The number of Japanese hibachi-style restaurants in the Chattanooga area is growing. The latest to join the throng is Kumo, corner of Lee Highway and East Brainerd Road.
Unlike Kobe in Fort Oglethorpe, Kanpai at Hamilton Place and Ichiban in Hixson and Brainerd, Kumo is more of a quick in-and-out, with one central hibachi grill to speed the cooking process.
THE MENU
There’s a complete range of items, from steaks to chicken to seafood. Sushi lovers won’t walk away disappointed. Traditional sushi and sashimi dishes are on the menu, as well as special rolls, such as Green Dragon, the Volcano Roll, Amazing Roll and Incredible Roll. A prodigious offering of fishes and seafood abounds.
The order (for three): Hibachi salmon hibachi ($7.70), hibachi chicken ($6.50), hibachi scallop ($7.50).
The prices at Kumo are quite pleasing. You’ll pay the same at lunch and dinner, and not a whole lot at that. The hibachi and teriyaki dinners all come with the expected soup, salad, vegetable and rice. I had the hibachi chicken and was quite satiated. It was an excellent meal for under $7.
If you go* Where: Kumo Hibachi Sushi, 6025 East Brainerd Road (next to Aldi).* Phone: 468-3385.* Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.* Price range: $5.50 (vegetable hibachi)-$19.95 (sashimi dinner). Sushi prices start at $3.50.* Payment: Cash and major credit cards.* Alcohol: Beer only.
Really, the only thing missing from the customary Japanese dining experience were the hibachi grills at individual tables. Many diners are accustomed to watching the chefs doing their culinary acrobatic acts. If you don’t need the show, you’ll be pleased by the speed of service.
The meals are cooked in an open kitchen, so you can see the cook chopping away at the meats and vegetables, then placing them on the one cooktop.
As expected, our meal started with soup and salad. The soup had a rather funny taste that I couldn’t quite figure out. The salad, however, was very good with crisp iceberg lettuce and that delicious ginger dressing that comes with most Japanese meals in town.
Dinner arrived in record time, each plate filled with fried rice and our meat of choice mixed with grilled zucchini and onions. You don’t get quite as much food as you do at traditional hibachi tables, but I’ve always thought that was too much food anyway. What you get at Kumo is a delicious plateful of food that leaves you satisfied but not overstuffed. It was perfect.
My chicken was tender and flavorful. My dad’s scallops were medium in size and, he said, very good. And my husband’s salmon filet was also good, he said. We left the restaurant agreeing we’d be back.
THE SERVICE
Our server did a fine job delivering drinks, soup, salad and entrees to our table, then left us on our own for the remainder of the meal. The restaurant isn’t large, so it was easy to find him, but a water refill would have been nice without having to ask.
THE SPACE
You wouldn’t guess if from the outside, but Kumo has a sophisticated tone to it. I’d never guess that discount grocer Aldi or fast-food eatery Firehouse Subs lie on either side. It’s more like I stepped off a street in New York.
The open kitchen gives it a spacious feel. Earth tones and modern art on the walls offer a hint of elegance. All in all, this is a feel-good atmosphere that augments the dining experience.
One thing I had to chuckle about, though, was the country music playing softly throughout dinner. I love the country sound, so it was nice, just a little unexpected in a Japanese restaurant.
THE VERDICT
Welcome to the neighborhood of Japanese restaurants, Kumo. It was nice to see a few tables filled with diners as well as many folks picking up to-go orders. It appears this is just what the area needed.