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Message
Finally got around to trying Soji (Review) - UPDATE (WENT BACK - BAD)
Posted on 2/25/19 at 11:04 am
Posted on 2/25/19 at 11:04 am
I'm a huge an of Asian and Asian fusion flavors, so I knew Soji was a restaurant made for me. I'd heard dinner reservations were initially hard to come by, so my wife and I opted for lunch on Saturday. From looking up their hours, it appears lunchtime for them is dead. This was spot on, as we arrived around 12:00 on Saturday and were maybe the only people in the restaurant. I don't know how to interpret that.
Was our first time, so of course we ordered more than a typical lunch to try some things. I will say this, the portions to prices is a really good value. I was honestly surprised at the portion sizes of the items ordered. Definitely a place where you could share some things.
Our order:
Chef Dumplings - These were good. Not great, but good. I am a huge dumpling fan, so I was a tad disappointed they were just good. An order came with 5, which to me is so annoying when apps come out as an odd number. Even numbers make sharing easier. At $12, I'll probably pass on these in the future.
Crudo (Hamachi, Ponzu, Chili Oil, Yuzu Shio Salt,
Serrano Pepper, Smoked Trout Caviar) - This was delicious. Yellowtail is always awesome, and the smoked trout caviar was a nice touch. At $14, it was a pretty good value as they gave us a pretty nice serving. Would get again.
Brisket Ramen (Sliced Brisket, Beef Tendon Broth, Enoki Mushrooms,Egg Yolk, Cilantro, Lime) - Wife ordered this and it was delicious. Brisket was great, and the broth was stellar. Smokey and rich from the tendon. A+ and only $14.
Imperial Wagyu Bo Luc Lac (Marinated Sirloin, Basmati Rice, Marinated Cabbage, Spicy Nguyen Sauce, Pickled Onion, Mint, Kewpie Mayo) - My entree. On recommendation from the waitress, I swapped the rice for yakisoba noodles. This was a delicious bowl of food, and was a large portion. The sirloin (whether Wagyu or not) was cooked well and tender. All the components played nicely off one another for an interesting bite of food each time. It was $20, but this could honestly be split between two.
Brussel Sprouts - Because I love brussel sprouts, I ordered a side. At $7, the portion is pretty substantial. That said, they were the weakest part of the meal. The sprouts were tender, and had a good flavor with the chili sauce, but there was so much chili sauce that they became soggy. I ate about half of the serving before getting tired of eating them. Wish they were crispier with a char, and then lightly tossed in sauce.
Overall, Soji is another fine entrant to the Baton Rouge scene. The interior of the restaurant is nice and all the staff were super friendly. I am a little troubled that their lunch crowd on a weekend was non-existent, but the LSU-Tennessee game could have played into that some. I have read reviews that say the interior gets very loud during dinner, so if you want to enjoy their full menu in a quieter atmosphere, I highly recommend lunch.
Was our first time, so of course we ordered more than a typical lunch to try some things. I will say this, the portions to prices is a really good value. I was honestly surprised at the portion sizes of the items ordered. Definitely a place where you could share some things.
Our order:
Chef Dumplings - These were good. Not great, but good. I am a huge dumpling fan, so I was a tad disappointed they were just good. An order came with 5, which to me is so annoying when apps come out as an odd number. Even numbers make sharing easier. At $12, I'll probably pass on these in the future.
Crudo (Hamachi, Ponzu, Chili Oil, Yuzu Shio Salt,
Serrano Pepper, Smoked Trout Caviar) - This was delicious. Yellowtail is always awesome, and the smoked trout caviar was a nice touch. At $14, it was a pretty good value as they gave us a pretty nice serving. Would get again.
Brisket Ramen (Sliced Brisket, Beef Tendon Broth, Enoki Mushrooms,Egg Yolk, Cilantro, Lime) - Wife ordered this and it was delicious. Brisket was great, and the broth was stellar. Smokey and rich from the tendon. A+ and only $14.
Imperial Wagyu Bo Luc Lac (Marinated Sirloin, Basmati Rice, Marinated Cabbage, Spicy Nguyen Sauce, Pickled Onion, Mint, Kewpie Mayo) - My entree. On recommendation from the waitress, I swapped the rice for yakisoba noodles. This was a delicious bowl of food, and was a large portion. The sirloin (whether Wagyu or not) was cooked well and tender. All the components played nicely off one another for an interesting bite of food each time. It was $20, but this could honestly be split between two.
Brussel Sprouts - Because I love brussel sprouts, I ordered a side. At $7, the portion is pretty substantial. That said, they were the weakest part of the meal. The sprouts were tender, and had a good flavor with the chili sauce, but there was so much chili sauce that they became soggy. I ate about half of the serving before getting tired of eating them. Wish they were crispier with a char, and then lightly tossed in sauce.
Overall, Soji is another fine entrant to the Baton Rouge scene. The interior of the restaurant is nice and all the staff were super friendly. I am a little troubled that their lunch crowd on a weekend was non-existent, but the LSU-Tennessee game could have played into that some. I have read reviews that say the interior gets very loud during dinner, so if you want to enjoy their full menu in a quieter atmosphere, I highly recommend lunch.
This post was edited on 3/4/19 at 11:48 am
6
Posted on 2/25/19 at 11:10 am to LSUZombie
had the brisket ramen, the drunken noodle and the cauliflower side. Thought all 3 were extremely mediocre.
Posted on 2/25/19 at 11:28 am to LSUZombie
quote:
This was spot on, as we arrived around 12:00 on Saturday and were maybe the only people in the restaurant
I'm surprised their pretentious asses didn't require you to have a reservation.
Posted on 2/25/19 at 11:30 am to LSUZombie
sorry to hijack your solid review, but is there any beef product these days that doesn't purport to be wagyu?
This post was edited on 2/25/19 at 11:32 am
Posted on 2/26/19 at 3:34 pm to LSUZombie
I’ve been there quite a few times. My favorites are the Drunken Noodles and the Thai Boat Noodles. The sushi chef (Josh) is top-notch.
Posted on 2/26/19 at 4:36 pm to LSUZombie
My wife and I went to Soji about a month ago. We both really enjoyed the food, but the ambiance is not quite what we expected. I didn't expect a quiet romantic dinner date, but holy hell it gets LOUD in there. We sat at one of the small tables in the middle for 2 and we could barely hear each other talk. Kind of a turn-off for me in a restaurant.
:oldman: :curmudgeon:.
:oldman: :curmudgeon:.
Posted on 3/4/19 at 11:47 am to LSUZombie
So I had such a good experience at Soji last week that a friend of mine from California (who is a ramen fan) wanted to try it. I met him for lunch yesterday and after the meal we had, I probably won't be going back for a long time, if ever.
I preface all of this by saying the restaurant was clean and the service was very good and the waiter friendly and attentive. But the food was such a let down that I left apologizing for the place for telling my buddy it was good.
We started with best thing we ate, which were the ribs. 6 large ribs, super tender, good sauce, and accompanied by pickles, pickled cabbage, and kimchi. We should have stopped there.
We also split the Pork Banh Mi, which sounded delicious, but the sandwich was pretty average. Terrible, soft bread that didn't lend itself well to the fillings, and so much mayo that it was dripping down the sides of the sandwich. And I like mayo, but that's all we could taste. Just a miss and a bland sandwich.
My buddy got the Tonkotsu Ramen. He took a few bites and said "something doesn't taste right." I tried some of the broth and it was terrible. The broth was bland as water, but worse than that there was a horrible chemical-plastic taste to the broth. I don't know where it could have came from but it was inedible. He sent it back and opted not to order anything else.
The "brunch" menu is smaller than their normal menu, so I ordered the "Mall Chinese" and with it came crispy beef, General Tsoji chicken, and fried rice. The fried rice was old, stale, and cold. The chicken was luke-warm, and the cripsy beef was lava hot in temperature. It was all edible, but just average, so I ate without complaining. Takeout from China Express or Oriental Pearl would have smoked this place.
Just a major let down meal, and a restaurant I was so excited to try let me feeling foolish I brought a friend. I probably won't be back until I start hearing better things about Soji.
I preface all of this by saying the restaurant was clean and the service was very good and the waiter friendly and attentive. But the food was such a let down that I left apologizing for the place for telling my buddy it was good.
We started with best thing we ate, which were the ribs. 6 large ribs, super tender, good sauce, and accompanied by pickles, pickled cabbage, and kimchi. We should have stopped there.
We also split the Pork Banh Mi, which sounded delicious, but the sandwich was pretty average. Terrible, soft bread that didn't lend itself well to the fillings, and so much mayo that it was dripping down the sides of the sandwich. And I like mayo, but that's all we could taste. Just a miss and a bland sandwich.
My buddy got the Tonkotsu Ramen. He took a few bites and said "something doesn't taste right." I tried some of the broth and it was terrible. The broth was bland as water, but worse than that there was a horrible chemical-plastic taste to the broth. I don't know where it could have came from but it was inedible. He sent it back and opted not to order anything else.
The "brunch" menu is smaller than their normal menu, so I ordered the "Mall Chinese" and with it came crispy beef, General Tsoji chicken, and fried rice. The fried rice was old, stale, and cold. The chicken was luke-warm, and the cripsy beef was lava hot in temperature. It was all edible, but just average, so I ate without complaining. Takeout from China Express or Oriental Pearl would have smoked this place.
Just a major let down meal, and a restaurant I was so excited to try let me feeling foolish I brought a friend. I probably won't be back until I start hearing better things about Soji.
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