IZUMI JAPANESE HIBACHI — Restaurant in Manchester

I've been wanting to go to the new location of The Seafood King, which is now also Izumi, for quite a while now. I had eaten at the Elm Street location during Covid, but with the new offerings of sushi and other Japanese cuisine, I had to go.

I'll get the sushi next time and let you know how it ranks among other establishments throughout the state, but for the purposes of this review, I'll turn your attention to their rather large selection of seafood boils.

I got the Black Muscles and Cajun sausage with the hot House sauce. It comes with about ⅓ of an ear of corn and the equivalent of one potato cut up and boiled.

It came quickly, and was hot and steaming, both A's in my opinion. The muscles were tough, but sometimes they are, so that's perhaps a wash. But the corn was tough and chewy, and despite being out of season, better corn is available, especially if you only give ⅓ of an ear. The sausage, on the other hand was cooked perfectly and they gave a considerable serving.

The biggest problem was that the boiling bag comes full of the precious sauce that you choose as a key part of your individual plate, and with only a fork to eat, there is no way up consume more than the 10% of the sauce that may cling to your food when you dip it. No bread is served, and no white rice to use as a vehicle to actually enjoy the flavors of your chosen spice and the natural juices of your proteins.

Solution: I ordered a side of white rice, and the waitress immediately knew what I wanted it for, "to add it to the yummy juice" so you can eat it, she basically said, which tells me that an employee is already aware of the need for a starch with that meal. White rice is very cheap and it should either be given as part of the meal, or listed right under the entrée for a small upcharge.

I shared this with the person to whom I paid the check, so we'll see what they do with the information. If I return and they haven't addressed this easily solved dilemma, I won't eat there again. I'll...

Honest review of the new location. First off the service is great. Servers are attentive and happy to help you with anything you need. I ordered a boil bag- mild butter garlic seasoning with snow crab, green mussels, scallops, and a lobster tail. I asked for no corn and just potatoes and I added boiled eggs. The calamari was previously frozen, as were the scallops but the rest tasted reasonably fresh, especially with it being winter. I got several potatoes and 3 hard boiled large eggs. The flavor was good and the food was well cooked. I only got 1/2 lbs of everything and they honestly brought me more scallops, calamari and mussels than I could eat. The lobster tail was very small, however. And at $20 (the menu said current market price was $17, but was incorrect) that was a bit disappointing. I did get more snow crab legs than I expected in a half pound serving, and the meat came out of the shell in nice whole pieces which is always a plus. I also got a ginger ale which my server made sure was always full. The ambiance of the restaurant is modern and inviting, with a nice bar area and a huge selection of liquors, wine and beer. Also hats off to whoever selects the music. It was a great mix of current and throwback hits, and I was jammin out while I ate my meal. My total for my meal was $84 (this was a splurge for me). Seafood, heck-ALL FOOD-is at an all time high right now with inflation, so if you are on a budget I would suggest selecting one of their combo boil options with 2 types of seafood for a lower cost (averaging $20-40 a person) They also have 2 pages of fresh sushi and some fried seafood options that are probably a little more cost effective. All in all this place is a nice option for seafood in town, especially considering most places in town seem to only offer fried seafood and broiled fish. I’m hoping that the summer will bring more fresh seafood options and lower specialty item prices. Its nice to have a new option for special occasion meals or delicious light...

This place really does not deserve any stars, in fact I am simply writing a review so you do not get fooled by the other ones on this site.

My family of 5 went in as I wanted to try a seafood broil for the 1st time. Place was empty, clean but empty. We ordered our drinks and it took maybe 20 min if not longer to bring us beers, water and soda. Not even mixed cocktails. Mind you the bar is but 2 feet from the tables (keep in mind this is a very small restaurant). So we ordered our entrees and it took maybe more than an hour to come out. Needless to say the crab legs were ridiculously small and overcooked, (hence the hour it took to come out) the shrimp were tough/overcooked, and everything was fishy, as in not fresh at all. The fried catfish had absolutely no flavor what so ever. Please do not waste your time with this place. Find yourself a HAPPY CRAB for a surreal...