Roy's - Baltimore
720-B Aliceanna Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: (410) 659-0099
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thur 5:00-10:00pm
Friday-Saturday 5:00-10:30pm
Sunday 5:00-9:00pm.
Founded by chef extraordinaire Roy Yamaguchi in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988. He was the first chef ever to marry the European Cooking techniques, local ingredients and bold Asian spices, with a focus on fresh seafood. Roy calls this style of cooking Hawaiian Fusion cuisine since his dishes are created with a Hawaiian state of mind.
It's been about six month that a good friend has highly recommended me to visit Roy's. Finally, for Baltimore restaurant week I and a friend decided to give Roy's a try.
As we did not have reservations, we sat by the "chef counter". These I must say are the best seats in the house. I was in fact shocked that more people would request to sit here and watch all the action. Few minutes after seating, one of the managers greeted us with a crispy Hawaiian Egg roll on the house. Soon after, our server appeared, she was an extremely welcoming person who introduced herself and the daily specials. She took our order for a bottle of the Chateau Potelle, a fresh and fruity Sauvignon Blanc that would exquisitely accompany the seafood dishes we were about savour.
Roy's menu changes every day, but there are certain favorites that you'll always find on the menu. This evening, the two of us each ordered an appetizer and an entrée. To finish it off we also ordered the twenty minute Chocolate Soufflé to share for dessert.
Instead of a typical appetizer (although not much at Roy's is really typical) we ordered the Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers which are delightfully accompanied by a spicy Togarashi Miso butter sauce, we also ordered the price fixed menu appetizers called the Roy's Hawaiian Fusion sampler which was a sample of a shrimp stick, a pork rib and the chef special creation (in our case a lobster dumpling) . The Lobster Potstickers are actually a larger portion (6 0r 8) and it is definitively more suitable for sharing that the sampler, which consists of only 3 small portions. For our main dishes we ordered the Lump Crab Dynamite Stuffed Rainbow trout and the Teppenyaki Seared Rim Fire shrimp this to be served with Pad Thai style noodles.
As we finished our appetizers my companion and I noticed the attentiveness of the staff. Everyone was so prompt and polite and we always felt as we had first class services. At one point, Executive Chef Rey Eugenio came toward our sitting area to greet us and asked feedback on the food. Chef Rey who is a very welcoming guy, chatted with us regarding his gorgeous kitchen and his team. Our food which we had been watching being prepared arrived.
Both dishes were carefully presented and it was a feast to our eyes. Both meals were cooked to perfection and magnificent to our senses. My pad Thai style noodles and giant grilled prawns were just a tad spicy and alluring with Hawaiian flavors. My companion trout, which I also tasted was a bit spicier than mine, the trout cook to perfection and delicately moist and delicate in flavors.
Lastly we were presented with our Chocolate Soufflé, which is a flour-less Chocolate cake that flowed with a molten center. This luscious dessert was complimented with a delicious Vanilla Ice Cream. Very sweet, warm, wonderful.
My overall Rating: 10
I would highly recommend Roy's to any food lover. Not just a meal but a sensory experience. From service to food, top notch incomparable quality. We definitively will be back to Roy's!
