Review: Taiko Japanese Restaurant

Taiko Japanese Restaurant

Outer Banks Mall, 5000 S Croatan Hwy, Nags Head, NC 27959

(252) 449-8895

One of my favorite Japanese Restaurant of the east coast.... Taiko!
(The name Taiko is an Japanese drum instrument)

And here is their full menu:

The menu has a large selection to choose from, and also they alcoholic drinks they have imported Japanese beers and sake (Japanese rice wine).

When you go to eat sushi or sashimi (raw fish) it is crucial that the sanitation of the restaurant must be perfectly safe. Taiko is certified for sanitation, so have no worries, they are very clean and safe.

The restaurant is decorated very nicely and the environment is very calm and peaceful. I do have to pint out that they don't filter their water, so that was a little disappointing to me, but the food compensated that fact.

You can tell the taste of the whole restaurant by their soup, and this miso soup (soy bean paste soup) is executed nicely, not to watery while not to strong.

The lucky cat!

Beef Yakiniku.... a little bit spicy.

Rice is cooked to it's perfection.

This Yakisoba (fried noodles) is a must! The noodle is nice and not soggy,

Pork Katsu: Deep Fried Pork Cutlets

Chicken Teriyaki: it's really good.

Ah, sushi! Just look at how the chef presents the plate. It's worth taking thousands of pictures, and the taste is exceptional!

Tempura Ice Cream: Deep fried ice cream!

Red bean ice cream!

Green tea mochi ice cream: mochi is Japanese rice cake. It's very soft and stretchy and it creates very nice sensation in your mouth.

Bottom line is this place is a must visit, you won't regret it!

Review: Sapporo East

Hello there, good to see you again.

Sapporo East

4612 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

(717) 303-0333

Honestly, Sapporo East is the absolute best Japanese cuisine in Central Pennsylvania and completely mean it.

Sushi, without a doubt, is one of our guilty pleasures, and to find good sushi is not so easy. When I say "good," I mean so good that you don't regret even a penny that you have spent. For Sapporo East, this is the answer. This place is everything that a Japanese restaurant should be, from the atmosphere to the silverware. Let's have a look inside!

As you can see, the whole place is decorated with authentic Japanese style art and the ceiling is very unique of the Kyoto style architecture. Most of the time at other sushi places, especially at the sushi bar, there are always grumpy looking sushi chefs behind the bar. But for Sapporo East, every sushi chef always smiles and is very friendly.

 I wasn't exaggerating when I said this place is the absolute best: look at how many awards they have won, and this is just a small part of it. There are so many more awards that they put all over the restaurant because this wall alone cannot contain all of Sapporo East's glory!

As always first rule of good restaurant practice the water must be filtered, and Sapporo East didn't disappoint.

If you ordered entree you will get miso soup (fermented soybean soup with tofu) and a house salad as complimentary (the ginger dressing on the salad is just to good; I've tried them in many restaurants and without a doubt, Sapporo East executed it the best).  

Here's the best part: As you can see, the details of these dishes are very detailed. The quality of the seafood is phenomenal, and remember that Pennsylvania is not near the ocean, so high grade quality seafood is somewhat hard to obtain. But it's not a problem for Sapporo East to deliver good quality seafood for their sushi lovers. The prices are not bad at all. Almost the same as the one you can get from a convenience store, but of course the sensation is totally different. Why eat from a convenience store if you can get the real taste of sushi for almost the same price? The white tuna is to die for - so buttery, so firm, and so damn sensational!

This is my recommended appetizer item: Japanese Crab Cake. It consists of fresh crab meat, salmon, and scallop wrapped in dough, and you can taste the crab taste and feel the firmness of scallop bounce back when you sink your teeth in!

Sapporo East is not just about great sushi; their entrees are absolutely phenomenal as well. I guarantee you, it is  the best Japanese cuisine you can ever find in Central Pennsylvania. Above are Unagi Donburi (Smoked Eel Over Rice) and Chicken Hibachi. First, Unagi Donburi. The eel meat is so firm and tasty, with grade A quality authentic Japanese rice and the house special sauce with sweet egg roll garnish. You will experience something unforgettable: the sweetness and the aroma is just at it's perfection. Secondly, Chicken Hibachi, the chicken grilled on hot iron skillet, is cooked well evenly on top of stir fry vegetables such as onion, zucchini, and mushroom. With its ginger scent secret sauce, the vegetables and firm rice compliment the chicken very well. You won't hesitate to order one more, maybe two.

We got a complimentary roll from the restaurant, and to be honest, I don't really know what's it called, but I think it's some kind of eel roll. Nevertheless, it's really delicious and it make me think "oh my goodness!"

And here's the dessert, the amazing Tempura Green Tea Ice Cream! It's a green tea flavored ice cream deep fried with batter, topped with whipped cream - it's so delicious. 

They take care of every details to meet the customer best satisfaction. Even the take out order is packed beautifully in the box, carefully arranged and very detailed.

After the very satisfying meal, you will feel like you have no regrets if this happened be your last meal. You will be more than happy. The staff are very nice and attentive, the quality of the food is very satisfying, and the taste is sensational. If you win the lottery and want to have the best celebration meal in central Pennsylvania, Sapporo East is the absolute best place for you to have the sensation.

Check out their menu at sapporoeastsushi.com