Restaurant grand openings are great because at the expense of promoting themselves, we usually benefit from their special prices and deals. A prime example is E Ji Bon, a new Japan & Asian fusion restaurant that just opened in Frisco. 30% off for the whole month of September on all their menu items!
The inside decor is simple but clean. The kitchen is hidden, but their sushi bar is open for all to see. Because of its central location, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the chef working behind the counter.
Since it’s 30% off everything, we thought we’d take advantage of the deal, so we ordered a whole slew of items over the course of two trips. I think we might check back one more time before the month’s over. Here’re all that we ordered in no particular order.
Sea Sweep Salad - marinated/pickled seaweed salad. A bit slimy but very tasty.
Squid Salad. Even though it says squid, I think it’s made from octopus. Has a savory sweet and sour flavor.
Vegetable Tempura - deep fried assorted vegetables. It has onion rings, string beans, green bell pepper, sweet potato, and zucchini. Comes with a warm tentsuyu (mix of soy, stock, and sweek sake) sauce.
Salt and Pepper Calamari. Their menu says calamari AND shrimp, but really it’s calamari OR shrimp. First the calamari’s deep fried, then stir fried with salt and green & red chili peppers. Its got a spicy kick to it, but the combination of deep frying and stir frying made it quite oily.
Roasted Pork Ramen and…
…Miso Ramen. The main attraction in good ramen noodle soup is the soup. It makes or breaks the ramen. These pass the test, but ever since our trip to Japan years ago, we have never been completely satisfied with the quality of ramen here. That’s not to say these aren’t good. They’re actually the closest we’ve had so far, but they’re still not as perfect as the ones we’ve had in Japan. Our search continues.
Triple Pan-Fried Noodles. I think the triple means the trio of shrimp, chicken, and beef stir-fried with vegetables. Instead, we got shrimp, scallops, and beef. Not a bad trade-off. It’s served on a bed of crispy fried egg noodles.
Seafood Dan Dan Noodles. While we may have gotten lucky with the Triple Pan-Fried Noodles, I think we got shafted here. Supposedly the seafood should have shrimp, scallop, and crabmeat. I didn’t see any crabmeat. Overall the dish is okay, but they went overboard a little with the sauce.
Kat Su Don. Fried pork cutlet over rice topped with egg, onions, and mushrooms. Simple but tasty. The juices from the stir-fried onions and mushrooms seeped down to flavor the pork and rice underneath.
Bul Gu Gi Asia Grill. Marinated slices of beef with onions and mushrooms served on a hot sizzling plate shaped like a bull. Comes with rice and…
…miso soup and…
…salad.
Portions at E Ji Bon may be a little lacking by the norm here in the States, but it was enough to satisfy. Overall the food tasted good, and service was above average. Our waiter was dressed in a casual like tux of some sort, without the jacket, and he was available whenever we needed. As for the prices, without the 30% discount I think it’s a little bit overpriced. So if you want to try it out, you have until the end of this month to do so.
E Ji Bon
7151 Preston Rd., Suite 201B
Frisco, TX 75034
214-705-8381Ambiance: 7
Food: 6
Service: 8
Cleaniness: 8
Value: 5
Overall: 6.9
Tags: E Ji Bon, Japan, Asian, fusion, grand opening, 30% discount