Tokyo Japan Restaurant - 3525 S Memorial Dr, Greenville, NC 27834
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Sushi, Japanese | Reservations - Unnecessary
After having some sushi last Friday evening (review will follow sometime later this week), I had a hankering for it so sought out another sushi place. My friend and I were traveling to Greenville to work on some convention things, so I went to trusted Yelp to find the best restaurant in town. We decided that we'd go there since the reviews were raving. As much as I don't like to write anything negative, I'd have to say that it was the worst sushi that I've had from a restaurant. Perhaps it was just a bad first visit and they have many other redeeming dishes but I was sorely disappointed in the pick.
The prices were fairly decent and the staff nice. The presentation was great, complete with fun lemon and carrot cutouts. I remember one of the first things I thought was that the waiter confused me by asking if I wanted the inari as sushi or sashimi. I had never had that option before but since I was getting other sashimi, I just said that for the whole lot. The inari was very cold and came cut up without rice (should've figured since I had said "sashimi"); the taste was good but the cold hurt my teeth. It was nearly frozen in its temperature. The yellowtail roll actually had bones in the fish, which I complained about after the meal was done. Sushi should not have bones. My whitefish sashimi was cut very thickly and though the first piece was alright, the other three made me gag. The last two actually tasted very gummy - it was quite unpleasant.
The staff apologized for the bones in the fish, claiming it was not the main chef who cut it but a newer one, and then gave my friend and me a complimentary slice of fried cheesecake. That was nice on their behalf but we weren't really in the mood for the dessert, and I was really just unhappy with my experience. For the whole two hour drive back from Greenville to Durham, I also felt very uneasy and like I needed to throw up. The feeling eventually subsided throughout the evening but it stayed much, much longer than I wanted to. I'll make sure not to get sushi in Greenville if this was called the best place in town by other Yelpers...
Sorry to write a not-so-great review on the blog but it had to be said; I thoroughly enjoy sushi when I go out to have it and my stomach was just not having this place's.
