Ed U.
Yelp
Oh, I remember this space when it was the original Perilla because I was kinda addicted to their five-spice chicken with garlic noodles back when I was a FiDi working drone. They closed this location a while ago, but Jamie W let me know a Japanese fast food operation moved in. He liked it, and that was enough of a testimonial for me to give it a try. As far as I could tell, it's not Japanese-owned, but hey, I'm not prejudiced. Much.
Besides, there are Japanese people who don't know how to cook Japanese themselves (...finger pointed at me). Regardless, the staff here have the skillz to make standard Japanese dishes in a hearty fashion judging from my order. While I technically ordered an appetizer and an entree, it amounted to a double lunch. I first started with the $10.50 Mixed Vegetable Tempura, and quite a variety pile arrived (photo: https://yelp.to/vkncw2mhG0).
It was well crisped and the veggies well chosen for their contrasting textures. My entree soon arrived but not before the obligatory miso soup and salad (photo: https://yelp.to/98UhOZYF8U). The $13.50 Chicken Katsu Curry Rice was well executed with a generous amount of both poultry and thick curry sauce (photo: https://yelp.to/tp60vg0CZ5). While I could have gone for a bit more rice, I was quite satisfied and pretty well stuffed. I'm not a regular in the area anymore, but I'd definitely come back.
FOOD - 4 stars...solid workaday Japanese grub, portions quite generous
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...minimal decor but plenty of elbow room
SERVICE - 4 stars...efficient, not much on the chit-chat
TOTAL - 4 stars...nice option across from Salesforce
RELATED - Exploring eastern SoMa? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2VNINP6