About
My wife and I had lunch here yesterday (August 9, 2011). The restaurant opened on July 29th at the old Pepper Jacks / Kelseys location. We enjoyed our meal. The cost, excluding trip, was $32.95 for the two of us. Japanese restaurants seem to be a little on the pricey side so this amount was not unexpected. On this particular day they were having problems with their credit/debit card system, and it was a cash-only operation. Patrons were directed to a cash machine at a nearby bank in the same plaza. The lunch clientele seemed mostly drawn from the casually dressed vacation crowd on this day. The restaurant advertises itself as all you can eat, but it is not buffet style. When we sat down we had to fill out an order form using the menu as a guide and the dishes were then brought to our table. That arrangement might be a problem to diners unfamiliar with Japanese food. How do you know what to try without seeing what was on offer? We filled out our order form, trying to judge how much food to ask for. We eventually placed a second order just for dessert and there was no delay in having the additional food delivered. But with this kind of ordering system the waitress will likely make 5 to 10 trips to your table. When they get busy, I wonder if there will be delays? We experienced none however. Everything we ordered was very fresh and tasty and we enjoyed each and every dish. I guess here in the West we expect our waitresses to have a smile on their faces and generally give the impression that they enjoy their work and appreciate us being there. At Hanas, the waitresses seem to be mostly Chinese girls, and they show very little personality with the customers. To be fair, one or two did respond with a smile to other diners friendly remarks, but our waitress was blank-faced throughout. That needs improving. The dcor is really nice and the washrooms are spacious and high class. I hope this restaurant is a success here in Sarnia and we will have another permanent outlet for Japanese food. They just need to get the waitresses to learn how to smile as they deliver really tasty food.
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