Roy’s Restaurant
Karen & I were invited out to dinner on Friday (12.21.07) by our friends Aimee & Jace for Aimee’s birthday.
Jace had received some gift certificates to a restaurant chain Roy’s Restaurant and there was one nearby in Philadelphia. He invited us to join them, their treat, sounds like a good plan to me. I had never heard of Roy’s before so I did what any modern idiot does and googled it. It turns out Roy’s specializes in Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. I really had no idea what that meant, but it made me think of pineapples, fresh seafood, and the Polynesian from Disney World. After reading all I could on the website, I determined what my initial impressions weren’t off, but it also only appeared to be the tip of the iceberg. It appeared as if we were going to be in for a feast.
Here is what we ordered that I can remember:
- First Course: Sushi & Cocktails
- Lakanilau Roll – Kobe beef, snow crab, avocado, and asparagus
- Another Roll with lobster, caviar, and asparagus
- And a Hawaii Martini each with pineapple, vanilla vodka, and coconut rum
- Second Course: Hot Appetizers
- Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers
- Kobe beef, jalapeno, and cheese dumplings
- Vegetable spring rolls
- Third Course: Entries and Wine
- A bottle of Stump Jump Red (blend: Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre)
- I had amazing U10 scallops, with fantastic mashed root vegetables, a roasted yellow pepper puree, a small piece of fresh bacon , and a tamarind sauce that I never needed to use.
- Karen had some sort of fish that actually looked over cooked but tasted OK (the only real negative of the night)
- Jace had lamb lollipops served rare with an amazing savory bread pudding (this is what I almost ordered)
- Aimee had a scallop and shrimp combo with rice and micro-greens
- Fourth Course: Dessert & Coffee
- Hot Chocolate Souffle, a flourless chocolate cake with a hot molten chocolate center
- Pineapple Upside-down Cake
- Jace, Aimee, and I got coffees, Karen had a cappuccino and a hazelnut dessert martini
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a nice place to eat in Philadelphia. I was never able to see the final bill, but I know it wasn’t cheap, maybe $300+ for the four of us. But we were also eating and drinking whatever we wanted knowing that it was mostly covered by gift certificates. Thanks again Aimee & Jace.