What To Have

Yes, this is at a mall, but this is still one of my favorite places for sushi. Their sushi is average to above average, but I go here for the rolls. They have some rolls with ingredients you won’t find elsewhere. My favorite is something i’ll call the tortilla roll because i dont know the name, i just buy it based on the ingredients i see on the menu. This roll has cream cheese and jalepenos along with crunch and tuna (i believe).

overall, Kanki dispells the myth that you cant have good sushi at a large chain restaurant….well it does so for me anyway.

–Matt

I’m taking a little departure for the next set of articles, I’m partaking in a week of sushi with some friends from work (ulanguzi). We started on tues at Wild Ginger, wed was Sushi Tsuni (not really downtown but close) thursday was Mura and Friday will probably be Kanki (yes at the mall but trust me). I’m gonna write a bit on each once i get a chance, but you’ll defintely hear about the best experiences I have.

–Matt

This is my first visit to wild ginger. It recently opened in the progress energy building a few store fronts down from Fins. Their menu includes japanese, thai, sushi and a few other cuisines. I have to admit, i wasnt looking for much from a place that serves general’s chicken and sushi. I’ll admit, i was impressed. I had a roll (crazy tuna) or something and it was very good. The sushi was also fresh and nicely sized. One of the best parts about this place was that they delivered the food as it was prepared. So nothing was waiting on a line somewhere for the entire order to be finished.
I’ll have to go back and try some other items. The other outstanding factor for Wild Ginger was that everything was very moderately priced.

–Matt

Fins is now open for lunch. A large group of us from the office wen there today and I was thoroughly impressed. The service was great (even with 12 people) and the food was exceptional.

We started with chicken satay’s. These were large chicken skewers served atop a fresh peanut sauce. The sauce was very tasty, the chef added small peppers to give it a little kick.

Next up was what they said was one of their most popular dishes, their daily hot pot. This is a large bowl, meant to be shared by 2-3. Although if you’re having it with a meal, it can easliy serve 3-5. Today’s hot pot was a creamy mushroom soup. Starting with chicken stock, the chef mixed coconut milk, spices and tons of different mushrooms. It had a hint of curry taste (because coconut milk is used so often in curry) but that taste didnt over power. My favorite part was the ample amount of mushrooms. Everything from shitake to oyster mushrooms filled the bowl and added texture and taste to the soup.

My main dish was their burger. It’s prepared to order (i had medium) and it tastes that way. In NC you can have ground meat prepared how you’d like as long as the meat is ground in house. They make their own burgers at Fins, therefore the ability to have it medium. I was not disappointed. The bread was fresh and toppings were exceptional. I would classify this as a gourmet burger, time was taken in the preparation and presention of this traditionally quick dish. I’ll have this again.

–Matt

Moonlight Pizza is a lunch staple for me. I usually go with the salad/pizza combo, but today i tried something new.

I had The Dark Side of the Moon …one word…WOW!! This is another example of how you can take a normal item and make it 10 times better with great ingredients. This is a grilled portabella mushroom sandwich, and yet it’s so much more. They start with super fresh bread. They get giant French loafs that they cut off to make their sandwich bread, lightly buttered and toasted. Next a huge portabella mushroom is grilled to perfection. It’s cooked to the point that its soft and juicy. Top that with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. It doesn’t stop there. It’s rear that you’ll find fresh basil in a dish, they slice thin strips and sprinkle them over the sandwich. Then they blend some basil with their fresh mayo. This is a huge sandwich with lots and lots of flavor, I might have another one this week!!

–Matt