Koto Thursday, It's Sort Of A Tradition

Thursday is usually a pretty busy day for me and my friends. We have work (of course), then proceed to Richmond Food Bank to help in giving out food necessities (and some really random stuff w/c somehow found their way in the warehouse), then I go work out at the gym while the others head to the church for our worship team's band practice. After sweating myself out, I'd go back to the church and we'd start discussing where to eat, which usually ends up as either Aji Taro or Koto Izakaya. Our tongues seem to have been trained to crave Japanese food every Thursday and our choice would only be between those two. I don't join them in Aji Taro as much as I do in Koto Izakaya, mainly because Aji is all-you-can-eat and it kinds of defeats my purpose of working out earlier. But when it's decided that Koto it is, I make sure to go.

We are a funny but predictable bunch when ordering in Koto - we almost always get our usuals. There can be a lot of things to be said about that but yes, we're 'safe' and would only ever eat what we like. We're loyal and would stick to what works best with our taste. And really, there's no more time to decide with our tummies growling except to order off the menu dishes that we've tried-and-tested in quality and taste.

Kimichi Hot Pots, Chicken Udon, Katsudon, Deep Fried Gyoza, Old-Fashion Dynamite Roll, Rainbow Roll, California Maki, and Sukiyaki are some of the dishes that usually end up in our table. My friend claims that their California Maki is the best she's tasted in all of Richmond. And I and my other friend can vouch for their dynamite roll to have no equal in authencity and taste in the Japanese restaurants we've been to. This is probably one of the things I'd never get tired of eating. Everytime I take a bite, I am reminded of why I love it and what I've been missing eating. Lol! Yes, it is THAT good.

 

Old-Fashion Dynamite Roll. Doesn't this look soooo delightfully appetizing?

 

Rainbow Roll

 

Sukiyaki

Their Sukiyaki was a surprise to my Japanese roots (or so I think I have Japanese roots, haha!). The first time I ate Sukiyaki, I was abosultely smitten by the taste and it was immediately one of my favourites. This, as in all other authentic Japanese dishes, are no piece of cake to make and one I rarely get to eat when I was still in the Philippines. It's served in high-end Jap restaurants and really, who'd go for those on a regular basis, right? So Richmond is definitely heaven for me that I'm surrounded by all these great Japanese restaurants. (Okay, it's getting annoying writing Japanese restaurants, but really I don't know how else to refer to them!). And so I was suprised to learn that I can easily order Sukiyaki without going high-end in Koto Izakaya, and that is a real treat in itself already. I love this dish for the sweet soup base that's uniquely its own so I have high hopes when I first ordered this in Koto and was a bit disappointed at how it turned out. It still tastes like Sukiyaki but not how a Sukiyaki should taste like. It's quite bland and you can feel there's quite a few missing pieces in the recipe, or lack of them. Despite this, I still order it most times I go there (to satisfy my craving for one) but I am still on the quest of finding the best Sukiyaki in town. Well, you really can't expect much considering it's a late night treat when prices are cheaper. I'm crossing my fingers they'd perfect it one day though.

Don't expect fast customer service as well. It's always busy there and we sometimes have to remind them to bring some of our side orders. But despite that, we still like going and eating here, and plus we're already familiar faces to the owner and her staff. I got there a bit late one time and as I was looking for our table, one of the waitresses pointed me in the right direction, and I didn't even need to ask for who I was looking for. See? It's always good to know that customers are valued and remembered. Or prolly because we've been there one too many times. Haha!