Sesame Asian Kitchen

I haven’t eaten here in a long time after they served what they called crunchy rice and I call rock-​hard rice. Since the other Asian restaurant around the corner was closed, we tried this place again. Part of the dining area is enclosed and entered by spring-​loaded swinging gates that are a nuisance. Not being very hungry, I ordered the Summer wrap that had shrimp, veggies and noddles. the two rolls came with a slightly hot mango sauce that was okay and a small pile of cilantro. The veggies were crunchy and fresh tasting. My companion ordered the teriyaki chicken that came in a large bowl with noodles and lots of green veggies: mostly broccoli, snap beans and snow peas. The chicken was cut into tiny squares. I tried some and the flavor was good.
The staff was friendly, attentive and efficient.

We had a great outside table on the creek and a server who was attentive, professional and memorable. The food, however. I had the Lobster Rangoon (where was the lobster?) that was a copy of crab puffs at Chinese restaurants which are usually around $ 3-​$ 4. Sadly, it was $ 7. The Phở was sad, weak (a huge portion) and just not good at all. It also had an overwhelmingly sweet taste that was off-​putting. My Manhattan was good and when I spilled it my server brought me another at no charge. However, I failed to notice that I was charged $ 10.50 for back bar liquor. 3 free ones would have made more sense but I wouldn’t have if I drank them! It was an awful culinary experience and I won’t be back, but if I could get that same server somewhere else I’d be sooo happy! He made our evening in a town where an lot of servers act as though they are doing you a favor by serving you at all. I will pay a lot for an excellent mea, but a poor meal… no way! Go there at your own risk!

We’ve eaten here many times and have always had fresh, flavorful, interesting meals. We never visit Ashland without having a meal here. The atmosphere is excellent (inside) and if the weather’s good, sitting outside next to the park is great!

One of our favorite restaurants in Ashland! I had the Korean ribs this time. A little spicy but the flavor was fantastic. Fun to have the watermelon with it.

We stopped here because it was close to where we parked and we got there between lunch and dinner and most places were closed. At first glance it seemed like a normal mixed Asian restaurant that seemed mild enough, but actually looking at the ingredients I almost walked out. My husband and I were starving though, so we went with it. Talk about pretentious ingredients. Confit duck and cilantro and tangerines and other things that just don’t go with the flavors in the traditional dishes. I guess that makes it fusion.
I figured no one could screw up teriyaki chicken, but what I got was teriyaki soup. Literally was a poured bottle of grocery store teriyaki sauce with «soba» (store bought lo mein in reality) with probably frozen snap peas and broccoli with chicken that may or may not have been from a Lean Cuisine dinner topped with probably 2 cups of cilantro and the sesame seeds that they felt needed to go on every dish. I had to scoop out the ingredients out of the several inches of teriyaki sauce in the «hip» bowl it came in.
Between that and the bits of restroom paper towel I found in my water glass I felt outraged enough to review.
Save yourself a $ 40 lunch for two and stop by the frozen section.

A friend and I were walking around Ashland a few weeks ago and got hungry. We decided to try Sesame Asian Kitchen as it was a very nice day and it had out door seating next to the river. I liked the ambiance and decore inside but chose outside.
I was greeted by a very nice young man who seated us. The waitress was equally as friendly and attentive. I started with a margarita that was tasty but kinda small and they dont blend it or serve it with ice… more like a margatini I guess. I ordered ginger beef :-(The beef tasted boiled and had NO flavor, even with soya sauce I just didnt care for it. Also had spring rolls, they were ok… not much shrimp. And lastly kimche which I normally love, but again it had far too much chile powder and I didnt eat it. My friend had pork noodles and said it was very good, I tried some and was not impressed. For what it all cost and being in Ashland I had hoped for more.
Service was 5 star but food not so much.

Pretty slow Friday night so good attention from a sweet server. Fresh and tasty Imperial Salad-​flavors that popped. Husband had the coconut chicken-​a bit sweet for my liking but he likes it. Nice bowls but presentation not so creative. Really appreciated the dog friendly philosophy there… enjoyed eating outside. Wonderful service.

A good friend and I went to Sesame’s for lunch. I had the Asian spinach salad topped with a HUGE crab cake. The salad + dressing was absolutely delicious. The crab cake was too heavily breaded for me so I just scooped out the insides. It was good but not great. Next time I’ll try the same salad with seared ahi tuna. That sounds divine!!!
My friend had the butternut squash yellow curry with chicken skewers. She said it was bland although the vegetables were tasty. Not much coconut flavor in the sauce. She said she would try something else next time.
We’ll definitely go back.

I liked the pad Thai here. Lots of tamarind in the sauce to the point where it was a brown sauce. Had it vegan so there wasn’t much in it except chopped peanuts and scallions and a chunk of braised soft tofu. So I ordered a side of broccoli.
I like the Décor here. It’s fresh and modern, open and airy. We ate here with a group of eight people and I think most everyone enjoyed their food.
Last time I ate here I did not like the food so I was glad to find a dish I could eat if I want to come here again.

I’ve been here several times. Usually passable but expensive, but last time was one of the worst restaurant food experiences I’ve ever had. My trout was just a big whole fish fried until dry and barely recognizable on a plate of old dried up shredded root vegetables and a side of old dried rice. My wife said her pad thai had changed and wasn’t as good anymore either. The server apologized and said the chef was new. He tried to be helpful and offered a free replacement. Okay, I said. He suggested a shrimp curry so that’s what I got. I guess the cook decided if I didn’t like overcooking I might like undercooking. I got a bowl of warm barely cooked shrimp in coconut curry sauce. Of course, basically raw shrimp are disgusting and a health hazard. I sent it back and paid for the rest of my family’s meal. I received a discount card for the future but really can’t see going back here again. Maybe in a few months we’ll try, as there just aren’t a lot of Asian options in Ashland. Service was good though. Waiter can’t be faulted– he was really trying.

We just had lunch her at Sesame Kitchen in Ashland. it’s a beautiful day we sat outside alone the creek. 5 adults and a baby! Menu is ok way over priced. I got the bang bang shrimp it tasted ok but for 16 bucks I was expecting more then my 4 shrimps and a scoop of rice. Server was terrible. She added a 18% gratuity for there being 6 people. Really my baby who didn’t even eat. Overall tacky and super expensive for just lunch. And they change there menu way to much and can’t ever get a dish twice cause it won’t be on the menu next time.

If it’s warm enough, snag a seat by the creek and enjoy the view and sounds of the water rushing passed. Looks like you can enter through the front or through the rear, I’d opt for the front since the kitchen is towards the back and you might get caught in the middle of some servers.
The place is really cute and clean and the welcoming was warm. It was a bit brisk, but we chose to sit outside anyway. They were very clear that if it got too chilly for us that we they would move us inside without an issue.
Water came quickly and we ordered a couple of cocktails (to keep us warm, you see). The lemongrass margarita was fresh and tasty. The Yuzu ginger drop was equally as delicious with a nice bite of ginger at the end.
We suspected the portions to be large so we skipped the appetizers although they all sounded pretty good. I opted for the Stone Rice Bowl with beef and the spouse got the green curry prawns. I lauded myself for my brave food choices, but I would come to regret my quick back patting.
Food came and mine had multiple bowls and ingredients and instructions. The granite bowl was extraordinarily hot (but that’s part of the allure). There’s rice and meat and egg in the granite bowl served atop a porcelain plate and there is also an array of veg served in another bowl. I wasn’t quite sure of procedure, so the server was sweet to explain the process. A bit like phở, you create your dish to your liking. It took a good 5 – 7 minutes for the food to cool down enough to be edible. While I waited my dining partner savored his prawns that were fantastic. I asked for some extra spicy sauces and I’m glad I did because this bowl lacked a little salt. As much as I tried to like this dish it just wasn’t for me. The «crispy» rice tasted burnt to me, but that could have been my own burnt tastebuds trying to gobble down this hot food or my uncultured palate. Either way, it’s not something I would order again. It also could have been the smell that wafted to my nostrils as I ate. I couldn’t figure out what was so pungent that was coming from my meal. It wasn’t until I tried to lift the plate that was underneath the bowl to share with the husband that I realized it was stuck to the outdoor table. Not so much stuck as MELTED into the table (did I not say this was a hot bowl?). The plastic smell was what was invading my nose. Apparently, this happens quite often and the server was apologetic. No biggie, but I wouldn’t have this dish if you’ve got a toddler who likes to touch things or if you’ve had one too many margaritas… ouch!
I’d definitely return and try something else. Drinks were great and service was phenomenal. The menu had a lot of options, so I’ll try something different (and cooler) next time

The food was ok. We had the bacon fried rice and the mandarin chicken. The bacon rice dish was ok and the mandarin chicken was a 2 and not a really good rendition of a sweet and sour chicken since that was what it really was. The mushroom egg rolls were not crispy enough. The one outstanding app was the pork buns! Really great! The ginger drop was not good. The mango Rita was good! The service seems stretched and we didn’t get as much attention as needed nor did the others sitting around us. I think management/​ownership needs to spend more time evaluating and rating the products and services being offered.

Generally, I’m wary of Asian fusion restaurants because they tend to be wack in my experience. Sesame was no different. The layout of the restaurant is really nice and the service was really good. I ordered the bacon fried rice but it wasn’t very good. The food was very greasy at the bottom of the bowl and it wasn’t very tasty.

Every time I come to this restaurant it’s amazing. Consistent on every level. Service is always strong and the price is definitely right. You can’t beat it in my opinion.

This place would be a good Asian place to go if you never had asian food in your life. Won’t visit again.

My daughter and I stopped over at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites. We ordered from Sesame who delivered without a fee. The burger was outstanding. The Cashew Chicken was passable. The salad was refreshing.
The delivery boy was very polite. There were no utensils.

So, this place isn’t terrible. I’d say the atmosphere is pretty posh and the prices are set to match. However, the food is a bit lacking. We’ve been here twice and I think I’m ready to take a break for a while. The most recent dish I had was the eggplant, which was a bit bland. The Thai soup was pretty good. Again, not bad, but definitely not my favorite place in Ashland.

A favorite, and must go to every time I am in the area. They are consistently excellent.
Their edamame is the best I have ever had at any Asian restaurant and the one all other edamame is measured against. We typically do two orders, the spicy and salted. It’s a crowd pleaser!
The dishes are presented beautifully in unique square and interesting shaped sizes. The rice severed on a square of nori. It’s all very appealing to the eye.
The menu is not pretentious and has easy markers such as gluten free, vegetarian, etc. they are easy to substitute and modify.
I recommend the Thai iced tea, and cashew nut chicken.

I have eaten here several times before with mixed results but today was really a big disappointment. It is the 4^th of July and I have eaten there on the 4^th before with an ok meal.
The first thing I can report is that every table had plastic cups on it. I mentioned this to the server and asked about a glass glass and she said that for the 4^th it was plastic. Extremely tacky! This is not a frat house. Two of us ordered beers and I asked if they were pints when the server brought them, she said yes. Later when we had an empty cup, I happened to look at the bottom and it was embossed with a giant 12 oz. I mentioned this to the waitress and asked for the extra 4 oz. of beer we were paying for. The manager, Leilani, subsequently came over to somewhat apologetically say that on July 4^th they have specials and some other rigamarole. She claimed they used plastic cups to keep up with the traffic of the holiday, which makes no sense because I could see at least three empty tables from where I was sitting.
She offered to take back my partially drunk beer and not charge for it. Then she said she’d call the owner to ask what to do. I said I ordered a beer because I wanted a beer. She comes back with another plastic cup which I assumed had the missing 4 oz in it. It was so tacky and I’m pretty sure illegal that they are ripping people off for 25% of what they are paying for. The manager even said it was «false advertising.» She did not bring my soft spoken companion the other 4 oz of his beer, however.
He also thought his «crab» noodles were vile and must have been from a can. I had the Kobe burger which was delicious and very hot and the sweet potato fries were great. The veg. green curry was serviceable.
However the total mishandling of the beer situation, not to mention the misrepresentation of quantities of alcohol they are serving would no doubt be of interest to the OLCC as well as the Bureau of Weights and Measures.
For these prices ($ 55 for lunch) they shouldn’t insult their customers with cheap, plastic throwaway cups.