Tokyo Joe's

Being in Downtown for a conference affords the opportunity for some great eats during lunch hour.  Having less than an hour for that to happen greatly limited our choices.  Since we were at the Wall Centre, the most logical thing to do was to stay close.  Hence, we ended up at the most convenient restaurant (other than the hotel one) being Tokyo Joe's on Helmcken.  Sometimes we forget why certain restaurants exist, but there was no mistaking this place as it was bustling from the lunch crowd.

For myself, I decided to go for the Sashimi Bento Box which included 3 pieces each of tuna and salmon.  Chicken Teriyaki with rice, 2 Gyozas and a green salad (missing the dressing) completed the set.  The smallish and weirdly sliced sashimi was a bit too cold for my liking.  Both were not properly defrosted which meant the texture was too icy and firm.  As much as the teriyaki didn't look all that appetizing, it wasn't bad though.  The chicken was moist and well-charred while not being doused in sauce.  However, there wasn't much chicken. Seeing how this was not that filling of a meal, I tacked on a Dragon Roll as well.  Topped with a considerable amount of unagi, the roll was okay.  However, the unagi itself was not seared which resulted in flat flavours and texture.  The drizzle of sauce was more salty than sweet.

Hot Mama and Mama Bear both had the Chicken Teriyaki Box which started with a California Roll.  Much like the base of my dragon roll, it featured the standard imitation crab and avocado.  The filling was fine whereas the rice was a touch dry, but ultimately chewy.  it was mildly seasoned.  Their meals included (see how I didn't use "box" ahem...) everything I had except Tempura rather than sashimi.  Although there was substantial batter on each piece of vegetable, it wasn't greasy while still being crunchy.  Similarly to my chicken teriyaki, it was sprout heavy with very little meat.  But really, Tokyo Joe's exists to serve the busy lunch crowd who want a quick meal for a reasonable price.  They accomplish this, but not much more.

The Good:
- Food comes quick
- Edible
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- So-so eats
- Not much seating