Hotaru — Restaurant in Novi

My husband bought a Groupon $17.50 for $30 worth of food. We thought a Saturday when we’re altogether and snowed-in would be a time to use it for take out. With hungry kids in tow, we decided to trek out, grab some sushi, then some burgers for the kids, and hole up at home while 2 out of 5 of us recover from colds. But unfortunately, Ramenya is not customer friendly and do not accommodate people who use their Groupon. My husband went in to grab a to-go menu while we waited in the car. He came back with pictures because they didn’t have any paper menus. We picked out what we wanted and I asked for a miso soup too. Well when he went in to place the order, they said they’d throw the soup in for free until they found out we had a Groupon. Not only is the Groupon dine-in only but it doesn’t include free soup. So fine. We left, grabbed the kids food, dropped them and auntie off at home, and turned it into a date night. We got two specialty rolls and a Philly roll. Come to find out specialty rolls are 50% off all day on Saturdays but not with a Groupon, of course. Also the moment I dipped the roll in the soy sauce it fell apart and found it to be quite “thin” for a specialty roll but still I pressed on. I decided to make a separate order and get my sister a discounted specialty roll to go. Well guess what, although it says it no where on the sign, the 50% off is also dine in only. My sister also pointed out that 10 of the specialty rolls were dressed up California rolls. If you know sushi, you know that it’s the cheapest roll: mostly imitation crab. I give up. This was the first and last time I come here. Also we live really close so I thought maybe it would be a regular place I may have come to get sushi. This Groupon wasn’t really a coupon after all and the food was fair but unimpressive. I will say I did love the miso soup but that’s the only...

My rating is for the food but the service definitely didn't add to the experience. I ordered the seaweed salad and the Shoyu ramen.

The seaweed salad was pretty small for the $3.95 they charge--not more than a couple of chopsticks-full.

The Shoyu ramen broth had a decent flavor but the noodles were thin and reminded me of the kind you'd find in a microwavable Top Ramen bowl. The ramen came in a big bowl but the bowl was mostly comprised of noodles. There were exactly two slices of pork in it. It's never fun to find a place that uses cheap ingredients (noodles) as filler in order to skimp on the more expensive ones (pork).

I also tried the avocado rolls. I'm not used to sushi being warm, but since there was any fish I didn't mind.

Now onto the service. The waitress was one of the most rude I've experienced in the metro Detroit area. I care much more about the food than the service but she was so rude that it was comical. I try to give the benefit of the doubt in these situations (maybe she was having a bad day), but judging by the other reviews this seems to be a pattern. Here's a list of her offenses: -rushes us to order (keep in mind we came in at 11 am and were the only 2 patrons there) -as I asked a question about an item on the menu she pulls our menus away and selected that item for me (ok, guess that's what I'm getting) -piles up chopsticks and napkins on our 4-top the entire time we were there (we only need the two, thank you) -drops the bill on the table without a word in the middle of our meal (good thing we weren't ordering anything else)

Summary: the food's not great and the service...

This was our second time back, and not the last. Firstly, the atmosphere is really calming, and the music (which is just loud enough to hear and not overwhelming ) is soft instrumentals. All the staff, including kitchen, greet you, and you can choose where you’d like to sit. The lighting isn’t harsh white light, which I also very much appreciate. You’ll find a mixture of half booth half tables and regular 2-4 top tables as well. Both serves I’ve had are very kind and attentive, checking in when necessary. Today I had the champon, and a cup of hot green tea. The ramen come with a small bowl of salad with ginger dressing before your meal. The champon is so flavorful and warming. Loaded with veggies and seafood, definitely a reasonable price for what you get. I highly recommend getting this with udon noodles. And the green tea made me realize I probably have been using too hot of water when I brew my own. It was very mild without any bitter taste, and the cup is really cute. We were also given this really good rice dish on the side which holds you over before your main course arrives. The cost of 2 champon and green tea totaled $30, which is the same price I pay for 2 bowls of pho. And, they are located right next to a book shop, which is a nice place to pop into and maybe grab something to read before you grab food. We...