Kaiba has become one of my go-to eating places here in Jacksonville. The atmosphere of this establishment is just phenomenal. As soon as you walk in you already know it’s going to be good. The first thing they do when you enter the door is greet you. When they greet you, it sounds very nice and genuine. The bright pole when you first walked in, caught my attention, the colors were like a tie dye type of look. Also, when you step in you are greeted with a bowl of mints along with some hi chews that are buried in the bowl. The mints were delicious and so were the hi chews, it was a very nice a tasty way to enter the restaurant. You can also grab a couple mints and hi chews on the way out. It is a great way to end the dinner experience.
The waiter seats you almost immediately if you have a reservation. Because it is such a good restaurant, many people want to eat there and it can get crowded, so make sure you have a reservation. The downside is, the chef takes a very long time to come out and prepare, but this can also be a good thing because it gives you time to decide on what you want. The many options on the menu can make it difficult to choose what you want to eat. Once the chef comes out, the show begins. The chef that I had was very dry and dull. He had no personality at all. One thing that I was looking forward to was getting food thrown in my mouth. We didn’t even get that! Aside from his personality, his skill was impeccable. From the knifes being thrown in the air, to the onion volcano, everything was top notch.
Enough about the workers, let’s move on to the food. The appetizers were delicious. The waiter brought out appetizers without us asking for it. The waiter was very friendly, funny, and easy to talk to. Because we were a small party, he had us sit with a random family. This made it very awkward. Let’s move on to the menu. It was a huge menu which made it very difficult to choose from. Everything came with a side of soup, and salad. The waiter was very caring when he warned us the soup was hot and asked us if we had any allergies. Moving on, the soup had a fishy taste to it and the salad was pretty good. I highly recommend the steamed meat and vegetable dumplings. They were just phenomenal. After I finished eating my appetizers, the chef came out and fired up the hibachi cooking table. At first, he made the whole cooking table light up in flames and then he laid the meat onto the stove. It was very mesmerizing listening to the sounds of the sizzling meat. Every time he finished cooking a section of food, he would plop it on to my plate. The fried rice was just breathtaking. The steak was juicy and perfectly cooked. The noodles were scrumptious and covered in a delicious soy sauce. We cannot forget the yum yum sauce which is what they are known for. The only thing that did not grab my tastebuds attention was the chicken. It was very overcooked, chewy, and dry. It also had a very plain flavor. I for one, was disappointed. One of the main downsides of the restaurant was the prices. Everything was super expensive. The steak with the sides was almost $30! Yes, it was good, but that price is just outrages. The taste of the food though, made up for everything.
On the TV’s, they had on jeopardy, the news, and lacrosse. What was playing did not fit the vibe of the restaurant at all. The same thing goes with the music, it was very futuristic, and it was not really meant for a Japanese’s restaurant. Something that also adds to your dining experience is the culture around you. When you look around you can see Japanese writings on the wall, this defiantly completes the aesthetic of the restaurant.
Overall, my experience at Kaiba was very fun and enjoyable. From when you first walk in, to the food that is put on your plate, everything was just amazing. The staff treats you with such kindness and the foods taste is truly something special. I highly recommend that you go to Kaiba because you will not regret it.
This was how they put the food on our plate