| Food | * * |
| Service | * * * |
| Ambience | * * |
| Value | 6.5 |
| Cost | $ |
| Dish | Price | Value | Rating | |
| California Rolls | $2.00 |
* * * | * * | |
| All-You-Can-Eat Mongolian BBQ | 6.95 |
* * * 1/2 | * * * |
Located in a strip mall within the Lucky's Shopping Center in Davis, Tokyo is a different breed of Japanese restaurant. Along with the usual Japanese cuisine (sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, etc.), they have their centerpiece Mongolian (Chinese) barbecue. If you opt for Japanese only, you can have a good Japanese food experience. There is nothing sensational about their Japanese food, but it is well prepared and enjoyable. On the other hand, if you opt for the Mongolian barbecue, the experience is equally enjoyable, for the cooks prepare your bowl with panache and flair; and ;yet, Tokyo is not a jam-packed, noisy restaurant. You can get your meal and still have a quiet dinner conversation with your eating companion.
As for food, J & I opted for a combination of Japanese & Chinese. We ordered California rolls, which consist of a little fish paste, rice, and cucumber in a seaweed roll. That way, we could benefit from a little pickled ginger and wasabi, without having to deal with the raw fish (an acquired taste, best taken slowly). We also went with the Mongolian barbecue. Tokyo does not have a lot of food choices in its barbecue; however, for the price, it's well worth the money. Each diner takes a bowl and places in it rolls of frozen meat (lamb, turkey, chicken, pork, beef), noodles, and vegetables (cilantro, spinach, onions, carrots, celery, sprouts, etc.) and dispenses a little sauce for flavoring (soy, chili oil, sugar, etc.). The cook is in a separate enclosed room with a big fan to suck out all the steam. If Tokyo is particularly busy, there will be two cooks to expedite the stir frying of your creation. When it is finished, he sweeps it off the circular grill, with elan, into your bowl. On a good night, one can finish off maybe two full bowls! (In fact, in can be quite confusing, as you pack quite a lot into your bowl and then it cooks down to 1/3 of the original volume, but seems as filling as the full bowl you prepared!) Along with the Barbecue, Tokyo serves you a light cabbage soup, deep fried wontons with sweet and sour sauce, orange wedges, and fortune cookies for dessert. The servers were very pleasant and quick, but not too anxious to get us out of the restaurant.