Tatsu no Ko

Review by Ivan

Taste ★★★★☆

Service ★★★★☆

Ambiance ★★★☆☆

Value for Money ★★★★★

Tatsu No Ko, is a small Japanese resto located in Lopez Ave. bf homes Paranaque. From the outside it looks a bit rundown so you wouldn't expect anything good in the inside. In the inside it's quite small but very cozy. Nothing fancy, but it gives of a certain "izakaya" vibe. One very good indication of a Japenese resto is the crowd they cater to. You know it has some authenticity to it when their customers are mostly Japanese. And let me just say - this place is always packed with Japanese.

First off, the service is quite fast. and the ladies were very friendly and accommodating. They start you off by giving you a cold towel which is very refreshing since it was hot outside, Something i would usually expect in a higher-end type of Japanese resto. It was nice that they have it here as well.

Salmon Sashimi

It was served chilled and very fresh. Something i require when eating my sashimi. though I wasn't sliced to perfection but the experience in eating says it all.

Tekka Maki

What can i say i'm a big fan of this. I always order this in all the japanese restos I eat at. It was poorly rolled but again tasted amazing.


Gyoza

The gyoza was made well, the crusted part was cooked to perfection crunchy on one side and still delicately soft on the other. It had a sense of comfort in it.

Ebi Tempura

Who doesn't order tempura? I love tempura. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was definitely the crunchiest tempura I've ever had. I can't complain when food is fresh and well made.

Tori Kaarage

Its the japanese version of "chicken-lolipop" it wasnt very japanese but hey it was cooked perfectly, very crunchy and tasty as well, goes well with the tonkatsu sauce!

Sukiyaki

To my surprise a big iron pot of sukiyaki fell upon me. It looked very appetizing and was served very hot. They even crack the egg in front of you, which is part of the "show" i guess. Although I question the egg cracker's technique LOL. To my surprise this, too, was very delicious. It's exactly how I like my sukiyaki, beefy and not sweet. I hate how most Japanese restos would just stew everything together and it'll all just taste sweet. Here you can actually taste the individuality of each ingredient which I enjoyed very much.

Gohan ( rice)

This was my only complain, since i'm very particular about my rice. To my disappointment they didn't use japanese rice. But hey at least they cooked it well.

You might be wondering why i chose to comment on the price in the last part. The purpose is to surprise you as I was when I got my bill. Japanese restos usually cost pretty much for the amount of food that I ordered and the quality of food I got. I am surprised that my bill didn't even reach 1000 pesos. I'll give you a breakdown of my bill just so you have an idea.

Tori Kaarage 110
Sukiyaki 190
Tempura 170
Tekka maki 65
Gohan 45
Salmon Sashimi 160
Gyoza 110
= P850

and YES I was so shocked to see my bill didn't go up to 2000. I'm a regular in this resto. And every time I eat here I still get shocked at how low the prices are.

All in all i would say when eating in this place i didn't feel like i was eating in a resto, more like eating at a japanese home. Everything was so comforting, I couldn't complain about how the food was plated/ styled. Because everything was cooked and prepared well, delicious I would say. If I could come back tomorrow I would.