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| - The hype over Roll N Bowl is pretty crazy. It's located across from Ni-Ji, which has also been raved about and is considered to be a gem by most UTSC students in the area. Personally, I was never impressed by Ni-Ji. It was decent at best. I was therefore game to try a newly trending Japanese-Korean restaurant in the area...and it too fell far from the pedestal on which the hype had placed it.
We arrived at 7pm on a weeknight and half the tables were empty. However, by 8pm or so, it was a full house, which suggested that they probably have a steady traffic of customers. The hype seemed to have been validated here.
Visual aesthetics was a key feature I noticed. The interior decor consisted of black wooden tables, an open window from where the chef preps the food while facing towards the diners, and several woodblock-esque pictures that were hung on the walls. The design makes for a pleasant space that leaves you feeling that the room is more spacious than normal, which enhances the comfort of having a private conversation within your party. Furthermore, the food was beautifully plated. I would not bet that the chef had the best presentation skills because I have seen better at Hamaru. However, the food still came out in its own trendy fashion and made for some nice foodgasmic shots.
Now, in terms of foodgasmic flavour, it was non-existent that night. This is not to say that the food tasted terrible. All the dishes had a decent flavour and I do honestly believe that most would enjoy themselves here. For me, it's just that nothing blew my socks off. We ordered the Sashimi Dinner, which had very fresh fish, but none of it had a strong flavour. You may want to discredit me because it's common for raw fish to lack flavour. Well, when you have high-grade sashimi, like the kind at Hamaru, you will agree that the fish at Roll N Bowl is of decent quality, but that's just about all there is to it. Additionally, we ordered the Ddukbaegi Bulgolgi, which is essentially beef stew with glass noodles. The beef was plentiful, but the noodles were scarce, making the dish less filling. Then, there was the takoyaki. My bf can be quite a takoyaki snob, and he found these to be decent, chewier and smaller than what we get elsewhere. Last but not least, there were the orange slices. In place of the normative ice cream that follows a dinner meal at most Japanese restaurants, Roll N Bowl gives you oranges, and just one slice each to boot! I was very disappointed at this substitution. Frankly-speaking, if it weren't for the complimentary soba noodles in a warm broth that they served at the beginning, then I don't think I would have enjoyed the meal that night.
I don't believe I will be returning too often. I would still choose Roll N Sushi if I had to choose between this and Ni-Ji, but I would not recommend people to go out of their way for it. If they are conveniently in the area, then sure why not.
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