89 Inn
The store looked quite run-down from the outside, so I didn't have very high expectations for the food. The decor inside was a bit better, but looked more like a Hong Kong style cafe than a Japanese restaurant. I found out why when I opened the menu to find typical Hong Kong style cafe fare in addition to Japanese food. For variety's sake, we ordered bento box A ($13.95) with teriyaki chicken and rice, salmon/tuna/octopus sashimi, California roll, tuna roll and assorted tempura. The sashimi were very mushy and the tuna fell apart as I bit into it. I tried a bit of the rice and was disappointed that it was not the aromatic and slightly sticky Japanese variety, but a mushy and flaky low-quality rice. The tempura were decent but a bit too oily.
Next we had the rainbow roll ($7.95) which turned out to be a regular California roll with an assortment of toppings including salmon, tuna, tamago, ebi, tobiko and avocado. The ingredients looked like they had been thrown together carelessly along with a garnish of a limpy dead-looking leaf. The roll didn't taste bad, but I would rate it as below average.
We had 2 other rolls: the QE Park roll ($6.95) and the dragon roll ($7.95). The QE Park was a tuna and cucumber roll topped with avocado, egg crepe and seaweed. The strangest part was that there were droplets of Maggi seasoning sauce on the roll, resulting in a very unauthentic and odd flavour. The dragon roll was comparatively better with prawn and yam tempura and unagi topping. Although it was the best roll of the night, I would only rate it as average.
I feel that this place has little to offer in terms of food presentation and quality. Prices are very reasonable, but I would not be willing to spend any money on such mediocre food. Even at the same price point, there are many other options with much better quality.
Next we had the rainbow roll ($7.95) which turned out to be a regular California roll with an assortment of toppings including salmon, tuna, tamago, ebi, tobiko and avocado. The ingredients looked like they had been thrown together carelessly along with a garnish of a limpy dead-looking leaf. The roll didn't taste bad, but I would rate it as below average.
We had 2 other rolls: the QE Park roll ($6.95) and the dragon roll ($7.95). The QE Park was a tuna and cucumber roll topped with avocado, egg crepe and seaweed. The strangest part was that there were droplets of Maggi seasoning sauce on the roll, resulting in a very unauthentic and odd flavour. The dragon roll was comparatively better with prawn and yam tempura and unagi topping. Although it was the best roll of the night, I would only rate it as average.
I feel that this place has little to offer in terms of food presentation and quality. Prices are very reasonable, but I would not be willing to spend any money on such mediocre food. Even at the same price point, there are many other options with much better quality.
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