Den Den Café Asiana — Restaurant in Providence

Upon entering the establishment we were greeted by very friendly and inviting employees. First impressions were great. We were told to take a seat at a table anywhere we desired and then we could come up to the counter to order. Our server was attentive and refilled our water which was appreciated. My dining companion ordered Agedashi tofu, and they said that it was spot on from the tofu, flakes to the broth which were all very complimentary.

Thinking that It would make sense to order the dish deemed signature of an establishment on the menu for a first time visit I ordered the pork Tonkatsu, unfortunately I was not as lucky as my companion.

White Miso Soup: A celebratory richer soup which is common when getting Miso soup out at restaurants this was right on, the wakame was the perfect texture and flavor, a great addition to the salted just right soup, the tofu lush adding a nice texture and taste contrast.

White Rice: The rice was pretty standard perhaps a bit less than ideal in terms of temperature and texture.

Side Salad: While the side salad was dressed well and sufficient as a side it was far from what is traditionally served with Tonkatsu which is normally composed of a cabbage salad and to my understanding a different dressing rather than what was received. Perfectly fine otherwise, even if i believe the traditional would have suited the dish better.

Tonkatsu Sauce: The Tonkatsu sauce was composed well and tasted the way it was supposed too with strong complimentary flavors.

Tonkatsu: This is where I was the most disappointed. The pork Tonkatsu itself was a bit overdone, no where to be found was the rich fatty succulent meat which you hope for in a Tonkatsu, while it wasn't inedible the fact that it was bland and somewhat dry really took away from the experience, even with the addition of the delicious sauce this dish could not be saved from mediocrity.

While the service was great and it's clear some of the dishes on the menu are much better than others the lack of consistency across the menu and the lack of traditional additions on certain items which really does enhance the experience keeps this establishment at an average 3. If you do decide to go there, based on my experience I'd suggest ordering something other than the Tonkatsu I am not likely to return for awhile and if I do It'll definitely be for...

Den Den is overpriced with poor standards of cleanliness and poor quality of food. From the moment we walked in, we could tell that we'd chosen the wrong place. But because Den Den had been recommended to us -- and also due to its 4.7 star rating on Google -- we decided to give it a chance.

On arrival, we chose a large table in the corner. But they made us move because the table was "reserved for 'large' [i.e. six people] parties." Instead, we got a table that had just been cleared...and hadn't been wiped. The table "reserved for large parties" remained vacant for the hour-plus duration of our visit. The floor was sticky as well.

We ordered their "signature dish," the Korean seafood pancake, for an appetizer. It was more of a squishy mixture of flour and little else -- including a shockingly few and tiny pieces of seafood for a "seafood pancake" -- than the proper seafood pancakes you find in any authentic Korean restaurant. "Seafood pancake" my foot!

The entreés only confirmed our suspicion that contrary to its label as a "Korean" restaurant, Den Den is Americanized Asian food. The yaki soba and yaki udon were cooked in an overpoweringly sweet and decidedly un-Japanese sauce, which left an unpleasant lingering taste in my mouth. Several times I looked down at my plate and wondered what the heck I was eating, so unlike real Asian food was the food. In an attempt to dispel the taste of the sauce, I drank some of a companion's tempura udon soup, which, although not sweet, was the wrong degree of saltiness and also decidedly un-Japanese. Our free water glasses offered the only recourse.

With a $40 bill for one underwhelming appetizer and three low-quality entreés, Den Den was a terrible experience. Those of you who understand real Asian food: STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. Den Den is a disgraceful purveyor of Asian cuisine and one that DOES NOT merit all of its...

This is a pretty solid korean/japanese spot in Providence, but coming from NY, I've had better of course, so my expectations for korean and japanese food are a little higher. I gave this place 4 stars, because it is an establishment in Providence and I think they do very well for this area, but I would not give that if they were in NY.

Main course: Beef Japchae: decent, but I've definitely had better. I feel like I could've cooked this japchae myself. The truly disappointing thing is that the beef in the japchae was horrible. It was SO tough and dry. My friend who go the hot stone bibimbap with beef had the same issue. It was tough to chew. The noodles itself is fine, but I feel like it was just drowned in some sauce and was slightly overcooked. This dish also comes with rice, which is strange, but not complaining.

Spicy Pork and Squid: Now this dish is what made me raise this 3 star place to 4 stars. This was the best dish of the night. It was cooked VERY well with the spicy sauce. The squid pieces could've been a little larger, but it's okay. Pork belly melted in your mouth. You are going to need a lot of rice with this dish though. Thankfully, we had a bowl of rice that came with the japchae to help us out.

Appetizers: Den Den monkey balls: they were very good and unique - it had spicy tuna and mushroom in them and fried on the outside.

Seafood pancake - I've had better for sure and larger amount. It should be out on a big pan and crispy filled with seafood. But this wasn't bad either. The sauce was good on the side and it was still a decent pancake.

Overall, this is a solid spot and if I lived in Providence, this would be one of my go to spots...