Kobe Japanese Steakhouse is nestled in a prime location next to the Meuse River and The Crown Plaza Hotel. The ambiance is slightly upscale and reservations are required. Location and ambiance, however, do not make up for the lack of zest in the food and lukewarm attitude of the wait staff.
Annoyance number one: you must walk over a very large grated vent in order to ascend the stairs leading into the restaurant. No big deal if this was a causal restaurant, but seeing as this is a slightly upscale establishment, I dolled myself up a bit and wore a modest heel. Hours later as I teetered over a grated vent, I regretted my wardrobe selection.
Annoyance number two: mediocre house wine. My love and I knew going into our outing, that we were going to fork over a pretty penny in order to dine. No problem. In our naiveté we assumed that you get what you pay for. Not in this case. I ordered the house white to pair with our unmemorable appetizer. Didn't even finish my wine. It tasted like it came out of a box.
The hibachi was ok. Nothing spectacular. I had shrimp and chicken. The meal lacked depth. I watched the chef cook, and noticed him seasoning the food, but did not taste anything but soy sauce and butter once it was served on my plate.
Not to be discouraged, I set my hibachi aside and ordered from the sushi bar. Fish was fresh. Salmon and Tuna were particularly good, and wasabi was not overpowering.
Service was average. Hostess's and waiters' attitudes were pretentious. Then again, TEFAF was being held in town that week which can attribute to airs being particularly high.
Not great enough to rave, but not bad enough to delete from my restaurant dossier. read more
