Bento Hut

This Pan-Asian joint baffles me... It's called Bento Hut but it doesn't have bento boxes. The closest thing they have is called "bento classics" served on compartmentalized trays and the four options consist of all fried items. I saw some pictures of them and bento boxes they are not. No sushi options either which was weird but you could add sushi on the side for additional cost. I think I'll skip that nonsense and just sample a few other things... The place has a weird vibe, like it's stuck in the Twilight Zone. C'mon, it's Pan-Asian, what should I really expect here... Once again the pouch ventures where no one in their right pouch would. The things I do for my one fan, possibly two if they didn't move out of the state already from the bad food found all over. Let's see if the pouch will be surprised by the grub or despised by the owner... Only if I can get through the pile of chairs and garbage blocking the stairs to the door.

Coconut Lemongrass Wings. When I saw this flavor on the menu I was like c'mon, stop pulling on my flappy pannus... That tickles. But I am either a glutton for punishment or just a total retard to even attempt this flavor. Fuck it, I'm going full retard... Dammit, these wings SUCKS ASS. The coconut lemongrass is just a fucking blurry grease stain. The slightest hint of coconut could be found if you really focus and trick your mind into believing it and the lemongrass was non-existent like the customers. The wings were crispy in a Chino hole in the wall take out joint way but nothing to revisit ever again in my measly life. What's with the orange slice and shredded carrots. Doesn't the orange come at the end of the meal with a fortune cookie?

Yakisoba. I was on the fence with this and the chap chae. I had a bad feeling about it but I wanted to see how their noodle dishes were. The beef miso ramen sounded tempting as well but y'all know that woulda been picked apart by the pouch... So, yakisoba it was to keep with the Japanese theme. Too bad nothing here was Japanese. This yakisoba was so wet and sweet with that cloying brown sauce. The dark meat chicken chunks were tough and chewy like they were sitting under a heat lamp waiting for an order. The noodles were thin but overcooked and too soft. And where's the friggin sizzler plate? The whole deal with yakisoba is that it's fried noodles sizzling away. You need that sizzler plate to caramelize the noods and crisp up the bottom for that texture. Too bad the brown sauce doused this entire specimen. But they did include a beautiful slice of orange and more shredded carrot... Cuz they fancy.

The carrot ginger salad wasn't bad until you got to the bottom, it was like they were fracking for liquid natural gas with all the water in there. The miso soup was instant and watery as fuck like they're trying to stretch out it's shelf life like at a soup kitchen.

Bronze Level Sushi, nigiri. Didn't look too bad until... You take that first bite and the fish is warm and the rice is not. Fuck me, I better not get hives eating this slop... Stopping by CVS for Benadryl right after just in case. As you can see the variety isn't extensive or exciting... It's your usual suspects. None of the nigiri tasted off, so that's a plus for my health. The fish may look different but if you closed your eyes, no one would be able to tell me which is which when you eat it. The sushi rice needed more vinegar. The tuna roll looked like it was formed in a toilet paper cardboard roll because it fell apart way too easily. The wasabi had the same effect as smashed green peas, flavorless and the ginger is gaijin style, useless.

Spider Roll. If I see this on the menu, it's gonna be on the table. Gotta admit after a pretty dismal display of vittles so far have left me very exhausted. But this spider roll wasn't half bad. It's a bit small on the portion size but the crunch factor and taste was there. Not saying this was the best spider roll I have had but when compared to middling food on this one sitting, a decently executed dish seems almost out of this world. I said, "almost".

The menu is just way too long and encompasses way too many faux Asian cuisines. It looks like a place that should cater towards college students. Seems like they get most of their business from take out orders but I also noticed they have an Indian buffet on Sundays or some crazy shit like that. It doesn't surprise me because this joint looks what appears to be owned by Indians... This has got to be the first time I have ever seen an Indian family doing Japanese et al food. There was one Asian girl working here and the rest were from exotic destinations like East Point and Lithonia. The staff was friendly and attentive but not exactly who you want to see in a "sushi" joint. If I go to a pizzeria, I don't want to see a family of eskimos making the pizza, it just ain't right. I guess this Pan-Asian spot is filling a niche in this shitty area but the really pedestrian food is far from authentic. And any Asian who thinks the food was authentic should have their FOB card revoked and deported to Siberia.

There's not enough pouch space to warrant another visit, no matter how fresh their naan and "mango lassy" is.

349 Decatur st SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 614-6199
http://thebentohut.com/