Very small place, which is fine and intimate. I did not like the wannabe-hip techno background music; it ruined the authenticity for me. I mean, is this a restaurant or a club? Where's my mini faux leopard-skin skirt and platform go-go boots when I need 'em?
I ordered the jalapeno shrimp roll, which -- the menu stated -- has tempura shrimp, cream cheese, and some other fish I can't remember (tuna, I think). Now, my problem with a lot of sushi places is that almost every freaking roll has avocado in it. I love avocados, I really do, but I am allergic to them. Not anaphylactic-shock allergic, but makes-my-mouth-itch allergic, so I just assume stay away from them. After all, you never know when a food allergy may randomly get worse. So I purposely ordered a roll that specifically, according to the menu, did not include avocado.
The food was very slow getting out of the kitchen. Molasses in January grows more quickly than the food grew out of Dokdoya's kitchen. We all somewhat knew it would be slow because this place is fairly new, but our food wasn't even all ready at the same time. Other people in my group were patting their stomachs and sighing from fullness before my roll finally arrived. And guess what? Three of the ten pieces of my roll had a slice of avocado in them. Yep. I merely pushed the avocado out of the roll, despite my tablemates trying to convince me to send it back. I did not want to wait an extra 30 minutes for a new roll to be ready, and I just didn't think it would turn out right anyway, so I did what I could to get around the avocado. Had I had a severe allergy to avocados, I may not be alive right now to write this because, despite my efforts, I could not rid my roll of every speck of avocado.
What normally happens at other sushi places is that I will order a roll that normally comes with avocado and will ask them to nix the vegetable, explaining with wide eyes that I am allergic to it (thus hoping to create a sense of urgency in keeping the avocado away from my roll). Most sushi places have mastered my request just fine, but one place (whose name I cannot remember) failed to take out the avocado and I had to send back the roll. But never before tonight, in all of the sushi places at which I have eaten, have I ordered a roll that the menu said did not have avocado, only to have it magically appear in my roll anyway.
Other than the avocado issue, the roll was just okay. I have had better shrimp tempura rolls. I expected the tempura to be hot, or at least warm, but it was as cold as the rest of the roll. I doubt I will ever make a return trip to Dokdoya.
Sorry, Dokdoya, but I do not appreciate menus that lie to me, especially when my life might be at stake.
The one positive thing I can write is that they have half-price sushi rolls in the evenings. My mediocre allergic experience only cost me $7.58, and that included miso soup and a small tasty salad.
Off issue, I think Mediocre Allergic Experience would have made a great '60s rock 'n' roll band name.
Verdict: Not to eat
No comments:
Post a Comment