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Quite some time ago, Dessie (Brandon's Roommate) requested we all go to dinner again. Apparently she had a decent enough time with us from our excursion to Barley's. We allowed her to decide the restaurant of the evening, and with that we made our trip up to Lane Avenue, next to the Whole Foods in Upper Arlington.
Generally I am hesitant of sushi places that offer discounts and "too good to be true" specials. From the website- that's what Royal Ginger was. However we still tossed caution to the wind, and ignored all guidance of Mr. Bourdain on this subject. To my own relief, after we were sat, it became clear that the menu online was completely unrelated to current business operations. This was not what we hoped for, but it would work.
The interior of the place is quite fun, ethnic in every corner. We sat next to a very large "sculpture" that appeared to be made out of lacquered sand. Continuing on the extravagance of the decor- the tables, metal in material, had autumnal leaves stunningly screened onto them,
I started off with a pomegranate martini, because every other drink I requested from their specials list, had ingredients that no longer were found in stock. In fact, this was a common trend, as a few of my options in sushi weren't available that night either. It seemed quite odd, seeing as there were no more than 10 other people in the establishment. The martini felt small, and was metallic tasting from beginning to end.
We all started with an order of Vietnamese summer rolls. Classic and tasty. Rice paper encased shrimp, vermicelli, mango and a piece or two of shrimp- served with a sweet and spicing dipping sauce. These had to be the largest summer rolls I've ever had. This was both good and bad. They tasted fine enough, but were difficult to eat. Not only that, but there was enough lettuce in it to actually fight the classic spicy fish sauce.
Moving forward, we all had two sushi rolls. Although sharing didn't seem to be in the air, the general reports on everyone's rolls were decent, some better than others. Nothing mind blowing. My first roll was called the Great Harvest. In general it wasn't a bad choice. I usually enjoy sweet potato rolls but it was topped with a sickeningly sweet artificial raspberry sauce.
My other roll was the kamikaze. Uber meaty, fried shrimp with spicy tuna and barbequed eel. A roll that even in its worst form is bound to please. Yet it this case, the amount of siracha placed over the top was slightly off-putting. The garnish, as you can see in the picture was a nice touch, but sloppy and not very well thought out.
Overall I wasn't that amazed with Royal Ginger. It's clearly all show and not well stocked. They need to keep up with their menu, and create a better balance over some of their classics. Although food always tastes better with good company, it is still important to start with great food. Royal ginger isn't a total disappointment, but there are clearly better options.
Keep Eating,
JTFussy.
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