Nikkis Gourmet Sushi

Miles

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

My experience at Nikki’s was unfilled and in disbelief. I had the opportunity to live in Japan for eleven years and in that time I grew to respect, admire and prefer Japanese cuisine to any other. I felt compelled to write this review because Nikki’s bastardizes the dining experience that a Sushi / Sashimi restaurant embodies. On the positive side: the location is pristine; it capitalizes on the allure of downtown Wilmington. The aesthetics of this coastal town is charming and inviting; the bay surrounding really entices the appetite for seafood. Although, the costal charm quickly begins to dissipate as you enter Nikki’s. The restaurant is untraditionally laid out like a “truck-stop-dinner” with both seating and cafeteria style setting arrangements. The restaurant appeared to be a stripped out pub that should have been serving “happy hour” versus Japanese cuisine. The lighting scheme takes away from the atmosphere. The tables needed private dim-lighting versus the ambient light that was supplied from the outside street lights and the florescent bulbs behind the sushi bar. The menu clearly depicts that Nikki is confused and undecided who the target audience is; the name on the door says Nikki’s Gourmet Sushi Bar, but the menu says: tacos, cheeseburgers, Philly cheese steak and sushi (literally)? In hindsight, I wish I would have walked out the restaurant right then, but I guess I wanted to see how big this train wreck was going to be. The waitress was unfamiliar with the menu and her appearance (including hoop nose piercing) did not complement the restaurant. She placed the wrong order, which meant our dinner had to be taken away and corrected. There were two customers present when we ordered; not a very good sign. The katsu don I ordered was a distasteful representation of a tempura dish. The sushi Nikki served had an ugly “dry” texture look about it. The fish looked like it had one too many trips back and forth from the freezer. The first time I have ever chosen not to eat my order. The itamae (sushi chef) had a cluttered work space that was uncharacteristic of a quality sushi restaurant. He mangled and garbled orders on the same cutting board, never cleaning it from the previous order prep. In closing, the worst dining experience I have ever had. I would recommend that you spend a few extra minutes researching other options before you walk into this food trap.
Sinserely, Disgusted