Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine makes colorful mark in Saratoga Springs
The wontons with dipping sauce are pictured at Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine in Saratoga Springs.
The House Special Pan Fried Noodles are served at Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine in Saratoga Springs.
Clockwise from upper center, wontons, rice, Chicken Soft Lo Mein and the House Special Pan Fried Noodles at Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine in Saratoga Springs.
The Veggie Soft Lo Mein is pictured at Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine in Saratoga Springs.
A plate of Chicken Soft Lo Mein is served at Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine, a new restaurant in Saratoga Springs.
North Utah County diners can add a new palate-pleasing restaurant to the spectrum of available options: Red 8 Asian and Japanese Cuisine in Saratoga Springs.
We stopped by to visit the recently opened restaurant, located in a bundle of buildings next to the Smith’s gas station just off the intersection of Redwood Road and Pioneer Crossing, on Friday night and at initial glance, I wondered if we would make it in. As we approached the restaurant, which sits next to Mod Pizza, there was a group of people waiting outside on this windy, very cold night, and a large contingent also taking up all the available waiting space inside.
We put our name on the waiting list, and were shocked to be given a 10-minute estimate. As it turns out, several of the people milling around were waiting to pick up to-go orders. Our wait time ended up being 20 minutes, but that was even a bit surprising considering the amount of people who had been standing around.
Inside, the restaurant isn’t very big, but every table was packed. A quick glance around revealed seating for between 60 and 70 people, in a combination of booths and tables as well as seven stools at a fresh sushi and nigiri/sashimi bar.
We started our dining experience off with a pair of appetizers — a cup of miso soup and an order of wontons. The miso soup was warm and delicious on this cold night, but the wontons were the absolute bomb. The perfectly flaky outside mixed with the sweet cream cheese inside — along with the accompanying dipping sauce — made for a perfect combination. The six wontons were gleefully gobbled up by the three in our party throughout the course of our meal.
As is the case at most Asian restaurants, the menu contained what seemed to be an almost endless array of options that can be almost dizzying the longer you consider everything. I usually attempt to really study all the options, but then usually just end up going with my go-to favorite dishes, even though I know there are myriad things I would end up loving if I had only chosen them.
In this case, I branched out slightly, ordering the House Special Pan Fried Noodle. This dish contained a tantalizing blend of shrimp, beef and chicken stir fry, including broccoli, carrot and zucchini slices, mushrooms and onions, over pan-fried noodles. The latter added a nice texturized crunch to the proceedings. The dish also came with a side of steamed rice. Delicious!
The vegetarian in our party selected the Vegetable Soft Lo Mein and my wife veered to her favorite style of dish, the Chicken Soft Lo Mein. They each loved their dishes and proceeded to polish them off with only a few sample tastes for myself.
We placed two to-go orders, one for the Sesame Chicken and one for the Sweet and Sour Chicken. I tried those a bit later in the evening when I wasn’t so full and, not surprisingly, they were excellent as well. Portion sizes on the to-go items, as well as everything we ordered at the restaurant, were of hefty proportion and a good value for their price.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are full-scale sushi and nigiri/sashimi offerings made at a bar in one corner of the restaurant. Admittedly, we’re not so big on sushi, but online reviews of this part of the menu are impressive.
We enjoyed our visit and will surely be back to try additional aspects of the menu.
RED 8 ASIAN AND JAPANESE CUISINE
Where: 617 Redwood Road, Saratoga Springs
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Prices: Special rolls $6-$8.50, nigiri/sashimi $13.99-$15.99, entrees $6.55-$11.95
Info: (801) 341-6444, red8saratogasprings.com