Mystery Diner in Crystal Lake: Kirin King brings delicious all-you-can-eat Asian cuisine

Opening just about a month ago, Kirin King makes a splash in Crystal Lake with its wide variety of East Asian dishes and an impressive rotary sushi bar.

The large restaurant is split into two sections. One room is a bar with plenty of space for private parties. My partner and I sat at the dining area that holds a conveyor belt of sushi plates at the center of the room. The cozy atmosphere makes for a perfect date-night spot.

We both decided to explore the all-you-can-eat menu. It includes appetizers, sushi, nigiri and even poke bowls. Diners can grab sushi right off the rotary belt or put in their orders to the kitchen. The all-you-can-eat special is $28.99 during dinner hours and $24.99 during lunch.

We ate a lot. Crab Rangoon, spring rolls and sesame balls were the appetizers we shared. My partner’s favorite dish of the night was the baked mussels, which he ordered twice. The beauty of all-you-can-eat.

My favorite appetizer was the sesame balls, fried dough filled with a sweet red bean paste.

I ordered my favorite sushi rolls: the spicy tuna and Philly rolls. The spicy tuna is simple, with tuna accented with sriracha rolled in nori (seaweed) and sushi rice. The Philly rolls are filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, which I find a great way to cool down the taste buds after eating all the spicy rolls.

While I waited, I spontaneously grabbed sushi from the rotary including the rainbow roll and the caterpillar roll. There are four pieces of sushi per plate on the rotary belt and eight pieces when you order directly from the kitchen.

My partner tried out specialty sushi, such as the fire roll and the Chicago roll. Both were delightfully flavorful and fresh. The fire roll is prepared with salmon, avocado and spicy mayo. The Chicago roll is a California roll topped with yellowtail, salmon and spicy mayo.

One thing about Kirin King is the attention to presentation. We were delighted to see our orders arrive on bamboo structures of bridges and boats.

I tried out the Deep Diver poke bowl generously filled with tuna, salmon, mango, edamame and spicy mayo over rice. It was one of the best poke bowls I’ve ever had.

Next time, I want to explore items on the menu that are not on the all-you-can-eat special. The Tonkotsu ramen ($16.45), brisket Pho noodle soup ($16.99) and chicken fried rice ($11.83) all look enticing.

The dessert items also looked amazing, but my partner and I filled up on our unlimited sushi too much to eat anything more. The egg waffle dessert ($6.60) catches my eye and comes in strawberry, matcha or chocolate ice cream flavors.

There is certainly something here for everyone to explore new options or eat classic favorites. The restaurant also has an impressive vegetarian menu and an adventurous chef specialty menu.

I highly recommend Kirin King for those looking to satisfy all of their East Asian cravings.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

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IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Kirin King

• WHERE: 446 W. Virginia St., Crystal Lake

• PHONE: 779-220-9344

• INFORMATION: Online order for delivery or pickup at www.kirinkingcuisine.com