Stir Fry Cafe: Asian, Sushi & Thai Cuisine Kingsport, TN — Restaurant in Kingsport

Well. I finally got to go to the Stirfry Restaurant in Kingsport. We went on a nice Sunday Afternoon after hitting a convention at the Meadowview. This place seemed nice enough and I had heard of it. We chose to sit outside. It was a nice pleasant, almost fall day. We ordered vegetable spring rolls. They were definitely hot and fresh. The came on a plate with a smear of hot mustard and a ramequin of duck sauce. Both were great, I wish I had a bit more of the mustard. The outer shell of the spring roll was nice and crispy. Perfect. The interior of the vegetable egg roll was a bit on the mushy side as far as texture goes. Not a good mushy either, if there is a good mushy texture. It was definitely a one note flavor of cabbage, but with no cabbage flavor either. Next we had the chicken pad Thai bowl. It was fine. The sauce was minimal, maybe it all soaked up into the noodles. It was ok, but not memorable. We also ordered General Tso’s chicken. The white rice was good, but just warm. The chicken, I’m guessing was precooked at some point. The out shell was not fresh and crispy as it should be. The sauce was not sweet, it too, was sort of one note. I couldn’t tell what flavor it was. Sort of non descriptive flavor. It was a glossy brown sauce with a tint of orange . Not salty, not sweet, not acidic. Sort of odd, I really couldn’t decide what the actual flavor was. It had 3 small pieces of broccoli, they were cooked properly. And the sauce did have some peppers in it. They added some needed flavor with a slight amount of heat. I will say the hostess was nice and pleasant. And our waiter was friendly and attentive. Probably some of the best attention from waitstaff in some time. We ate outside it was nice. I did venture inside to check the interior. It was old and drab, not at all living up tho the name . Stir Fry Cafe. I was expecting some vibrant Red something on the wall art or something. Big bold swathes of red artwork would be extremely exciting. It definitely needs a simple inexpensive refresh. The bathrooms need a hard steam cleaning and refresh too. Over all nice. Just needs some love in the food. It felt very utilitarian and almost like they took my food off a steam table and plated into my bowls. Not saying they did. It all just tasted unloved. I’ll definitely give it another try. It may have just been an off Sunday late afternoon. But do consider the refresh and...

so, initially, I ordered a stir fry roll for myself, shrimp fried rice for my fiance, & spring veggie rolls for us to share. my fiance picked it up & brought it home. sushi usually has many flavors that blend together wll and create a quality taste, however, this stir fru roll provided a more off putting taste. my fiance commented that his rice was bland, which after trying, I agreed. we both agreed, as well, that the veggies rolls were very bland. (I will say tht the veggies in the rice and rolls were very fresh, which is very important in Asian food, so I do appreciate that). we were both very excited for the food bcus we were both starving and then quickly let down. I called the restaurant to express my dissatisfaction. I initially spoke to (who I imagine was) the hostess, & described our experience w the food. I expected only to speak w her and just share my thoughts. however, this employee quickly apologized and put me on w the manager. this was very professional, which I appreciated. I then spoke w manager Trent and stated the same I did w the prior employee, again, only expecting a conversation to express my dissatisfaction due to my prior excitment (and hunger). however, after being very sympathetic and understanding of dissatisfaction, Trent quickly offered to replace both food items for my man & I. I told him I apprecited that & if he didn't mund to do so, I would be willing to delete my previous 3 star review w only dissatisfaction & give another review. so, for the second round, I got Mahi Tacos while my man got a dragon roll. my man stated the dragon roll was just as the first roll, so I am guessing sushi isnt their strong suit, our type of sushi, or both. however, my Mahi tacos (w a side of sweet potato & garlic fries) was very tasty and prepared well. I would have gave 4 stars no matter what, based on incredible and professional service of staff, however, my taco and fries were delicious. therefore, that is why I decided to...

Truth be told...

I'm not from around here, so maybe I'm a little spoiled. I've eaten 🍣 from LA to NY. From Miami to Chicago.

With that being said, it's not bad!

The menu was diverse without giving the diner too many options that could cause order remorse. We've all been there. Wondering if you should have ordered something different because of the overwhelming amount of tasty sounding options. Luckily, the prices are low and on Wednesday and Saturday, the sushi is half price. Ordering multiple dishes to share is ideal and definitely within a "date night" budget.

The bar, atmosphere, drink options and service were all good. Nothing great, but good ,and might I add, better than a lot of the other local fare.

Now to the meat and potatoes, if you will? THE FOOD!

Like I said, not bad. The only real issue that I had was the presentation. Maybe it was an off night, but my guest and I ordered 5 dishes. All of which weren't very appealing to the eye. I know... Not a big deal, right? Well, I've never had an issue eating with chopsticks. Tonight I did. It seemed that the rolls were something I would produce at an at home sushi night. The quality of the roll job and final product were lacking a little in my opinion.

The taste was another story. The salmon, tuna and other ingredients were fresh. Hard to believe when you're so far inland. The taste and texture were on point. The Philly was a nice surprise with a little different spin. I also enjoyed another dish, the Bakersfield. Amazing! The spicy tuna was exactly right and a great representation. Very well done in the taste department.

All in all, I would have given Stir Fry Cafe 3 stars if it was not for the ACTUAL taste of the food. With that being the most important reason we spend our money and eat at our favorite spots.

I say 4 stars and worth stopping in for some good sushi. They will end up being a regular...