GrindWitTryz — Restaurant in Portland

Update Review: May 5, 2023

Since the last time we ate here, we felt like the quality went down a notch.

A pleasant change was their table/chair set up has improved. Previously their bench chairs were absolutely uncomfortable. This time the chairs are better than before but still mediocre, an improvement though! Table is cleaner too.

One of the dish we always always get is their honey walnut shrimp $17. The last four times we had it, top tier, very yummilicious! Today, definitely a disappointment. No walnuts today with the shrimp (they didn't have any at the moment, wished I was warned about it before ordering), wasn't crispy and the shrimp itself tasted very bland. To be honest, the walnuts made a big difference.

Also got a combo with kalua pork and garlic shrimp $22. Kalua pork was good, don't remember it being so salty. Nonetheless, still pretty good. Garlic shrimp, same as the honey no walnut shrimp, stale bland shrimp. Tasted no garlic at all, semi crispy. The big plus of both shrimp dish is that their big and de-veined!

Mac salad was in point like usual. Nothing much more to say. Yummmmyy ! (Side of extra max salad is $5, you get a decent sized container)

Unfortunately, today is a miss. Until next time! Also felt like the portion is less this time. Less meat, a lot more rice. There's a whole lot of rice making it appear you're getting a lot but really, you're getting white rice. Felt like the ratio was 50% rice, 35% meat, 15% Mac salad.

———————- WOW! What a find! You will not regret eating here. The food is absolutely delicious and you get plenty of food! If you think it’s pricey, it’s worth it. You get so much food!

We ordered two 2 item Combo Plate which cost $20 each.

First combo box had Meat Jun and Kalbi. The Meat Jun is sliced beef fried with egg batter, which is delicious. Kalbi is short ribs, which was good. Unfortunately the batch I had was very chewy and very difficult to chew off the bone, flavor was good!

Second Combo box had Kalua Pig and Honey Walnut Shrimp. The Kalua Pig was very flavorful, not dry. the Honey Walnut Shrimp, now… this is absolutely delicious! Had a little crisp to it, the flavor is delicious, not too sweet. It’s a must selection!

Overall this place will not disappoint! We chose the combo plates and it did not disappoint, I am positive that if you choose anything in their menu, you will...

Heard about this place from my cousin, so I stopped by and tried it with my brother. We got there right at opening and there was already a line, which means this is a good spot. Most people were there for take out. We were initially going to get take out, but we were able to get ahead of the line since we decided to dined in instead. We we're invited to sit wherever we wanted and we sat in the back outdoor area. It was a nice setting and we were decently distanced from other customers.

The waiter was very helpful and made some recommendations. My brother got the chicken ono, I got the lechon kawali, and we both also got musubi. We thought about ordering a third entree just to try more things, but good thing we didn't. They served us in take out boxes which couldn't even come close to closing since the servings were so large. The meals come with rice, whatever meat you chose, and mac salad. I don't order chicken often, but the chicken ono I tried from my brother's meal was very juicy and flavorful, not dry at all. The lechon kawali was amazing - it is pork belly. I was very surprised at all the textures from crispy, to tender, to fatty. The musubi was decent. It didn't have any extra sauces or too much seasoning in it, so order it if that's how you like it.

We had came from the gym and were starving. Even then, I only ate about a third of the meal. I had it for a second meal and by the time I had to leave town, I still had about a meal's worth leftover. I left the restaurant stuffed and in a food high!

I would definitely come back here next time I'm in town! Great foods, great service,...

This place is the definition of excellent value— the prices are incredible considering the MASSIVE portion sizes, and the food is delicious and savory. It’s a counter-serve spot and there’s limited seating inside; it was pretty crowded and busy on a Thursday during lunch. Most of the plates come with a side of double white rice and mac salad. The mac salad is super saucy and flavorful.

My family of four got the following items:

Hawaiian Nachos: This was a literally overflowing plate that needed a rubber band to keep shut— it could easily feed 2+ people. It’s essentially a bed of nachos with tuna, pulled pork, and various sauces. The pulled pork was extremely tender and delicious, and the tuna was fresh and flavorful. The sauces elevated the flavor. The nachos were deeply fried and crispy with good taste but a little too oily.

Kalbi Short Ribs: The ribs were super flavorful, with an incredibly savory, umami, buttery flavor. The only issue was it was too rubbery and hard to chew.

Spicy Ahi Poke: Enjoyed this dish too-- the tuna was fresh and combined with the sauces, it was packed with sweet and savory flavor.

‘Ono Chicken: My least favorite of the four, but still good. The katsu had a very crispy exterior, but the interior was a little dry.

Portions-wise, we definitely could’ve been fine with just sharing two of the four, but I had no regrets being stuffed to the max while trying all four. —

Price (relative to peers): 4.9/5 Food: 4.7/5 Ambience: 4.3/5 Service: 4.5/5 Overall...