So... "Tokyo Lebanon" is now "Tokyo Middle East", it seems the restaurant has plans to sell franchises around the Middle East so a name change was their first step. Open in Mtayleb, just a few minutes from where I live, -although I wanted to try the new place out-, we decided to order in some of their signature rolls delivered.
First opened in Jounieh on Sahel Alma highway, Tokyo is a Japanese restaurant which I have already tried last year and didn't like much. On the menu, you'll find a series of signature wraps, temakis, salads, soups, starters, sashimi, sushi, the dragons, the tempuras, teppanyaki and teriyaki. You can also order any of their seven sauces.
Let's see what the Mtayleb branch has to offer.
A welcoming operator answers, then I gave him the numbers for a quick order and waited the promised 45 minutes. Delivered on time, a smiling delivery guy comes... So far so good.
We received a carton box, like the one a pizza is placed in, containing the rolls; as well as a bag for the salad boxes and soy bottles, two cups of crisps and two boxes of white ginger.
We then prepared the plates to dig in.
The order for LBP130,000:
- Tokyo crunchy heat: the Tokyo special recipe with salmon , crunchy flakes and black tobiko.
Makis:
- Mikasa: salmon, crab sticks, tobiko and wrapped with mango.
- Shake Mango: crab sticks, shrimp, white fish, tobiko and wrapped with salmon and mango.
- Special eel: shrimp tempura, avocado, wrapped with eel and topped with teriyaki sauce.
- Maguro: salmon, tuna, avocado, crispy, wrapped with tuna, topped with tobiko.
- Aka midori: crab mix, avocado, togarashi, wrapped with tuna and avocado.
- Spicy salmon mix temaki
- Tokyo classic: avocado, crispy flakes, wrapped with salmon, topped with tobiko.
- Duo: salmon, tuna, togarashi, wrapped with tobiko.
- California: crab sticks, avocado, cucumbers, wrapped with sesame seeds.
Let's eat:
- We opened the box and were welcomed by a bizarre smell.
- The salad comes with a sauce on the side, warm salmon cubes with a sauce that's extremely creamy and heavy covering on salmon taste. I didn't feel any spiciness like the menu suggests. It is not a salad I liked.
- The Makis are made of sticky rice and honestly they all taste the same. I didn't feel the difference between the salmon and tuna, for example. Not a "Japanese" restaurant quality.
- Everything includes Tobiko on top, which is not too pleasant- the rolls lack taste, crab quality is surely not the finest around... Crab is unpleasant and not tasty.
- I tried to add soy sauce to give the rolls more taste but it honestly didn't work.
A deceiving dinner.
To be fair, I waited a week and placed an order again... for a review confirmation. A gentleman answers the phone, an immediate price estimate, a pizza box with the Makis and a plastic box for the salad which comes with the sauce on the side.
- The temakis are good enough, a commercial version many appreciate. Too sweet for my taste though.
- Now for the Makis; the dragon is served warm with a sweet sauce on the side, a bit dry with sticky rice but again good enough for a commercial fast food sushi place. Now for the box, green plastic seperators, lettuce and the rolls. Some sweet, some small and some big, little salmon covering them, lots of fake crab sticks... We surely have a verdict now!
I have been to their original location, I tried the food and still feel the same about their rolls. A window to where in Japan exactly are we promised to go? Let's train the chefs first!
