based on 7 reviews
Neighbors say
- Has great-tasting food and can also do vegetarian dishes
Sous Kitchen
975 Industrial Road , Suite D
Bay Area, CA
94070
(650) 508-0800
info@souskitchen.com
http://www.souskitchen.com
By: MaryC
Date: June, 2007
The employees there were very helpful, always available to answer questions, never very far away. The kitchen was very very clean, ingredients were fresh, directions were very easy to follow. I brought my 3 yo daughter with me and they were very helpful to us working together. I probably could have assembled 2 meals in 15 mins and with her it still only took 30 mins. The flavor was wonderful, and it was SO easy to prepare. Definitely a help for those of us with young children. I know how to cook, but my time is precious these days, it was a real help to have fresh ingredients, marvelous flavor and so very simple! They also had some delicious scones available to buy, a real bonus!
By: JM
Date: June, 2007
When I first arrived I felt like a deer in the headlights. I thought, "what am I doing here? I'm a cook and enjoy preparing meals for my family myself. We're not a prepared food family." Once Brad explained the process to me I started to relax a little bit. He said normally people who are home cooks that use their service appreciate it more than non-cooks. I could immediately see what he was talking about. The recipe is right there with step by step instructions of quantites to mix with which incredients and in what bag to put it all in. That's it, you then take it home. What would have normally taken an hour or more of prep work at home literally took 5-10 minutes. That was a thrill. Now, once you get home you obviously still have to cook your meal which takes the standard 50 minutes to an hour plus you still need to clean all your pots and pans. Then my rational/emotional side kicked in. I had just returned from a trip back home to Wisconsin where the lifestyle is so different from here. The pace of life is quieter and much slower; not so hurried. The people are soft and friendly and actually take the time to say hello and mean it. I come from a family of women who are also cooks; they still can their own fruits and vegetables, some of those products coming out of their own gardens. They also quilt and sew; passing their skills to the next generation. Have we gotten too far from our roots where we have to find another source to prepare our dinners? So there you go, that is my big question.
By: Irena
Date: June, 2007
Even if the food at Sous Kitchen were not as impressive as it was, I would urge every home cook to go at least once -- just to experience how amazing it is to assemble a meal from meticulously prepped and beautifully arranged ingredients. In fact, as I told Michi and Brad (two of the unfailingly cheerful Sous Kitchen employees who guided me through the assembly), every home kitchen should have scrupulously clean workstations where a lift of a stainless steel lid reveals perfectly organized bins and containers of pre-chopped vegetables, sauces, condiments, and spices -- each with its own appropriate measure, be it an eighth of a teaspoon or two thirds of a cup, already nesting in exactly the place you would intuitively expect to find it. In other words, this is more than food prep: this is fun! Every station has its recipe prominently displayed; your meat or fish or chicken is ready for you when you arrive; you place it in a ziploc bag, pop the bag in a convenient container at the prep station, and off you go, adding pre-grated ginger, pre-minced garlic, pre-julienned red peppers... well, you get the idea. Cooking is sooo much more enjoyable when you don't have to pull out the microplane to grate ginger or find that you don't have a teaspoon measure or are out of soy sauce. And aside from the fun factor, the finished product is fabulous -- we ordered Thai Chicken with Peanut Noodles and Hoisin Glazed Pork, both of which compared favorably to restaurant-quality meals and were way above and beyond what I could pull together on a weekday night. The peanut sauce was downright addictive and the leftovers very versatile: I added vegetables to the peanut noodles and chicken the next day and called it a cold Asian noodle salad, and the leftover hoisin pork was great wrapped in warm tortillas with some chopped scallion for garnish. The best part is that you can see exactly what goes into your food and even, to some extent, control the ingredients (i.e., more ginger here, less hot pepper flakes there, etc.). Did I mention that the place is scrupulously clean, has a very cool industrial chic vibe, and boasts employees who are knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful? All right -- they did offer me coffee and fresh-baked scones when I came in (how did they know???), but even without that, I would have been sold. A few (and very minor) notes of caution: Sous Kitchen is located near the 101 in San Carlos, so there is the time investment involved in driving to and fro (unless you live nearby on Industrial Rd.) Assembly takes some time as well -- it took me 40+ minutes to assemble two dishes, but that was partly my own fault as I was chatting with Michi while making the food. (And, in all honesty, it would have taken far longer to buy, prep, and cook all the ingredients for the same dishes from scratch.) Lastly, the price can be a concern: each entree was $29, about what I would expect to pay for high-quality take out. However, the portions are generous (the menu specifies 4-6 servings per dish, whereas we got closer to 8), the quality and freshness amazing, and, if you ever wanted to feel like the star of your own Food Network show, here's your chance to casually throw together ingredients prepared by a team of helpful little elves and make kitchen magic happen on a weeknight. I'd definitely do it again!
By: emily
Date: July, 2007
This was my first experience with a meal preparation place, and now I really appreciate what Sous Kitchen does - the meal planning, shopping, and preparation of the ingredients. When they did all of that for me, cooking stopped being a chore. The web site was easy to use. I really liked the nutrition information they gave for each dish. It let me make an informed decision about what I wanted to eat and feed to my family. The folks I talked with - from asking questions about ingredients to verifying cooking instructions - were very helpful and knowledgeable. I asked if I could make one of the dishes vegetarian, and they had organic tofu ready for me the day I came. The assembly was very easy and clear. I was skeptical going in that it would take 10 minutes per meal, and I was happily surprised to find it really did. Because I assembled my own meal, I was able to adjust the herbs, spices, salt, and oil to my liking. I really liked not having to compromise taste or health for convenience. The meals were simple and fast to cook at home and tasted great. I just had to remember to take the meal out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before or the morning of the day we were going to eat it. I added a salad to one entree and a quick sauteed leafy green to the other entree to round out the meal. I usually cook really quick, simple meals during the week and save the meals with more chopping or ingredients for the weekends. With the Sous Kitchen meals, I felt like I was able to make weekend-quality meals on a weeknight after I got home from work at 6:00pm. My husband and I really liked having something more interesting than the usual weeknight basics.
By: julia
Date: June, 2007
It was a good experience, and I would buy and assemble meals from Sous Kitchen again. When booking the order, it was easy to look at the web site, choose my meals and then call Sous Kitchen to schedule an assembly time, which I was required to do because I was using a gift certificate. When I called, there was a bit of confusion over whether I could book a 2-meal trial session with friends during what the web site said was a 6-meal assembly time, and whether we should come in at the same start time as the 6-meal customers, or 30 minutes later. The staff member who promised to call me back to resolve this question, failed to call back; however, the question was resolved with a second call to Sous Kitchen. On other occasions, I have booked with Sous Kitchen using their online registration and payment system. I found it easy to use, but it was important to pay attention and follow the instructions as written. However, the friendly staff is willing to help any confused customers who call with questions. The meal assembly stations were clean and well-organized, with easy-to-follow directions. The friendly staff was attentive and came over in the beginning to explain the meal assembly process and checked back frequently to check whether I had any questions. I had been to Sous Kitchen before, and found the staff to be as friendly and attentive when I was there independently as they were when I was there with reviewers. It was helpful that when assembling meals I could adjust the amount of seasoning. For example, some meals called for hot or spicy ingredients, and I was glad to be able to adjust the amounts for my family's taste. The choice of meals was varied, but I would like to see more vegetarian and organic meals added to the menu, as well as more side dishes. Cooking directions were straightforward and easy to follow. The food itself was attractive when cooked, and tasty. You do have to allow for some planning when cooking Sous Kitchen meals -- they have to be defrosted for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. I don't know how defrosting them in a microwave oven would affect their taste or texture. You assemble at Sous Kitchen into a series of zipper-lock disposable plastic bags, and if you planned to defrost them in a microwave oven, you would probably want to take the step at home of removing the frozen meals from the plastic bags and putting them into an alternate container. Since the meal price is for main courses only (side dishes cost extra and are already assembled), it seems a bit expensive, even when the amount is divided among a family. On the other hand, Sous Kitchen meal assembly saves the trouble of shopping for and prepping ingredients, and shortens the time needed to measure ingredients, and there is value in that. While I would buy from Sous Kitchen again, I would do so only for occasional meals, maybe once or twice a month or so, when I want an especially easy to cook meal, with all the pre-cooking preparation done for me. I like to cook, so most of the time I don't mind doing the shopping and preparation myself.
By: Monica
Date: June, 2007
Preparing and eating meals at Sous Kitchen lets even the biggest kitchen-phobe pretend to be a real chef -- only without all that bothersome shopping, chopping and clean up. It is not a cheap way to stock the freezer, but the food quality is top-notch, the menu choices drool-inducing, and the staff helpful. The whole process -- from choosing the meals online to compiling the various dinners -- really takes the chore out of cooking and helps liven up the culinary rut we all fall into at home. From the moment you walk into the bright, industrial-style kitchen to the time you sit down with your meal, everything is laid out so clearly and carefully that even people who can barely figure out the directions on a mac and cheese box will be able to minimize fuss and maximize meal enjoyment. This is gourmet, home-cooked food for "dummies," if you will. I have prepared several meals at Sous Kitchen and have never been disappointed. The recent Indian chicken curry was a huge hit - a savory, spicy stew of tender chicken breasts, ripe tomatoes and a mix of exotic spices, all served over perfect, fluffy rice. (The fact that I made perfect, fluffy rice is a testament to something Sous Kitchen is doing right.) The downsides? Nothing major, but I have some quibbles. You'll carry your meals away in a number of plastic zip lock baggies. OF COURSE you will wash and re-use said baggies. However, the environmentalist in me does cringe at the copious use of plastic. That said, I don't have any better suggestions and the plain truth is heavy duty Zip Locks are probably the best way to freeze food and maximize freezer space. Don't go to Sous Kitchen - or any dinner prep place - and think it will completely remove the "cooking" aspect of getting food on the table. You still have to follow the (easy) preparation directions. You still have to actually cook the food. Despite Sous Kitchen's best efforts to keep you in line, you could still burn something or inadvertently put ingredients in the pot in the wrong order. There is risk everywhere in life, but when you're paying $29.00 (or more) an entree (which feeds four), you don't want to be taking any chances. I'd prepare more meals at Sous Kitchen if there were more vegetarian options and those options were priced less than the meat/fish entrees.
By: rita
Date: July, 2007
The entire Sous Kitchen experience was Professional with a capital P. Knowledge before going to website: This is a service where customers go to the kitchen to assemble pre-determined meals. All the ingredients are ready to go: washed, chopped, etc. Just read a recipe, measure & collect the necessary ingredients, and go. Website first impressions: Clean, fresh, simple. Most answers were quick and simple to find and understand. “What to expect during your Sous Kitchen session” was informative. No pictures, though! What does the place look like? Menu: Nice descriptions but again, no pictures. Ugh, I had to read through the descriptions. The web design represents the service: there’s a wee bit of work involved. Nutrition information was a little clunky to read in paragraph form rather than the more familiar food label format. I go by percentages rather than numbers: % fat, % sodium, etc. I don’t have a good sense of how many grams of sugar are too many. Sodium isn’t listed, I suppose because we can season to taste. It’d be helpful if a baseline were given, assuming we follow the recipe’s measurements. The little pop-up nutrition info window doesn’t go away on its own. More work. I pulled out the calculator and found that most entrees were in the 20-40% fat range and 25-40% cholesterol range. I was thinking of making the Shrimp Versailles, but at 63% cholesterol I think I’ll pass. The “Sides and Wines Pairings” were weak. I tend to eat entrée, veggies, and starch as a minimum. Their suggestions were things like watermelon, mango, or other dessert-like accompaniments. Customer ratings of individual dishes would be useful. While at Sous Kitchen I suggested that they include the cooking method for the meals on the website. Done! These are a group of very responsive folks! Scheduling the appointment: The published schedule felt incredibly limiting, as though I was eating on their schedule, not mine. With a few phone calls our little group was able to come in during a 6-meal time slot even though we were preparing 2-meal trials. The 3 people I spoke with on different occasions were each gracious and accommodating. At Sous Kitchen: What a wonderful experience! Sous Kitchen has a clean, spacious layout. Our group met there and bumped into a fourth friend as she was leaving. Although we arrived late, we were warmly greeted and not hurried as we chit-chatted before getting started. The recipes were easy to assemble – everything was impeccably laid out. After our prep work was done and the food was in the freezer, we sat in the café area to chat some more. Several employees came by offering us coffee and fresh scones. When we ate the last one, they offered to bake a fresh batch. Sous Kitchen is a welcoming, friendly, relaxing place to be. The food (a mixed review): The Saigon Beef over Jasmine Rice was incredible. It was on the spicy side for my family, but I loved the thin-cut slices of beef and sauce. Even the frozen onions and red bell peppers survived. This was a pre-assembled special that I picked from the freezer. Unfortunately the ziplock containing the beef was packed sideways in the larger bag, as was one of the rice bags. The juice transferred from one to the other. Beware how you pack & freeze your food! The Hoisin Pork Tenderloin was dry and lacking flavor. The leftovers dragged on for days. The Cuban Chicken didn’t quite meet my high expectations – it was okay, not exciting. Would I order from Sous Kitchen again? You bet! Before I left I signed up for another 8-meal plan. This time my teenage son will do the cooking while I’m away. The recipes are straight-forward enough for a beginner, minus the assembly drudgery. Sous Kitchen has its place for new cooks, over-worked cooks, and experimental cooks, too.
