Udon Mugizo
opened April 14
written by Leah Hawkins
Upon walking into the restaurant the entire staff welcomed us, creating a warm atmosphere that was maintained throughout the meal with good service and a well-thought out menu.
For their appetizers, I tried one of the chef’s recommendations which was Corn Tempura. It was sweet, but a little soggy and consisted of what seemed like excessive tempura batter.
Udon Mugizo is mostly known for their Tonkatsu and Cream Udon dishes as main dishes.
However, as a pescetarian, I instead opted for their Tempura Udon, which came with chewy udon noodles and a broth that was mild and slightly salty, tasting just like traditional udon. The dish came with three pieces of shrimp and vegetable tempura on the side, which were sweet and crispy. It was probably one
of the better dishes of tempura udon I’ve had, though nothing particularly special or unique.
The menu has strong variability, with both rich and lighter udon types, as well as warm and cold, making the restaurant suitable for almost all seasons and moods. In addition to udon, there are many appetizers and rice dishes to choose from.
Considering the other options for Japanese food downtown, the prices were comparable, ranging from $19 for more basic dishes to $22 for more premium dishes.
The biggest downside to the restaurant is how busy it is. On Fridays and weekend nights, the line to get a seat is typically over an hour almost as soon as the restaurant opens. Even during the week, there is almost perpetually a line, with no opportunity to make reservations in advance.
Overall, because of the high quality food, pleasant atmosphere and only slightly pricey menu, I give this restaurant a solid four out of five stars.
Eterna Primavera
opened February
written by Angela Nguyen
Eterna Primavera specializes in Guatemalan food and offers a plethora of orders and options.
From the vibrant walls to decorated tiles on the ceiling, Eterna Primavera has great warmth and a homey ambiance, creating an immersive authentic experience. The vibrant pink wall along with the matching table set had an aesthetic appeal that also matched with the themed decorations.
We ordered Carne Asada Tacos, Tamales and Guisado de Pollo, with all of the portions being very generous. However, there was a lack of flavorings for all of the dishes. Especially with the Tacos and Guisado de Pollo, which instead of having a variety of flavors from the different components of the dish, had the tomato sauce overwhelming everything else.
Along with the lack of flavors, the texture was mushy for the Tamales. It felt heavy instead of being light.
On the other hand, the Guisado de Pollo’s rice and beans were quite enjoyable with its variety of textures. The Tacos’ textures were also nice, especially with the Carne Asada along with the chewiness of the
taco’s shell.
The dish prices were very reasonable — $3.75 for each Tacos, $5.25 for Tamales and $16.25 for the Guisado de Pollo. This makes Prima Eterna a reasonable location for night out with friends.
Overall, the food and atmosphere is worthy of two and a half out of five stars.
Mala Town Express
opened April 14
written by Angela Nguyen
From the greenery on the wall to the greens in the make-it-yourself station, Mala Town Express feels fresh.
The ambience is very warm with lots of decorated plants as well as having a set color scheme of
green shades. The restaurant has a corner with sauce, water and a trash can for customers, which was very nice. The staff there were also very nice, providing help whenever needed.
Moreover, the customizability of the restaurant was a big plus. Customers can choose vegetables, meat, noodles and broth. Specifically, the Signature Beef Broth was excellent — there was an obvious meaty flavor and it also had a little kick. However, some of the toppings felt as if they were frozen items and not very fresh, such as the soup Beef Ball. But all of the vegetables were very fresh, especially the green onion.
However, it was unusual that the malatang was in a plastic container instead of a normal bowl. This made it difficult to open the container and it didn’t help when the broth itself was extremely hot. These containers were also put into an insulated bag for everyone, which was a pleasant surprise. But the bag was one time use, making the boxes and the bag not being environmentally friendly.
Despite having weird packaging, the price was extremely reasonable for the amount of food, making Mala Town Express worthy of three point five stars out of five stars.
Toast in Town
opened March
written by Ellen Li
Funky spiral lights, modern paintings, plants and teacups line the walls at Toast in Town. Though the wait
time during brunch on weekends is around 30 minutes, the quick and friendly service makes up for it.
There are a variety of options for both drinks and food. We ordered the well designed Strawberry Yuzu and Bluebell Vine Lemon drinks. The Strawberry Yuzu was the perfect mix of sweet and tart and contained real strawberries and orange peels on the bottom. The Bluebell Vine Lemon was a pretty ombre from purple to white and tasted vaguely of hawthorne berry.
As for the food, we ordered the Timeless Benedict and the Chicken Croffles. The Timeless Benedict included crispy and toasted bread with a thick slab of bacon, tomato and an egg with a side of salad and potatoes. The potatoes were flavorful, though they could be crispier, and the salad had a sour vinaigrette that complemented the rest of the dish well. The Benedict itself had a perfectly poached egg and a rich and lemony hollandaise sauce.
The Chicken Croffle came with a sweet chili sauce and syrup on the side and was plated professionally and aesthetically. The croffles were very difficult to cut with a knife, but were nice and sweet, though a bit doughy. The chicken itself was crispy and juicy. The dish had a perfect mix of sweet, spicy and salty.
Overall, though the food is a bit more on the expensive side and the wait can be long, the good portions, nice plating and flavorful food make the restaurant worthy of four and a half stars out of five.
Little Late Bird
opened December
written by Meilin Rife
Little Late Bird is a cafe that serves coffee, boba, breakfast, sandwiches, rice bowls, just about anything someone could be craving. It is located in a corporate park near Mariners Island Park, making it a little out of the way.
Immediately walking in, we were greeted by a well-lit interior filled with flower arrangements, vintage posters, a motley collection of seating and even a dog treat jar. The restaurant layout and design made it feel like a welcome place to sit and hang out for a couple of hours with friends. Even on a Sunday after-
noon, people were lining up to order.
For drinks, we ordered the Ocean Latte, Banana Boba Tea and Strawberry Boba Tea. The Ocean Latte had a blue base that looked pretty, but did not add much complexity to the drink. The Banana Boba Tea, which
I was looking forward to because of its uniqueness, tasted simply like banana milk. However, the strawberry had a nice incorporation of strawberry chunks and syrup that made for a pleasant drink.
For lunch, we got the Veggie Bibimbap, Bird’s Bagel and Strawberry Croffle, or croissant waffle. The bibimbap and bagel tasted very simple and standard, like a good home meal, but the croffle tasted exquisite with a cinnamon sugar base and a flaky texture. The food was very reasonably priced, ranging from eight to fifteen dollars.
For its design and assortment of food and drinks, we give Little Late Bird three and a half stars out of five.
