If you’ve not yet mastered the technique of eating with chopsticks, Momotaro Japanese Restaurant in Lombard is a good place to begin practicing. Each diner is given a new paper-wrapped pair. The uninitiated may ask for beginner’s chopsticks, which are hinged with rolled paper flanked by rubber bands. And for the truly non-dextrous, flatware is available.
When Taiwan-born Frank and Jean Lin opened their restaurant five years ago, the menu featured Chinese fast-food and carryout, but diners didn’t exactly beat a path to their door.
“There were too many other places nearby that were serving Chinese food,” said Frank, who worked as an engineer for more than 25 years and who is now the host and oversees the day-to-day operation of the restaurant. “The competition was keen.”
Undaunted, the Lins adopted a Japanese theme three years ago and revamped the restaurant’s interior, adding two tea rooms concealed by shoji screens for private parties, and a sushi bar. They also lured Kitano Shigeru and Kazuhiko Yamauchi, two Japanese cooks schooled in the art of sushi preparation, from Hatsuhana in Chicago.
These proved to be wise moves.
“Every year since we made the changes we have doubled our business,” said Frank, who credits his wife as the driving force behind their venture. “She’d had experience working in restaurants, and having her own place was something she’d always wanted to do.”
Through photos and descriptions, colorful laminated place mats unravel the mystery of sushi. If raw fish isn’t your dish, there are 18 cooked or fishless varieties from which to choose. According to Jean Lin, one of the most popular is the California roll, a combination of crab, avocado, cucumber and fish eggs rolled in rice, for $3.95.
Those who sit at the 13-seat bar can watch the chefs create the picture-pretty delicacies.
Regular menus present an eye-popping array of choices, including 21 appetizers ranging in price from $2.95 to $8.95. Shrimp tempura, chicken or beef teriyaki, grilled salmon and breaded pork are among the entrees. Prices for complete luncheons, including soup, salad and rice, begin at $5.95; dinner prices range from $10.95 for chicken teriyaki to $16.95 for Alaska king crab legs.
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Momotaro, at 801 Butterfield Rd. in Lombard, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Call 708-574-3324.
