Friday, July 17, 2009

 

Take Me Back to Tokyo Cafe

Fort Worth Magazine recently named Tokyo Cafe as "Best Japanese Restaurant." I live less than a 1/2 mile from this restaurant so I was surprised that I had never dined there. I had heard it was good in the past and even stopped to try it once, but the wait was over an hour so I went along my merry way and forgot about the place until FW Magazine put it back on my radar.

So last weekend, FWJoey, FWOlyn and I, were tossing around dinner ideas. After much contemplation, we decided to give Tokyo Cafe a go. Lucky for us! We ordered three of the small plates to start: pork spring rolls ($3.50), grilled shrimp on skewers ($4.50) and JAPANESE PIZZA ($6). Notice the emphasis on the japanese pizza? That is because it was the rock star of the starters (and according to FWOlyn, the best part of the entire meal). This item is not listed on Tokyo's regular menu, but rather was found on the specials/features menu. It was recently served at the Taste of Fort Worth party where it received rave reviews. The "pizza" is more like a pancake with a fluffy egg base. Even though FWJoey is not a big egg fan, he thoroughly enjoyed this starter. The other two starters were fine but nothing memorable. I don't think I would order either of them again because there are so many other menu items that I am curious about such as the TOK FRIES(fresh cut potato fries seasoned with Japanese spices and served with chili mayo for dipping) which I have been told are delicious.

Moving on to sushi rolls...the best thing I ate at Tokyo Cafe was the TROPICAL SUMMER ROLL ($8) which contained tuna, coconut shrimp, mixed greens, avocado and cucumber wrapped in rice paper and served with a sassy strawberry vinaigrette for dipping. The flavors in this roll were refreshing and the vinaigrette was great. You could really taste the coconut on the shrimp which I loved. I get VERY excited when I find a sushi roll that is not wrapped in rice because it is so much less filling. It leaves your belly feeling happy and light rather than weighed down.

We also tried the eel roll ($5) which consisted of eel and cucumber rolled in rice, topped with eel sauce and the Stop Drop ā€˜nā€™ Roll ($10) which was spicy crab, avocado, fresh jalapeno and white tuna, wrapped in rice and topped with red tobiko. Both rolls tasted fresh and were enjoyed, but did not compare to the delightful experience I had with the tropical summer roll. Even FWJoey loved it and said he would be ordering one on our next visit.

If you are not a sushi fan, no worries, try the almost famous beef bowl ($6.50). It was yummy. Or go for the sesame chicken ($8.25). I must warn you though, the sauce on the sesame chicken drew mixed reviews. I did not care for it because I could taste the molasses. Some may like that flavor, but not me.

Tokyo Cafe is casual and incredibly reasonably priced. Feel free to drop in wearing shorts and flip-flops. If you are like me, once you go to Tokyo, you'll find yourself craving it again. I plan to return this weekend for the japanese pizza and the tropical summer roll. YMMMMMM!!!

Tokyo Cafe
5121 Pershing Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76107-4825
(817) 737-8568
www.thetokyocafe.com

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