Monday, July 25, 2011

matsumoto's okazuya

So all eats are not created equal...whenever you get a good one, there has to a bad one too, right?

So, let me tell you about a bad one...now, I usually don't blog about bad places because "if I don't have something nice to say about something..." well, you know how the saying goes.

You may have already eaten here, and liked it, but I need to tell you about this place though, because my experience was really bad.

After an errand in the area, my mom, dad and I stopped to pick up some lunch at Matsumoto's Okazuya.

There were lots of choices, so we picked up some of this and some of that, paid and left.

My Grandma and Aunty M came over for lunch and we all shared.

Teri-chicken, tamagoyaki, kinpira gobo, inarizushi, chow funn & corned beef hash patties...US$18.22 tax included.

While all this food sounded good, it wasn't.

The corned beef hash patties were hard & burnt. Inarizushi was just rice, usually you have at least some flecks of carrot, there was also an unusual citrusy flavor to it. The kinpira was made from a frozen gobo mix, so it was very very mushy.

I could go on and on. I will say that the only thing good was the tamagoyaki, very flavorful and light.

In Japan, they often say that when you partake of a meal, you can feel what the person who cooked the meal was feeling, thinking...for me though, I just couldn't feel the "love" from the person who cooked this.

I'm glad we tried this place and I'm also glad that for the most part, my eats have been good experiences, but we won't be coming back here.

Matsumoto's Okazuya
1323 Gulick Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.848.7464

18 comments:

Dennis K. said...

Aw too bad. The teri chicken looks really good though.

K and S said...

too bad is right Dennis :(

Take care.
Kat

Kathy YL Chan said...

Aw man, I've driven past that place a bunch but never tired. Now I will know not to!

Gregg said...

It was a bit sad to read this latest post. Having actually grown up in that area, Matsumoto's (and Gulick Deli) were childhood staples when I needed lunches for school field trips or just weekend snacks. I wonder if this place is just represented by it's name only and has been bought by someone who doesn't understand the okazuya concept? As for Gulick Deli, they have since moved to a South King Street location and I can attest that the food is still very good and worth the stop.

K and S said...

you could try them if you want Kathy, just wanted to give a heads-up on my experience.

sorry to hear too Gregg, not sure if it was just an off-day for them, but we sadly won't be going back to check.

Take care you two.
Kat

Admin said...

Too bad... maybe the cook is just not in the right mood. LOL. I would suggest giving the place another chance. =)

jalna said...

When I have a bad food experience, I'm sometimes tempted to let the people who sold it know. Although I've never done so in fear of offending them, I wonder if telling them would actually help them out, especially if their livelihood depended on it.

K and S said...

Thanks Mikuru :)

Sounds good Jalna, but I dunno that I would be able to make that phone call.

Take care you two.
Kat

K said...

What a disappointing experience!

KirkK said...

That's terrible Kat! The place seems to have really gone down hill from the days when I use to eat there..... so sad when that happens!

K and S said...

totally disappointing K!

wow, a lot of people have tried this place before Kirk...so sad about the quality now.

Take care you two.
Kat

Dd said...

This is one of my fave places, I go there often, tho, normally eating IN. Not from the okazuya makings. AND I LOVE IT !! Such a shame, perhaps the owner was off..

Japan Australia said...

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. Food should always be made from the heart!

Japan Australia

Deb in Hawaii said...

Bummer! I have seen that place but never tried it. Now I definitely won't--I want to taste the love in my food. ;-)

Rowena said...

Gag me with a spoon. I couldn't believe it when I read kinpira from a frozen gobo mix. Ew!

K and S said...

too bad we were too early Dd, otherwise we would've tried their plate lunches, hoping it was an off day for them as well.

so true J-A!

like Dd said, the eat-in area is good, Deb in Hawaii...

I know it was frozen Rowena, because I used to buy that before, just add your own seasoning.

Take care everyone!
Kat

Anonymous said...

What a bummer about the meal, I should probably have a filter on my mouth when I talk about bad experiences but then I Feel i'm swaying from being me...I'm glad you shared the bad review with us, that's true, it's always not good or even great, there are some bad meals I've had.

K and S said...

gotta keep things real I say, Elle :)

Take care.
Kat