Oryza Bistro

Asian fusion... as I watch cooking shows on t.v. it seems to be getting more and more trendy. The nerdy looking Chinese guy (who is actually Korean), mixing a chicken dish into rice and pretending there is some true ethnicity left in the dish. The food is always pleasant enough, but never great enough to really care, it's worth about six bucks for a quick lunch.

So why would I be particularly excited about a new restaurant with the same 'ole credentials. Truthfully, I'm not. Growing up in the Bay Area and then spending a brief time in Hawaii, I can honestly say I have had some great, and authentic, Asian food. The most telling sign of a great Asian restaurant... the smell. The first few times you walk into a restaurant like this it is offensive, but soon enough you will grow to appreciate what it represents... fresh fish. And if you ever walk into an Asian restaurant and they don't recommend a fish, the food is meant for white people, so accept it for what it is, but don't get your hopes up.

Oryza did not smell like fish, in fact, it was barely Asian. It is advertised as an Asian fusion but it is very "Chili's." All of the food is good, in fact, the food was very good. If someone wanted to go there for a quick lunch I would look forward to it, but it was not a culinary experience. There was not a lot of what I would call "true ethnicity" in the dishes. They all tasted like what you would expect when you went to any box restaurant, but maybe a little more flavor. Of all the Asian flavors it was probably closest to Thai, because of the use of curry, but their fried chicken reminded me more of Roscoe's in Pasadena than 99 Chicken in Santa Clara. (Roscoe's is a chicken and waffle stand that focuses on "soul food." If you are ever in the neighborhood I would HIGHLY recommend it. Nonetheless, it is not Asian). At the end of the day, I would go back, but I wouldn't be in a hurry. See where I go next week, remember... NEXT ROUND'S ON ME!