Kaya Restaurant

I haven't discover many Korean BBQ place around Columbus. If you come across some good Korean BBQ place around the area, please comment below and let me know. Last time when I went to Poong Mei, there was another restaurant located right next to it. After google searched, I learn that it's a Korean restaurant that have BBQ. On top of that, I got have good deal off from Groupon, so it's prefect for a trip to Kaya. 

When I first walk in with my friends, there are no staffs greeting us. All we can see is the staff busy running around and helping take out order from the kitchen or serving the customers. After about ten minutes waiting at the front door, one lady come and ask us how many people to get us situated.

Seafood Pancake

Mok Sal Goo Yi [Sliced Pork] BBQ

Combo [Kalbi, Chicken, Bulgogi] BBQ

One thing to be cautious is the meal can be very lengthy which due to unresponsive staffs. The restaurant is not full house; however, all of them seems super busy and running around, but we have no idea why they are so busy. When we ask them to refill some lettuce and sauce, they forgot two out of three times. And the staffs also doesn't seems please to serve us. However, when it comes for check, they are super responsive and seems like they want to rush us out. And no, we came at six in the evening, which is not even their closing time at all!


At last, I think the environment and the food is pretty decent. Unfortunately, bad staff plus no customer service will be a downfall for those who enjoys good food and good service. In the end, if you love to have some unique experiences like this, you could definitely give this a try!

Restaurant Info:

Kaya Restaurant

4710 Reed Rd,

Columbus, OH 43220

Fukuryu Ramen

It's a magnificent sunny day on the weekends, making it another food exploration road trip around Columbus. Last week, I heard there is a new Japanese Ramen restaurant coming to town. As a loyal fan of Ramen, I excitedly wanting to go try this new restaurant.

I arrived at the restaurant at around 12:30 pm and saw the line are outside the restaurant. The line move fairly smooth and I order from the front counter. The staff will give you a buzzer and you seat either on normal or bar table. Even though they are busy and packed with people, the main dish came out pretty quick. It does seem like most of the ramen bowls are being made in advanced though.

Miso Ramen

Originally, I was going to order the Tonkotsu Ramen, but the staff explained that it was available only at dinner time. So, I ordered the Miso Ramen along with two appetizers. I do recommend to mix and dig deep down below the noodles, cause there are some sauteed onion with minced pork. If you don't mix it well enough, the noodles will taste plain and the broth at the end will be extremely salty! Speaking of noodles, as I started digging in, I noticed the noodles were still a bit uncooked . The broth have a rich miso flavor; however, it is a bit over powering for me. 

Tebasaki Chicken Wings

Pork Gyoza

The appetizers came in while I'm half way done with my noodles. The staff then informs me that they are out of Kara-age, so I end up with the Tebasaki Chicken Wings. I never have this style of wings before. Basically, it's deep fried wings topped with salt and pepper. 0 out of 5 for these wings! They were all under-cooked inside. Additionally, you could tell that they just grab a handful of salt, threw it onto the chicken pieces. Making it unbearable to eat. As for the Gyoza, crispy outside but not fully cooked inside, for the price they selling it for, I'm not a fan at all.

There are quite a big room for improvements as a new restaurant. I will be appreciated if the appetizers can come before my noodles, some of the tasting of the dish can be adjust... I'm still very excited about a new Ramen restaurant open in Columbus. As show in their menu, there will be more new menu item in the near future. I will definitely give this place another try later. Oops, one more thing. If you are a fan of green tea ice cream, they do have that available. 

Restaurant Info:

Fukuryu Ramen

1600 W Lane Ave, Ste 160,

Upper Arlington, OH 43221

Noodles and Company

Cloudy day in the Wednesday evening, tired from the whole day of work and feeling super hungry. Those are the excuses that I always use to end up treating myself into some good foods. As I was looking for restaurants for grubs, I realize that I haven't been to Noodles and Company for several years. So it's time to see what they changed.

Gyoza

Pad Thai with Chicken

Pad Thai with Shrimp

The last time I had Noodles and Company was back in the old college days. I reminisced that I wasn't a big fan for them. That's why I haven't try them in awhile. After this visit, it gave me a new perspective about this restaurant. First off, it's the Gyoza. Super juicy meat filling cover with crispy wrapper, goes very well with the sweet and sour dipping sauce. The Pad Thai was really good. Both of the shrimp and chicken were tender. Noodles are al dente with a lot of ingredient, bean sprout, crushed peanut, cilantro...

This will be a new place for me to grab a quick dinner, for those gloomy and lazy night. Also, they do have giant size of cookie and rice crispy available as little sweets after dinner.

Restaurant Info:

Noodles and Company

1528 Gemini Place

Columbus, OH 43240

The Walrus

Lately, I had been craving for some seafood. Plus, my friends told me their past experiences in Maine. Fresh seafood are spotted everywhere there, or so I've been told. Thus making me wanted to go there in an instant! But as of now, that's too far of a reach. Instead, I browsed through hundreds of menus from different restaurants to look for dishes that my friends have given me details about over the trips. After hours of research, I stumbled upon The Walrus. They have one of the snacks I've heard so much about from my pals, therefore I gave it a try!

Located toward the end of downtown, there lies The Walrus. If you can't find it, just look for the big sign with the little mustache man. When you first walk in, you can see a spacious waiting area. The interior is pretty classy and you can see all the bar-style table. If you just want to grab a drink, their bar is at the end of the restaurant so you could walk straight through there.

This place seems to be quite busy by the time I arrived, hence the noisy level is pretty high. After my friend and I were settled down with a table, the warm - welcoming server come to greet us. Their servers are really enthusiastic, seems to be very passionate, and enjoying their job! For that reason, the service was such a top-notch!

Portobello Fries

Our appetizer was Portobello Fries. It came out as hot as it's still in the kitchen. The breading is very crispy; however, it will be better if the breading is not as thick. It also served with chipotle mayo; without the sauce, the fries will be plain! As a result, the sauce is a must have!!

Lobster Rolls

Next, the entree, Lobster Rolls. The dish that I was curious so much about from my buddies. To be honest, this is the first time I had a lobster rolls. And seeing those big chunk of lobster nuggets sitting on top of a toast, make my mouth watering. As I took on the first bite, I can taste the crispiness of the toast. Separated from the super juicy, tender lobster nugget with a hint of lemon mayo sauce. It went so smooth when it was combined together yet, I can still taste different ingredients when it's being eaten. I would hate to admitted, but this is one of the greatest foods I've tried ever!

Lobster Mac & Cheese

As we were having the extremely yummy lobster rolls, Food Network is showing lobster mac & cheese on TV. Perfect timing, cause The Walrus have it as well. So we go ahead and ordered one. Creamy mac & cheese topped with crispy layer of cheese with chunk of lobster meat in between the macaronis. Personally, I'm not a big fan of mac & cheese. But this one will be an exception.

The Walrus is my new favorite place to go. Their food and service are both excellent. I also love the decorations inside as well as the lightning. Throughout the month, they will have artist performances as special events. Of course, you can also contact them and host your own event/party.

Restaurant Info:

The Walrus

143 E Main St,

Columbus, OH 43215

Los Guachos Taqueria

There are quite some authentic Mexican restaurant spotted around the town. Today, I discover another little Mexican shop that located close to Sawmill Road. Los Guachos Taqueria is a small shop and be expect to share the table when it's super busy. 

Fish/Tripe/Steak Taco

Beef Tongue Tortas

Horchata


Lime and Toppings

Their food choice is very similar to some other little Mexican Restaurant. Taco, Tortas, Quesadillas... But they do have some differentiate factors that you should give this shop a try. First, they have special wooden booth and tables. On top of that, you can choose to seat on the sliver bar table and see the chef freshly make your order. Second, they have big bowl of salsa and lime sit on top of every table. So you can top your food as your own liking.

Restaurant Info:

Los Guachos Taqueria

5221 Godown Rd,

Columbus, OH 43235