Note

Roy's has been visited twice, on 2005-03-17 and 2007-04-25. I did not write a trip report for the first visit.

Roy's 2007-04-25 Review

We were satisfied by everything about our meal at Roy's. Although no item was amazing, each was solid -- the kind of meal one ought to be able to be able to expect from a restaurant in this price range, but, as we've learned, often cannot. The chocolate souffle and the service were especially commendable.

Instead of traditional bread rolls, Roy's greeted us with a bowl of peppered edamame. Fine enough, I suppose. It could've used some / more salt.

To start, we each got the appetizer sampler. This included:

• A long shrimp on a skewer, served with spicy cocktail sauce. Fairly decent.
• A heavily-fried potsticker containing a little shellfish (crab?). Still noodley/floppy on the bottom. Okay.
• A "Szechuan spiced" baby back rib. The sauce was very sweet. But still this rib was pretty good. In my opinion, the best of the three items.
• Cucumber slices, topped with a single sliver of red onion. I imagine it was simply meant as a garnish. Still, I ate it.

As for entrees, we had: 

• Salmon ("hibachi grilled" with sliced "cucumber namasu and citrus ponzu"). As the waiter said, he hates recommending salmon but think this salmon noteworthy because it is very well done. And indeed it was; although "merely salmon," we liked it. We also liked the sauce. Accompanied by some unremarkable rice topped with sesame seeds and herbs (or possibly tiny bits of seaweed).

• Large shrimp tossed with udon noodles and sliced cucumbers. "Yum" was one person's first reaction. Sweet shrimp. Udon were tossed with a soy-based sauce. Although it was hard to decide, this was the favorite dish of two people. I disagreed, saying that although it was good, the shrimp were too sweet for me to name it as my favorite.

• Charbroiled ribs with mashed potatoes, broccoli rabe, and a carrot, topped with a salad of diced tomatoes. The ribs were juicy and so tender they could be split with a fork. This was my favorite dish, though the others complained it needed something.We wanted to order the butterfish, but Roy's was out.

For desserts, we had: 

• "Melting hot chocolate souffle." These are an example of the rich gooey chocolate cakes we're always seeking. When punctured with a fork, the dense chocolate insides flow out. When I say dense, I mean it -- this dish is really chocolaty. Adorned with nice swirl of raspberry syrup that contributes well to looks and taste. I couldn't stop eating until they were all gone, eating more than one souffle myself. They're so rich one really feels like stopping at half a souffle. But I couldn't. I didn't end up eating much the next day.

• Caramel macadamia nut almond tart. Fairly decent. We'd probably normally call this good if it weren't given in the same context as the chocolate souffle. Nicely swirled with peach syrup and cream and accompanied by a good, ginger, star-shaped cookie.

We tried two drinks, both of which were good. Although a bit sweet, neither were so sweet that it really bothered us. 

• Hawaiian Martini. Mainly, pineapple vodka and coconut rum. The people that ordered this liked it, although it wasn't what they expected. Smelled strongly of pineapple. (It didn't appeal to me because I don't like coconut.)

• Cantaloupe cocktail. Mainly, vodka, pineapple, and watermelon, with a cherry at the bottom. Like the last drink, slightly weird. Yet, we quite enjoyed this one as well.

Our waiter was one of the best we've ever had. He managed to give really helpful advice about what's good and what wasn't without actually saying anything negative about any dishes. For instance, when thinking about ordering a mai tai, he warned us that they recently changed the recipe and it's now very sweet and thick like molasses. He also advised that, although the souffles were excellent, we shouldn't order three souffles -- two souffles were enough for three people and we could get the tart for variety. This recommendation, like all of his other descriptions of dishes, was perfectly correct. Further, not only was our waiter good, he directed the other help. For example, the people who brought us our entrees and desserts already knew we would be sharing and brought extra plates and serving spoons.

Roy's stylish interior includes a nice bar, a large and artistic wine display, an open kitchen, and even two levels of seating, though we didn't get to see the upper one. The crowd looked mostly like business people, with clothes ranging from business casual like sweaters and collared shirts to business formal like suits and ties. We were also offered napkins to match our pants, a gesture that often only occurs at restaurants like this.

It was noisy. We were seated at a large table 2007-04-25it originally had six chairs2007-04-25 and so had trouble hearing each other across the table. I ceased noticing this fair quickly, meaning we either started talking louder or, as diners left, the place got quieter.

Conversation ranged from politics at work, to what makes a good engineer, to why people stay in unsatisfying jobs or relationships. We also talked about an attractive waitress (not ours). Throughout the evening, many observations got translated into nerd-speak.

Not counting drinks, we each ordered the $35/person prix fixe menu and thus paid around $45/person including tax and a generous tip.

Original Announcement for 2007-04-25 Visit

Tomorrow we'll head to Roy's in SOMA for some Hawaiian/Asian fusion. Our eating club was there in early 2005 and I've been tempted to go back because (i) we liked it and (ii) some of us haven't yet been there.

http://www.roysrestaurants.com/

Please tell me if you can make it.

Comments from Other Attendees on 2007-04-25 Visit

Feel free to add remarks here.