Japanese food/restaurant

[GeneD]

So I'm taking my whole family to a Japanese restaurant near my house tomorrow over lunch time and I just know they are all going to ask me about the food/what to order, when the fact is I have no more experience than they do, so... does anyone have any advice for me? I'm pretty excited and I'm sure it functions just like any other restaurant but I thought I'd ask anyway.

If you eat Japanese food/eat out at Japanese restaurants regularly what do you prefer to order? Anyone got any interesting experiences to share? What would you recommend to someone who's never had Japanese food besides sushi before? Discussion of Japanese food in general is welcome too of course. ^__^

[shooraijin]

When I lived in my cramped apartment, oddly enough a midrange upscale Japanese joint was barely a mile away, so I ate there a lot. They had a dinner combination of steak teriyaki, tempura assortment (shrimp and vegetables), salad, miso and a sashimi side of red tuna (maguro) and "whitefish" (red snapper or similar). I now live about 20 minutes away from there, but I still get the same thing and the waitresses still remember me. If I order sushi, I like salmon and tamago (sweet egg). The other Japanese place I frequent, I get chicken teriyaki, two orders of salmon sushi (4) and an order of tamago.

So here's my worth-as-much-as-anyone-else's advice:

Everybody likes chicken teriyaki and it's hard for places to mess that up. Beef teriyaki can be a mixed bag: some places it's actually steak ( ) and some places it's sliced beef that's stir fried (which is okay) and some can be chopped patties or even ground beef. When it's good, it's great, but it's not always good. Salmon teriyaki can be easily overcooked.

Similarly, everybody likes tempura assortments and unless they use a horrible batter, those are pretty hard to screw up too.

Gyoza, sashimi and sushi are best ordered after you have a better idea of what the place serves. Sushi and sashimi are heavily dependent on the quality of the fish and I've had some that were rubber or "weird."

I only like Hokkaido ramen and very few places serve it. If you have a Santouka in your neighbourhood, usually as part of a Mitsuwa or other shopping mall, EAT THERE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. That stuff is godly. I find the other ramen varients too watery, though Nabeyaki udon is fun if they don't wreck the egg and the noodles are good and hearty.

Not generally a fan of sukiyaki.

My 10 yen, of course.

[Masaru]

Lucky you, having a Japanese restaurant close by. xD
Anyhow, having spent some months studying over in Japan, I can hopefully help you out a bit here.

Before I get to food, though, there are a couple things about Japanese restaurant culture to keep in mind: One is that generally, you'll call your server over to the table when you're ready to order and such instead of waiting for them to come to you. The other big one is that there's no tipping. Since it's outside of Japan, I wouldn't say these apply necessarily, but something good to keep in mind if you find you're waiting forever and no one's come to take your order yet. xD From personal experience, the Japanese restaurant nearest to me has no tipping, but the service is like a typical American restaurant.

Anyway, food! I'll list what I can off the top of my head and may edit more in later. If you happen to be able to find a menu for the place online or something I could probably give recommendations off of that as well.

Tonkatsu is basically fried pork cutlet.. I usually found it served with rice, and with miso sauce or curry on top.. that's pretty much it. xD
Curry's also a dish on its own; probably would be served with at least rice. It -is- at least somewhat spicy, but not like Indian curry level or anything like that. I dunno how I'd describe the taste.. maybe someone can help me out with that. xD
If they have ramen there, that's also a pretty good pick.. typical flavors are soy sauce/miso/pork/salt (yep, salt). Fair warning though, if you've eaten any instant ramen it may be difficult to go back to after having more authentic stuff.. as was my experience >.>
I really liked Yakisoba, too.. buckwheat noodles fried in some sauce, along with pieces of cabbage and pork. The sauce is.. well, Wikipedia is telling me it's a "sweetened, thickened variant of Worcestershire sauce".

That's most of what I can think of that isn't too "out there" xD Hope you have a good time out with your family!

[ClosetOtaku]

Caveat: It's hard to say without knowing what your local shop specializes in, but...

I've been to a number of Japanese restaurants both outside and in Japan, and can tell you that nothing beats a really good bowl of udon or ramen. I know, I know, when we think Ramen we normally think of that brick-o-noodles with the packet of flavored salt lick, but a really good Japanese restaurant will change your view on that in a heartbeat. Check out what others have to say -- a good restaurant will have rave reviews for its noodle dishes -- but if you don't see good reviews (or any reviews), you may want to pass on it.

They may serve Japanese curry. This is normally a toned-down version of what you might find in Indian or Thai restaurants. It's pretty much a staple food for workers and students throughout Japan, and correctly prepared (it's very easy to make at home) it is filling and delicious. Another cheap-and-easy meal is omu-rice (omelet rice), which is just as it sounds, basically fried rice wrapped up in an omelet.

Can't go too wrong with Tonkatsu (breaded pork filet) with its tangy sauce -- can't go too right with it, either, you'll want to round this out with some soup or sushi. There are lots of variations on this (chicken, for example) that may be available. You may find a variation called Tonkatsu Donburi, which includes egg and rice, and this is quite a meal by itself.

It's possible that you will find broiled whole fish (typically mackerel) -- I've actually seen this more frequently in Korean restaurants -- which, with rice and soup, is a great meal. Watch out for the bones, though.

I try not to make a full meal out of tempura, but it is possible. Vegetables are good, but I always save the shrimp tempura for last.

Even better, they may have bento boxes, which usually give you a nice set of different flavors and textures -- typically tempura, gyoza, teriyaki, a small sushi roll, rice, soup. Every shop has their own idea.

Again, I don't know the offerings of your local restaurant, but I've had good experiences with yakitori places (in both Osaka and Los Angeles), so long as you have an open mind to eating whatever piece of the chicken happens to come out of the butcher shop. Love those livers and hearts.

Good okonomiyaki is a rare experience outside of Osaka or Honolulu. I've found that the best shops are the ones who specialize in it, but if it is on the menu along with a lot of different types of food, you might want to get something else, as the quality is generally disappointing (they take a lot of shortcuts). If you do get it, it is a meal in itself.

Of course there will be plenty of appetizers; I normally go with the edamame (boiled, salted soybeans in the pod), sunomono (seafood and vegetables in vinegar), or a seaweed salad. A lot of places in the US serve a house salad with a ginger dressing that I've never really developed a taste for.

Hope that helps a little. Nothing wrong with some experimentation.

[Xeno]

Before I get to food, though, there are a couple things about Japanese restaurant culture to keep in mind: One is that generally, you'll call your server over to the table when you're ready to order and such instead of waiting for them to come to you. The other big one is that there's no tipping. Since it's outside of Japan, I wouldn't say these apply necessarily, but something good to keep in mind if you find you're waiting forever and no one's come to take your order yet. xD From personal experience, the Japanese restaurant nearest to me has no tipping, but the service is like a typical American restaurant.

Having eaten at a number of Japanese-style restaurants in the US, but never overseas, I'd like to say that waiters and waitresses have always acted like they have in other establishments (they come to the table) and tipping is expected. YMMV, but I'd count on these being more common than how things are outside of the US.

As far as food recommendations go, everyone else has already hit everything, so I've nothing to add on that front.

[shooraijin]

and ripping is expected.

My goodness. I tip, it's easier.

I wish I liked curry more, but I just don't.

[Xeno]

Oh autocorrect correct, how you ruin my life.

[DaughterOfZion]

It may just be a result of where I live but most japanese restaurants, at least around here, are not owned and staffed by Japanese people, they're generally Korean or Chinese (though I have seen the odd hispanic chef on rare occasions, again probably as a result of my location). Following Japanese customs will probably just result in a somewhat bewildered staff. If you have a large population of Japanese people in your area you may have more luck. This isn't a knock on the food, as most restaurants I've been to are quite good even if they aren't quite "authentic".

[GeneD]

Thanks so much everyone for the detailed responses. We had a really fun time. I had tonkatsu with rice and miso soup, I particularly liked the soup. Everyone else between them had miso ramen, sushi, beef and chicken teppanyaki with rice/noodles, chicken&fried rice and a bento box. There was general consensus that the teppanyaki was really good. Dessert was deep fried ice cream but I had green tea ice cream which no one really liked but me. Next time I want to try the chicken teppanyaki. The portions were pretty big so that was cool.

As for customs and such, it was pretty much just like any other restaurant here, staff come to you/tipping, and as far as I know it's not owned by Japanese people

[goldenspines]

As a mini note, I believe you will only see the "no tipping, ever!" thing in Japan (because of how jobs, in the food industry especially, work over there), because I'm pretty sure if they are allowed to get tips, they will get them. XD;
The no tipping rule may extend to some high end sushi bars outside Japan, though, but usually they charge you enough to not need a tip. XD

I'm a little late to the thread, but glad you all had fun and yummy food, Gene! Green tea ice cream is the best. 8D
I suggest trying ramen, soba, or udon sometime if you can as well. :9

[randomuser2349]

Sushi and sashimi.

[Yuki-Anne]

Yeah, I'ma say if it's a restaurant in America, no matter what kind, they expect you to tip.

And most Japanese places I've been to in America aren't staffed by Japanese people, like DaughterofZion said. Just act like an American (a polite American) when you go to a restaurant in America. Even if they are real Japanese people they expect you to act like an American. And if you just assume they're Japanese because they're Asian and they work in a Japanese restaurant you could get into trouble, so... yeah.

[shooraijin]

What's funny is the Japanese joint I like has Japanese waitresses (who advise on their favourite supermarkets and think my pathetic attempts at the language are amusing), but the new owner is Korean and they recently put bulgogi et al on the menu.

[Masaru]

tipping

Huh, I guess my local place must be quite the anomaly, then, because they don't take tips o_o;

[randomuser2349]

And most Japanese places I've been to in America aren't staffed by Japanese people, like DaughterofZion said. Just act like an American (a polite American) when you go to a restaurant in America. Even if they are real Japanese people they expect you to act like an American. And if you just assume they're Japanese because they're Asian and they work in a Japanese restaurant you could get into trouble, so... yeah.

Yeah. Most of the Japanese places where I live are run by Koreans. The All-you-can-eat places sushi places are usually run by Chinese.