The Bistro at Cherry Hill Mall (Southern New Jersey)

Rating: 

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price , & Staff

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Positive: Unique, delicious seafood and vegetarian food in the mall.

Negative: Located in the center of the mall.

Overall: Tasty seafood and vegetarian dishes served in a unique setting in the middle of Cherry Hill Mall.

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Unique food at the mall

The bistro at Cherry Hill Mall is located in the center of the mall with a bar like sitting arrangement and seats arranged on the outside facing into the center of the kitchen. There are also adjacent tables if you do not like that seating arrangement. The chairs are overall comfortable but there’s no place to rest your legs or put up your legs to make yourself more comfortable.

The menus are very appealing for those who may be vegetarian of especially seafood lovers. They have a great variety of menu selections including salads, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and wraps.  Among the appetizers I definitely recommend the Buffalo calamari and the buffalo shrimp.  The calamari here do not have that rubbery and gooey texture you may find at other places. The salad section overall looks appealing by their descriptions.

There are also multiple pizzas that you can order which sound unique by the way they are described. The sandwiches are excellent including the lightly fried shrimp and flounder po’boy sandwiches with special sauce. They also have multiple wraps with a variety of fish and shrimp combos.The sandwiches/wraps come with a good helping of french fries which are very tasty as well as a side of coleslaw and a sauce. You can replace the fries with any of the other side orders they offer including baked potatoes, loaded baked potato, soups, etc.

The waiters/waitresses were very nice and were on top of getting everything that we needed. I think this is a great spot to check out if you are at Cherry Hill Mall and want to get a quick bite to eat. It is a very unique idea and location which gives a nice restaurant feel in an open setting of the mall.  Not everyone will like this seating arrangement and style but they’ll definitely enjoy the unique mall food.

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Sushi Samba (Manhattan)

Rating: 

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price, & Staff

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Positive: Delicious and unique “samba” sushi rolls as well as exotic virgin cocktails.

Negative: Crowded on weekends and even on some weeknights. More expensive than the average sushi place.

Overall: A must eat restaurant for Sushi lovers

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Looking for exotiC sushi rolls IN a fun atmosphere?

Go to Sushi Samba in Manhattan! This is a high-end, more expensive than normal sushi restaurant which blends Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian tastes into its exotic rolls.

This is definitely my top sushi place, mainly because of the unique “Samba” rolls it offers.  I haven’t seen similar items on menus at other sushi restaurants. (they also have regular sushi rolls by the way) My all time favorite is the El Topo roll which has mozzarella cheese, crispy onions, and jalapeno. This roll is too delicious. The mozzarella really adds to it. I go to this restaurant just for this roll because there is none other like it. I also recommend the Samba 7 roll for people that love lobster, and the Rainbow Dragon roll for mango lovers. And of course you can never go wrong with Shrimp Tempura and Spicy Tuna Rolls. From the appetizers, I usually get Edamame.  I used to get the Crispy Calamari but to my disappointment it is no longer on the menu.  I also recommend the taquitos and Tiger shrimp. For those of you that do not like sushi, you can try the tasty Crispy Red Snapper as well.

I also love going to Sushi Samba for the four exotic virgin cocktails they offer. My favorites are the Watermelon Mojo and Berry Smash. They are very refreshing and smooth.  Great drinks to have while waiting for your food and eating your appetizers.

They have multiple locations throughout the city.  I personally like going to the 7th Avenue location because it is bigger and more “happening”.

If you have a big group then lunch may be a better option as it is less crowded then.  But then you’d miss out on their vibrant ambiance best experienced in the evening.  I also recommend making reservations before going as the restaurant is usually packed on weekends and, at times, on weeknights as well.  I’ve never had problems with their service either.  All in all, this is a must eat restaurant for sushi lovers!

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Sushi Samba Website

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Rooq’s Steakhouse (Central NJ) – CLOSED

PLEASE NOTE THIS PLACE HAS CLOSED DOWN FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.

Rating:

Quality, Taste, Cleanliness, Environment, Price, & Staff

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Positive: One of the best Steaks I have ever eaten at a good price. Staff and owner were very nice.

Negative: The ambiance was suboptimal and there was a lack of steakhouse feel.  The Appetizer and other, non-steak items are mediocre.

Overall: Recommended for the Steaks.

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update:  went back to the restaurant and realized that the Filet Mignon is probably the best steak they have.  Especially if you get it medium rare. I heard that this place was a prior italian restaurant and still has the original chef  working there who makes excellent italian food…I guess ill try it next time.

update: steakhouse is CLOSED for unknown reasons.  Kind of disappointing but hopefully Farooq will come back with something even better!

Halal steak in NJ? Could it really be true?

I was amazed when I heard that a halal steakhouse opened in New Jersey because the closest thing you can find to steak in the Tri-state area is Philly Cheese-steak. I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to this restaurant, especially after I checked the menu online to see that it offered a good variety of steaks.

I decided to go there on a Sunday night with my husband and had envisioned a real steakhouse.  When I entered the restaurant, I was a bit disappointed because I felt as if I was in a more formal sit-down Italian restaurant/pizzeria (because it was an italian restaurant in the past). This place did not have the ambiance of a steakhouse and there was a counter top area from the front of the restaurant half way down the restaurant to one of the side walls.  This made absolutely no sense to me. The restaurant should really get rid of that to accommodate more seating space and improve its steakhouse feel.  Because, c’mon, looks are as important as taste.  I actually felt as if I was at a halal meat store because of this counter. Based on the appearance, I was not expecting the food to be any good.  (much to my surprise it was…read on…)

(Picture of Delmonico Steak which I did not have)

We ordered the fried calamari for appetizers and it was average. They served it with marinara sauce which I didn’t enjoy much. It would be nicer if they serve it with another type of sauce and had some seasoning on the calamari. I ordered the Filet mignon steak (medium rare) with caesar salad and onion rings for my entrée. The mouth-watering steak was absolutely delicious. It is one of the best steaks I have ever had. It was very juicy, succulent, and truly melted in my mouth.  I highly recommend it to everyone. The onion rings were very disappointing because they had no taste or flavor. I told the owner, Farooq, about them and he said they had gotten complaints from a few other customers as well and would be changing the way they make them. My significant other ordered the Delmonico hamburger which was overall similar to the average hamburger you would find at a typical halal Italian restaurant in NJ.

All in all, I would still suggest this restaurant to everyone, especially steak lovers.  But when you go there just overlook the atmosphere and enjoy your steak with good company and excellent staff.  I wouldn’t mess with non-steak items on the menu the first time around though.  When this restaurant booms, they should really change the look of it to attract non-Muslim customers as well and make it into a real steakhouse without having the feel of a typical halal restaurant. Oh and they should really invest in some sizzling plates to serve their steaks in – they would really add a lot to the presentation.

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Rooq’s Steakhouse Website

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