Bonefish Grill, Lakeland

Hello and greetings from the food ninja reporting for go gin chow restaurant reviews. My take on Bonefish Grill, the decor is warm and up beat with a nice open floor plan. The food was of great quality but a little more on the pricier side but not too much and the service was great. So now back to the food. I can say that the food was pleasurable to the eyes and to the taste buds. I was happy and so was my stomach and our server was pleasant and attentive but during our dining experience we were confronted by the night manager, confronting us on our picture taking. It seems maybe he was a little rattled by us. Not sure why, it didn't seem to bother the other customers and none of the other customers complained to us or to the staff.  We took these pics at our table and of the food we ordered, no where else. So in my opinion I think that the night shift management could use some tweaking. Because of that confrontation it made the atmosphere unbearable but we hung in there like champs and finished our meals even with that mishap I don't think I will visit  that Bonefish Grill, but I will go to others. But don't let that discourage you from going there, just don't  take any pics ha ha. So take it from the food ninja, Bonefish Grill is a nice place to eat at and you will enjoy!

                                                               Bonefish Grill
                                                               225 W. Pipkin Rd.
                                                               Lakeland, FL 33813
                                                               (863) 701-9480

Complimentary Bread

Caesar Salad

Seared Ahi Tuna 

Lobster Roll

Dory

Spice Thai & Sushi, Lakeland

Reporting for go gin chow this is the food ninja. Today I will be giving my review on Spice Thai  in Lakeland. Great service, affordable prices and nice atmosphere. You're greeted and seated with a smile and warm hospitality. The servers are attentive and polite making you feel at home kind of like a home away from home. The food is good and flavorful and you're given a nice amount of choices, so there is going to be something in their menu that will appeal to you for sure and the decor is all hand crafted and put together with heart and soul. It gives off and warm and cozy feel. You can be at ease there. That to me makes the food taste so much better. So if you happen to be in the Lakeland  area on South Florida  Avenue, stop  on in and give it  a try, you will be happy. Take it from the food ninja, please enjoy!

Greetings from Shadow.  Currently the only Thai Restaurant in Lakeland, they hold their own pretty well.  Nice, clean modern decor with some  traditional Thai elements.  Staff is friendly.  Dishes are presented well, beautifully garnished with Thai purple orchids.  Crab Rangoon were good, pretty plump and flavorful with crispy dough.  Sushi fish tasted fresh, though I felt the Volcano roll was too sweet.  I like that they have the option on their Sushi menu to create your own roll, I might try that next time.  Pad Thai was also way too sweet and noodles were soggy and over sauced.  Authentic Pad Thai should be dry.  the Lad Nah was just ok.  I would have been happy with just the American broccoli substitution, but it had all sorts of sacrilegious vegetables in it like baby corn and crinkle cut carrots, not good.  Traditional Lad Na is served with just Chinese broccoli.  One thing that they got right was the side of crushed dried chilies we requested  to add extra seasoning to the dishes.  They were very, very hot so use with caution.  Not that this place, does not do authentic Thai style, you may have to request it or go with a Thai friend and have them request it.  In the past I got a very good Som Tum (papaya salad) and they did do a better Pad Thai.  Overall good dining experience, however some dishes may be inconsistent.  

                                            Spice Thai & Sushi
                                            3615 S Florida Ave
                                            Lakeland, FL 33803
                                            (863) 709-8321

Crab Rangoon

Volcano Roll & Tuna Rolls

Lad Nah Pork

Pad Thai Shrimp

Outback Steakhouse, Noth Lakeland

Food Ninja here to comment for go gin chow restaurant reviews on Outback Steakhouse. Great food and good service. Nice atmosphere keeping with the Australian theme, a nice touch it brings the outdoors indoors. Prices are reasonable, everything nice and sanitary. Cannot complain. So if you ever see an outback I would give it try and you wont be disappointed so take it from me the food ninja please enjoy!

This is Shadow.  For a chain restaurant I was pleasantly surprised.  Clean and Cozy atmosphere.  Walls are adorned with all sorts of Australian outback themed items such as tribal paintings, boomerangs and other hunting trowing sticks.  Even a whole alligator was hanging on the wall by the restrooms.  Pretty cool.  Food was decent.  Complimentary bread was a dark pumpernickel like loaf with butter, nice change from the usual white bread found in most restaurants.  The 9 oz sirloin was surprisingly large.  It was cooked perfectly medium as requested and was flavorful, tender and juicy.  Crab cakes, while not the freshest tasting crab, were made from mostly crab and not too much breading and the accompanying sauce was pretty tasty.  The chocolate brownie desert did not disappoint.  I would also recommend their prime rib, which I did not order this time, but has been consistently good.  Only complaint was the slow service, though our server was friendly and attentive.  Happy eating!

                                                            Outback Steakhouse
                                                            4208 US 98 North
                                                            Lakeland, FL 33810
                                                            (863) 858-9468

Bread and Butter

9 oz Outback Special Signature Sirloin with Crab Cakes

Chocolate Thunder from Down Under

Saigon Bistro, Lakeland

Restaurant reviews by the food ninja for goginchow reporting on the Saigon  Bistro in Lakeland in Lakeside Village Mall. Great hospitality, good food,  nice decor, and good prices. Friendly servers seat you as soon as you enter the door. They are attentive and polite and the owner treats you like family when she does her rounds to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied, as she has a nice little conversation with you. Now the beef soup or pho is great. A lot of heart went into making it and a lot of good ingredients as well.  The bahn mi sandwiches could use a little work  but not bad. The herbs and vegetables that come with the soup come out fresh and crisp they have a great menu there that I am sure will have something that appeals to everyone. so you will be happy the prices are reasonable, I didn't complain. The inside decor is warm and welcoming. It also has an open floor plan so you don't feel packed in and the bathroom is clean. So if you are just shopping around that area or coming out from just watching a movie, this is a great place to hang out with friends or family to get some great chow within your budget. I would highly suggest going there. This is the food ninja, you wont be disappointed. Well as  I always say please enjoy.

Greeting folks.  This is Shadow.  Thank goodness for this place!  I am a happy man.  Recently opened in the middle of the mall right next to the movie theater, excellent location.  The decor is very hip and modern like a college cafe.  Everything is very clean and brand spanking new.   They have bright flat screen  TV's on the walls and stylized lights hanging from the ceiling.  Not your typical looking Vietnamese place, you would not expect to get authentic food here, but yet the food is pretty authentic.  The best thing on the menu by far is their Beef Pho.  The broth is flavorful and tastes freshly made, the clove and cinnamon are definitely there, just slightly too sweet, but I cannot complain, you will not find a better bowl of Pho anywhere else in Polk County.  Almost all the cuts of meat can be found here - Beef Eye of Round, Brisket, Meatballs, tendon, and tripe.  Portion size is generous.  The Pho is served with a side of basil and bean sprouts.  I did feel like the bean sprouts could be fresher especially since they are served raw.  I really did not enjoy anything else on the menu as much as the Beef Pho.  Pho Seafood was ok, but really nowhere near as satisfying as the beef.  Their Chief's Famous Soup was not bad, but the menu promised enoki mushrooms (my reason for ordering it) and they were nowhere to be found in my bowl.  Fried Spring rolls were pretty good, I liked how they served them with fresh mint.  Bahn Mi was disappointing, but was not far off.  Their rice plates with grilled meats look very appetizing as the plates are garnished well.  I really did appreciate that the owner always makes an effort to stop your table and say hi, thank you for coming, and even offer to show you how to eat the food if it is unfamiliar to you. Definitely make an effort to check this place out if you are in the area.  Happy Eating!

                                         Saigon Bistro, Lakeland
                                        1554 Town Ctr Dr W
                                        Lakeland, FL 33803
                                        (863) 686-6560

Crispy Spring Rolls

Grilled Beef Rice Plate

Chef's Famous Soup

Pho Dac Biet

Pho Seafood

Lucky's Sports, Oyster & Tiki Bar

Food ninja giving my opinion for go gin chow restaurant reviews on a great place called Lucky's Sports, Oyster and Tiki Bar. Great place to get cold beverages, good service and good food in a party like atmosphere that was also inviting and welcoming. I went there with my brother and two very close friends of mine and my brother's.  It was actually our friends' suggestion and a great one at that. Very reasonable prices, very experienced service with a smile and quality oysters. The oysters were shucked with great care and speed. I was delightfully impressed. I could not keep up with eating before the next tasty morsel was delivered to me, keeping my taste buds happy and not depressed having to wait for the next one. I had a great night. I enjoyed their billiards and great atmosphere its a hidden gem off  98 north joined together with a bowling alley, so you not only get great oysters great service and good  atmosphere but you can also have a place to keep yourself entertained. Stop on in if your in the area or just passing through. Take from the food ninja you will enjoy.

Greetings everyone.  Shadow here for Go Gin Chow.  Who would have thought that such a great place would be in little old Lakeland?  Atmosphere is fantastic.  Everything looks new and up to date.  Lots of bright beautiful flat screen TV's all over so you can catch that game, sit down and relax with friends, or play a game of pool.  All hail the "Mother Shucker" as the tip jar calls him.  Very pleasant gentleman who is quite skilled at his craft.  He will shuck you a dozen oysters (here they serve them by the bakers dozen) in no time and flawlessly at that, no sand or shell to be had here and the oyster slide right out into your mouth.  You can get the oysters raw or steamed by the dozen or try some of there own house special creations.  There's the Spicy Jalapeno Cheese & Bacon - interesting recipe, but quite tasty kind of like a loaded baked potato.  Then there's the Stevie's special baked with garlic salt, Parmesan, lemon juice and butter - these were tasty, though a little on the salty side.  Finally you can get them battered and fried, crispy on the outside, yet juicy melt-in-your-mouth on the inside - these were very good.  If you come Monday through Wednesday from 6 pm to 8 pm you can get the regular oysters at a discount - one of the best best oyster deals around!  Our friends also recommended their chicken wings, but we did not get to try them this visit.  So if you are in the neighborhood definitely make your way on over here.  You will not regret it.  Happy Eating!

                                             Lucky's Sports, Oyster & Tiki Bar
                                             4318 US Highway 98 N
                                             Lakeland, FL 33809 
                                            (863) 859-6830

 

Oyster by the Bakers Dozen

The "Mother Shucker"

Top Four - Stevie Special, Bottom Four - Jalapeno, Cheese & Bacon

Fried Oysters

Shingetsu Sushi Bar and Grill

Welcome to go-gin-chow restaurant reviews. Today I will give a review on a local place in Lakeland that is named  Shingetsu Sushi Bar and Grill. Great place. The day that my brother and I went there, there were only two people working an older lady and an older oriental  lady who was taking great care in making the sushi and I can say honestly she did a great job too.  Every piece was cut right and plated with love. When the dishes were being brought to our table my eyes lighted in delight. I was very happy with every bite. The prices reasonable. It was a very nice environment, warm and welcoming. The service was up to standards. The inside  decor was nice and had a nice authentic feel.  The bathrooms were clean.  Not a bad location,  right off a busy road.  They had these great chicken wings that went splendidly with their own house sauce. Great food the only down fall was the salad that was just ok. If you're ever in Lakeland, it is a good place to try. Take it from me, the food ninja you will enjoy

 

Salad

Miso Soup

Chicken Wings

 Sushi Dinner for Two