General thoughts - I found Sanka Tei from when I decided to drive around where I work to see where I can grab lunch from. This place is about as non-descript as it gets. Even though they have a few tables, all its foods are served in toss away plastic or styrofoam containers. Based on its take out menu, other than the restaurant's name, the next biggest words are "Take Out Sushi" so it should come as no surprise the containers are all disposable. There are 2 people running the restaurant, 1 makes the sushi/takes orders, and the other is the chef. I'm guessing they're a couple. It's not a very big place, but for a place this size the menu selection is quite good.Foods tasted - Curry rice with breaded pork, spicy tuna roll, spicy yellowtail roll, Katsu don, Kakiage udon
Thoughts -
1. Curry rice with breaded pork - It's very good. I like that the curry is very thick. Some places has very watery curry and that's flat out gross. The breaded pork wasn't tough and the breading isn't burnt. It has pieces of carrots and potatoes in it.
2. Spicy tuna roll - I just wanted to test something simple since I've never been there before. The fish was fresh, but my favorite part is that instead of the usual spicy mayonnaise (which add tons of calories), the spiciness comes from hot sauce poured directly onto the rice.
3. Kakiage udon - It's udon with vegetable tempura, seaweds, and 2 pieces of fish cakes. There wasn't a large amount of tempura but it was sufficient. The bowl looks smaller than it really is so I guess it was worth the $7 I spent on it. Sanka Tei's broth is good, but I have yet to decide which Japanese restaurants (of the ones I have reviewed so far) has the best one. *I only have the stock picture here because I forgot to take pictures the last time I was there but this is pretty close to the real thing.
4. Spicy yellowtail roll - I thought I'd give some different foods a try just to see (for my now third visit). The yellowtail is also fresh and the hot sauce was also poured onto the rice instead of the spicy mayonnaise. See above for pictures along with the spicy tuna roll.
5. Katsu don - Since the curry rice was good, I wanted to taste another dish that I often order at a Japanese restaurant (also for the third visit). It came with 2 pieces of raddish (which unfortunately I don't eat), a slice of honey dew (for dessert), and a small bunch of spaghetti noodles mixed with mayonnaise. I'm guessing it's suppose to be their version of coleslaw? Katsu don is basically a breaded pork cooked with sauted onions on top of a bed of rice with a cooked egg on top of it (I still can't figure out how they do the egg to get it to that consistency) and a sweet sauce. There's more than enough for a second meal.
Updated 9/21 - Yakisoba, Bibimbop, Squid and masago roll, Miso soup
Thoughts -
1. Yakisoba - If it's up to me, I usually get Yakisoba versus Yakiudon, which is the same stirfry dish but with fat white noodles instead of the skinner soba noodles. Yakisoba consists of pieces of cabbage, pork, carrots, and pickled red ginger stir fried in a teriyaki type sauce. I like that the noodles and the pork are not over done and the cabbage is not mushy. I also like that they put a generous amount of sauce in it, which is convenient for the reheating so that the noodles do not become dry as it is being reheated.
2. Bibimbop - This is another knockout dish from Sanka Tei. The dish contains shiitake mushrooms, carrots, sunny side up egg, thin slices of beef, sesame oil, shreds of daikon, pickles, seaweed, and a delicious sweet and spicy sauce on top of a bed of white rice. The presentation is great for a takeout dish like this. I also love that this sauce is spicy in addition to being sweet, which is what most restaurants serve alongside their bibimbop. This is one of those dishes where you pretty much have to mix everything together, egg yolks, sauce, and all in order to fully enjoy it. It does come with a side of miso soup. It's too bad that since this restaurant is mostly a takeout restaurant that they do not serve Dolsot bibimbop (bibimbop in a burning hot stone bowl). The difference besides the burning hot stone bowl is the bits of rice that are deliberately burnt from being in the bowl. It adds additional texture and taste to a bibimbop that you otherwise wouldn't have. I definitely would order this again.
3. Squid and masago (smelt roe) roll - This simple roll is only $3.25! The quality of both the sqauid and masago are great. It is a great alternative to the spicy tuna or spicy yellowtail roll. This roll made me want to order more squid nigiri (individual sushi pieces) the next time I eat at a Japanese restaurant.
4. Miso soup - I love the simplicity of miso soup - broth, miso paste, seaweed, cubes of tofu, scallions. I love the salty taste of the miso soup, the softness of the tofu, the taste and texture of the seaweed and the scallions. Fortunately, this is one of those soups that every Japanese restaurant can make correctly.
Final thoughts - Was it Very Yummy In My Tummy? I like it more and more each time I get food from there. Will I go back? I would, especially when I'm craving rice/noodles at work since it's only a mile away. I don't know if I would drive from home for it. I think they're starting to recognize me as they threw in a spicy tuna roll for free today. Score! As with other restaurants, I'll update with more pictures as I go back.
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