ARIA BBQ & Sushi Restaurant

I worked for eleven hours at the office today so I arrived at Oceanside a little late tonight. I also missed the restaurants that close at 9:00 p.m. After a hard day's work I just wanted to reward myself with a nice sumptuous Asian dish.



I had noticed Aria Sushi & Korean BBQ about a month ago but I had a feeling that it would be expensive. However, it's late, I was hungry, and I had an early day the following day so I decided to give it a try.



I ordered Pan-Fried Rice Beef. The wait was not too long but when the food arrived I just wanted to be fed and leave. I noticed, however, amidst the mist of the smoke from the newly served dish the distinct smell of spoiled rice. As a person who grew up eating rice I know how rice taste and smell in every stage from the time I buy the grains at a store to the time it had to be thrown for having gone past its edible stage.



Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt especially a restaurant that appears to be high end. So, I continued eating. I was tired and hungry. Besides, some portions of the fried rice seemed okay. But as I went on consuming more and more I came to realize that the rice used was foul. No amount of herbs and seasoning could hide the stench that comes from spoiled rice. Not from a rice eater. If the chef really wanted to make use of the rice he could have at least washed the rice to remove the spoiled outer layer before cooking it. However, that procedure is done at home and not at a restaurant.



The chef offered kimchi to counteract the taste of spoiled rice. But that could not erase the realization that I had just consumed spoiled food. So I just stopped eating. I ordered another serving of the same food to take home and for comparison but Jamie, the server, said that the kitchen's already closed. I paid because I failed to refuse eating some more after about three or four spoonfuls. I was hungry and I had doubts. But there came a point when I got convinced that what I was eating was spoiled rice coated in hot butter or oil with a sprinkling of beef. And I am writing this review because I do not want this restaurant to continue serving foul food especially to those who might mistook the taste of spoiled rice for something exotic.