GODFREY - A year and a half after he started, restaurateur Eko Adikaputra says Toko Sushi and Boba will open in September.
The restaurant, located in Suite D at 5775 Godfrey Road, created a buzz when the sign was unveiled last year. Contracting delays pushed back their opening date, but the restaurant is almost ready and will bring Japanese cuisine, boba tea and rolled ice cream to Godfrey.
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“I get all the recipes from Japan itself. I learned from there,” Adikaputra said. “Our food is made by the order and with high quality. I’m trying to make it the best I know, in my knowledge. Quality is everything.”
Adikaputra explained that issues with the contractor caused most of the delays, but they’re in the final stretch now. He plans to install the range hood himself later this week, and then the staff will clean and undergo a final inspection so they can open by mid-September.
Toko Sushi and Boba will specialize in Japanese cuisine. Sushi, sashimi, ramen, stir fry noodles and other favorite dishes are on the menu. They plan to offer milk tea with boba, which will also be dairy-free, and they have a liquor license so they can sell sake. And for dessert, they’ll have Thai-style rolled ice cream, mixed on a cold iron right in front of the customer.
“We like fresh-made ice cream,” Adikaputra added. “So when you order strawberry ice cream, we make it from cream and strawberries right away on the cold iron, so it’s fresh and not chemicals.”
This menu is the culmination of Adikaputra’s 15 years in the restaurant business. Toko Sushi and Boba combine two of his previous business ventures. He worked at Shogun Japanese Steakhouse in Alton until it was sold, and he was a founding owner of Snow Factory, a Thai-style ice cream shop with multiple locations throughout St. Louis.
He noted that there isn’t anything like Toko Sushi and Boba in the Godfrey or Alton area, and he is excited to bring his recipes to the region. In addition to the dining room, they will also offer take-out orders and hope to eventually work with DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Until then, Adikaputra is making the most of the delays. He has used the time to finetune his recipes, and he’s happy to report that so far, Toko Sushi and Boba has five stars.
“While I’m waiting for the restaurant to be open, I’m doing food testing, sauce testing, everything,” he said. “All my friends or my colleagues or anybody that I give a sample to, they all agree. They said it’s good…It’s really exciting. I cannot wait to open.”
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