Kome

If you are an authentic Japanese food fan and travel to Birmingham, you should stop by KOMÉ! (Off-topic, KOMÉ in Japanese means rice) I have tried their Tonkotsu ramen, Chashu bowl, Gyudon, and Agedashi tofu. They are all decent dishes! The highlights of this restaurant are their deeply marinated chashus and their agedashi tofu. Their chashu was marinated in sweet soy sauce first, then glazed with flame. Their agedashi tofu is wrapped with crispy but chewy panko-rich flour (maybe also yam starch?), and their tofu is silken, not the “old” tofu you usually see on the market. The sauce comes with ginger and green onions, which is quite generous and delicious too! The quality of their rice also matches what an excellent Japanese restaurant should have, separable grain by grain. I don't like sushi or sashimi so Im not gonna comment on that. Nevertheless, in terms of hot food portion of Japanese food, this Japanese restaurant is unbeatable in the greater Birmingham area!

This place is great. I ate here on a Thursday during work, then had to come back on Saturday so my wife could try. The Pokè bowl with tuna is amazing. The burrito my wife got was delicious as well. I would say the pricing is just a hair above average (normally I pay about $9-$10 for lunch, and the Poke bowl was $12) but I do have to say the QUALITY of the meal was outstanding which made up for the price. Not the “wait to be seated” type of place, but this isn’t the environment intended at this delicious hole in the wall. Make your way in and order at the counter and watch them craft your meal while you slide down toward the register where you finally pay and pick up any drinks you might want. If your on the fence, you need to try. It’s really great. Will be returning many more times for sure.

The service was great. Food wasn't as fresh as is like. The crab spring rolls are essentially crab wontons in a roll form. The sushi was mostly rice. Not awful but not the best. They do have a cool concept of build your own roll, poke bowl, fried rice bowl. They also offer an express counter for the build your own and a few selections on the sushi menu. Everything was aesthetically pleasing.