Shinya Shokudō — Restaurant in Redmond

I think because I had just high expectations that I got disappointed. AND the one reason I wanted to go here was for the Wagyu Sando which they no longer sell!!

Family friendly: Yes Pet friendly: No Parking: Yes - shared parking lot

FOOD: Karaage $8: 3 star - the chicken was moist and I feel like this is the best I can say about it. Usually the kaarage has better coating, richer, crispier, and one that sticks ::hint hint:: The breading was so light that some of it was missing. Inside the karaage piece in between the chicken, there is clear thick strands which I can only assume its cartilage but at least it was super soft.

Unagi Bento $21: 3 star - eel rice bowl. The tamago was chilled which is I can say I never had cold tamago before and not sure I want to have it again. Personally I like my unagi with more sauce but my husband disagreed.

Wagyu Tataki Donburi $25: 3 star - wagyu beef, lightly seared, rice bowl. This was not what I thought it be - texture was okay but there was barely any flavor to it. The staff tells you to mix everything together as the sauce is at the bottom with the rice. Everything together - the egg, beef, sauce, and rice - in one bite was better than just the beef alone.

Wagyu Cheeseburger $15: Wagyu beef, provolone cheese, fried onion chips. I was really hope this would make up for the sando since this is what the restaurant replaced it with. The staff said the sando wasnt selling so the cheeseburger replaced it. When you cut the sandwich in half you can see the juice in the patty but oddly enough the burger had a dry taste to it. The whole thing taste like a philly cheesesteak which kind of made it better.

Momo no Mousse $6: 1 star - chilled peach mousse. This was so weird!! The presentation was pretty cool and it jiggled a little but again, so weird. I dont even know how to describe it but I can tell you the peach flavor was so light that it was almost non-existent.

BEVERAGE: Ice black tea $0.00 - free with meal. It was so pretty good but it's the Japanese equivalent of southern sweet tea LOL.

RESTAURANT/INTERIOR: Small restaurant but bigger than it looks from the outside. Very minimalistic and clean interior.

MENU: Their menu online is not up-to-date!! Contactless menu via QR Code. You will order via online but pay with a physical credit card. The menu is pretty short, which I like usually - most time this means the food will be great.

STAFF: The staff over all I think is decent. It did start kind of rocky. When we walked in, the first person that spoke with us, kind of mumbled a lot, pointed at our table, and mumbled something about ice green tea or ice black tea. We said no since we werent in the mood. Literally about 20 seconds later, another staff came over asking us if we wanted ice green tea or iced black tea. Not sure if they just wanted to get rid of their stock or the 2nd staff didnt realize we already declined.

They brought us the check before we even receive the last item. When we mentioned we have havent receive the mousse, the went to kitchen to get it... or so we thought. He came back to take our credit card still before bringing us...

Nut allergy friendly - Only one entree has chestnuts, but the AYCE is nut free!

Arrived on Monday at 9:20PM and there was no wait. People trickled in while I was there and it was always moderately full, but slowed down after 10:30. Always fun to hear the welcome in Japanese from the staff. The music is a tad loud depending on where you sit but I found it fine.

Food comes out real fast. Tamagoyaki came out in 3 minutes. Faster than my green tea (11 minutes, they steep it). Skewers took about 12 minutes starting, up to 20ish, depending on what you order. So you can probably fit in 4-6 orders with the 90min time limit. I got in five before I called it a day, could have gotten in six.

I went with the AYCE and ordered the following:

Japanese Green Tea: Not sure what kind of tea they use but it's a little fruity and very tasty. Pretty big pitcher too. I think you get 9-10 cups out of it if not more.

Tamagoyaki (4/5): Lightly sweet, firm, and comes out cold. Great palette cleanser or opener.

Momo Skewer (3/5): Nice char to balance the tenderness. Ordered with tare to keep the salt down and it was a tad bland, but I was also getting overpowered by the tea.

Gyusuji Skewer (3.5/5): This is basically a lot of fat, so you've got to like the texture. It's pretty good and they cooked it right, not too chewy.

Shiitake Skewer (4/5): Two mushroom caps, deliciously charred, not as salty as I expected.

Takoyaki (3.5/5): So fair warning this comes out burn-your-mouth hot. They nailed the texture but it's a little lacking in octopus, too much other filling. Five pieces is also way too much for one person lol.

Goma Tofu (4/5): Comes out cold with a delicious umami tahini sauce. Pretty big portion for one person haha.

Saikyo Miso Beef Skewers (4.5/5): Order a few of these. I had 3. Some pieces are chewier than others but the good ones are seriously good. The miso detracts a bit from the beef but it is overall a good compliment.

Mune Niku Skewer (3.5/5): As expected, a little drier than the chicken thigh but still not overcooked.

Zucchini Skewers (4.5/5): Man, this is simple but so good. Like a kabob roasted zucchini perfectly balanced by green onion (I think?) and salt. I also ordered 3 of these. I'm inspired to try making them this way now lol.

Beef Udon (4.5/5): Nice thinly sliced salty beef, served with cold tofu that I dunked in the soup and it absorbed flavor well. Thankfully a smaller portion in the AYCE. I really liked the balance and broth here. I think I actually liked this more than the Yakitori...

Service: 5/5 stellar. My water was never empty. These guys run on a skeleton crew and keep the efficiency going. I swear they're always busy between napkins and plates being cleared and tables being speed wiped.

Overall, solid late night spot, great date spot because the tables are separated by wooden partitions for a cozy vibe....

Food was pretty good! Would have liked to come back, but the the staff is awful. The first time we went in was a few months ago, and our experience was being shown to our table, and then got ignored for 5 minutes, while they seated, brought menus, and assisted other guests. We eventually got tired of being treated like we weren’t even there, and left. Tonight, Monday 10/14/2024, we decided to give it another try against our better judgment, and came in about 11:40pm. It started off okay, the tall man with glasses seemed annoyed that we were there, but regardless brought us to our table, and told us to let them know if there are any questions. We noticed pretty quickly that this time there are QR codes so that we can order ourselves, and give the wait staff more time to space out, and sweep around us constantly for the entire duration of our meal, in an effort to make us feel as unwelcome as possible, which they executed flawlessly. Most notably, the tall man with glasses, continually, and intentionally ignored us, and our tables needs. He somehow never noticed the empty glass on the end of our table, for several minutes at a time, which is fine, he seemed very busy skipping around, and sweeping the same spots, or spacing out behind the cash register. The part that really bothered me, was how he made it very apparent to us how genuinely annoyed he was at being asked very politely can I please have a refill? He didn’t really respond, just nodded, walked over and grabbed the glass, filled it, brought it back, and when I said thank you, he just would say yep, or something to that nature. Maybe it was because we came in an hour and a half before closing, maybe they assumed we wouldn’t tip them, or maybe they just don’t care, although I’m positive it’s all of the above. Regardless, we will not be returning to this restaurant, the tall guy mean mugging us as we were driving away sealed the deal on that one, god forbid more guests come in, better to scare them away before they set foot inside the establishment, or if they do manage to get inside, sweep them out the...