Oishii Hibachi in Charleston started as a popular food truck in Kanawha City, where it built a loyal following serving up fresh hibachi and sushi from a Piggly Wiggly parking lot. In 2024, it made the leap to a permanent brick-and-mortar location on MacCorkle Avenue in the former Pita Pit space, right next to Horace Mann Middle School. The new space has a simple, dimly lit interior with a dozen or so tables and booths, a small sushi counter, and colorful hanging lanterns that give it a relaxed, slightly tucked-away feel. The menu is a mix of hibachi-style entrees, sushi rolls, appetizers, and bento boxes. Appetizers include items like spring rolls, gyoza, and crab rangoons. Hibachi meals can be ordered with steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon, scallops, crab, or vegetables, and they come with your choice of fried rice or noodles. Bento boxes offer a little bit of everything—rice or noodles, a main dish, salad or soup, and a sushi roll or dumpling. Sushi lovers will find nearly 20 roll options ranging from classics like spicy tuna and shrimp tempura to deep-fried rolls filled with crab, avocado, and cream cheese. The hibachi steak with noodles is filling and generously portioned, though the steak was hit or miss -- sometimes a bit tough and overcooked. Noodles were fine. The crab rangoon, however, was hot, crisp, and well-stuffed, with the triangular folded shape giving it an extra edge. Service is generally quick and friendly, carrying over the approachable vibe from Oishii’s food truck days. It’s a solid spot for an easy lunch or dinner, especially if you’re craving comfort hibachi or a satisfying sushi roll. Not too bad. A solid option in town. Have you been? Grade: B

Koya is a Japanese udon noodle bar that first opened in Soho in 2010, specializing in freshly made udon noodles and dashi with simple, paired back interiors. Koya serves Head Chef Shuko’s udon, donburi and authentic Japanese small plates from breakfast through to dinner at three London locations.



I ordered some vegetable tempura - or yasai ten mori. Never had a whole tempura pepper. Overall, though, the veggies were light and crisp.



I also did a cold udon with hot broth. I loved how firm the cold noodles were, and the chewiness of udon is my favorite.



Plus a few extra toppings to customize the udon to your liking.



Grade: A

Koba Cafe in Vienna offers Vietnamese and Korean food, in addition to bubble tea.



They have a little bit of everything - from fish cakes and wings to pho and kalbi.



I started with pork belly bao buns. They were served with jalapenos, cilantro and house sauce. I will always order these when I see them on a menu, because I love the bun itself. it is what I imagine biting into a cloud would taste like. But these had a bright, punchy flavor.



My bubble tea was the brown sugar flavor with boba - my favorite. It was very creamy.



Finally, I'm always searching for the high of a homemade bulgogi I once enjoyed with a friend's family. Koba Cafe's version had a nice sweet and salty flavor, but it wasn't quite as tender as I would have liked. I enjoyed it with rice and kimchi, nonetheless.



Grade: B

Wok'd Asian Grill in Hurricane focuses on build-your-own Asian fusion food in a fast-casual environment.



"The name Wok'd stems from the name wok which is a metal cook pan with a convex bottom. The idea of this is to allow the customer to pick and choose you own ingredients to have a variety in what you want. Once you pick and choose what you want in your bowl it is then wok'd right in front of you and topped with the sauce of your choice and served to go or dine in. The vision we sought out to bring the Teays valley and Hurricane area is new fast casual asian fusion restaurant for everyone."



There are a few different suggested options, including bibimbap, teriyaki chicken, and beef noodle soup. But the most fun for me was making my own.



Pick a Base (1 base)
White rice, Fried rice, Sweet potato noodles, Lo mein, Salad mix

Pick a protein (1 protein)
Beef, Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Tofu

Pick a Topping (up to 6 toppings)
Cucumber, Carrot, Egg, Corn, Pineapple, Kimchi, Purple Cabbage, Kale, Potato, Green Peppers

Sauce it up (1 sauce)
Tangy teriyaki, Korean chili, Korean mild, Sesame ginger, Yum yum



I did white rice, fried chicken and General Tso sauce. For a quick service meal, it was decent. If it had just been cooked-to-order, the texture may have been firmer and more satisfying. I still enjoyed the sweet and tangy flavor and the fluffy rice.



As a side, I had the char siu buns - red roasted pork buns marinated in a char siu sauce. Fluffy, toothsome bite with a sweet-ish filling. Chewy bits here and there, though.



Finally, a brown sugar boba tea that was not too sweet. Very milky and a good amount of tapioca balls. A nice complement to the meal.



Grade: B

Here's something I bet you've not seen before: a shipping & mailing company/bubble tea cafe. Boba in the front, bubble mailers in the back.



Fusion Tea features adorable, giant squishies when you walk in. Plus keychains, pens and more featuring boba.



Then, to the side, there is a menu featuring fruit teas, milk teas, lemonade, yogurt, ice blended, slushies, iced coffee and more. Plus even a few sweet treats.



I ordered the Happy Family Milk Tea with boba, clear boba, rainbow jelly, and red bean. Yes, sweetened red bean.



First off, I love all the different textures. I can see this one being a hard one to swallow for picky eaters because of the jellies and the beans, but that's what makes me enjoy it. It's sweet, but more complex than just straight sugar. It's interesting.



Grade: A

Fusian is an Ohio-based sushi shop that aims to be simple, fresh and affordable.

"Their vision was to challenge the American perception of sushi and create a place for everyone to enjoy the benefits of Asian-American cuisine ... we make sushi accessible. Sushi doesn’t have to be raw fish and seaweed. At FUSIAN, we aim to educate our customers that sushi starts with rice. From there, anything is possible," according to their website.



The weirdest sushi roll that I found on the menu was: PB+J - soy wrap, white rice, peanut butter + grape jelly. I definitely tasted the peanut butter here, and I can't say that I was wild about it. I almost think if there was more of the jelly to get that whole combination, it may have been better.



For a more traditional role, I also ordered the Crispy Shrimp - inside-out roll w/ tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo, sweet soy, + tempura crunch. I thought this was fine, too. Nothing that really stood out, especially to me, and the textures got a little too soft. But, not bad either. The mango sticky rice was a nice, refreshing way to end the meal.



Grade: B

Tokyo Thai, Sushi & Hibachi in Clarksburg is like a one-stop shop for Asian food because there is a little bit of everything. I was happy to subsequently order a little bit of everything.



I ordered the Yum Yum roll, which includes crab, cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, shredded crab and special sauce. This was a little messy to eat, because of the topping, but it has all the basics of a tasty simple roll.



I was also able to enjoy my favorite Thai dish, pad thai. It satisfied that craving, but I have definitely had better versions that had more depth of flavor. This was fairly middle of the road.



Grade: B

Tokyo Teriyaki Chicken is a Japanese themed fast casual restaurant in the food court at Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport. I didn't come here with the highest expectations, but I love Asian food of all sorts, so I can usually find some redeeming qualities. But, my teriyaki shrimp was a plate of cold and hard lo mein noodles with a few pieces of overcooked shrimp. No sauce, no veggies. No flavor.



Grade: D

Shima's Family Restaurant is a unique, creative restaurant that features classuc homestyle dishes in addition to "oriental" dishes that have Asian inspiration.



I have ordered takeout from them when they were in a prior location, so I decided to dine in at their newest space on Bank Street in Nitro. It's a fairly narrow and long space with corrugated steel walls. It almost has a diner vibe, but the atmosphere certainly feels comfy.



I ordered the "Chef Special," which lists the description as simply whatever the chef decides to cook up. Sold. I was asked my preferred spice level, and I responded, "none essentially" and, they took it from there. The next thing I know, I receive a beautiful plate full of a variety of delicious bites.



Egg roll. Crab puff. Wings. Chicken lo mein. It was like a variety platter from Heaven, and every single bite was delicious. From sweet and savory to more sour and umami, the flavors of the dish hit all the points, and it was like all the best parts of a buffet. It was a surprise, it was fun to try, and it was all so good.



Grade: A