Xiang Japanese Restaurant

The restaurant business is a tough one. Restaurants open and close faster here than anywhere. Some are popular for a few months and then are suddenly so deserted that you feel bad for the people who wait by the doors hoping customers come in. Some places open and close in the span of just a few weeks. It makes our job tough.

Sushi Boy was popular for a long time, so popular that they opened three of them. However, two of them were only a few blocks from each other in the SIP. It’s not terribly surprising that the one on Xinghai street was forced to close. Conventional wisdom might say that it was a bad idea to open up a new Japanese restaurant in the same place. We don’t know exactly who is behind Xiang, but they obviously know something that we don’t. This restaurant has been open for only a few weeks, and it’s always mobbed, especially on the weekends. We don’t think that is going to change soon.

There are normally three types of Japanese restaurants. You have your quick ones that serve cheap noodles and set menus. You’ve got the all-you-can-eat, stuff-your-face kind. And lastly, you have ones that are more upscale and serve rare, more traditional dishes. Xiang is a mix of all three. A sleek, orange interior wows you when you enter, and you have a choice of sitting either on the floor on tatami mats or at a regular table. Xiang has a ton of inexpensive set meals, and they are all listed in clear, concise English. Now, if you’re after unlimited sushi, sashimi and tempura, you have it for 200 kuai. Yeah, it’s a good deal more than you would have to pay at those other all-you-can-eat joints, but we’re pretty sure that even the tightest of tightwads, after taking a gander at the menu, will decide that it’s worth it. We were pretty hungry, but we didn’t want to spend all of that money because we just didn’t have the time to sit and drink buckets of saki that are included in the deal. So, we settled on a few assorted plates of sushi and sashimi that filled us up for less. All of the dishes arrived quickly. No complaints there. More surprisingly, despite being open a short time, the staff is already very well trained. Here’s hoping that Xiang sticks around longer than its predecessor. English menu available.