Oishii is a new food truck that has set up shop in the parking lot of the Kanawha City Piggly Wiggly. 



Offering hibachi and sushi, Oishii - which means tasty or delicious in Japanese - offers something new to the food truck scene.



It's like a hibachi restaurant on wheels. I started with the usual: crab rangoons. I like this particular shape. What is it called? It's like a small purse - instead of having four distinct portions. I should name them: There's the triangle pocket, this little purse guy (below), and then the crab. But then there's also the ones that are kinda wrapped. And then the ones that are like the crab shape, but sealed. There are probably more, but those are the ones that come to mind. All this to say - I like this shape as one of the best. I don't like the extra crispy bits that are just fried; I like the filling in every bite so these and the triangle shapes are best.



I ordered crabmeat hibachi because I don't think I've ever seen it? It's usually steak, chicken, shrimp, and that's it. What I didn't realize is that it was Krab, and not Crab. I think I genuinely would've liked it if it wasn't charred and was just in some garlic because I do like Krab. Just not really in this way.



Last but not least - the namesake sushi roll that is deep-fried with crab, avocado, cream cheese, spicy crabmeat and crunch.



I think very few places do the fried roll well. It usually ends up too oil-logged and soggy, and it doesn't add texture as much as it takes away from it. Overall, average.



Grade: B

Yummi Japan in Princeton is a takeout sushi spot all the way at the (nearly) very bottom of the state. 

 
You can simply place an order online and pick it up through a plastic enclosure that was erected during COVID19. Not sure how long they plan to keep this up - if not indefinitely - but it's possible it could already be down.



The menu includes teriyaki dishes, rice bowls, yakisoba, sushi rolls, smoothies and boba. I ordered a spicy crab meat roll, which had spicy crab, tempura crunchies and seemed to be missing spicy mayo so a bit dry. But fine.



And I also ordered shrimp hibachi, which also would've been better with some sauce. But, noodles, shrimp, veggies, all good. Would've been great with teriyaki.



Grade: B

Super Red Bowl Asian Cuisine is a new-ish restaurant in Morgantown that has a little bit of everything: sushi, bubble tea, poke, and a "build your own hibachi bowl," which caught my attention. 



There's something fun - to me - about being able to create your owl meal without doing any of the work.

 
With the hibachi bowl, you first choose from fried rice, white rice, brown rice, lo mein, flat noodles, udon, soba or tortilla. I went with white rice. 



Then, what meat? Imitation crabmeat, shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, squid, dark meat chicken, mussels, ham or sausage. I went with the crabmeat and shrimp. 



Then, all the toppings: broccoli, cabbage, carrot, onion, mushroom, green pepper, celery, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, zucchini, pineapple, baby corn, sweet corn, bok choy, red onion, snow peas, tofu, egg and peanut. I went with as many as I can. 



And, finally, top it off with chili garlic sauce, teriyaki sauce, yummy sauce, kung pao sauce, sweet sour sauce, garlic sauce, mongolian sauce, honey soy sauce, chopsticks sauce, garlic, butter, hot chili, scallion and jalapeno. I did a combo of garlic sauce and yummy sauce. 



OK to start - crab cheese wontons - these are always good in my book. I liked that these weren't too greasy, and they had an average amount of filling. For the hibachi bowl I made, it was maybe a bit TOO much sauce, so noted for next time. But it was packed full of all the veggies and protein I requested, which I loved. I do with the shrimp had been deveined - not super appetizing to see that. The only downside is I found a hair in my meal. Not one that was mine. It was hard for me to continue on after that, but I definitely need to check it out another time. 

Grade: B

Hiro Japanese Express is a new-ish restaurant in Hurricane that I visited some time ago and am just now getting around to talking about it!



The restaurant is pretty small and features ramen, sushi, and hibachi. I almost think you have to be all things to all people when you're one of the few games in town.



Speaking of, they had bao buns that I was really excited about. I can count on one hand where you can find them in West Virginia, and I love the texture of that bun. This one had a tasty sweet and spicy pork belly, kimchi and some crisp pickled cucumber.



I would wager that most folks would order some crab rangoons because they're a crowd favorite. These little purse shapes are one of my favorites. They were creamy and tasty.

Finally, I did a simple Philly roll for something light and refreshing. All things were tasty and just a bit more creative than other offerings in the area. I regret not getting ramen on this visit, because there aren't many places who did it - fewer who do it well. Next time.

Grade: A

As I get the craving for Chinese, I'm making my way way through new restaurants in the Kanawha Valley. Next on the list is Asian Wok in Winfield.



The restaurant is still closed for indoor dining, and they have a large plastic covering at the front where you pass through your payment and receive your food. I had called ahead and placed an order for honey chicken and an egg roll. They were out of a few other things I wanted to try - like whatever "chicken balls" are. 



The honey chicken was pretty standard in flavor - sticky sweet, which I enjoy with the savory chicken. I only wish the breading had stood up and remained crispier. But had I eaten it there, it probably would've done so. 



The eggroll was solid and standard. Heavy on the cabbage and not as much on the protein, but nice and crisp on the outside.



Grade: B

East Flavor is a Huntington restaurant that opened in the fall in a space that many of my Huntington friends say is "doomed" - 322 10th Street. What they mean by this is that there are a lot of restaurants in this space that ultimately fail. 



Truthfully, I feel like this is the case for many towns. And, I'm always rooting for the new ones to change the trend. East Flavor is no exception, so I placed an order online to pick up at the restaurant. At this time, I felt more comfortable getting food to go - but still wanted to support this new restaurant. My quick view inside showed a large space, lots of finished wood and teal accents with small decorations. 



I ordered pad thai, tempura don and an Angry Dragon roll. I keep hoping I'll find a pad thai that lives up to my dreams of some favorites in Morgantown, but this just wasn't quite it. It wasn't bad, but it was a little bland. But, I also know this is probably not their specialty.



The tempura don was on the "danburi" list, and I was curious about it. It was tempura prawns and veggies on top of rice with house sauce, but mine was missing a sauce. But, tempura anything (fried anything) can't be too bad.



Finally, the Angry Dragon roll has shrimp tempura (sensing a theme?), spica tuna, avocado, topped with spicy crab salad and spicy mayo. I enjoyed this the most of the bunch. But I also rarely turn down sushi? Very yummy.

Grade: B

So many things have changed over the past year with the onset of the pandemic. One of which is dining out. It's a huge part of my life, and I've been consistently trying to find ways to support local businesses during this time while also keeping them and myself safe. 



So bear in mind that while visiting these restaurants recently, I may not be getting the most of the experience. But, it's likely similar to what you'd experience, too. While driving through Elkins, I called in an order to Sakura Japanese Steakhouse to go. 



Let's start with crab rangoons, of course. Crunch on the outside, creamy on the inside. With a side of sweet sauce.



I went with a simple California roll with crab, avocado and cucumber. I also ordered a Sakura Roll - shrimp tempura, spicy crab, seaweed salad, crunch, wrapped in soy paper, topped w masago, spicy mayo & eel sauce.



I gotta say - I know what I like. These were both solid, standard. They weren't mind-blowing or necessarily the most flavorful renditions I've had. But they were good and I wouldn't hesitate to try them again.

Grade: B

First of all, I'm not quite sure why 90% of my photos of the outside of restaurants are messed up. I think I take the photo so quickly, my phone doesn't have time to really capture the whole thing. I swear this is not user error.

Secondly, I love Asian food. All kinds, really. Sushi. Ramen. Americanized Chinese. AND, I have many more restaurants to explore in Beckley. So when Yummi Japan popped up on my radar, it was a no-brainer to go check it out. 



The Philly Roll - crabmeat and cream cheese - is everything my basic heart loves. Guilty pleasure - but very tasty. 



Then, I did a shrimp teriyaki, which was just OK. It was really salty for my taste, and not a ton of sauce/flavor outside of that.



Crab cheese rangoons - always a treat. Maybe this means I should just stick to my guilty pleasures since they're my favorite?

Grade: B

Hibachi Express has opened on the East End of Charleston beside Main Kwong. Their specialties include hibachi, of course, sushi and Thai.
They seem to be focusing on carryout and delivery during these times, so I placed an order for delivery to check it out.



First up, we have cheese wontons, always. These had a lot of cheese - no crab - and were the turnover style, which I enjoy more. Stuffed to the brim with filling and served with some sweet chili sauce. Tasty.



Then, it was a regular spicy crab roll, as well as a West Virginia roll, which had shrimp tempura, avocado, crab, tobiko and a mango sauce. These were both OK ... not a ton of flavor, but nothing especially bad either.



We also tried the pad thai dish. I love pad thai. But, this too, didn't have much flavor. I was hoping for just a touch of heat and some spices but it was nothing of note. And, the shrimp weren't deveined, which is a pet peeve. Overall, not bad. But I would venture out to try some different options next time.



Grade: C

Fuji Express, a new restaurant located on Hal Greer in Huntington, opened during the COVID-19 pandemic. While that presents a number of challenges, it also presented some opportunities - like adapting to this "new normal." For instance, they have a pick up window. And that made me feel comfortable trying them, as I've been trying to limit my indoor dining.



Their menu features hibachi entrees, Japanese udon noodles, sushi, teriyaki and Chinese dishes. So, a little bit of everything. But first, no matter what, start with crab rangoons. These weren't super memorable, but by the looks of the blurry photo, I wasted no time scarfing them down.



For my entree, I went with chicken teriyaki. I learned it's an art, of sorts, in Seattle. I was hoping to experience some of that same flavor. It wasn't exactly the same - but it was like a lighter version. The sauce could've been a bit bolder with more flavor instead of lightly brushed on some grilled pieces.



Overall, it was decent. But next time, I might try some of the udon or sushi.

Grade: B