Sometimes, you find a restaurant that hits the spot. Not too fussy, has the right items, and just fits you. Hanging out at Hillsdale on a rainy day, this was that place for me. Friendly service, a ramen that suits my preferences and a good karage make this a Good rating for me. The karage was fried in a certain way that was pretty good, but I have had better. The ramen, pretty good but lacked some typical free additions ... ultimately if they satisfied those factors, i think it would be Great but they did not. Still worth trying for sure. read more

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Better than I expected! The food was pretty tasty and service was great (both the human and robot server!). The iPad that you order on was pretty nasty though, and I don't love the price for the quality so docking it down to 3 stars - not bad but not going to be seeking it out either. read more

YAYOI - Nasu Miso and Saba - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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*Parking: Located inside the Hillsdale Mall, so plenty of free parking. *Experience: Was seated immediately on a Wednesday night. We were given an iPad to order and got the two most popular items. Some of the food came out via robot delivery while some were delivered by an actual human server. The odd thing is we had to go pay in the kiosk in the front and there were a couple parties in front of us waiting to pay. We also tipped 18% even though we got practically no service. *Food: I did not like the wagyu sukiyaki as it tasted like cheap can broth and overly cooked toppings. The Hitsumabushi was better but nothing extraordinary where I would come back for it. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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We live next door and go here all the time love the food and customer service this review wasn't long enough lol read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

So-so tonkatsu. I have yet to find a great tonkatsu place in the Bay Area. Yayoi looks great on photos so it has been on my list for a while. I ordered the Katsu Toji - tonkatsu in egg and sauce, like a Katsudon. It comes with a side of Japanese white rice, miso soup and a choice of side, I picked Chawanmushi. The sauce was undeniably too salty. The pork cutlet, miso soup and chawanmushi were all just okay. Not my order - the Tonkatsu set and Kids meal. I tasted the tonkatsu, the pork cutlet could have been thicker and more tender. The menu said fresh panko, I know fresh panko and this was not it. I guess I'm asking too much for a $20 tonkatsu meal? I should have lowered my expectations for Yayoi. This is your average Japanese place with average tasting food and with very minimal human interaction. Ordering is through a tablet provided on the table and food is brought by a robot. If you want more water, more hot tea, etc., pick the tablet and the robot will bring it to your table. read more

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We stopped by here on a Sunday for a quick lunch. Not sure why the ratings for this place are so low, the food, service, and ambiance is an easy 4 for me. Granted we love Japanese food especially bento/lunch set places. We were quickly seated by the staff and ordering was a breeze with the tablet ordering system they have here. The staff was super helpful to clarify what menu items were vegetarian or could be made vegetarian. There are also surprising number of vegetarian options on the menu here for a Japanese restaurant, usually most items will contain dashi (bonito/fish stock) for flavoring. My partner and I shared some vegetarian items including the vegetarian gyoza, the vegetarian ramen, plain curry rice. I also had the beef sukiyaki set and an order of the chawanmushi. The food came out hot and tasted great. The standouts included the veggie gyozas which were crisp on the outside with a flavorful soy/veggie filling that we liked. The vegetarian ramen was also very good, the soup wasn't too oily/rich but still had plenty of flavor, and the noodles were cooked with the right amount of chew. The sukiyaki base wasn't too sweet and was deliciously umami. Unfortunately the chawanmushi was only okay, it could have used a little more salt or stock. Overall a great place to go if you have a family with different dietary restrictions, there's something tasty for everyone. read more

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I come to Yayoi at Hillsdale all the time -- it's one of my favorite spots. They have so many options, so there's always something good to try. Ordering from the iPad is super easy, and the robot that brings out your food is always a fun touch (especially for the kids). It's also very kid-friendly -- they have high chairs and the whole setup makes dining with little ones a lot less stressful. Only downside is there's no Wi-Fi, which would be nice to have, but honestly the food and experience more than make up for it. Definitely recommend if you're in the area! read more

Service was friendly but not attentive. They handed me the iPad with no further directions. Robot serves your food. Food was average. Thanks! read more

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Pretty decent spot for a quick lunch. We stopped by with some friends for Japanese food right as they opened. This location is in the Hillsdale mall but the restaurant front faces a parking structure so it's pretty convenient to stop by. Ordering is done through the tablet and we started with complimentary barley tea. I got the wagyu sukiyaki set which was good overall but nothing special and pricey. The broth was too salty and sweet for my liking and the udon overcooked to the point where it was a bit mushy. I did try some of my friend's dishes as well and most were just alright. Service was spotty throughout and we had to flag down our waiter several times for utensils, water and to pay. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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A woman who is Chinese or japanese are mean however some of the staff work so fast and so approachable except to one woman. im so disappointed super disappointed.i hope i wont see her again.im paying for my food I deserve a respect and fair treatment like anyone else.whether you order just a few item or not a lot ,i deserve to be treated with respect and fair.especially I didn't say something or bother anyone or any staff .o deserve to be treated nicely and with respect. read more

Food 3.5 out of 5 Service 3 out of 5 Ambiance 3.5 out of 5 The food was decent. I really miss a good katsudon so I was happy that I could order it at Yayoi. It was tasty but a bit dry. I wish it had a bit more of the runny egg and also crispier katsu. Overall the taste as good. We had two orders of the salmon sashimi which was surprisingly tasty and fresh. The price is great too with 6 pieces of salmon sashimi for $11. I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of the salmon sashimi as I totally forgot and it was so tasty we ate it right away I'd like to go back to try the other teishoku sets. Service was mediocre with the staff not being too friendly.They just delivered the dishes and left the table as quickly as possible. It was convenient to order from the tablet at the table. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I was super excited to come here as I have seen it many times when leaving Cheesecake Factory. We had a party of about 12 and were seated quickly. We had to order off an iPad but they did have physical menus that we could look at. I will say this: restaurants implementing the iPad system will discourage the elderly from eating out (on their own) but most restaurants who do have them, if you are struggling, they usually will help you out. I just feel like I'm taking someone's job LOL The food itself was unfortunately - mid. It was ok but the price listed was serving middle-high class. The only thing higher class was the presentation. That's it. The wagyu IS American Wagyu (which they tell you) so do not except too much. I got the Wagyu Yakiniku Ju and it was fine. It was tasty but I was hoping for a bit more. I tried bits and pieces of other food but the one I really enjoyed was Wagyu Sukiyaki (but tbh I just LOVE Sukiyaki in any setting!) read more

Haven't been here in a while, and since the last time I've been here they've gone from "we'll donate all tips to charity" to "you must tip" with food prices going up too. Couple that with someone in the kitchen loudly and constantly "horking" I.e. loudly clearing mucus from their throat, was off putting. Their sushi bites must sit around for a while before serving too- the nori was flaccid and difficult to bite through. Guess I'm done here. read more

The restaurant where the robot brings your food! The robot is a bit on the slower side, but it's a neat little idea. Food was pretty good, but nothing that's going to make you reevaluate your life. Also, slightly on the pricier side for what you get, but not surprised. Still, no regrets. If you like Japanese food and want a robot to mostly serve you, then give it a shot! read more

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The food here is tasty. If you like mix service of human interaction and robot service this may be the place for you. I personally wish for more human interaction. It's a nice space to eat at and is quite popular. read more

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i got the omaze don and it was sooo good. such a nice hearty meal, esp loved the okra in this dish. was also my first time trying natto and i wasnt the biggest fan of it so i took some out but a few mixed into the dish was nice. ordered on tablets and food came out so fast! will def come again to order the same :) read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ambiance - Yayoi is conveniently located in Hillsdale mall near the main entrance. Easy and accessible parking available. Plenty of seats available and clean. Card ONLY! No cash payment. I recalled years ago that this restaurant had a "no tipping policy" but that clearly changed which is understandable in this economy. Food - I ordered 1) Tokatsu meal for $30 - comes with miso soup, rice, salad, and seaweed salad. I've been craving authentic Japanese tonkatsu which are typically larger, crispier, and a bit fatty and this hit the spot. The salad and Asian dressing was delicious! I upgraded my side to sashimi (+$7) and it was fresh with radish. Staff - It was my first time here so I did not know that you had to order through an iPad. Front desk staff should inform customers. I personally like ordering with workers for any modifications or questions, but staff available were friendly and they were there to answer questions you had. read more

YAYOI - Sashimi as a side for $7 - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Love the food here. Very tasty and delicious definitely recommend if you like Asian food.

Went here for dinner, the wait wasn't too long. But the service on getting a staff to come by wasn't great. They use iPads with a call service button and it asked what type of service they need- I asked for boxes. We waited maybe 20 min and no one came. I had to flag someone down and even when I did I felt like they were trying to get me to use the iPad. So the food was okay, not something I'd come back to eat tho. read more

YAYOI - 973. Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Located In Hillsboro Shopping, this is an authentic Japanese restaurant, featuring fantastic teishoku dinners! Fully electronic ordering, robot delivery to your table, and no tipping payment(card only). I highly recommend their Yayoi Gozen teishoku: sampler of their best items, beef sukiyaki, salmon with mushrooms miso soup, and salmon salad. Omaze Don: mountain yam, natto, salmon sashimi, pickled vegetables, mix with shoyu and enjoy over rice! Be sure to order their chawan mushi, steamed eggs, chicken, crab or ikura. I also love their small bites, which are small sushi hand rolls. read more

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Nice restaurant addition for a mall! They give you the menu on a Apple screen pad and robots serving out the food! It's so cool! Their Salmon Don with add on chawan mushi was delightful for lunch! It's pretty good selections and quality for mall food! Yummy and will definitely come put of convenience for sushi spot in this mall area! read more

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YAYOI is located next to the Cheesecake Factory with an entrance from the parking lot or from within the mall. I checked in at the front counter on a Friday afternoon with no wait. I was able to choose anywhere to sit and was handed an iPad mini and paper menu. You order from the iPad where you can track when the kitchen has received your order, when it's being cooked and when it's been delivered via the robot. There is complimentary barley tea upon request. I ordered the Wagyu Niku udon (wish it was a slightly bigger serving) and the matcha tea to go to be able to meet the $20 minimum and redeem the check in offer for a free salmon carpaccio (came with arugula instead of sprouts which was still good!). Don't wait too long to finish the tea or else the ice will water it down. Friendly and fast service, would come back again. read more

YAYOI - Salmon Carpaccio and Matcha Iced Tea to go - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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When I think of Japanese comfort food, this is definitely it. Been here once before and really enjoyed our meals, so decided to visit again with a couple of girlfriends. No robot waiter during our recent visit. Our food, this time, were all brought by the waitstaff and they checked on us often. We ordered quite a few items but I was so hungry I forgot to take pics of everything we ordered. Standouts for me were the: 1) Ikageso Kara Age - delivered hot and crispy, and there's flavor too. Extra flavorful with that dipping sauce. 2) Mix toji - wanted the Sukiyaki but they were out. This was a good mix of everything. 3) Namban - crispy chicken steak and I think it's egg salad on top. Maybe kinda weird, but I liked it. 4) Chawanmushi - I just love egg custard in general. This one hits the spot and is flavorful. We ordered 3 meals including all the items pictured. Needless to say, we were stuffed! read more

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I heard that this place was popular so I didn't expect it to be terrible. The food is expensive for low quality and subpar food. The eel had a few bones and the meat tasted a few days old. Received absolutely no service in the middle of the day and no direction on how to order or pay out. I looked online to find out that you gotta walk all the way back to the front to pay out even though you had a device like Kura sushi... It was a funky experience. Maybe not return for a 2nd try. Inside was clean. read more

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Came here for late lunch before shopping around the mall. When the host seats you at the table, they will provide napkins, chop sticks, regular menu, and a tablet menu at the table. After you order food and drinks at the tablet, there will be a robot that will bring out your food instead of the servers. I decided to get the spicy tonkotsu ramen while my mom gets the regular tonkosu ramen. Both only comes with one piece of pork, broth and noodle. We also got the assortment of 5 sushi bites. The food are average but good enough for a restaurant that locate inside the mall. The price is kinda pricy the kind food that we had. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Yeah, we really like this place located next to the Cheesecake Factory in Hillsdale Mall. It's a larger space with good social distancing, but I feel like the place needs to 'feel' more intimate with the use of partitions and lower mood lighting. I feel like Japanese dining should be feel like you're in a smaller space to set the mood. This place is just too bright and airy. The food here is excellent. Good quality and you pay for it in higher prices. $27 gets you a set with some katsu, salmon, salad, and some beef sukiyaki with rice. Its not a huge amount of food, but it will get your tummy filled. Wish there was a touch more quantity. Love love love the chicken katsu. Next time I come back, I'm getting the full plate. It's airy and crispy and not fake tasting. Tech here is great. You get a small tablet to order your food, and a damn robot comes and brings it to your table. How cool is that! The best thing. They don't accept tips (just like in Tokyo). Please all restaurants just include tax and tip in your menu prices. It's annoying paying 30% more when you check out. Come on now. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I had a great experience, I'm glad I finally got around to trying it! I've passed by this place often when I'm at Hillsdale. Located near H&M and right next to Cheese Factory. The blend of traditional Japanese and modern aesthetic of this restaurant is what gravitated me to wanting to try it every time that I passed by. Not to mention, this place is super clean and well kept. When we walked in, I added my name to the waitlist using the tablet at the front. I came on a Saturday during prime lunch time, and they were surprising not packed. There was maybe 3 servers, who were still super busy and constantly running around. They were also super attentive. When we finished eating, I asked my boyfriend to ask for a togo box, and the server who was approximately 3 yards away from us and helping another customer at the front, asked if I needed a box . Other than seating, there's actually a very minimal need to interact with the servers because you order on a tablet and food is delivered to your table with a robot, perfect for introverts! Haha. The use of tech adds to the over modernness of the experience. After you finish eating, you go up to the front to pay. They have a solid menu with lots of options. We ordered more food than we can eat, because there was so much that we wanted to try! The food is exactly what as I would expect - super visually appealing and incredibly flavorful! Very minor and nit picky feedback: the Ikura Chawwan Mushi is a bit too salty, the uncooked salmon from the Yayoi Gozen was slightly lacking in richness, and the Sushi Baby Scallop Masago was a little soggy. But even with that said, I still think the food was satisfactory. I've seen reviews calling this place too overpriced, and though it is relatively pricey, I do think it's fair all things considered. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Came on a Sunday for dinner around 6pm. There was no wait, and the restaurant had tables available. I got the katsu toji ju. It was okay. The egg made the katsu not as crispy as it could have been. The pork was moist. There was a lot of food. It came with miso soup which was average. They use robot servers. During the course of the meal, there is no one to pick up plates, so we had a lot of them pile up. The floor is tiled so watching the robot is nerve-wracking since they place a lot of plates on the robot. It's innovative, but the experience could be improved. For a mall restaurant, it wasn't a bad experience. read more

YAYOI - Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Great place to eat with small kids when visiting Hillsdale mall. Clean, friendly, fast service and good menu options. I like the salmon okaze don (you need to like okra/natto gooey texture), Niku udon, and kids meals. The tempura is a bit greasy though and could be improved. read more

went with a friend on a Wednesday night. Easy seating, and no wait (but be warned. This is a very popular spot so on a Thursday through Saturday plan ahead.). We had some struggles figuring out how to order, but the gentleman who helped us was very kind. The food was very tasty, the sake delicious and we think it was a good value for the quality. read more

YAYOI - Sukiyaki meal with Unagi - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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A legit looking Japanese restaurant but with terrible quality food. Don't let the nice looking photos on the menu fool you lol -Service Why is there no hot tea served for free? I asked for hot tea with a manager-looking waiter. He "casually" pointed at the tablet and be like, "you can order from there." Do i look like I am stupid that I don't know how to read the menu??? - We ordered the Una Ju (BBQ eel rice). It did not worth its price AT ALL. - We ordered the salmon sashimi. The salmon sashimi tasted like it hasn't chilled enough time to be served. Also, I needed to ask two waiters for the soy sauce and the wasabi, but whhhhyyyyy did i need to ask for soy sauce and wasabi???? - We also ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen. It has nothing but ramen and a piece of chashu. Why?????? I gave 2 stars just for the aesthetic of the restaurant. PERIOD. read more

YAYOI - 973. Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

My husband and I returned to California for one last family visit before I started my new job and didn't have anymore time off. An old coworker of his whom he used to work with in Arizona, now works at Apple. So we met him halfway for dinner. I found this place because I love Japanese and I also saw they do something called Teishoku, which is a Japanese meal set, almost like a Bento box. I couldn't actually find enough space in my stomach to do teishoku, but I did find room in my stomach for udon. This is a "high tech" restaurant so to speak. When you sit down, a waiter comes around and hands you an iPad where you can order your foods and drinks. I got an udon. My husband got chicken katsu curry. Our friend got udon or ramen, I thought I took a picture but I guess I didn't. I also got a free salmon carpaccio for checking in on Yelp. My friend got a single spicy salmon sushi bite. We also had ordered gyoza which I didn't take a picture because everyone knows what they look like. The gyoza was also really good. Going to the iPad really quick: the iPad will remain on your table and will keep track of the status of your food such as when the food is being prepared and/or has been delivered. The restaurant also has one of those little robots that will deliver your food so the waiter can focus on other things. It's really cool. A lot of restaurants are starting to use the robot and I think it's super cute! Back to food: I loved my udon and the salmon carpaccio. I only wish I had more of it. My husband really liked his curry. I believe we also got dessert: matcha tiramisu which I also forgot to take a picture of. But the tiramisu is sooo good. It's a bit small if I remember correctly but it's a sweet way to end the entrees, which can be salty. I recommend everyone trying this place, if not for the food, than just to see the robot deliver your food. read more

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Great Robot Service, Tasty Food, Comfortable Restaurant Wagyu Sukiyaki was Flavorful Egg was Perfectly Soft and Runny Seared Salmon was alright. 4/5 for everything except value Could've went to an AYCE Shabu Shabu for the price read more

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Came here for a work lunch on a Friday afternoon. Parking was pretty easy to find since this restaurant is located inside a mall. It was not busy when we walked in at 1 pm, and were seated immediately as we had a reservation for 10 people. We were given both menus and IPads to order our food once we were ready. I ordered the spicy ramen and dashi tofu. Both were exactly what I was looking for in the dishes-everything tasted fresh and cooked to order. The service was great and food came out quickly. Even though the restaurant is in the mall, it felt like we were sitting in a separate restaurant, which I appreciated. Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely come back again! read more

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Good place for mall food. It's a chain Teishoku store from Japan but it's not as authentic. - Chicken Katsu YAYOI Gozen got 4 mini dishes: chicken katsu, wagyu beef sukiyaki, glazed salmon, salmon salad. Beef was pretty good 7/10, everything else about 6/10 - veggie gyoza: half empty 4/10 - chawanmushi with ikura: steamed egg with ikura and two pieces of chicken tastes ok 6/10 The set is perfect for sharing if you have smaller appetite cuz rice is free refill read more

The nicest staff and the best gyoza! Definitely recommend trying this place out if you like authentic Japanese food (:

Love how this place is upon entry of the mall from the parking garage. Stopped by the mall for dim sum, but instead was so happy to try this place instead. Being from Folsom, Ca, there's nothing like this is our town. Highly recommend. For the tonkatsu meal-amazing. read more

This is located in Hillsdale Mall next to the Cheesecake Factory. It's best to enter through the entrance on Hillsdale and El Camino, and the mall always has a ton of parking especially on the second floor (where you can easily park super close to the stairs or enter and then go down). It's right near the entrance there. I really like this place! I like that they include the tip in it because I don't enjoy messing with that. I wish they would also roll in the tax so that you see exactly what you pay- maybe you're not allowed to? I like a lot that they have a robot now, although it was a little stressful for us to get the plates off the robot (it fidgeted a bit while we tried, and no server came to help, unclear if they are supposed to). I also like having the order iPad on the table, since it means I can order at a leisurely pace. I will add that paying the rolled-in tip prices for delivery was and still is not something I'd want. A lot of it is kind of about how amazing their cookware and serving ware is, so I am not sure I'd do takeaway. Anyway, on to the food! I ordered the Chicken Katsu Yayoi Gozen (so hard to understand their picture menu, the iPad menu is easier somehow). It includes a bowl of miso soup, chicken katsu, salmon sashimi salad, salmon teriyaki, sukiyaki for 29.60 (after tax and included tip). The pictures make it hard to tell, but it's actually quite a huge amount of food! I always add the free pickles to eat as well :) The katsu breading was nice and light although a few parts of it today were a little hard to rip (with chopsticks and teeth). I enjoyed the sashimi and sukiyaki quite a bit. The salmon teriyaki was alright, I think I might've liked more the mushrooms and lotus root that were part of it personally. I've come here before and gotten their sukiyaki, Saba shio, mix Toji, as well as tried their clams, chawanmushi, tofu salad, and karaage. They were all pretty great! Usually when I came here for lunch pre-COVID I would end up taking a portion of a meal home. Today I opted to be a little stuffed instead (with some rice leftover). I'd highly recommend trying this place out if you're at the mall and are willing to spend 25-30 on a meal. It is admittedly a bit pricey, but the food is great and there's a lot of it. I would recommend the sit down experience for sure, rather than take out. read more

YAYOI - Chicken Katsu Yayoi Gozen - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

First time coming to yayoi and I was not disappointed. Food was tasty and service was good. I had the Yayoi gozen. The price is a bit high ($28) but the portion was probably good for 2 meals so it's worth it. They use a tablet for ordering and I can see my food status on the tablet which is pretty cool. The kid at the table next to mine got a kids meal set. The set is so cute!!!! And look really yummy. I would love to come back again. read more

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We came in around 11 in the morning, my wife only wanted to try the curry so she ordered that and i ordered something else also for my kid, after about 15min they come out with all our dishes except the curry and they said that they run out of the sauce so they cant make the dish, my wife really didn't want to try something else so we tried to leave but the server said that they already made all the other dishes and didn't let us leave. Why not tell us from the beginning that they don't have something on the menu and then why get mas when we want to leave after one of us isn't getting what they ordered? Also pretty expensive for what you actually get, i don't recommend this place. read more