New Sushi and Thai Food at Roe in Old City (plus a 1/2 off offer)

This week, Luncher Janeane from Phillyism is in Old City to try a new sushi spot.

Generally, loud signage and/or dual specialties are usually a huge turn-off for me, but my desire to find good sushi in Old City pushed me into Roe Thai and Japanese for the first time.

Beyond the front door, the space is actually pretty nice with a small sushi bar for four and table seating for about 16 people – give or take (I don’t count very well when I’m hungry).  The décor is simple making the space feel comfortable in a slightly upscale kind of way.

At first glance, the menu appears to be relatively expensive but once I really took a look at everything they offer, I was able to find a few legit lunches within budget (pretax at least…). Although the specialties include both Thai and Japanese, I had to go right for the Japanese side of things.

Miso soup at $2.00 is always a must in my book because it’s cheap, I’m a souper, and it comes out so fast (allowing me to appear less ravenous when eating my entrée).  Roe’s was legit with some Japanese enoki mushrooms sprucing up this broth-heavy soup that can sometimes be boring.

The seaweed salad at $3.00 gave some depth to the meal with the thin seaweed strips kicking the tuna up a notch.  After I finished the sushi the seaweed salad alone seemed a bit salty, although at this point I’d had miso soup, tons of soy sauce and the salad so I may have just been salt-stuffed.

The tuna roll was reasonably priced at $5.00, with its spicy twin coming in a $6.50.  The roll was standard but the fish was definitely fresh, a sushi attribute I’ve learned not to take for granted in this town.

Overall, the food was fresh and better than most mid-level sushi places downtown and the space was relaxing. Next time I head over I’m going to try mixing it up with a Thai app of some sort and a sushi roll, one of the chicken rice dishes or one of the veggie Thai dishes.  Gotta love a place with some variety.

Even better, is the fact that you can get a 1/2 off Groupon right now at Roe; pay $20 and get $40 to spend, which will go a long way.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Tons of menu items to choose from, both Thai and Japanese
  • Good sushi in Old city at last!

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • A decent amount of $10.00 items, but you’ll have to be picky
  • They keep plastic over their sushi at the bar, which confused me
  • The exterior is misleading and people tend to judge a book by it’s cover

Roe Thai and Japanese Contemporary Cuisine, 138 Chestnut St, 215 922-2122

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