雨太
Google
A surprisingly mid experience. Will not be coming back.
Food:
T’was good, but for $32? Hell no. With tonkatsu being my favorite dish ever, I know how rare it is to find a place in LA that does it justice. I ordered the pork tenderloin set (see picture); the pork was good, but I almost laughed when I saw the size of it. Mind you, I’ve had tonkatsu all over Japan and throughout East Asia, and I’ve never seen such a tiny piece of meat served as an entree. It’s literally the size of my fist. The breading was semi-detached from the meat, which actually came lukewarm. The portion of the cabbage is also weirdly small (note: apparently they do refills) and came without any dressing? I thought they’d at least offer some sesame or wafu dressing. One minor detail that got me puzzled is that for a $32 combo, the miso soup didn’t have anything in it (other than seaweed). No tofu, no vegetables—not even green onion? I also couldn’t taste the broth; it felt like just hot water + miso paste. Also, the onsen tamago tasted like it was just removed from a freezer…?
Service:
Our waiters were very pleasant, but you can tell they’re inexperienced, and communication between staff is not very good. Also, I’d expect at least a little explanation/tutorial for the various sauce options placed on the table (super confusing for my friend who’s never tried tonkatsu). The guy at the front seating people is extremely unhelpful; he has a smile on his face but you can tell he’s perpetually annoyed.
The wait:
If you go when they open (5PM), it’s first-come-first-serve, and it doesn’t matter if your name is on the waitlist or not. The estimated wait time is unreliable (probably 1-2hr). Don’t bother to go if you join the waitlist after 7PM (they close at 10PM). Also, the booths only fit 2 people, and there are only a couple of counter seats and a large table; it’ll be very difficult if you are a party of 3+ people.
Vibe:
Kind of unpleasant. It’s super loud in there (mix of people’s convos and the whole staff yelling いくらだしまーす!Every other minute), and because seating is so limited you feel pressured to just get in & out. Definitely not the vibe I’d expect for a $40 meal. Floor is slippery. But the bathroom does have a nice toilet…
In conclusion: I’d come here if it’s sukiya vibes with sukiya prices. But for $40 and an hour+ wait? I’d go somewhere else.