Musubiya Balls!? & Burgers

(YC2017, 78/100)
What a perfect place to come get a snack. Musubiya is located in a pretty quiet area but our yelp search for spam musubi brought us here. The staff was super friendly and was able to provide a few recommendations to us (there's also a board that lists the customer favorites). Note that they don't sell burgers anymore, soo...not sure about that name. But the musubi balls can hold its own! It brought me back to Japan where I frequently bought these things from local gas stations for some quick eats.

We got the KBBQ, Spicy Fried Chicken, and Butakaba (grilled pork with sauce over it). To open the package is kind of tricky, but there are instructions on the packaging - you first tear open the strip, then you pull the two tabs on the side; I think this maintains the freshness of the seaweed. We like the KBBQ and the Spicy Fried Chicken the most. Also get their sauces; they have a homemade spicy green sauce that's pretty good (but pretty hot).

While I'd have to eat a few of these by myself to call it a meal, it a literally the perfect size for a snack in between meals. 5 stars for fair pricing, tasty portable eats, clean interior, and great customer service.

When I heard about this place while perusing through the Yelp app for something to eat, I was immediately interested because I had never seen a place that specializes specifically on musubi. Something unique? Check.

It is located in a business center nearby Tommy Pastrami so not-your-typical place to grab something to eat. The place itself is very small with maybe 4-5 tables. You order at the front where they keep all their sauce accompaniments. Love love love their selection of sauces! You get it yourself so you can grab as many and as much as you desire. I recommend the wasabi mayo!

So what did I order?

x Shrimp crunch - very good! Not enough shrimp for me though, but this might be bc I cut the musubi in half to share with my bf and he just so happened to get the half with all the shrimp.
x Salmon skin - amazing! Super crunchy, flavorful, and not oily. One of my faves and also one of their more affordable options (although all their options are affordable really - between $2-4 each).
x Clam - this was one of their newer options. The clams were sauteed in a sauce that was warm and inviting. Super delicious!

You can choose between white or brown rice. I chose brown rice with no extra charge. Yes! They sprinkle the rice with furikake, which added a ton of great flavor to every bite. I really cannot wait to come back. I'm trying their chicken curry and spicy fried chicken (new item) next! With such unique options, I really hope this business does well and stays around for a long time! Now go get some!

I wanted to like this place because of the reviews and the photos on Yelp. It's not too far from work, I found out, so I would have, could have become a regular here. However, I was pretty underwhelmed. Location is odd because it's in a business plaza, next to a Brazilian restaurant. Parking is plentiful, but there are signs saying "no concert parking". The establishment reminds me of a small cafe. Menu is on the wall, fountain drinks are by the door, and there are a few tables inside with a couple tables outside. The outdoor tables belonging to the Brazilian restaurant look nicer though. Service is ok. They have young high school or college students taking orders outside the kitchen.

I thought the two musubi combos was worth it, which is two musubis plus a miso soup for under $10. I got the miso beef, which had meat that reminded me of the unpleasing Yoshinoya beef. I'm not sure I would feed myself that again. I got the miso eggplant just to try it. Don't get it. The miso soup was alright. I also tried the spicy chicken, which I would recommend. The unagi one was good but it's most expensive at like $4 something.

I wouldn't come back for the musubis because they're so fat from rice. I like that if you dine in, they use the roasted salted seaweed. If you get it Togo, they use the triangular seaweed wraps that you find in convenient stores in Taiwan or Japan.

My eating partner got the musubiya ramen burger, which I got to try. While the patty was alright, the ramen buns were really bad. I couldn't eat the edges because they were burnt and hard. When Toro burger was still open, their patty was huge and juicy. I miss their ramen burger :( The burger came with a small salad and choice of side.

They have stamp cards and if you turn in your completed one, you get a chance to win a free trip to Japan. It sounds too good to be true.

I never went to a place and ordered musubi before, and it's my first time here. They have pretty yummy musubi ball or rice ball (it's a rice ball that has something in the middle) I had two of them and was quite satisfied.

-the down side is that when we got there a lot of menu items were gone because they are changing company I believe. They didn't even have a soda machine. So the menu was very limited. Even the combo items were gone.

This place is so good!!

I first found out this place through Yelp, then recently saw a promotion on Facebook saying that if you show a photo, you get a free musubi with no purchase necessary. After seeing that, I just had to come and get free food.

Musubiya is located in a pretty empty plaza and finding the place was very easy. When I came in, there was no line, so I ordered and got my free musubi. I got the spicy miso beef and the butakaba (pork with sweet sauce) for my musubis. They came out within minutes of me ordering and were so much bigger than other places I've gone to and slightly cheaper ($3.25 for one). Both flavors were equally good, very flavorful, and left me wanting more. The spicy miso beef wasn't extremely spicy, but enough that you could taste it. The butakaba was sweet and salty - the sauce on the pork was really good. There were so many other flavors that I wanted to try, so I will definitely be coming back, especially if they are just as good as the musubis I tried.

Note: To get stamp card, you need to order either an entree or at least three items. If you finish the stamp card, there is a raffle to Japan.

Note: Come before 8/15/16 for one free musubi with no purchase necessary as long as you show them a photo on their Facebook page!

_______________________
\ /
/ -:: OVERALL RATING ::- \
\ /
/ 3.5/5 :: Venue/Décor \
\ 4.0/5 :: Service /
/ 3.5/5 :: Ambiance \
\ 4.5/5 :: Food/Variety /
/_______________________\

-:::- VENUE / DECOR -:::-

MB&B is situated in a plaza away from the major traffic driven areas. Down the street & away from Ikea. Plenty of parking spots. It's a fast & casual dining location so don't expect full restaurant service here. But I wish it was a little closer to like Mitsuwa area tho! Simple & minimal décor.

Once you step afoot into the establishment there is a visible menu to the right & then you place your order with the cashier. Find a spot to sit - sufficient amount of seating indoor or outdoor. Note that the indoor seating tables are a bit close to each other. Sometimes the servers will either call you name for your order or bring it out to you -- depending how busy they are or not. There is a self-serve beverage machine & condiments section.


-:::- SERVICE -:::-

Service at the register has been pretty good. Friendly staff. I go off hours so it's not so packed.

-:::- FOOD/VARIETY -:::-

Great variety of items to choose from. One can order a la carte or by the combo. So glad they have brown rice as an option! Make sure to grab or try out their array of sauces there.

For the musubis I've tried so far -- most of them have been really good, tasty, fresh & warm! I like them way better then the ones at Mitsuwa.

Whether it be for To-Go or Dine-In, the food comes out in a timely manner. If to go, they have it nicely wrapped (Japanese style) & noted what kind they are. With about 2-3 musubis my tummy is pretty content.

Musubis w/ Brown Rice:
Butakaba [5.0/5]
Crunchy Shrimp Mayo [4.5/5]
Lotta Bull [4.5/5]
Spicy Miso Beef [5.0/5]
Spicy Salmon Skin [4.5/5]
Spicy Curry Chicken [4.0/5]
- not spicy at all

Burger:
Musubiya Ramen Burger [3.0/5]


I'll definitely be back to try their other items! It's unique as it can get here~

They've been doing a lot of promotions lately so hit this place up :)

Service has been pretty pleasant. It's more of a quick place to grab and go, there's seats but musubi is made to be eaten on the go :p

Some favs
- miso eggplant
Mm this one is yummy. It veers more on the sweet side but it's not bitter at all (like how eggplant can be prepared
- spicy miso beef
- spicy salmon skin
- soboro ground chicken
- miso dressing
I swear they use mayo in this .. I asked a worker and they said they don't. Mixing this with sriracha or even the musubiya spicy green sauce makes for a good concoction.

Eh
- lota bull
Too sweet for me
- hoisin tofu
Felt very ... Processed lol
- spicy fried chicken
It wasn't crispy when I got it :/

Cheap! I can get full off of two for less than $5

Personally I think this place is better than sunny blue over in la. The filling they give seems ample enough and the brown rice they use is fluffy. However I do wish the seaweed they used for eating in was a bit less oily.

Was in the mood for something different for lunch so decided to scratch this place off my bookmarks. Their musubiya ( same as onigiri) are rice formed into a triangle and filled with a choice of filling. It's sprinkled with some seasonings and wrapped in a sheet of dry seaweed making it easy to eat. The flavors are very subtle which I have no issue with but if you want a bigger flavor punch they have some squeeze bottles of sauce. For people with hungry appetites three musubiya is a filling meal.

Upon walking in the door I was the only customer. Behind the counter was 4 employees chit chatting and completely ignoring me. Not even a single glance, hello, do you have any questions, nothing. Just chatting away the day like they were on break. I was about to walk out the door when a cheery lady came out from the back and was quick to explain the menu. I told her to surprise me, give me whatever her three favorite flavors are. I took it to go. They wrap each in a really cool sealed wrapper. Has a pull string like a pack of gum that unwraps the package while keeping the rice together.

She picked charbroiled salmon, spicy miso beef, and butakaba which is a diced pork in sauce. My favorite was the spicy miso beef. It had the most flavor with a really rich sauce. Highly recommend this one. The butakaba's pork is in a sweet sauce, almost like a hoison sauce. Salmon was the least flavorful and really needed some of their provided sauces. Since I took it to go I sprinkled it with some soy sauce which complimented the moist salmon perfectly.

Perfect to-go food. It's very easy to eat. The seaweed was easy to bite thru and I didn't have any issues with the rice falling apart. Was able to consume all three without any mess. I can't wait to go back to try more!

They also have ramen burgers, regular burgers, hamburger steak plate, beef stew, and curry.

Such a cool idea that they offer huge varieties and freshly made to order ball...
however, I was not impressed with the flavor.

I ordered Pork Dancer ($3.75 pork belly) and Salmon Skin ball ($2.9) w/ a bottled unsweetened green tea for under $11.

it took a while for the food to get ready even I went before lunch rush.

Rice was still warm when served. I have no doubt it was made freshly.
Salmon skin ball is pretty standard to my expectation. However,I think their rice is too fluffy instead of a little bit cling together kind texture. It's good if they served me a bowl of rice...but for the ball, not so much. I prefer the Cream Pan's version. Simple and delicious.

Then I started eating Pork Dancer and did not like it at all. The pork belly is on the lean side so the meat was kind dry except the little fatty part attached to it. It really reminds me of my grandma's cooking. it's very homey but I really don't think it's anything special. Too much sauce from the pork make the rice around it so mushy and the whole ball would not hold together.

I was still hungry after finishing two balls.

good lunch spot if you are on portion control.

4 solid stars. Not 5 because of the price.
I was first interested by their sign on the building. Musubiya balls?! & burgers. Looked interested. Then I bookmarked it because I found out they serve onigiris- Japanese rice balls! Made fresh?! I am in.
The menu was extensive and price ranged from $2-$4.50 per piece based on what you ordered. Of course the ONE that caught me eyes immediately was mentai caviar- the most expensive one. $4.25+ tax. I loved it. The rice ball was pipping hot, almost too hot to eat. That means freshness= awesome. The fish roes in the mentai caviar was a little spicy so that had a 'kick' to it. Very nice.
Next time, I might go for a veggi one for $1.95. Nothing can really go wrong if it is made fresh. Beside, there was a 'sauce paradise' on the counter so you can add whatever you heart desires to make your own unique rice ball!
Go have fun!