Dream360° — Restaurant in East Rutherford

We visited the new hibachi restaurant at American Dream Mall with our family today. The atmosphere was modern and inviting, but the experience had several hiccups that showed they’re still figuring things out.

One of the hibachi tables was not functioning properly. Even though we were seated early, guests who arrived after us were served by chefs before we were. Service was also inconsistent. Our server forgot all of our appetizers, which included spicy edamame, gyoza dumplings, and spicy tuna crispy rice. We reminded him about the crispy rice, which arrived about ten minutes later, but the rest never came out. We ended up canceling them when we asked for to-go boxes.

Thankfully, our hibachi chef was outstanding. She was full of personality and very talented. What made it even better was that she was Chilean, just like my husband and his family. That led to great conversation and plenty of laughs over shared cultural humor, which brought some life to the table.

As for the food, there were highs and lows. My scallops were slightly undercooked, and the veggie portion only included zucchini and onions (no mushrooms, carrots, or variety). The salad was small, and there was no miso or onion soup included, which most hibachi places typically serve. The tofu hibachi my daughter ordered lacked flavor. However, the rice and noodles were both delicious. Everyone at the table received shrimp, though in very small chopped portions instead of whole pieces.

My husband thoroughly enjoyed his lobster tail, and the chef’s presentation of placing it back into the shell was a nice touch. My mother-in-law had the salmon hibachi and finished all of her food, which says a lot.

The sauces available were mustard and ginger, but they did not have yum-yum sauce, which was disappointing for my husband and daughter. For drinks, I had a coconut mojito that was just okay. My daughter ended up ordering a lychee margarita instead of a Moscow mule, and that one was a hit with everyone. My husband appreciated the still water being Saratoga, his favorite brand.

To finish the meal, they offered complimentary ice cream, which was a thoughtful touch. I chose the green tea, and my husband got vanilla. The portions were surprisingly generous for something that came with the meal, and both flavors were enjoyable.

This restaurant has potential and would likely be fun for birthday gatherings or group dinners. However, at $52 for a salty scallop entrée with small portions and missing items, the value isn’t quite there yet. I’m optimistic they’ll improve with time and would consider giving it another try...

The front counter woman was very kind. We didn’t wait long to get a table, we sat with a family that was also waiting for a table.

Upon getting to the table though it took a while for someone to come to us, looking around it looked like everyone was waiting also.

I’d say about 10-15 minutes and we got our drink order taken, another 10 min or so we got our drinks, however my cocktail didn’t arrive, the waiter hadn’t been around for another 10 min or so before I could get his attention and ask about my drink. Another 5 minutes it was there. He took our order and I ordered an appetizer that, again, did not come, again, the waiter did not check on us in the time it took to place the order and the chef come out (probably 20-30 minutes). When I got rice on my plate from the hibachi chef the waiter finally was walking by and I had to get his attention to tell him my app didn’t come out, he asked if I wanted another drink then walked away before I could tell him I no longer wanted the app. Finally the app came out as my meal was already served… which defeats the purpose of an appetizer but anyway… my drink didn’t come ever come out, and my meal was suppose to come with ice cream which was never given to me anyway. The waiter was inattentive, the bar being in the complete opposite area makes it difficult for the workers, and it seems like they sit people down before they can actually take on customers.

The atmosphere is beautiful, but go to a local hibachi place and you get better service and a more entertaining meal, that’s the same quality food.

It was disappointing to...

To be completely honest, I’m a very patient person, but the wait for hibachi here was unreasonably long. I was told the wait would be 12–15 minutes, yet I ended up waiting over 30 minutes. I decided to sit at the bar in the meantime, but the drinks were absolutely horrible the bartenders clearly didn’t know how to make most of the cocktails on the menu. I eventually chose to dine in without the show, but even then the service was disappointing. While I was waiting, I noticed several other tables were also complaining or waiting endlessly just to get their checks. However spotted staff hanging out in the corner of the bar! Not directly towards the waitress because she was sweet but most blame to management.

I had high hopes for this place and really tried to stay positive because it has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the experience fell flat. My hibachi entrée was $44, which is extremely overpriced considering the quality of service and size of the food. The gyoza entrée was $12 for only four dumplings not exactly worth it. Food taste however was good! Unfortunately the terrible service in the dining room ruined it. There were two managers on the floor one was dressed in a plaid shirt and kakis, the bartenders were better dressed. The caliber restaurant that they try aiming for with the service wasn’t balancing.

This restaurant desperately needs better-trained staff and new management. No one seemed to know what they were doing. It’s upsetting hopefully there’s new management. I truly wanted to like this place, but it was just not...