Kumo Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Franconia

I was very excited to go to Kumo for the first time. I was going to be in the area, so I checked out restaurants beforehand so I could treat myself for lunch. I ordered the crab rangoons, shrimp tempura roll, & mango sticky rice. I was really excited because I love Asian cuisine. I spent just under $35 and the reviews averaged 4.5, so I figured it would be really good, plus the restaurant and staff were very nice. My order was done early, too. I was all ready to enjoy it, but upon seeing the food I was a bit surprised, especially the mango sticky rice. I know every place does certain dishes differently, so I am alright with that. But the mango sticky rice appeared to be instant rice from a container because it was in the exact shape with the indentations and everything. That’s not the end of the world, but the mango was horrid. It was all unripe. I don’t mean kind of ripe- I mean 100% not anywhere near ripe AT ALL. The color caught my eye immediately, but I tried it, and I actually had to spit it out. I know mangoes are tough because getting them at the “right spot” in terms of ripeness takes practice, but this was actually inexcusable, and I rarely feel that way about food I’ve ordered. It takes a lot for me to spit something out. I am not even trying to be crude, I am not exaggerating either. I was extremely disappointed because I paid near $8 for that mango sticky rice and to get severely bitter and fibrous mango chunks cut into oddly tiny pieces with (what appeared to be) microwave rice pissed me off. The shrimp tempura roll was okay. But it was overpriced for what I got. The sushi at the grocery store is better. The crab rangoons saved this from being one star. The crab rangoons, I would actually genuinely recommend. They were awesome. They were large, fresh, crispy, and actually kinda fun to eat. They came with a sweet sauce that complimented them beautifully. The staff was kind, the restaurant looked clean and pleasant when I went in to get my food, and there was plenty of parking. Those aspects + the rangoons were the pros. The mango sticky rice was literally horrible. I’ve never had mango taste like that. Mango that is at least semi-ripe has more of a yellow-orange color. This mango was crunchy and bright, bright pale yellow. I kid you not. That’s what angers me- they had to know it was not at the right phase to serve it. But they did anyway and I think that sucks. Like genuinely. That is not right. Id rather them have told me they couldn’t make the dish. And it’s not mango season to be fair, but knowing that, a business should take seasonally inconvenient / difficult options off of the menu. I was sad because I went out of my comfort zone to try this new place and it was a waste. I respect others who had good food. That rocks! I believe it because the rangoons were great. But the price I paid vs what I got is...

First of, star rating is not because of food quiality. Please read the review.

Food Quality My kids and I go to Kumo several times and there is no dish that does not taste excellent and even their presentation is 100% pleasing to the eye just as the quality is very much pleasing to the palate. If you have a picky eater for a kid, their katsu passes for breaded chicken that can pass of for chicken tender. The spring roll is also very picky-eater friendly.

Location Its very convenient, clean and large enough that you dont feel like your neighbor from the next table would be able to simply reach over with their chopsticks for a taste or strangers being in the middle of a conversation like other sushi places are set up. (Momo sushi, old town alexandria being one of them).

Service Here is where the rating dips significantly. For the price that Kumo charges, one expects a certain level of service. I have taken my kids here on varying times of the day because I wanted to see if the reason for the "rushing out" to the door is simply because of busy hours and people are waiting to be seated. Unfortunately, this is not the case. From the moment food comes out and you take your first bite, not even halfway through the dish, the server asks if there is anything you want to be taken away. Which at first I thought just so the table would have more room but after tonight's experience I think its just par for course for them. Multiple times the manager would bring the soup by putting it on the table in such a hurry that broth sloshes all over the place and he just walks away. But tonight....tonight was the one experience that probably will take the proverbial cake...the server started boxing our food even though my daughter was clearly still eating. I asked if she could come back. She left but barely 2 minutes later was back at the table asking if she can finish packing the food. I pointed at my daughter to indicate someone is still eating. But to no avail. My daughter shoved a whole spoonful of rice into her mouth and reluctantly let go of the rice bowl she was eating from.

I get that the business needs to turn tables over faster but there has got to be a line where paying customers at least get to eat in peace. By the way our visit tonight from sitting down to leaving was barely 30 minutes long...and we ended up finishing our food at home.

I woumd recommend this place if you are a speed eater longing for great tasting...

My wife liked her vegetable tempura, so let's start with that. And service was fast. The compliments pretty much end there though. Swear to God, this was the most sushi I've ever spit out in my entire life. Unagi (eel) sushi was loaded with bones and was not grilled. It was slimy and stretchy and tasted like it had been microwaved. Every piece of every roll I ordered fell apart when I picked up using my chopsticks. Raw fish inside was warm and rubbery. A piece of avocado in my Alaska Roll still had a piece of leathery black avocado skin attached to it. Shumai and dumplings were basically the type you get frozen from Trader Joe's. Small and slippery and also tasted like they had been microwaved. We sat down and got only 2 chopsticks for 4 people. We had to ask repeatedly for silverware and napkins. When napkins were finally delivered they only delivered 2, so we had to ask repeatedly for 2 more. When the sushi was delivered it didn't come with the little sauce dishes for our soy sauce and wasabi. So I had to get up and steal some from the place settings at the sushi bar. The inside was very claustrophobic. The dining area is over packed with tables and chairs, with about 2 inches separating one table from the next. The hallway to the restrooms doubles as a storage area, so you have to push past cardboard boxes with stuff piled on top of them. Much of the food comes in these ridiculously oversized serving plates, so 3 appetizers basically takes up the entire table. You have to eat very fast and keep stacking your empty plates beneath the ones with food still on them to make it all fit. The family next to ours asked us super nicely to put some of their stuff on our table because they ran out of space. Not a pleasant, tasty, or relaxing meal at all. Way better options exist in the Franconia-Springfield area... so this is the last time we'll ever be brave enough to venture into...