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My BF and I ordered a Wakame salad ($6), a Sushi & Ramen (in miso broth) combo ($22), and a Torched Rainbow Dragon Roll ($17). Small salad, miso soup, noodle soup, spicy crab hand rolls, croquette, and fresh fruit were complimentary. The Wakame salad was fresh and well portioned. You could see how big it was in the picture. The ramen had a nice bouncy and chewy texture, which I enjoyed much. The miso broth was average. It was drinkable. The portion was great, as it was part of a combo, not a stand alone order. The nigiri sushi was good. The fish was fresh, they were sliced thick, and the rice to fish proportion was decent. The torched rainbow dragon roll was impressive, and was my favourite of the meal. The rice layer was thin. The ingredients to rice ratio was high. The ingredients were fresh. The maki was sliced approximately 1cm thick. The maki stayed intact tightly. Nothing fell apart. I was impressed by the skills.
Last but not least, the services was above and beyond expectation. Only the floor manager was on duty this evening. She was warm, effective, professional. She paid attention if we needed water refills. She offered to replace any item that we might find imperfect. She always smiled. I felt like I was having a special dinner date instead of just a regular dinner. Her services would make the owner proud.
Near the end of the dinner, my BF and I had a 5-minute discussion on how many stars we should give Aoi based on the experience. He called for 5 stars. He couldn't find anything he could complain about. I toyed between 4 to 5 stars. And I knew I was being petty about what I found as imperfections. *One* of the fish slices on the sushi, though was okay fresh, could be more fresh (yes, this is petty). One out of the three types of ramen broth was not available, with this was a weeknight and all.
We received good food and great value at Aoi. If the fish quality, portion or craftsmanship get better, I wonder if the current price point would hold.
Overall, 4.5 stars. We will return. Likely very soon.
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