Feng - Asian Bistro - 70 Worcester Providence Tpke, Millbury, MA

Checked out a relatively new place today for lunch! I wasn't even sure if they had sushi since it said asian bistro. I walked into the really large restaurant and didn't seen any waitstaff so I looked around and proceed toward the sushi bar in the rear of the restaurant.  There were a few of the sushi chefs that smile and said hello as I took my chair. It took quite a while before anyone came over to me, when they did they poured me a glass of water and started to walk away , I quickly asked for a menu.

Now I was confused, I had grabbed a takeout menu on the way in to see their sushi listings and there was a whole section of Nigiri sushi (a la carte) for the choosing, however when the waiter finally brought me the menu it had lunch specials and other offerings but NO Nigiri, only Maki and Specialty rolls. That is a little confusing. After a few more minutes another waiter came over to ask if I knew what I would like wherein I asked where the a la carte offerings were. "Oh those are in the dinner menu", he said. I'm not sure why they would only include that in the dinner menu and not the lunch but ok.

He FINALLY brought the dinner menu and pointed out that they had Toro today. Nice!  Their special rolls seemed a little bit pricey, I mean minimum of $12 to $15 for a specialty roll, and nothing piqued my interest.

Here is an example: Feng Chef Roll (Salmon, Yellowtail, Tuna, Masago, Radish Sprouts, Asparagus, Avocado, Spicy Mayo and BBQ Eel Sauce) - $15

I picked a few normal rolls off their special which was 2 rolls (maki) and a miso soup for $9. Well that's not bad I thought.  However, the Nigiri is a different story, I didn't realize that it was per piece, not per 2 pieces like most sushi places I've been to. Now that isn't bad until you look at what you pay for what you get. I took a tobiko (flying fish roe) $3, an anago (sea eel) $5, and toro (tuna belly) $10! That means a normal nigiro order of two would have cost me $10 for anago!  The tuna belly was listed as MP (market price). I didn't ask although I probably should have!  I've had toro before for maybe $14 for two and that is what I was expecting.

Anyway on to the food.... 

 I ordered a tuna maki, yellow tail maki and the above 3 pieces of nigiri. The rolls were quickly made and you could tell, the rolls weren't staying together very well and there was something about the nori (seaweed) that I can't put my finger on but it seemed rather chewy. I've never noticed that with any other rolls at any other restaurants I've been too.

Notice the roll opening

The fish itself tasted very fresh however!  I saved the 3 nigiri for last, the anago was delectable with a great eel sauce, the tobiko, sweet and popped in my mouth, and the toro was exquisite, such a fresh , clean taste for the palate, I wanted more. Glad I didn't though for the price!!!

The decor inside the restaurant is tastefully done, very modern, very clean. There was some background music playing which wasn't too loud and relaxed you as you ate, the waitstaff seemed overly friendly and came back a few times to ask how everything was, although there was still noone at the front door when I left as well.

There is a whole other eating area as well plus Hibachi. I don't have any information about that but the lunch crowd was filling there for their show.

Overall I liked the food, the selection wasn't terrible, although 3 things I asked for on the menu they didn't have. The price is what gets me! 

 

Galaxie - 957 Reservoir Ave. Cranston, RI

Just checked out the redesigned Galaxie in Cranston for lunch and I was impressed.

The outside of the restaurant leaves something to be desired and perhaps that is still in the process of being updated as well, but don't let that deter you. The inside has been pleasantly designed with a modern asian design and definitely is a elegant looking decor.

I was greeted promptly at the door by some smiling hostesses and asked if I had others in my party. I then asked where the sushi bar is, as you cannot see it upon entering. They politely pointed in the right direction and I got to my seat.

There were a couple people seated at the sushi bar, there isn't a lot of seats there so on a busy day these may be hard to come by, but there are many tables nearby as well to be in full view of it anyway.

Since I had perused the menu before I got here I already had in mind what I wanted to order. The waitress took my drink order and my sushi order : 

Miso soup

Heaven Roll - tuna, yellowtail, scallion inside, masago, red and black tobiko outside.
in addition I ordered some Maguro, Wasabi tobiko, and a Hamachi roll.

The miso soup which started off my meal was not bad, but not the best I've had, it seemed a bit watery and low on the miso, had some tofu, and the typical seaweed but nothing too impressive or original there, it is just soup, on to the good stuff....

I watched as the chef started preparing my plate wherein he did some great artwork using some different sauces. He then carefully created all of my rolls on a very large white plate and I was served. This looked great!

I was very impressed with the Heaven Roll which not only had the above tobiko ontop but some wasabi tobiko and a golden tobiko as well, all with their own individual flavors. This was great and something unexpected. The presentation of sushi is part of the enjoyment of it and this is a great example of that.


Now normally one wouldn't complain about the sushi pieces (nigiri) but they should be easily able to fit in ones mouth in one bite, the tuna being cut so long it was difficult to eat it that way.  Everything was prepared and cut fresh as I watched and the rolls and nigiri was prepared perfectly.  I had a bit of eye-watering going on eating those wasabi tobiko pieces though!


They used the "good" gari, as some of you may know the pink ginger (gari) is the cheaper stuff and the tan colored one is a better choice.

The chef was very friendly and we got to talking a little, he explained that he just came here from NY a week or so ago to run the sushi bar here, as well as explaining a little bit about a few things and showing me his $600 sushi knife! He wanted one of the best he stated. Good sign,  and he knows how to use it, watching him cut the fish was great and he took great care to remove any imperfections. Great and friendly attitude on this guyThey will also have some more pricey selections of fish such as Ootoro, once they get busier, can't keep that stuff lying around he said.. I'm sure they will do well once the word spreads.

The waitress was friendly but a bit talkative with the other chef at the bar and this took away from her checking if I needed any more water. As well as after I had finished, she promptly cleared my plate and gave me the check, yet I waited quite a while for anyone to take my payment. Another worker there came over and took the bill from me wherein I waited again for a while, enough that the sushi chef started asking them where was my receipt ?

I won't let this detract from the whole experience as I was entertained and had just enjoyed my meal and really didn't want to go back to work. I definitely would recommend coming here and trying it for yourself.

Galaxie - 957 Reservoir Ave. Cranston, RI										RATING
										85%
Food	5.1	Ambience	5	Service	5.2	Value	4.94	Convenience	5.38	Overall	5.09
Appearance	5.25	Cleanliness	5.5	Friendliness	6	Price	4.75	Getting There	4.5	Food	5.10
Taste	5	Décor	4.5	Speed	4.5	Portions	5	Parking	5	Ambience	5.00
Amount	5	Atmosphere	5	Cleanliness	5.5	Specials	5	Long Wait	6	Service	5.20
Freshness	5.25	Seating	5	Attentive	4	Coupons	N/A	Hours	6	Value	4.75
Selection	5	Noise Level	N/A	Rushed	6	Worth Price	5	Large Groups?	N/A	Convenience	5.38