"With four locations all over Rhode Island, Jacky’s Waterplace has become a Ocean State staple for fresh sushi and an unreasonably wide variety of classic and contemporary Asian Cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian and more.
I went to the Providence location to celebrate my birthday with my family! And boy, did we celebrate. They spoil me.
We started off with the chicken lettuce wraps, shrimp lettuce wraps, spring rolls, honey glazed boneless ribs and gyoza.
The lettuce wraps come four per order, and Jacky’s has my favorite version of this appetizer that seems to be on every appetizer menu now a days. Each piece of lettuce comes filled to the brim with the chicken (or shrimp), water chestnut, carrot, shiitake mushroom, and pine nut mixture. And each piece of lettuce sits on top of an oversized wonton. This is by far the best solution to the sloppy-messy-falling apart-soggy lettuce wrap problem I’ve ever seen. I always tell myself I won’t eat the wonton to save room for everything else, but, uh – let’s be real. I devoured it.
The spring rolls were tasty and traditional. There are only two per order but they come cut in half – this is a great appetizer to share that won’t fill you up too much. What I like most about these spring rolls is that the outer crust is crunchy without being slimy from the oil they were fried in.
The honey glazed boneless ribs were phenomenal. They were tender and delicately sweet! However, try to show some self control and don’t go for the pickled radish and carrots that are on the plate. You don’t always have to eat the garnish but I don’t have any self control and always try them! They were…interesting. I tried it paired it with the ribs themselves to see if they were supposed to compliment each other. And just…no. Pass. Focus on the highlight of the dish!
The gyoza were tasty but small. I mean, real small. Bite size. Not that their size should be considered a negative, they’re just appetizers! The pork inside is extremely well seasoned and delicious! These sure as hell aren’t those flavorless fried dough pockets you have to drown in dipping sauce from the only Chinese take out place opened at 3 a.m. (you guys know who I’m talking about).
My brother and mother ordered from the sushi menu for dinner. My brother got the spicy tuna maki roll entrée. Here’s the thing – I have nothing negative to say about these rolls. They’re good. Tasty. Spicy. But they taste like every other spicy tuna roll you can get in Rhode Island. That’s not a bad thing, it is what it is.
But I cannot say with enough emphasis that when you come to Jacky’s you are much better off ordering the sashimi! If you love raw fish, you cannot go wrong here. Every piece is fresh and just melts in your mouth. It’s rare to find a place that can consistently, visit after visit provide such a quality product. And raw fish is nothing to mess around with! If you ever had the unfortunate experience of having a piece of sashimi that just doesn’t taste quite right, you know how amazing it is to find a place that delivers! And Jacky’s most definitely does.
My Dad and I went the noodle route – he ordered the Singapore Noodles and I ordered the Japanese Udon noodles with shrimp.
The Singapore Noodles are listed on the menu as having jalapeños and curry…so why my father (who doesn’t like spicy foods) ordered this dish is beyond me. He swore up and down that when he orders this dish normally it’s “not THAT spicy.” But apparently this night, it was. We ended up trading. I guess the lesson here is the spice level is inconsistent. So if you’re not sure if you can handle it, try something else! But if you’re like me and love a kick to your meal: go for it. It’s delicious.
The udon noodles were freakin’ awesome. I got them with shrimp and I love, love love, that I didn’t get a dish filled with those creepy ass tiny little baby thumbnail size shrimp. You know, those creepy ones you get in much crappier Chinese restaurants? None of that here. At Jacky’s they know that no self respecting Rhode Islander would tolerate such nonsense. HUGE SHRIMP IN YOUR UDON NOODLES: CHECK.
Finally, at the end of the meal our waitress (who was fantastic) surprised me with a birthday cheesecake! It was just enough for the entire family to get in on – it was so creamy! I don’t know if they make it in house, but it didn’t taste out of a box.
Jacky’s Waterplace has consistently delivered great food and wonderful service across each location. The only thing that puts the Providence location over the rest is the view! It directly overlooks the river where waterfire takes place and when the river isn’t on fire, the skyline lights up at sunset to provide a unique perspective over the city of Providence!
goodeatsmundial.com"
Walnut Shrimp
