by Terri Beam » Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:38 pm
My boyfriend and I made it out to Shoyu for the first time last night.
Our starter was the Seoul Fries. The fries themselves are a new trend I've noticed in couple of local restaurants now, sort of a cross between a curly fry and a potato wedge. All I can say is they are thick, curly potato wedges? At Shoyu, they're covered in cheese, finely chopped bulgogi, and kimchee. The kimchee is pretty subtle unless one deliberately piles the cheese/bulgogi/kimchee mix on each bite of potato. I thought it was tasty though.
My boyfriend had the bibimbap as he had a hankering for some steak with a fried egg. It came out in a blistering hot stone bowl which, by the time he waved the proverbial white flag for a to-go container, was STILL hot enough to burn the hands of the server to offered to take it to the kitchen (and potholders) to box up. My boyfriend gave it a thumbs up and said it was "different." He's a man of few words.
I ordered the beef bulgogi as I'm now on a quest to find the best in town. The bulgogi dinner comes with miso soup, salad (with a pretty tasty ginger dressing), rice, vegetables, and a small cup of kimchee. I wouldn't say it's the best bulgogi I've had, but I was pleased with it. The fried rice that came with the dish was also good and not overly salty as I usually encounter with most of the Japanese hibachi places in town.
We also split a Buddha roll from the sushi menu. Traditionalists will approve of the tiny size since it's one bite only, but I like a lot of bang for my sushi buck. Kailana here in Fern Creek wins on that count. I thought this particular roll was ok but not exceptional.
Considering their interesting menu and the half-price sushi nights on Wednesdays, I think they deserve a shot at success, but there were very few people there last night. They have karaoke on Thursday nights, and from their Facebook page it looked like they were quite full. Last night, it was a ghost town. Our initial plan was to go to Sake Blue, but it was packed to the gills with spillover onto the sidewalk out front. It may just be that Shoyu is in a location with very poor visibility, but I would think those who live in Anchorage, Pewee Valley, and Crestwood should have noticed by now. That area is not exactly a hotbed of sushi/Asian fusion cuisine.
We'll go back and maybe tour the sushi menu in depth. An appetizer, two dinners, one sushi roll, and two waters came out at $64 (not including tip) and provided us both with ample leftovers. That's a pretty fair price rate as compared to Sake Blue, but I haven't tried their bulgogi yet.