Sushi Koi (Triangle)
July 10, 2009 by Julia
Filed under Austin (central), Austin (downtown), Austin Metro, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, reviews
Sushi Koi is a newer Japanese restaurant that opened in The Triangle, and we made a stop into this sushi bar recently on a whim after taking the kids to splash in the park at The Triangle. We were the first diners of the evening, and that suited us just fine as we never know if the kids would behave as we were fast encroaching on their bedtime. We were warmly greeted at the door. We had a jogging stroller and an umbrella stroller with us, and the hostess did not even bat an eye. She showed us where we could park the strollers inside the restaurant, and the waitress was so patient with our oldest child who could not decide whether she wanted a booster seat or not. Because the restaurant is so new, the booster seats and high chairs were new, free of the “stickies,” which is so nice for a change.
The waitress told us that they had Happy Hour prices between 5 pm – 7 pm each night of the week. We typically do not order appetizers, but because of the discount happy hour pricing, I opted to share appetizers with the kids while hubby indulged in some nigiri. We ordered gyoza (dumplings), lotus and gobo chips, and a half order of the cali tempura roll. Hubby tried his usual sampling of eel, suzuki, hirame, maguro, tai, and whatever else that the sushi chef recommended. While we waited for the food, the kids were most entertained with the African cichlids (fish aquarium).
lotus and gobo chips
We did not wait for long before the appetizers came out. The children enjoyed the gyoza, and the little nibble that I had, I liked that the “skin” was evenly cooked. A personal pet peeve of mine when eating dumplings is to have parts of the wrapper, especially the corners, be uncooked dough. I was far more interested in trying the lotus root and gobo chips. Lotus root is starchy, tasting a bit like potato tubers, except that when sliced there are holes making each slice appear like a rotary dial telephone. Gobo is burdock root, and when stir-fried (or pickled) can taste a bit medicinal. I have never eaten fried gobo before, only pickled or stir-fried. To my surprise, I enjoyed the gobo chips more than the lotus root chips, and so did the kids. We all agreed that the lotus and gobo chips appetizer was a winner. After eating the chips though, I was full. It’s a bit like loading up on chips and salsa before the main meal, and when the cali tempura roll arrived, I could barely eat anymore. It was just too heavy of a roll. I assumed that something tempura-fried would be rolled inside, but unfortunately I was mistaken. The entire California roll was battered in panko and fried. After the chips, this was just too heavy. I think even if we had not ordered the chips appetizer, this roll would have been a bit heavy. Thankfully the happy hour prices were only for half-rolls so we got just enough. Our preschooler decided that she was still hungry, and the waitress rushed over a bowl of rice for her.
Hubby quite enjoyed the sushi. He said that Sushi Koi was about par with Midori in northwest Austin near 183 and Anderson Mill, not as great as Musashino but definitely worth a second trip. I was far too stuffed from the fried foods to even take a bite of the sushi, but I’ll take his word for it. The man does like his sushi.
The presentation of the food was nice. The restaurant was beautiful, modern, clean, and spacious. We felt very comfortable having our kids here. Without the happy hour pricing, the total bill would be about par with most sushi restaurants in town, but we were happy to get the price break with the happy hour.
The wait staff were superb with our kids. Our toddler decided that he had, had enough of sitting in his high chair midway through the meal, and we let him out of his seat to wander a bit. (We only do this if the restaurant is empty.) Our little guy kept walking over to the fish tank, and I got up and down out of my seat many times to bring him back. The waitress saw what I was doing, and bless her heart, she “babysat” our one year old by entertaining him at the fish tank so hubby, preschooler, and I could finish our food in peace. What incredible customer service! Even the sushi chef stopped over to chat a bit when hubby went to relieve the kind waitress from having to keep an eye on our kiddo.
The waitress told us that Sushi Koi has a DJ each Monday after 8 pm. I can see how this restaurant could very easily transform into a trendy nightclub, and I am certain even without having attended one of these “Service Industry Nights” that we would be sorely out of place with our kids on that particular evening.
For a place so recently opened, the staff are “with it.” We definitely liked Sushi Koi enough to come back.
Sushi Koi (across from Mandola’s)
815 West 47th, Suite 102
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 452-6666
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