Taste of Japan — Restaurant in Alaska

I was so skeptical about Taste of Japan after Sushi Exchanges sudden close as well as their prices but oh. my. god. I love this place!

For those wondering: You are indeed able to get just the role and it isn't too much more expensive than Sushi Exchange was and the quality is better. My boyfriend got the Lion King Roll and I got my old favorite Katsu Don.

My entrées:

The Takoyaki I got as an entrée was sooo good it was to die for. It was crunchy on the outside but light on the inside. The bonito flakes they put on top weren't cheap and danced around like they were supposed to. Never got takoyaki like this in Anchorage.

Their salad is nice for balancing out the savory sides with a pineapple dressing that was refreshing after having fried food. It's a nice size to go with your main entrée.

The miso soup was so light and just what I want when I have miso soup. The tofu wasn't too small but also not too big either. A really nice way to finish off the entrée before the meal.

Main course:

The main course also came with sides of its own (optional) and a dessert for after you're finished with the meal.

The Katsu Don was so savory and crispy. The egg they put on top was so yummy, and it really enhanced the katsu. It paired nicely with everything and was such an amazing dish, and I highly recommend it.

The Japanese egg that came on the side was not too sweet and was savory. I was really surprised when I took my first bite to find that it was sweet. I didn't mind! It paired well with the very umami flavor of the katsu.

The edemame was a good palette cleanser that I enjoyed having when I wanted to soft reset my brain and have some of the other sides. It worked very well. It seemed to have a light ginger taste that really helped with palette cleansing without being too potent, like ginger can be on its own.

I wish there was more kimchi, but for how much food comes out, it is a good amount. I looved their kimchi, and it tasted nothing like the store bought kimchi. It wasn't spicy and was very flavorful.

The seaweed salad may be strange for some people, but it is very good once you've acquired a taste for it in general. Their seaweed salad was very fresh and crunchy.

The rice that came on the side is topped with a dash of Japanese rice seasoning of seaweed and sesame seeds. It is plain white rice but you can tell they cleaned it well and it is very light and soft.

Dessert:

The dessert was a cute little pastry. I can't remember very well what exactly she said it was, but it tasted and looked like an otameal creampuff with blueberry eyes that came with half an orange on the side. It was again, very light and not too sweet. It was a very nice dessert to end the experience on.

The atmosphere was very nice and charming. I've always enjoyed Japanese design, and the inside seems very baseline Japanese, but there's nothing wrong with that! I loved the atmosphere, and the little cat robots that bring you your food made me smile. You don't tend to see robots like that around here, so I was pleasantly surprised. Kids would love them.

In the end, when you pay, you get to leave a wish on the tree. Seeing everyone's hopes on the tree is a cute touch and brings the community together in...

Brought my wife here for her birthday. I ordered the crab chips for my appetizer and they tasted like nothing aside from the sushi sauce poured on it. Couldn't taste any crab, cream cheese, etc. My wife's poke bowl had pieces of tuna that were inedible. When it came to the sushi rolls the first thing my wife picked up was the pickled ginger which had turned bad. Brown and dried out on the edges. Wife didn't want to touch anything else not knowing what else in the kitchen is bad. Had two bites of my sushi roll and was not impressed. Can get a better sushi roll from Fred meyers. The service and presentation was absolutely terrific, the quality of the ingredients was not. Especially for the price. When it was sushi exchange I would go there once a week for a handful of years with no issues. Sad they rebranded. My wife's meal was taken off our tab and I paid for my meal(two bites and in the trash) Was given two $10 vouchers for drinks and desert. Was not worth the money spent and won't...

Taste of Japan Soldotna, Alaska

Holy cats, it’s a robot! A very Japanese restaurant with a clean minimalist interior and robot cats serving tables.

We stopped in for sushi, started with a delightfully crisp and hot egg roll. Moved on to a classic sushi California Roll, and upgraded to the Signature Spicy Tuna Roll. Very nice.

The Signature Rolls included a splendid array of sides including Octopus Balls 🐙, Kimchi, Pickled Radish, Seaweed Salad, peeled and sectioned orange, as well as a bean sprout garnish and Wasabi Swirl. Thai Tea to drink added color and a sweet smooth flavor I did not expect.

Gary was prompt and helpful and admitted he was still nervous and authentically hoped we had a pleasant evening. Well done Gary.

In the kitchen Frank does the heavy lifting and Joey, the owner, stopped by the table to make sure everything was...