rev:text
| - I've been coming here so long the owner has practically seen me grow up from a sheltered junior high school student who would make special trips downtown just to eat here to a university student who now lives quite close by. Not to sound too arrogant, but ever since my friend and I found out about this place, we've tried our best to spread it like a fabulous, delicious disease. I've introduced many a friend to this restaurant, who've in turn introduced their friends, etc. to the point where I'll often run into people I know when eating here.
Why is it so good? It's good because it doesn't try too hard. Manpuku doesn't sell itself on being a "trendy" restaurant capitalising on its Japaneseness. (Asian restaurants that play up their own Asianness as 'exotic' just ring warning bells!) Instead they try to be good at what they do, which is make delicious and cheap casual Japanese food not easily found at other Japanese restaurants in Toronto.
I'm too shy to make conversation with the employees but you do see many other regulars who will sit at the bar counter and chat with them.
Don't be surprised then, to come at a time when the place is very busy. The service is usually very good, with the owner and the more experienced waitresses usually being very reliable. Expect longer wait times and reminding them when it's really busy though. Only once recently did we get an obviously-new waitress (I'd never seen her before either), but it wasn't an inconvenience.
Almost all the food is good, I promise. This isn't fine dining, but it's great comfort food. They do a hearty udon soup that I haven't had anywhere else in Toronto. There are also other dishes that are fairly original or are just not common here, like hotate rice and shirauo rice. They also have natto, if that's your thing. I haven't had better takoyaki in Toronto for their price, either.
I could keep raving about it but I think the reviews and what I've written so far have said enough, so go try it yourself!
|