Fish on Rice

Really?  Fish on Rice???  Yes, really.  There was a time when we would frequent Fish on Rice for the quantity, and of course not the quality.  We'd suffer through the bad service and the questionable washrooms just to get our fill of mediocre Japanese food.  I put a stop to that as I just couldn't eat bad sushi anymore.  However, for ol' times sake, Costanza and I decided to drop by for lunch, just to see what was going on at Poisson on Riz.  Of course, we ended up getting the AYCE menu.

  The first item to arrive was the Salmon Sashimi (which is limited to 6 slices per person for lunch). It was sliced as if they used a mandolin. Yet, to be fair, at least they offer sashimi at no extra charge.  The fish was slightly below average, being quite soft and mushy (although it tasted fine without any fishiness).  We got an assortment of rolls including Dynamite, House and California.  These were haphazardly constructed, especially the California Roll (as you can clearly see in the picture). The good thing was there wasn't a whole lot of rice.  That was doubly good because the rice was not very good.  It was dry and not really all that sticky. Suffice to say, there wasn't a whole lot of flavour going on either.  At least the filling was acceptable.   

Next was the Ebi Sunomono, which was surprisingly good for an AYCE.  The noodles were firm and chewy while the dressing was balanced between sweet and tart.  On the other hand, the Gomae was pretty typical for this type of menu consisting of a sweet, candy-like dressing.  The spinach was okay though being cooked just enough. Since Costanza is no fan of head, I mean Salmon Head, I ate it all by myself.  It was okay, grilled up with a nice char.  The meat was a little dry though.  We got a few pieces of Nigiri and the dry sushi rice didn't help things, but it was edible.  As for the Chicken Karaage, it was not very good.  The batter was fat too thick and mealy.  Despite the visuals, it wasn't all that crispy while the meat wasn't all that juicy either.

The Gyoza appeared to be fried up nicely, but in the end, it was all colour with no crispy texture.  The wrapper was thick and doughy while the filling was dense and lacking in flavour. Not particularly Japanese, the Shrimp Toast was a bit weird as it was coated with tempura batter and fried.  Hence, the bread became wet and unappealing.The shrimp was a bit slimy as well.  On the other hand, the Tempura was pretty good with a non-greasy and light batter.  The veggies were cooked just right.  The Agedashi Tofu was typical for an AYCE being pretty bare while sitting in a sweet dashi.  Despite being lean, the Tonkatsu was served crispy and hot.  The meat wasn't exactly moist, but it was sufficiently tender.

Arriving in purposeful serving vessels, the Oyster Motoyaki were quite heavy. Of course the mayonnaise based sauce would be greasy and rich, but this one was almost egg custard-like.  With that being said, it did taste okay and the oyster was of a good size.  And about those serving vessels, they are a lot more hygienic than reusing shells.  The Beef Short Ribs were a surprise, not only because they were pretty good, but because they arrived in the number as requested.  I can't tell you how many times we have ordered stuff elsewhere to only get half.  Anyways, the ribs were tender and charred nicely.  It was on the sweeter side, but good nonetheless.

Heading into our last 2 items, we had both the Beef and Chicken Teriyaki.  Not to sound boring, but the beef was pretty typical of AYCE being a bit dry, but easy to chew.  I liked how it wasn't oversauced.  The chicken was fried up moist and tender, but the skin was not crispy at all.  Of note, the wood planks underneath the cast iron plates looked like they needed replacing.  Moreover, Costanza almost puked after visiting the gross washrooms.  But if cleanliness is not an issue, the food was passable (except for the sashimi) considering the price.  Remember this is AYCE and thus, can only be compared to other AYCE (NOT legit Japanese restaurants). As for the service, unlike past visits, it was acceptable.

The Good:
- AYCE menu had a good selection for the price
- For what we had, the cooked items were passable
- We didn't get yelled at or ignored, so service was okay

The Bad:
- Washrooms are horrid
- Raw stuff below average
- Can never confuse AYCE with good Japanese food