Tamatebako - Torrance

It's a pity that not many people have noticed, but the restaurant has officially reopened after a 6 to 8 month ownership change. Although they’ve had to significantly trim their menu (at least for now), they still offer tasty Japanese set menus featuring plenty of vegetables, along with good wine and beer options. I hope that as more people discover it, they'll eventually bring back the old menu. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the hamburger plates, pork ginger, and curry rice.

The hotel has a lot of history and has a nice ambiance. However, the curry here leaves much to be desired. The hamburger meat is prepared decently, but the portion is surprisingly small for $12. On the bright side, you do get a generous amount of rice, so there's that! Unfortunately, they don't offer lemonade or iced green tea, which was disappointing. As someone who appreciates traditional Japanese curry, I didn't find it at this place. If you're looking for the same meal but want to save a few bucks, I recommend checking out Japonaise Bakery and Cafe. You can even visit the bakery next door for some of the best Japanese French pastries around. On a positive note, parking is convenient, there's no waiting, and the staff here are excellent. Because of their service, I'm giving an additional star—so I rate it three stars instead of two. Japonaise Bakery and Cafe (along with Cream Pan) in Tustin are two reasons why Orange County is such a great place to live!

I had lunch at this restaurant with my friend Jay, who recommended it. Upon entering, I noticed the place was about 80% full with the lunchtime crowd, mostly consisting of Japanese patrons, which is a promising sign for a Japanese restaurant in Torrance. The service was fast and friendly. I ordered the Pork Katsu Curry ($9.95), which came with a small salad, steamed white rice, and Japanese pickles. The pork quality was excellent, with minimal fat, which I appreciate, so kudos to Tamatebako for using high-quality meat. They also serve cold iced tea instead of water, which I thought was a nice touch. It’s easy to overlook this restaurant since it’s located on the side of a building and their sign is quite small. Overall, I highly recommend this place for a quick and delicious Japanese lunch! Thank you!

There is no longer a Tametabako. At the second renovation, Redac has removed lunch and most dinner. Now they have a buffet breakfast and starbucks branded coffee. At dinner, they have about 8 basic entrees, something like pasta, hamburger set, and tonkatsu or something. It seems they decided to just have a bar and a bit of food for hotel guests rather than attempting to have a restaurant. Too bad, I liked some of the previous food and service staff. You can see for yourself at the hotel website which is linked. That is the current photo and hours.

So I was still hungry after my uni Quality Seafood. Found this place from yelp app. This place is located inside an old hotel. The receptionist the hotel looked like she was bored. She was just staring the wall and didn't say a word. I asked her where the restaurant was and she just pointed the restaurant and didn't say a word. We ordered sukiyaki and hamburg steak. The menu was HUGE!! Sukiyaki: it was hot and tasty. Too bad the quality of the beef wasn't the best. I really like the broth a lot. Perfectly cooked. 4 stars!! Hamburg Steak: I wish we didn't order this. This ruined my experience. It was just average. 2 stars!! 3 stars!! Tamatebako's sukiyaki is yummylicious!!