By GERRY BARKER North Palm Beach Life South Floridians who love Asian cuisine -- that would be us -- have a new go-to restaurant to satisfy their cravings: The recently-opened Saiko-I Sushi Lounge and Hibachi. Located in Parkland (our map said Coral Springs), at 5791 Coral Springs Drive, it's the latest eatery from the South Florida-based Unisolo Restaurant Group, now boasting five brands and eight restaurants throughout South Florida. Those include the Coco Sushi Lounge and Bar in Delray Beach, Koi in Fort Lauderdale, Saiko-i Lounge and Hibachi in Boca Raton, Yakitori Sushi House in West Delray and Yakitori Sake House in east Boca Raton. The Peking Duck House, located at 1200 E. Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach, opened in February. The newest Saiko-I Sushi Lounge and Hibachi seats 180 and occupies 4,000 square feet in a retail shopping area. While large, it still conveys a tranquil Zen, starting with the Laughing Buddha at the entrance. Beautifully appointed, one side is traditional dining while the other hosts hibachi. We made the drive down to sample their wide range of lunch offerings. There are Hibachi Lunch Specials, as well as traditional Asian Lunches, Bento Boxes, Sushi and Sashimi Lunch and Double Roll Specials. A nice surprise was finding their Happy Hour runs every day from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m., with specially-priced food and drinks. To start, we ordered the steamed Gyoza and Bang Bang Shrimp from the Happy Hour appetizer menu. Both were outstanding. For entrees, Pam chose a Bento Box that came with soup or salad, pork Gyoza or California Rolls, chef's choice sushi or sashimi, and choice of entree (Pam choose the Chicken Teriyaki). I had the Chicken Teriyaki, which included soup or salad and jasmine rice. Our food was both delicious and nicely presented, and despite our best efforts, we had to request a to-go box from our attentive server, Brian. But still, we couldn't leave without a dessert to share, and glad we did. You must try their Tempura Ice Cream -- vanilla ice cream inside a tempura shell, with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Call it the Asian version of Baked Alaska -- it was divine. The restaurant's manager, Jennie, told us we need to come back and try the hibachi. She won't get any argument from us. The next Saiko-I Sushi Lounge and Hibachi, located at 8100-8160 W. Broward Boulevard in Plantation, will be almost double the size of this one -- 7,000 square feet, and is set to open at the end of the year. Comments are closed.
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ABOUTExploring what to see and do in North Palm Beach and the South Florida area. Your hosts are Pam and Gerry Barker. GERRY PRONOUNCED GARYArchives
May 2024
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