225 Laskin Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Japanese, Sushi

With a hankering for seafood of some sort because we were at a beach, my friends and I settled for this sushi bar right near our parking spot. When we walked in, we noticed how fitting the decor was and that it had a nice ambiance to it. The food ended up being a little bit pricier than we thought but the justification was that we were at a tourist trap of a city and were having sushi. There were other things on the menu besides sushi but I personally figured that I went to a sushi bar to have sushi, not other things. The problem I had with this meal overall was that I had sore in my mouth right behind my front teeth so eating everything, especially sushi in one bite, was quite painful. However, the ginger was good and the wasabi potent. Good restaurant but not mindblowing.


My friend ordered the chicken hibachi entree which came with soup and salad. She didn't really want the salad so I took it and it was fairly decent. The greens were actually fresh and the combination of which vegetables they picked worked well together. It was drizzled in a ginger sesame dressing that had a good amount of tang to it.


For dishes, I first had Unagi (うなぎ) which is freshwater eel for those of you unfamiliar with it. Apologies for my picture being so bright but the restaurant had dim lighting and all I shoot with is a point-and-shoot so flash was needed. It was a generous chunk of eel with the right amount of sauce over it. Not as bony as others that I've had, the eel was cooked well and the rice a fitting size. I had my friend try some even though he doesn't like fish or seafood in general and he actually approved!


Next was their Hamachi (鰤) roll which is Japanese amberjack/yellowtail. My favorite! The roll had cucumber, scallions, and small roe. It was refreshing and nice. The rice was a little too much (it was a rather tall roll) and hid the texture of the fish somewhat but overall, a good roll.


My second roll was their Golden Scallop roll which consisted of baked scallops on top (complete with with smothered in Japanese mayo) and spicy tuna on the bottom. It looked a bit overwhelming because the topping was overflowing on the big pieces of the roll. I liked this one a lot because the spicy tuna had just enough kick to complement the mayo-y scallops. It was a heavy roll though, and I had a hard time getting through all the pieces. Perhaps they should let up on the mayo next time!

2941 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - American, Sports Bar | Reservations - Available
www.shorebreakvb.com

This place was deceptively large with its small arcade in the back and pool tables to the right of the entrance. It's a sports bar with lots of screens all around. The group I went with was a large 25 but they seated us quickly after we arrived to claim our reservation. Though it was a pizza place, I didn't feel like splitting a huge one with anyone so I settled on another one of their seemingly popular items - a Philly cheesesteak.


Before I started on my entree, I shared an appetizer of mozzarella sticks with my friend. They were okay. They looked sort of like the frozen kind to me because they were shaped so roundly.


My entree came with grilled vegetables which I picked at first because I didn't want them to get cold. They tasted like they were grilled on the same grill as the restaurant's burgers, which wasn't a bad thing but just surprising. I would have enjoyed them better if they hadn't been drenched in grease though. It was a nice selection of zucchini and yellow squash. As for the sandwich itself, it was quite a bit oily too. Luckily the bread was thick enough to soak the grease up from the meat so that I didn't have to hold onto an oily sandwich. I liked the sandwich quite well other than the oil because the cheese wasn't overwhelming and the steak was well-stacked. It was too bad that the place was a bit loud but what can one expect at a sports bar?

401 N Great Neck Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23454
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Mongolian
www.warriorsgrill.com/

After much aimless driving, my friends and I came to this Mongolian BBQ place in a plaza area with some other restaurants. It was fairly empty when we got in there but the set-up was nice and spacious in general. The buffet and cooking area was like any typical place's but the food and service was excellent.


First of all, the waitress asked if we wanted egg drop or hot and sour soup. We weren't expecting to get complimentary soup or cookies at the end of the meal. The soup was actually pretty good. We also got sesame bread which were quite awesome. They weren't flat like crackers or fluffy like bread. They were slightly similar to poofed-up flatbread and since hardly anyone had any, I snagged most of them!


The awesome thing about Mongolian BBQ that is self-serve is arranging the bowls for yourself in a smart way. Bali Hai had taught me to line my bowl with meat before adding vegetables and noodles. However, since this was all you could eat (a Mongolian BBQ AYCE place!), the strategy wasn't needed. I still piled on a lot of food and watched them cook up the meal. This restaurant had a good array of sauces, and I trusted the cook to add what he thought would be good. I liked my plate a lot and at the end of it all, the cashier allowed us to split it 8 ways. Good stuff.