| rev:text
| - Before I get into my review I just wanted to point out something that a few other reviewers have noted.
Bento boy is a little food court stall in the Shoppes of the Parkway mall. If you are not staying in the Sheraton, work nearby or heard through word of mouth (I found it through Yelp) you more then likely would pass this place by. I know this place more for the Host then its food court, but was pleasantly surprised by this place.
Having said that I am really not sure why other reviewers would compare this place to an actual full sit down ramen noodle place. You really can not compare a food court to an actual sit down restaurant. Also, other reviewers noted that its only a few dollars cheaper then an actual sit down. It actually is a few dollars more + TIP on an actual sit down.
Having said that, this place for what it is definitely gives you bang for your buck. Im not one to specifically seek out food court food, as usually they are notorious for being underwhelming. But for what it is, I think that this little food stall does have the potential to take it to another level (sit down restaurant) if they kick things up a notch.
For only $7.95 you get your choice of a bento box (soft ribs, pork katsu and chicken karaage to name a few options) or $8.95 for a ramen bowl. The bento box includes a small potato salad that is not overpowered with mayo, you can actually taste the potatoes with just a small hint of vinegar, some veggies, rice and a spring roll. The spring roll did not taste overly oily like other food court food out there.
The ramen bowl was tasty, but felt a little bit undervalued given the variety that the bento box offers.
When I first came here, I had heard about it through Yelp. My first visit was on Saturday which unfortunately they had closed early as they had apparently sold out of everything by lunch. No matter I still made the trek back as I had really wanted to try this place even more now since I was denied the first time and it was well worth the visit. I first called ahead to make sure that they would be open around the time that I was thinking of going and was greeted by a very perky friendly girl. This same girl was also there when I arrived. While I was deciding to order the girl was very nice in talking me through what they offered, and the various options. I had mentioned to her how I had paid a visit before but they had closed early that time. She instantly apologized and explained what had happened. She also offered a side of chicken karaage to make up for the fact that they closed early on a Saturday. This in itself speaks volumes of the ownership. I have been to much more expensive sit down restaurants where I received far less courtesy and service then this little food court stand.
My wife and I ended up getting a bento box, ramen, poutine, and the chicken karaage. For the price that we paid (~$25 in total) for a dinner like this, you honestly can not compare to a full sit down restaurant for the value that you are getting here.
I wouldnt recommend this place for a large dinner party obviously, but if your looking for a quick bite with a few friends I would not hesitate to recommend coming here and giving this place a try. Its quick, pretty tasty, and good value. An excellent little place that I would definitely visit again for a quick bite.
You really can not go wrong, but of course keep your expectations in check.
I will definitely be back soon. As my wife liked the ribs so much, she actually asked if they just sold the ribs on its own (which they do!).
The only suggestion I may have for them is to possibly offer some more "sides" with the ramen bowl. As the bento box includes a spring roll, some veggies and potato salad. while the ramen bowl just came on its own. It may make it more appealing if they were to include a small side of the potato salad or spring roll with the ramen. Or alternatively maybe include a small bowl of their ramen broth with their bento box. It gives the best of both worlds really then with a bento box.
I really hope that they expand their menu in the near future with some more creative combinations. I had heard they offered "curry fries" which is very very tasty sounding. Sweet potato fries and chicken wings would be good. Skewers of veggies, meat or deep fried squid would also be welcome on the menu. Tempura as well, but these are just a few ideas Im throwing out there.
I look forward to coming back, and hope that they continue to grow and expand. They are after all only 2 months old, so lots of ideas!
Bonus is that they accept credit card - a lot of places in this food court seem to take cash only.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)