Oriental Kitchen
7 San Pedro Road
Colma, CA 94014

It is hard to find a restaurant that you can keep coming back to, especially when you live in the Bay Area. Japanese food is no exception, it is hard to find good Japanese food without leaving with a hole in your wallet.

Oriental Kitchen, located on 7 San Pedro Rd in Colma, is both affordable and enjoyable. Owned by John Yu, this Japanese restaurant sells a variety of Japanese favorites including sushi, katsu and bento boxes.
I have been to this restaurant several times not once leaving disappointed, and this time I decided to invite a few friends to enjoy this dining experience with me.

As soon as we enter, we are greeted by the owner who is very welcoming and friendly. The restaurant is small, with a maximum seating of about 20 individuals. Furnishing was orange tables and wooden chairs with green cushions, which with the décor of plants, had a nice contrast to it.

We ordered a large amount of food amongst the four of us. I myself am a big fan of sushi, but it is hard to find quality sushi for a reasonable price. I ordered the Spider Roll ($6.95), which is soft shell crab, marinated crab, avocado, tobiko. The roll came fairly quickly and tasted delicious with a nice crunch to it. I also ordered a pan-fried yaki combination stir-fry ($7.95), which is pan-fried udon topped with an assortment of greens, shrimp, teriyaki chicken and Spam. Although it takes some work to eat, I always enjoy eating pan-fried noodles because they are so crunchy and tasty; the toppings gave the dish its color and great tasting flavor as well.

A friend of mine ordered the chicken teriyaki entrée ($6.95). He was surprised at just how much food he was given for the amount he spent as the entrée came with a salad and a side of rice. Being as generous as he is, I was able to try some; the teriyaki sauce was sweet but not overwhelming and the chicken was cooked to be a bit chewy but all in all well worth what he paid for.

Available at Oriental Kitchen is the spicy sushi challenge which is no trivial feat. I have seen several friends of mine take the challenge who backed out midway, or completed the challenge with tears running down their faces. This day was the first time I have seen someone come out of it unfazed, as Skyline’s own online editor, William Nacouzi, took the challenge leaving his name on their wall of fame.

The service was excellent, and our food always came with little wait. Tea is complimentary and actually tastes unlike tea other restaurants you may go to offer.

A typical dining at this restaurant will cost at least $10 per person, obviously depending on just how much you love the food.

(This article has been replaced with the copy edited version of the article.)