variety platter.
Aside from the usual variations on the overdone California roll, this place did have a few unique offerings. One example would be the baked stuffed shrimp covered in a creamy sauce, or the roe nigiris with their fishy yet delicate oily mouth feel. The thing that probably stuck with me most was the dessert, which I was not able to find in most other restaurants of this type. On the boats they also had these thin slices of green tea cheesecake, which I had on my mind from the moment I sat down until the satisfying moment when I decided I had eaten enough fish and wanted to dig into a mildly sweet and unique dessert.

Food 7
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 6

Ben
A nice place for a restaurant in a mall (Valley Fair in San Jose). We went with the sushi boats during prime dinner time. The cuts were pretty fresh and pretty generous portions. They had nice cuts of all of the classics nigiri (including sea urchin, a gooey delicious favorite) and a good amount of creative rolls as well. We enjoyed that the counter was high, so it was easy to see the behind the running boats chefs, cutting sashimi pieces off a large salmon. It was a lively atmosphere of people coming in and out, and the running boats are conducive to quick snacks between shopping or full meals. Overall most of the dishes we tried were very good, the green tea cheesecake was probably the only real disappointment (firm and bland, not as good as it looked..).

Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 9
Value 7

Amarin Thai

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Thai
Atmosphere: authentic decor, lively
Meal: late dinner
Price range: $9 - $15 / entree
Overall grade: 7.3

Ben

It is a difficult decision choosing a restaurant when on Castro Street in Mountain View, but this place looked lively and I was in the mood for Thai, so we tried it out. We started out with a curry shrimp soup served in a fresh coconut shell - what could be more Thai than that? I generally do love these flavors, but I found this dish fantastic. Combining the taste of the creamy soup and shrimp with fresh coconut scraped from the walls is a delicious way to start a meal.. I recommend it (you pay a slight premium for the coconut but I think it's definitely worth the flavor and experience). I ordered a green curry and went with the highest spiciness level - which I was very satisfied with. The dish was rich with flavor and the chicken and vegetables were very well cooked, I really enjoyed it. Our fried mango ice cream dessert was a perfect ending to the meal. The drink selection was decent, a few beers but better wine selection. The atmosphere is lively, chatty, and busy, in a pleasant way. Our only problem was the service was incredibly slow and inconsistent. We had to wait about 30 minutes from when we were finished with our food to wave someone down to order a dessert, then had to chase someone else down 15 minutes later to get the bill. We ended up taking the bill to the register and paying there so we wouldn't have to chase anyone else down to move on with our night. We generally didn't see the same service people twice and they seemed severely understaffed or just slow. The overall food experience was great, but was severely marred by the atrocious service (we were so surprised we looked at other reviews, and found this is a common experience). 

Food         9

Drinks        7
Atmosphere 8
Service       3
Value         7

Nina

Friday night is a good opportunity to take a break from coking dinner at home and try out something new. Going to Castro in Mountain View is an easy decision because of all the amazing choices it hosts within a couple of blocks. Choosing a restaurant, however, is the farthest thing from easy - so many choices! After walking up and down the street a few times, we stopped at Amarin, the first Thai place we've tried in a long time. The restaurant was very busy, with small tables close together and very few open seats.  The food was great, but unfortunately the service suffers from a staff shortage - or at the very least low level of efficiency in service.


It took a while for us to place our order, it seemed like they were quite a bit short on servers for how many customers they had for dinner. I ordered a Castro Cosmo, which was a classic cocktail with an exotic twist - lychee juice. The appetizer was also exotic in flavor, and even more so in its presentation - coconut curry prawn soup in a young coconut. The seafood was tender and perfectly cooked, the broth was mild a creamy, and the mushrooms, corn and young coconut pulp were perfect complements to complete the dish.


My entree was also something I had never tried before - whole soft shell crab, deep fried in panko bread crumbs and served on a bed of lettuce with a cucumber hoisin salad and crumbled peanuts on the side. The breading on the crab was just a tad too greasy, but otherwise the inside was tender and juicy, overall a positive first experience with this type of dish.


To finish such an interesting meal, we just had to order a unique dessert - the fried mango ice cream. The breading was similar to that of the soft shell crab, almost too similar, but the creamy ice-cream inside was delicious.

Food         8

Drinks        9
Atmosphere 8
Service       5
Value         7

Britannia Arms Downtown

Location: San Jose, CA
Cuisine type: British Pub
Atmosphere: sports bar, pub
Meal: late dinner
Price range: $8 - $16 / plate
Overall grade: 7.9

Ben

We stopped in here on Halloween night (a Monday) to grab a beer, bar food, and costumed-people-watch (in our own cowboy attire) with even some MNF in the background. The restaurant was pretty empty so we sat at the bar, the bartenders were very friendly and outgoing. There was not a large beer selection, they rather went with limited number of high quality beers (which I appreciate as large menus overwhelm me..). The layout is a simple classic pub layout - long bar, offset dining tables, though had a much cleaner feel than  my perception of a classic pub. I ordered one of the British classics (sausage (bangers), onions, mashed potatoes, and vegetables for me), which I found about as good as british food could possibly be. The prices were decent for the drinks and food. Overall, it is an enjoyable, reliable bar to grab food or drinks, and with a convenient downtown San Jose location. 

Food          8

Drinks        8

Atmosphere 8

Service       9

Value         7

Nina

We stopped by this place on Halloween night dressed in cowboys - the reason was not as much the food (we had no idea what to expect) as was the fortunate combination of a bar/pub open late on a Monday night, with them showing the football game with the sound on, so we could actually follow the game.

The menu consisted of various dishes from the old world, though I did notice in the sides listing they still called french fries as "fries" rather than "chips" on the menu, and potato chips were not "crisps" either. After pondering over some of the classics - sausage (bangers), fish'n'chips, I went with something hearty since I was really starving at that point. I got the 12 oz steak with onion rings, french fires and steamed vegetables. The steak was well seasoned and perfectly cooked and the onion rings and fries were crispy and not too greasy. However, the vegetables were quite plain, not nearly seasoned enough and a bit overcooked. Steak sauce made them palatable but still not something I would pick off a menu on its own. The beer selection was not too impressive, but there were enough choices on draught that I was happy with what I got.

This place is not somewhere I would go for a gourmet dinner,  but for a hearty meal over a game of football it remains a solid option.

Food           7

Drinks        8

Atmosphere 8

Service       9

Value         8

Mezbaan Bar & Indian Cuisine

Location: Santa Clara, CA
Cuisine type: Indian traditional
Atmosphere: family style seating, casual atmosphere
Meal: dinner
Price range: ~$13 - $18 / entree
Overall grade: 7.9

Ben

A good-looking restaurant in the River Mark plaza in northern San Jose, well decorated and pretty large sized compared to most Indian restaurants in the area. We were hauled in by an anxious server as we were walking by perusing the menu. During the meal, we were waited on by 3 different servers, all very professional and polite. We started out with the special appetizer of the night, a royal chicken breast in spices.. it was spicy, delicious and filling. We both ordered lamb dishes, I ordered the lamb curry and requested the high level of spiciness. The spiciness level did not disappoint, I was met with all I could handle - exactly what  I was hoping for. The portion of lamb was very generous, and I loved the heavy curry flavor. I ordered an Indian beer (Flying Horse) which went well with spicy food. The naan was fluffy and buttery, perfect for wiping up the generous amounts of sauce. After starting out with the large appetizer, and continuing to the lamb with naan and rice, we ended up taking about another entire meal for both of us home (actually 2 meals for me). The value was overall pretty good for the portions (even the beer was 24 oz), though we were slightly annoyed when we discovered on the bill that the appetizer of the day was more than twice the price of any other appetizer on the menu (~$14). The place was full with a mix of couples, families, and large parties, and was overall an enjoyable experience.

Food:           9

Drinks:         8
Atmosphere: 7
Service:        8
Value:          7


Nina

On a friend's recommendation, we decided to try this restaurant which sits inconspicuously in the same parking lot as the supermarket where we buy most of our food. Honestly, I'm surprised it took us this long to eat here, we pass by it every day, and after all we do like Indian food.

At first glance, the menu looked very reasonable - both in price and variety of offerings. The drinks menu looked equally enticing, with a few domestic as well as European and Indian beers joined by a full wine and cocktail menu. I ordered a Mai Tai - it was very well made and much more complex in flavor than anything I actually had in Hawaii.


The manager personally came to take our appetizer order, and after explaining to us their standard offerings he encouraged us to try the "nawapi(royal) chicken" special of the day - he forgot to mention that it about twice as expensive as all other appetizers, and that was a surprised he saved for the check. That being said, the chicken was tasty, layered with flavors from different herbs and marinades, though slightly overcooked and dry. Before the entrees were brought in, we had a few spicy dips and fresh fried chips  on the table, which was tasty, but nothing to dig in heartily, more of a palate awakening. 


I ordered the Saag Gosht - spinach cream lamb, and it came in a metal dish over a tea light to keep warm, with a side of biryani rice. It was spicy, flavorful and tender, and also plentiful enough that half of it was enough for a satisfying dinner. The rest became breakfast the next day, and it was just as goo reheated as it was fresh. This restaurant is in such a convenient location and serves such delicious Indian food, that we will probably become regulars. 

Food:          8
Drinks:         9
Atmosphere: 8
Service:        7
Value:          7