Chazuke
Tanto Japanese Restaurant

Tanto Japanese Restaurant

1063 E El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA 94087, United States

Sushi • Tapas • Asian • Izakaya


"If you 're looking for a delicious izakaya place that won 't break the bank, Tanto is a great choice! My family came here to celebrate a birthday, so I made a reservation for a Thursday night dinner about 2 weeks before. I 'm glad I did because once we got there, the place was crowded with numerous parties waiting outside as well. It took awhile for the staff to seat us, but once we did, we were seated at a private section tucked away in the back which was nice without all the chatter/business surrounding us. For my party of 4, we ordered around 6 or 7 dishes (I forget haha to share. Everything we ordered was fresh, delicious and perfect to share. The standout for us was definitely the Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice balls even though there 's no filling inside the rice ball, the slight char from the grill made each bite extremely flavorful. This was definitely a pleasant surprise to my entire party because we were thinking how good could a rice ball get? The dish that didn 't stand out to us as much was the grilled squid. It wasn 't anything different from what we 've tried before at other places, so if we were to ever order a similar dish, we 'd get the squid stuffed with rice to try. Overall, I don 't think you can go wrong with ordering anything from their menu just depends on what you want to try and what you 're in the mood for! I 'd definitely come back :"

Wakuriya

Wakuriya

115 De Anza Boulevard, San Mateo, 94402, United States Of America, 94402-3961, San Andreas

Tea • French • Fusion • Seafood


"Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at Wakuriya in San Mateo, and I must say, the experience was quite remarkable. From the moment I stepped in, the serene and welcoming ambiance set the stage for what was an exquisite culinary journey.The service at Wakuriya was impeccable. The staff were attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable dining experience. Each course of the kaiseki menu was presented beautifully, showcasing a blend of traditional Japanese culinary artistry with subtle Californian influences. The highlights for me were the braised sea bass with its delicate yuzu gelee and the perfectly cooked Wagyu beef, which was both tender and flavorful.However, while the food and service were exceptional, I have some reservations about its Michelin star status. The quality and presentation were top-notch, but I felt that the overall experience, while delightful, did not fully align with other Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve visited in terms of creativity and culinary innovation.Additionally, considering the price point, I found Wakuriya to be slightly overpriced. While I understand and appreciate the quality of ingredients and the skill involved in preparing such dishes, the cost seemed a bit steep when weighed against the overall dining experience.In conclusion, Wakuriya is undoubtedly a great restaurant that I would recommend for those seeking high-quality Japanese cuisine in San Mateo. The serene atmosphere and meticulously prepared dishes make for a memorable dining experience. However, if you’re looking for a Michelin star-level experience, you might want to temper your expectations slightly, especially considering the price. Nonetheless, Wakuriya remains a gem in San Mateo’s culinary scene, and I am glad to have experienced its offerings."

Hachi Ju Hachi

Hachi Ju Hachi

14480 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, 95070, United States Of America

Soup • Fish • Sushi • Asian


"This is an Omikaze which is a boiled dish restaurant. The emphasis is on a light cuisine and sashimi. There is an open kitchen view; you can sit at the counter or at a table. The atmosphere is supposed to have a local and small-community feel. The restaurant gave us a Midnight Diner (on Netflix) aura.You have the option of choosing your own courses or try a Kaiseki which are a set series of dishes that the Chef has chosen to tell a story with particularly paired flavor profiles.We chose our own dishes:Pork Belly with Black Vinegar (highly recommend, so flavorful that I ordered seconds), Box Sushi with Salmon (Chef Suzuki swapped in a fatty salmon because my girlfriend had frequented the restaurant before), Mushroom select soup (very light), Chazuke Rice in Broth with Scorched Rice and Sauteed Konbu Kelp (leathery kelp that has a great consistency and mouth feel) with Spinach. We also tried the Beef Gyoza which was also very flavorful with the right amount of crisp.I also had a nice imported Japanese beer and a lemony dessert sake.Carbs/fried options are recommended to go at the end because they fill you up and take away from the flavor profile of other dishes if you fill yourself up first.It can be a bit pricey, but that is expected with rampant inflation and price gouging across the United States. Also, their choice of ingredients and imported alcohol is not incredibly cheap.Despite some of the overly critical and pretentious reviews that I have seen of this place, I would recommend at least trying it out, being nice and respectful (that goes a long way), and having an open mind about the chef’s approach, history, storytelling, and journey.Chef Suzuki and staff were explicitly kind and accommodating to us even with 3 other tables while we were there. If you come enough times and get to know him, then you will have a chance to write on the wall and have a specially prepared meal in the back room with him. See the attached picture of the art on the wall that Chef Suzuki did himself. Parking: Plenty of parking in side streets and nearby businesses."