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How is Izumi Hibachi?

NoShoes2

By NoShoes2,
in Royal Caribbean International

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BND

BND

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We did it on Harmony.  I know a lot of people love it, but for us it was just okay.  Our local small privately owned hibachi restaurant is magnitudes better.  I didn't like the flavors very much and to us it wasn't as good as any land based one.  It reminded me of Benihana's which we do not like at all.

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ARandomTraveler

ARandomTraveler

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I've done the hibachi once on Symphony and twice on Spectrum. From my small sample size, I've concluded that they do a really consistent job cooking the filet. In fact in my experience they do a better job with it than Chops. I think the reason for this is that they have specific time frames that they cook the steak depending on how you like it (blue, rare, medium, medium well etc), and it goes straight from the skillet to your plate, but at chops the steak might sit under a warmer until the waiter picks it up which means it might continue to cook too long.
 

However, it depends on the chef you get how the fried rice and vegetables come out. They use garlic butter to cook them, and some chefs are more generous with butter than others, and in my experience, that can make a big difference on how good they turn out. 
 

The chef we had on Symphony used the most, and that rice was my favorite. On Spectrum, our first chef didn't use much and the rice was mediocre, but the second chef used more and it was good (but not as good as what we had on Symphony).

 

I've also found the sesame ball dessert at the hibachi is always better than the same dessert at Izumi. At the hibachi they come out hot and fresh but at Izumi they always seem like they were made the day before.

 

They all seem to have pretty much the same "comedy routine," and in my opinion, it's a little exhausting to have to humor them and pretend it's funny for the whole hour and a half (especially if you have the dinner more than once during your cruise). That's the only thing I don't enjoy about the meal, but the food is good so I endure that part and do my best to humor them. 

 

Of course this is very subjective. My point is to say that in my experience the meal seems pretty consistently good, but the chef you get can change the way some of the side items are cooked (the meats all seem to come out the same no matter who you get).

 

 

Edited by ARandomTraveler
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nimbex1970 Great Review Rare

nimbex1970

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We were satisfied with the food, we ordered the filet.  It was cooked properly and there was plenty to eat.  On a personal level, our server was not funny, awkward and the tables around us were hooting with laughter and we were not.  It's very possible we were the exception. Wouldn't do again.

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ARandomTraveler

ARandomTraveler

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6 minutes ago, nimbex1970 said:

We were satisfied with the food, we ordered the filet.  It was cooked properly and there was plenty to eat.  On a personal level, our server was not funny, awkward and the tables around us were hooting with laughter and we were not.  It's very possible we were the exception. Wouldn't do again.

That's my least favorite part of the meal. I know that's one of the primary features of having hibachi, but I think it's too much work to pretend the corny jokes are funny in order to keep the table from seeming dead and awkward. Since most of the jokes are the same no matter which chef you get, I think the audience at the table can make a big difference in whether the table is lively or dead. If you have a table where nobody laughs or participates, it gets awkward. But if you have an audience who humors the chef, it works out better. Of course the personality of the chef also comes into play because if they're not really into it, they can come off more awkward than a chef who has a naturally silly personality. But overall, I really think it's more about the audience and their willingness to participate and laugh and clap. When there's more kids at the table and people who've never done hibachi before, that seems to work out better. 
 

 

Edited by ARandomTraveler
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bouhunter

bouhunter

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37 minutes ago, BND said:

We did it on Harmony.  I know a lot of people love it, but for us it was just okay.  Our local small privately owned hibachi restaurant is magnitudes better.  I didn't like the flavors very much and to us it wasn't as good as any land based one.  It reminded me of Benihana's which we do not like at all.

Agree, nothing special, once was enough. 

 

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RFerrington

RFerrington

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I think if you have kids along the hibachi is worth it but for just adults, I don't think it's worth extra money (in addition to what is charged for a dining package).

 

Once you've been to one, you know all of the "jokes" and the schtick is just kinda silly.  Personally I don't find the food to be particularly great, but it's not terrible. It's definitely one and done though, IMO.

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George C

George C

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6 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I think it is worth going if you have the UDP. However, if you are booking speciality restaurants individually, there are several better restaurants on Symphony. 

We do have UDP I believe there is an extra charge for some reason 15 or 20 with UDP .

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JupiterTwo

JupiterTwo

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We did Izumi Hibachi on the Allure in April. We liked it a lot. We have a local favorite family-owned Japanese steakhouse that we frequent, so we are well acquainted with the experience. As with all things shipboard that recreate land venues (e.g., Samba Grille), there are compromises. The hibachi is practically the same experience I'm used to on land.

 

Regarding the schtick, to me it's like when I go on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland... you know what to expect, you know all the jokes by now, but it's still a fun ride for five minutes. It's the same with hibachi, except that I always refuse the rice toss -- they always seem to hit my eyeglasses. 

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Tree_skier "Live from...." Rare

Tree_skier

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I have enjoyed it on every ship I have tried it on... Oasis, Odyssey and Mariner.  The quality of the meat has always been good and the chef entertaining.  My only complaint is the lack of yum yum sauce but that isn't enough of a complaint to keep me away.  I have it booked for our next cruise on Harmony in Dec.

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ajtaylor29

ajtaylor29

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We've done it once on Odyssey and enjoyed it! I think like most hibachi experiences (to me) it's a lot about the entertainment value and sometimes the food is pretty good?!? So we had fun and our chef was entertaining. As i recall most of the food was pretty good, i'd vote for the beef and seafood options instead of chicken (cause i already eat too much chicken anyway?!)

Would definitely go again if the timing and opportunity work!

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