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Business & Tech

Tokyo Hibachi Brings Kosher Asian to Downtown

From sushi to General Tso, this Morris Avenue restaurant serves mostly healthy Chinese and Japanese fare

Amid all of the “for rent” signs in Springfield's downtown, it is always refreshing to see a new business open. As Comfort Medical vacated its space at the East end of downtown, Tokyo Hibachi opened next door, in a space previously occupied by , a Peruvian restaurant that .

A Japanese restaurant in this space at first seemed a curious proposition, given Tokyo Hibachi's proximity to , just up the block and on the other side of the street. Both offer sushi and a limited selection of Japanese dishes. Hinari, which changed owners within the last year, also offers a menu of Korean food. But Tokyo Hibachi offers something Hinari does not -- Glatt Kosher certification.

The darkened windows of the restaurant's facade are not inviting, but any sign of new life downtown is inviting to me. For the curious passersby, Tokyo Hibachi has a stack of menus outside.

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The service inside is friendly, with the co-owner behind the counter to seat customers, take orders and serve food to customers seated at the restaurant's eight tables. Dark red curtains accent the darkened windows, and a flat screen television above the counter offers some entertainment to those dining aloud, thankfully at a low volume.

Lunch specials run the gamut from sweet and sour chicken to beef broccoli bowl, and most begin with miso soup or a spring roll.

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The miso soup is served immediately. And don't be surprised if your meal comes while you're still enjoying your hot soup, which includes a generous amount of tofu along with scallions and seaweed in the broth.

The hibachi steak entree ($8.99) with brown rice was not only healthy but also satisfying. The steak was hot and tender, and not at all drowned by overcooked veggies as some Asian places can do. Instead, the steak was in one corner of the plate, the nutty brown rice in another corner and an assortment of colorful, crisp thin sliced carrots, onions, zucchini and celery in the third corner of the plate.

While the temperature and freshness of each part of the dish was optimal, I was looking for spice—and I found it next to me in a bottle of hot sauce, made by Natural Earth Products in Thailand. A few squirts of the sriracha sauce on the corner of my plate complemented the dish well, and even made me sweat a little on a chilly day.

Tokyo Hibachi also serves sushi and a few Chinese favorites—the General Tso's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and the egg rolls might be the only fried dishes here. Most dishes would appeal not only diners who keep Kosher, but also anyone looking for a healthy meal.

Finally, an interesting fact that we learned from a piece about Tokyo Hibachi in the New Jersey Jewish News: The owners, natives of China and Indonesia, are Muslim and enjoy Kosher food because it is similar to the halal food they would otherwise eat.

We welcome them to downtown Springfield and hope to see their new business thrive here.

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