Kat's 9 Lives

MMP is stalking me I swear! lol After meeting up with Burumun on Thursday last week we went to Zion Market and wanted to get dinner somewhere close by. There was this Japanese restaurant, Sushi Riki, that was right next door. I walked over to check out their menu and as I was walking away someone ran out. She spoke in Mandarin to just come in and try the food. I was taken aback at how desperate they are to get a new client. Then I turn around and it's MMP! It's funny because I didn't expect to find her there. ^_^ She's stalking me! Afterwards she followed me to Zion as well! lol
It wasn't very busy and we were sat down immediately. They had your typical Japanese wooden decor. The servers seemed nice but very very very dimwitted. I asked them questions and they seemed confused. Then they had to run back every minute to ask. Yes, they were nice but shouldn't they be a LITTLE knowledgeable about pricing or how the food is prepared?!? We were given Edamame and Miso Soup after we ordered our meals. They were so-so, but that's about the same for all places.
I wanted Toro but they were out that night. Instead I got the Yellowtail Belly Sashimi. You only get 5 pieces because it's more expensive, but for $10 I am fine with that. The pieces were very thin but delectable. It had the right smooth texture and was fresh. The sushi/sashimi here is fresh and reasonably priced.
We both ordered Combinations for dinner. I picked the Sashimi and Tonkatsu. The sashimi was really for my Mom. They gave 2 pieces of Maguro, Albacore, and Sake. It was fresh and had a smooth texture. The Tonkatsu was presented in a very interesting fashion. This prevents it from being too oil as it is laid atop a grill. The meat was pounded very thin and cut into tiny pieces. I thought it tasted fine, nothing special but nothing bad. For the price you pay I am willing to make exceptions for taste.
My Mom got the Sashimi and Beef Teriyaki. The sashimi was the same and tasted fine. I wanted the beef but I knew she wanted two sashimis so I ordered them separately. They were all presented separately. The beef looked fine. It was also very thin and it was cooked nicely. I like it when the meat is not cooked all the way through because it becomes too tough. After seeing some reviews online about their meat dishes not tasting like meat, I thought about this dish. It did have a different texture from normal beef... hmmm lol
All in all the food was decent, but the service was really disappointing. They were inattentive and just stood about. My water glass was empty and when they took plates away FINALLY they didn't even bother to notice. I would have been inclined to actually come back since it's not badly priced and the food was decent... but come on... I need knowledgeable and semi-attentive people! They don't get a return trip because of horrid service! BOO!