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Y! MyWebRestaurant Review
Sima Korean-Japanese restaurant
Fantastic 'island' has great flavors, food
Thursday, January 10, 2008
KETTERING — The sign went up months in advance, teasing the curious who zipped past on Woodman Drive. A Korean-Japanese restaurant in a former Frisch's?
It's true.
Extras
Korean dinner at Sima-Korean-Japanese Restaurant, 1771 Woodman Drive, Dayton. top: Kimchi Jigae, Gyoza (potstickers) (left), and Rainbow Roll sushi. Sima Korean-Japanese restaurant
- WHERE: 1771 Woodman Drive, Kettering [Map]
- HOURS: 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
- COST: Lunch $7.99 to $12.99, dinner entrees $12.99 to $19.99, sushi rolls $3.99 to $12.99.
- DISHES TO TRY: Sushi appetizer ($4.99); gyoza (pan-fried dumplings, $4.99); kimchi jigae (pork and vegetables in spicy broth, $11.99); tempura combination ($16.99).
- MORE INFO: (937) 258-7040.
- MORE: Reader ratings, complete profile
More information
Sima — the word means "island" in Japanese — finally opened its doors in late January, with an extensive menu of Korean and Japanese specialties and a lengthy sushi and sashimi list — and not a single Big Boy burger platter in sight.
The interior of the building at 1771 Woodman Drive, just north of Patterson Road, has been gutted and refurbished to include several rooms and a handsome sushi bar.
The sushi shines here, with selections that include about 30 different rolls and individual nigiri. The Sima special roll ($14.99) blends small pieces of tuna, salmon, yellowtail and white fish with a spicy mayonnaise-style cocktail sauce, spread across the top of a shrimp tempura-cucumber roll, topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and shredded green onions. It's built to share.
A simple, elegant sushi appetizer ($3.99) featuring pieces of tuna, salmon and yellowtail makes for a satisfying starter course, as does an order of gyoza ($4.99), the house-made pan-fried dumplings.
A seang-tae jigae hot pot stew ($14.99), with pollack and vegetables in broth, has complex flavors, but the chunks of fish that are cut up with the bones and spine may prove to be a bit of a challenge to Westerners. The kimchi jigae ($11.99) blends pork and vegetables in a bowl with a thick and robust spicy broth. It packs more heat than even the straight kimchi that is served as a side dish, and the broth is addictive for those who can take the heat.
From the milder side of the menu, the tempura combination ($16.99), with shrimp and vegetables, hits the right note with the crunchy-yet-light batter. And the chicken teriyaki ($12.99) offers a well-executed version of a comfortable and nonspicy dish, and is one of the choices for the Japanese lunch box ($9.99).
Ice creams that range from mango to green tea cap the meal.
You won't even miss the french fries or the pumpkin pie.
