Tamatebako - Torrance

It's unfortunate that not too many have noticed but they've officially re opened after a 6 8 month change in ownership. Although they've had to drastically reduce their menu (seems for the time being) they do still serve up good Japanese set menus with alot of veggies with wines and beers tastes good. Hopefully with more people noticing they'll bring back the old menu... until then it's hamburger plates, pork ginger and curry rice for me.

Whatevers Curry The hotel has history and is pretty cool. The curry here is whatevers. The hamburger meat is prepared ok... you just get a tiny portion for 12 bucks. Oh, but they do give you a ton of rice. Thanks! No lemonade and No Ice Green Tea. I am a fan of old school Japanese curry. I just did not find it here. For the exact same meal and save a few bucks.. go to Japonaise Bakery and Cafe. You can even go next door and get some of the best Japanese French Bakery around. [hidden link] On the positive note.. parking is easy, no wait, and the staff here are fantastic. In fact, because of the staff I give an extra star. Three stars instead of two. Japonaise Bakery and Cafe (and Cream Pan), Tustin.. two reasons why the OC is the best place to live.

I had lunch here with my buddy, Jay, on his suggestion. When we walked in, the restaurant was 80% full with the lunch crowd and was just about all Japanese, which is a good sign for a Japanese restaurant in Torrance. The service is quick and friendly. I had the Pork Katsu Curry $9.95) that comes with a small salad, steamed white rice, and Japanese pickles. The quality of the pork was excellent with little fat which is something I don't like), so props to Tamatebako for using good quality meat. You get cold iced tea instead of water which is a nice touch. I think you could easily pass this restaurant because it's on the side of a building and their sign on the street is small. Overall, I recommend this restaurant for a quick, good, Japanese lunch! Xie Xie!!

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!!