Todai

Todai is quite disappointing if you are a sushi lover--but if you're a sushi lover, you probably know better than to try to get quality sushi at a buffet anyway. The cuts of fish used in the nigiri are skimpy and dried-out. There are no vegetable rolls to speak of. The eel avocado roll was okay, but since I am allergic to shellfish I wasn't able to try the other rolls, which all had shrimp or crab, or seemed like they might.

The best thing about this restaurant is that the buffet is very well-presented. It stretches the entire length of the restaurant and the sushi and desserts are arranged in beautiful rows. The presentation definitely gives the impression that the food will be amazing.

Unfortunately, it's not, but aside from the sushi, many of the other offerings were okay. The mussels were too chewy, but the seaweed salad was pretty good. The watercress salad was tasty, but on the oily side. The tempura was very good, and the desserts were pretty good too, although they seemed like they were likely frozen at some point. The miso soup was okay, since that's pretty hard to ruin, but it had white onion in it, which is not kosher and rather disgusting, if you ask me. A breaded fish entree was so greasy I didn't want to touch it, but another dish of white fish in a lemon butter caper sauce was good enough for seconds. They offer freshly made crepes, but all the fillings offered are sugary canned fruits.

Overall, I felt very disappointed by this experience. If I weren't allergic to shellfish, I might have enjoyed it more, because there would have been more things I could have eaten, but I don't really think so, given the quality of the dishes I was able to eat.

This buffet is not for the health-conscious, the sushi-lover, or the person who is allergic to shellfish, and absolutely not worth $17 no matter who you are.

PROS:
CONS: ARRAY(0x8991258)

Posted 03/23/05 | Report Abuse

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Todai is a dream for lovers of Japanese food. The buffet has a great selection from sushi to soups to desserts and much more. It is a must for hungry mall shoppers who have shopped all day and want to grab a bite to eat. Everything is self service except for the drinks and although the drinks aren't part of the buffet price, you certainly get what you pay for.

Posted 11/10/04 | Report Abuse

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