Tanoshii Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar

Submitted by jsparks on Mon, 2003-05-05 12:47
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TANOSHII JAPANESE RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR
661 Louis Henna Blvd, #300
Round Rock, Texas 78664
(512) 341.7874

Greetings...

This evening, my friend James and I decided to try a brand new Japanese restaurant in Round Rock. Tanoshii, on the outside, seemed very simple and put together, but upon entering the establishment, we were amazed. The restaurant is well designed with clean flowing lines, simple features, great color scheme, and a well done use of space. The menus are easy to read, and the staff is very knowledgeable of the dishes served. However, that did not even begin prepare us for the experience of the actual meal....

To our pleasure an appetizer came with the meal. We were served an incredible Miso Soup and a small salad with a very flavorful house dressing. For our main meal we dined on Teriyaki Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura. Both of which came out from the kitchen and presented to us as if they were works of art. The presentation was fabulous. everything was put together with care and a very nice, elegant, and artistic design. We wanted to take pictures! With the meal, we sampled some of the sushi- California Rolls, Eel, and a very flavorful shrimp roll called the Rock N Roll. Again, we were amazed...

Usually, when you get California rolls, the avocado can either be to young or overly ripe. These were perfect. The avocado wasn't too hard or mealy, but it was just the right texture. Delicious. The Eel was quite flavorful as well. It had a very nice texture and appealing taste. The Rock N Roll was my personal favorite! The Shrimp with Avocado and spices rolled in rice and seaweed was terrific!!! I wanted more, but I had to save room for dessert.

As we finished our main meal, the thought of dessert did creep into our minds. James and I decided to order two desserts and try them. We ordered the Key Lime Meltdown and the Tempura Fried Cheesecake. Do not be fooled. The Cheesecake was AWESOME. The Key Lime Meltdown was a treat to the taste buds. Each bite was savored with sinful grin.

Overall, if you can not tell, I enjoyed every bit of my dining experience at Tanoshii. I hope that you get the chance to dine there as well.... Please, check it out. I really think that it is worth the time. I am definitely going back again... and again.

Many thanks...

Jason Sparks

by siren on Sun, 2003-07-13 12:31
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Last night my DH and I decided to dine at Tanoshii. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the food is a work of art. The only problem we experienced was a completely incompetent waitress. It took over two hours to complete the meal (drinks/appetizers, main course, and dessert). This was mainly because the waitress was too busy chatting with some friends at another table and completely ignoring her job. I had to ask three times to have my glass refilled and my DH didn't get a glass of water until after the main course was served. The appetizer was served after the main course. The food was delicious despite the Agedashi Tofu being lukewarm. I think it would have been a great dining experience if we had been served by another member of the waitstaff. One thing that disturbed me was that you have to join the Williamson County Club to be served alcohol. I really wanted a chocolate martini but wasn't about to join the club. It's a shame the restaurant isn't in Travis County because they have an incredible selection of mixed drinks.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2003-07-17 14:54
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I'm not sure what you're talking about.. I live in Round Rock/Williamson county and I've never once had to fill out any sort of membership card to drink. Not only that, but I was just at Tanoshii on Friday night and drank plenty without having to apply for any sort of card.

by Hyottoko on Sat, 2003-07-26 19:57
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Tanoshii... Hmm... Food was pretty good, but the waiter didn't know what a chirashi was--which was fine--but he wasn't willing to go ask one of the itamae about it, so he just said they wouldn't make one. :roll: Go figger. This wasn't as bad as Osaka, where when I asked for chirashi, the waitress said, "A what!?" I had to point her to the poster on the wall behind her that showed a nice chirashi, which she then said they couldn't make. :evil:

by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2003-08-18 13:06
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I was at Tanoshii a few days ago and boy was I surprised when I walked in. Very sophisticated, modern, and nicely design restaurant. The ceiling was just a piece of artwork, never seen anything like that before. Sushi was very fresh and we had huge pieces compared to other sushi bars I been to. Prices didn’t put a dent in my wallet and service couldn’t be better. The presentation of the food was nothing I ever seen before, looked so good, I didn’t want to eat it. Overall, this had been my best sushi experience to date.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2003-09-19 21:52
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Ate at Tanoshii this eveniong --- no required card for drinks -- The food was very good, the mushroom pouch appetizer at Makado is better but the version here is very good regardless. The teryaki Shrimp that the wife ordered was excellent and the presentation was a B+/A- -- probably better than any other Japanese resteraunt in the area. I had the Sashimi B dinner with a some additional sushi and found it all to be fresh and nicely presented. Only complaint overall was the knowledge of the waitress, hopefully this will improve with time (although time has never rectified the service at Freda's). A gentleman who stopped by to check on us was much more knowledgeable. Overall, I recommend this resteraunt, and I will return.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2003-10-28 17:23
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I have eaten out at different Austin area restaurants about once a week during the last 3 years, and Tanoshii is my new favorite restaurant. I revisit few places but have been to Tanoshii three times in the last two months, and will probably return to Tanoshii at least once a month in the future. Tanoshii has a clean hip young vibe, friendly and engaging sushi chefs, good quality sushi in large pieces, awesome duck, tasty sake, and a very reasonable price compared to other sushi and miscellaneous higher quality restaurants in the area. I won't go anywhere else in Austin for sushi or Japanese food in the future if Tanoshii is an option. Tanoshii also has a the prettiest group of hostesses and waitresses I've seen in Austin (that's saying a lot), but I sit at the sushi bar and have been served by the same man each time so I can't comment on the quality of the table service. Watching them go back and forth from the sushi bar works for me! My girlfriend and I were asked to sign up for the alcohol club the first time we went and upon ordering drinks have been checked for the stickers on our DLs each time. Registration was a very simple and painless procedure and I can't think of any reason not to comply (free, little or no personal information, ...). I was conflicted about writing this reply because I don't want to have to fight crowds and rising prices at Tanoshii in the future. But they have been so good, I think I owe it to them. [quote="davemg"]Ate at Tanoshii this eveniong --- no required card for drinks -- The food was very good, the mushroom pouch appetizer at Makado is better but the version here is very good regardless. The teryaki Shrimp that the wife ordered was excellent and the presentation was a B+/A- -- probably better than any other Japanese resteraunt in the area. I had the Sashimi B dinner with a some additional sushi and found it all to be fresh and nicely presented. Only complaint overall was the knowledge of the waitress, hopefully this will improve with time (although time has never rectified the service at Freda's). A gentleman who stopped by to check on us was much more knowledgeable. Overall, I recommend this resteraunt, and I will return.[/quote]

by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2003-11-20 10:55
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I called to place a to-go order and didn't get an answer....and when I showed up, it was closed!! Anyone know what happened?? It was the best good sushi near my house/work (no, Origami doesn't count!).

by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2003-11-22 15:52
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[quote="Anonymous"]I called to place a to-go order and didn't get an answer....and when I showed up, it was closed!! Anyone know what happened?? It was the best good sushi near my house/work (no, Origami doesn't count!).[/quote] A friend of mine worked there. Said they were losing money badly, and had to close. However, I heard it is being bought and reopened.

by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2004-05-21 18:49
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You wouldn't have had to join "the Williamson County Club." Restaurants that are in dry districts require that you join their club in order to buy drinks. Club membership is usually free. It is just a formality. [quote="siren"] One thing that disturbed me was that you have to join the Williamson County Club to be served alcohol. I really wanted a chocolate martini but wasn't about to join the club. It's a shame the restaurant isn't in Travis County because they have an incredible selection of mixed drinks.[/quote]