By Kevin Pham

Staff Writer

4 stars

Clean, crisp, and captivatingly appetizing.

Azabu Sabo, a relatively new japanese-style restaurant at the corner of Valley Blvd and Manley Dr., modernizes mealtime indulgence with the help of technology. My table was greeted with a laminated menu and a Samsung tablet. The ordering experience not only appealed to contemporary technology users, but also provided an option for a more old school approach.

While browsing their menu, we were surprised by the amount of options despite their fairly recent opening in January. They offered the classic Japanese curry with a few main protein options, various ramen choices, an assortment of bento boxes, and a large selection of matcha desserts and drinks.

After tapping in our orders on the tablet, my friends and I hit a roadblock. Despite being teenagers in the current technological revolutionary period, we did not know what to do. Our seemingly friendly waiters that greeted us with a smile when we walked in were nowhere to be found. Although there were numerous servers compared to the crowd, it seemed as though the waiting staff’s attention was thin.

When our waiter finally came to assist us, he just took the tablet and the menu without a word. Communication was definitely lacking.

Food did not take long to arrive to our table and luckily, my friends and I all got our orders in a relatively close time period. We did not have to wait for each other’s food, which was great because I highly doubt any one of us could do so.

I ordered the deep fried pork cutlet curry, which featured a crispy pork cutlet over a bed a fluffy rice and a generous serving on curry that covered the plate. It also came with with a refreshing side salad and some hearty miso soup which were an excellent palette cleanser in between bites. The crunchy batter of the pork complimented the soft rice nicely and the curry offered an explosion of flavor with every mouthful.

My friends ordered the minced meat ramen in spicy tantan soup and teriyaki chicken bento box. Like the curry rice, the bento box came with soup and a few additional side dishes, while the ramen came with pickled daikon and extra seasoning if more spice was prefered.

The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked and the broth was bursting with flavor. It had the perfect amount of spice that gave the ramen an extra kick.

The bento box on the other hand, was reminiscent of a delicious home-cooked meal. The teriyaki chicken was softly cooked and the sauce was delectable. The rice came with a crumbly mung bean serving that added a wonderful texture to the bento.

All food items ranged from $5-10 with drink only costing about $3 to $4 more. For all the food and complimentary side dishes that an order comes with, the cost of dining is extremely affordable.

Overall, the service was the only downside to the meal experience so I would definitely be making a return.

Azabu Sabo is located on 137 W Valley Blvd San Gabriel, CA 91776 and it is opens seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.