Katie C.
Yelp
[3.5 stars]
Missing Japan after a recent trip so decided to find a spot to cure the craving. Was greeted by a friendly worker and she pointed us to a table. The atmosphere is casual and nice. I appreciated how there was tutorials on the tv screens to teach you how to enjoy the gyukatsu because it was my parent's first time here! Servers were very nice & accommodating too.
They offered miso soup appetizers on the house which was nice. There were seaweed & green onions inside as well, but a bit too salty for my taste.
Together my bf & I shared two meals. We ordered a Tenderloin Beef Gyukatsu. The waiter recommended the tenderloin so I listened to her! It came with a bowl of rice, cabbage, edamame, spicy pickled radish, 2 sauce dips for the beef, & wasabi on the side. I really enjoyed both dips and they each gave the meat a different flavor profile. One was wasabi-based, other seemed like a soy sauce base? We had a little grill-top where we can cook our beef & it was a fun experience. Meat was tender with nice, crisp edges. I really like it with wasabi. But compared to a beef gyukatsu I had in Japan, the meat quality wasn't as good. Looking back at other Yelp reviews, I would say the premium beef option with better marbling looked more similar to the one I had in Japan. I would be down to try that in the future to see if it's comparable.
We also ordered a Creamy Curry Udon, which came with beef bits, broccoli, carrots, and onions. The cream on top seems to be whip cream. I was hoping after mixing it would be more creamy, however, it was disappointing how the curry sauce mixed with cream was more watery than I imagined. Overall, wished the curry texture was more thick so the udon noodles can cling onto more sauce. However, the texture of the udon though was nice & bouncy, which I liked. I also appreciated the amounts of other components such as veggies & meat, but my brother got the same & said he didn't have any meat in his. I wish quality control can be better to ensure everyone can have the an equivalent experience. This dish also came with spicy pickled radishes which was refreshing to eat.
Overall, solid concepts of the food, I'm looking forward to the improvements that can be made in the future.