Only twice during my exhaustive
teriyaki research have I been unable to stomach the subject
in question. Unfortunately, my experience with Tokyo
Garden was one of those times.
Part convenience store, part sneaky
Asian restaurant Tokyo Garden is a fascinating
mix between the "who the hell goes here?" and
"maybe this place is a hidden gem" aestetic.
The way it works is you walk in, go to the convenience
store counter, place your order, get an oversized number
printed on a plastic card, and a few minutes later your
food arrives. There are several tables in two distinct
portions of the store to sit at, and lots of odd "who
buys this junk?" snack foods and nik-naks lining
the walls but nothing that really invites you to stay
a while. But don't get me wrong: If that sounds like your
type of thing then by all means dine-in. If not, better
for you as you'll be treated to the next little oddity
in the Tokyo Garden experience: the teriyaki
packaging.
Black styrofoam. In all my years I
don't think I have ever seen packaging quite like it.
At first seemingly elegant, then hypnotically creepy,
finally a little distracting maybe there is a reason styrofoam
rarely comes in black. Does it make portions seem slimmer?
Does it add a touch of class to teriyaki? Have I lost
my mind trying to add meaning to black styrofoam? Most
certainly.
Packaging aside, Tokyo Garden's
teriyaki is a failure. The portions are OK but when
the quality stinks to the point where you throw out more
than half the meal something is painfully wrong. And this
teriyaki is all wrong.
The meal's worst aspect, the chicken
is over grilled and rubbery, a sure sign that someone
slipped it into the microwave before sending it out. The
cole slaw salad is nearly as bad, dry and void of any
flavor except for a few overpowering onions. The chunky
dressing that accompanies it adds nothing but wetness
to its taste. The rice is a bit on the skimpy side and
also quite soggy. Finally, the teriyaki sauce is crappy
as well with a tang but no taste and no matter how much
you dump on this monstrosity you'll still be gravely dissapointed.
Overall this teriyaki is unquestionably
one of the worst I have ever eaten.
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