Tokyo Monster Sushi Birch Bay — Restaurant in Ferndale

I recently had the opportunity to visit the newly opened sushi restaurant, Tokyo Monster Sushi, in our small area near Blaine. As someone who appreciates good food and enjoys exploring new dining spots, I was genuinely excited. My spouse and I made a reservation and invited our dear friends and neighbors to join us.

Upon entering the restaurant, my initial impression was a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. The décor was wildly eclectic, but unfortunately, not in a tasteful way. Random lights hung haphazardly, and cheap, tacky clutter adorned every available surface. There seemed to be no cohesive theme or design concept. While I don’t always require an elaborate atmosphere, it’s certainly a pleasant bonus when dining out.

However, the real disappointment came when we delved into the menu. I ordered a bottle of sake, which was listed at $18 on the laminated menu. To my surprise, the waitress seemed unfamiliar with sake and had to consult the bartender. When she returned, she informed me that the actual price was $25. I pointed out that the menu clearly stated $18, but she insisted on the higher amount. I reluctantly agreed, wanting to enjoy my drink despite the discrepancy.

The service continued to disappoint. Not only did the waitress fail to provide me with a proper sake cup (I received only the bottle), but she also asked if I wanted ice with it. Now, I’m no sake connoisseur, but I know that ice is not typically served with it. It felt like a lack of basic knowledge on their part.

As for the food, the portions were overly generous. While that might sound like a positive, it actually hindered the enjoyment of certain dishes. Nigiri, meant to be savored in a single bite, was too large to manage comfortably. And the rice lacked the essential stickiness that defines good sushi. The rolls were equally disappointing—bulky and poorly rolled, with rice that didn’t hold together.

The final blow was the bill. The food was undeniably overpriced for the quality we received. The only redeeming aspect of our meal was the delightful company of our friends and neighbors. We all agreed that we wouldn’t be returning to this establishment.

In the spirit of constructive feedback, I would have suggested improvements, but honestly, I don’t believe it’s possible. For anyone contemplating a visit, I recommend looking elsewhere for a more satisfying...

My family and I were excited to try Tokyo Monster Sushi. However, after having dined there, we have all agreed that we would never recommend this restaurant to anybody. Firstly, our waitress greeted us by handing us our menus and telling us to seat ourselves. I personally was not given any chopsticks, forks, knives or spoons to eat any of my food and my family had to get up to get them for me. The menu did not list all ingredients put into some of the dishes, and all of the dishes we ordered were poorly made. Complimentary Miso soup had no tofu, no seaweed and hardly any green onions. It was just broth and was served in a teacup. I was given no spoon to drink it. The Shrimp Tempura was okay, but the tempura sauce had wasabi mixed into it rather than being placed on the side. I cannot eat wasabi so I was not able to enjoy my tempura sauce. My Dragon Roll had a pubic hair in it, which was sticking out the side of the roll. This was disgusting to experience, and I felt sick to my stomach after eating the roll. The Monster Roll's description on the menu did not say it had wasabi in it. The Chicken Katsu had no seasoning on it at all, was greasy and dry to the bone. My sister had a hard time chewing through the meat because it was so dry. The salad that was placed on the same plate as the chicken was drenched in ranch so much so that it was soaking the rice it was next to. My boyfriend's Tonkotsu Ramen was flavorless. The broth was clearly diluted and lacked any sense of seasoning or flavor. The dumplings in the ramen were overcooked, soggy and falling apart. Ramen eggs are suppose to be marinated in soy sauce overnight to give them flavor and are meant to be soft boiled. However, the eggs in this ramen were simply just plain hard boiled eggs. Lastly, the Tonkotsu Ramen, which is known for it's pork meat only had one small sliver of pork in it.

In total, our bill cost over $130. If I could give this place a 0/10 rating I would. Do not waste...

SOOO bummed. Took my son here for a mom/son date and it was great. Because of that, we invited another family to join us. Got here shortly after 11-found the sushi chef waiting in his car, who told us that he was waiting for his boss to get there. After waiting for over half an hour, the owner arrived (they open at 11). He did not acknowledge that he had a group of 7 plus another group waiting for him to open his restaurant. Once we were seated, we received poor service. Examples: took quite a while to take our orders after we were seated, asked if we wanted ice with water, didn't get it; asked for a specific drink, got a different one; my husband had to physically get up and get me a glass for a drink I ordered because no one was around to ask for it. He seemed a bit spacey/preoccupied with something else. At the end of our meal (before we received our bill), he handed the spouse of the other family we invited a plastic QR code to scan to leave a review and asked during that time, "everything was good, right?" When we finally received our bill (we ordered quite a bit of food and our total was well over $200, nothing was comped or at the very minimum, we were not given a discount for the amount of time we waited, not just for him to open but for our entire experience. My husband and I left disappointed. It was well out of our way to go there specifically for sushi, invited our friends who had never been and, has to wait and then had a less than excellent experience to make up for the wait. Not sure...