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Hinodae: Bi Bim Bop joins the Japanese specialties

Hinodae: Bi Bim Bop joins the Japanese specialties  image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
June
Year
1990
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Hinodae: Bi Bim Bop joins the Japanese specialties

ruth bayard smith
Cheap eats

Hinodae is the type of place that people pass by all the time when they travel down State Street. Its storefront facade is unassuming from the outside, and truth be told, its rather dingy interior doesn't do much to lure people either.

Still, atmosphere aside, the restaurant is an attractive spot, simply because it offers good inexpensive Japanese food. No formal-style dining here. A menu is posted on the wall near models of dishes meant to tempt the palate; patrons line up cafeteria-style and in theory (though not always in practice) get their food quickly. Two rooms comprise the dining area; One in full view of the kitchen, the other, away from the bustle, but considerably darker and almost dreary.

Formerly Donburi’s, a Japanese staple in Ann Arbor for almost 10 years, Hinodae is now owned by Koreans. Though the menu has pretty much stayed the same since the takeover last fall, the restaurant now offers Korean specialities during lunch. (On one of our visits, the choice was the standard Bi Bim Bop. a dish with beef, chicken and vegetables cooked in a spicy sesame oil sauce and served over rice.)

Prices are very cheap at Hinodae, and all end with odd combinations of digits to make for I round numbers once the tax is added in. The Bi Bim Bop. for example, was $4.23. Other items cost as much or less; nothing is more! A 40-cent surcharge is added to all takeout meals.

The menu — the same during lunch and dinner — features a range of donburis, a bowl of rice cooked with rice vinegar, onions and eggs. These include a beef version (tanin), chicken (oyako), vegetarian (iradama), veal (katsu) and lightly fried batter-dipped vegetables (tempura). Most dishes can be ordered instead with Japanese-style noodles.

More traditional sukiyaki and teriyaki dishes are offered as are a range of interesting appetizers, including tasty beef eggrolls, fried Japanese wantons (gyoza) and a number of vegetable salads, Fine miso soups — both tofu and seaweed — round out the selections.

Donburi's was popular in its location, in part because the food was so good and inexpensive, but also because the staff was able to deal efficiently and patiently with the crush of the Ann Arbor crowd. Though from our experience, little has actually changed under the new ownership, we've found more confusion behind the counter and over the phone. Time, we expect, will help smooth the transition.

Hinodae
  215 S. State St
  663-7403
  Hours; Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (8 p.m. during the summer). Closed Sunday. Takeout available. Plastic: No. Liquor: No. Wheelchair access: No.