Shiki Sushi — Restaurant in Durham

First they ignored us when we gave them our name & asked for a table for two; we then watched 6 table of twos go in front of us & I thought perhaps they were busy; which would be understandable. We were then finally sat only after asking the hostess what happened? Our waitress came to our table & took our order we had to appetizers and green tea and we ordered our dinner as well. After about 20 minutes they brought our dinner and we haven't seen or waitress during this time. we mentioned that we didn't get our appetizers yet in about another 10 minutes past and they just never came. The Hibachi shrimp that I ordered was inedible, the broccoli was raw, not cooked and still cold, the noodles were so drenched in oil that it made a soup of oil on my plate... And I mean drenched; inedible. My mother ordered the lamb plate & they brought her beef, okay deal with it we suppose, but it was so spicy she couldn't eat it at all. It was completely incorrect oorder. So I just ate my salad & my mom was going to eat her white rice however; she asked for a salt shaker & not to our waitress bc she didn't come back. Another 15 minutes went by, still no salt, still without no waitress. I had to walk around the restaurant & find her to just ask if we can have the salt for my mom's rice. She was kind, however; we didn't see her except for ordering. She eventually brought the salt, threw it on the table very fast & ran off again. At this point me and my mom almost wanted to just leave. She came back & I mentioned the appetizers not ever coming, the food not being cooked & my mom's incorrect plate; the waitress apologized & said she'd request the manager to come over and speak to us. When the cook and the Manager Frank came over to the table, they clearly saw that they brought my mom the wrong dish, admitted that the broccoli was completely raw and that their Hibachi does not, "normally," look like it did on my plate. They were interested in giving us another meal & asked us if we would like our appetizers now which at this point after about 45 minutes & the experience we've had, we didn't really want to stay. Nice gesture, but appetizers for dessert? It was just a terrible experience from the beginning. I am not sure if they're understaffed or if they're just that busy because the tables were not full, neither was the restaurant; however, the Manager Frank stated that he would love to give us a gift certificate, so we could come next time & have a nice meal, explaining that this is not how they normally operate or cook their food. I replied that I am sure that is true; my mom always raved about this place & visiting from New York, she really wanted me to try it because my favorite food is Hibachi & Sushi. About 15 minutes went by and Frank came back to the table & asked my mother's name, wrote it on the gift certificate & placed itin an envelope. We were gracious, as we really just wanted to let him know, so he could fix any issues that may be happening in his restaurant; not to gain anything from it at all. We said thank you, hope it all works out for him & his restaurant. We walked to the car & when inside the car, my mom opened the gift certificate; The amount was for $10. LOL. I almost wish I opened it in front of him because I would have handed it right back to him & said thank you anyway, how very thoughtful, but it's quite alright. Ha. So, if you're looking to pay an expensive price to just eat salad because your meal is inedible & the service is terrible; and then basically be insulted by the manager with a $10 gift card, to each their own; however, I highly recommend you stay away from here. It's just not good. Not good at all. Food...

I have been to this place a few times. Every time I have given it a chance I have been rather disappointed.

They set up their image as a sort of upscale Asia restaurant. Their dishes run a the gamut from Japanese to Thai to Chinese. Prices match that image -- very comparable to PF Chang's. Most dishes starting around $20 and heading up from there.

Unfortunately, they struggle on two main points: food quality and atmosphere.

I have tried a wide array of items in their menu. All of them generally middling. As an example, the chicken lo mein, a stir fry dish with lots of vegetables. My plate came with a ton of vegetables and not much chicken. I love veggies, so no huge lost for me, but might be for others. Unfortunately the veggies were effectively raw. It's not necessarily bad. But for the price I would really expect a little color, some caramelization...smaller, more consistent cutting for even cooking, etc. Again, it's not bad, it's just very amateurish. Compared to even something like PF Chang (really their main competition in the area) their dishes lack polish given the higher than average prices. The sushi and hibachi were similar in the execution.

What's more, the store has a sort of standoffish, chintzy vibe. Their menu is covered with warnings of "No Refunds." They go on at length about how if you don't like the dish that you receive that is decidedly your problem. Frankly, I agree with the sentiment, but to cover your menu with it leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. It is a similar vibe with the cool fish tank in the waiting area. It's has big signs saying "Do not touch!." Again fair, but that could also be communicated more gently, in smaller font, with a please or a thank you. It is a bit hard to explain, it's not that they are unreasonable, but there is a sort of combative undertone -- a sense of you customers have caused us problems and we don't tolerate it. It's not a particularly warm and inviting atmosphere.

On the whole, if you are looking for an upscale Asian place in the area I would encourage you to look elsewhere. The experience simply isn't...

We had a party of 10, our family met there for an early dinner/late lunch about 3pm. The restaurant was empty except one person at the bar. The hostess was a nice older lady and looked surprised when we said we had a party of 10. Half of our family wasn’t there yet and instead of seating us (remember not prime time- empty restaurant) she made us wait until they got there. Ok so not a big deal, and a lot of places do it but worth mentioning. Server was great, friendly, and prompt. Although food runners brought all the food and he didn’t ever at any point clear appetizer plates or empty drink glasses. The food was really good. Not amazing “best food I ever had” meal but it was good. So now we are on to the main reason I’m giving a less than favorable review. During our meal 4 people went to the restroom. Not that odd, considering it’s a restaurant. However, while they were in the bathroom the hostess woman went in there! Like all the way in the bathroom. In the men’s room, my bf was in the stall and he said she came all the way into the bathroom- no knock- no announcement- like, “hey I’m cleaning, is it all clear”? Literally she just walks in and starts messing. My sister in law was in the stall in the women's room and the same lady walked in and pushed open the stall door while she was using the toilet. Absolutely rude and uncalled for. My 15 year old was in the restroom and the same woman went in there while she was in there. Let’s also track back to the fact - the place was mostly empty. It’s not like the bathroom was being used by full restaurant and needed paper towels checked. There was no reason for this behavior. Why not just knock and let people exit before cleaning or being in there. Overall, good food. Basic Asian food- nothing special- but tasty and fairly priced for large portions. The music choice didn’t match the ambiance, but not a deal breaker. Side note- I think it’s tacky to sell cheap/fake jewelry at the front entrance. It’s out of place and doesn’t make sense in...