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| - The last time I ate here was 6 years ago! We wanted to eat somewhere close to where we were running errands and I wanted to give Toh Zan another try. We got here around 1. There were a few tables of customers here and it was pretty warm inside which I didn't mind too much since it was chilly outside.
After browsing through the menu I went with the katsu chicken lunch special and shared the takoyaki. It was made in a few short minutes. The takoyaki came in a set of 6 and looked delectable with a drizzle of Japanese mayo and seaweed powder. It was very basic but really well executed. I think it was house-made because it was very different from any store-bought takoyaki I've ever had. The outer layer was very light, crisp, and golden brown. The inner filling had a lovely savory custard-like center with a single piece of octopus inside. It wasn't a bad deal at $5 for 6, I'd get it again.
The lunch special looked awesome with a lot of variety. The chicken katsu came with steamed rice, chicken+vegetable gyoza, side salad, yakitori chicken skewer, vegetable and shrimp tempura. I enjoyed all the elements in my meal. The chicken katsu was super crispy with white meat chicken. The steamed rice was plentiful and the side salad consisted of shredded cabbage in a delicious (Miso?) vinaigrette. The chicken skewer was well marinated and cooked well. I enjoyed the crispiness of the gyoza and the tempura. The batter of the tempura was light and not greasy at all. It tasted similar to how my mom used to make it when I was a kid (Except they make it better here haha). The meal included tempura green beans, carrot, kabocha squash, and a single piece of shrimp cooked perfectly on the inside. The lunch special was around $8 which was well worth the money.
The Japanese couple co-owners seem to be the only people running the show here so there might be a few elements missing from service when there are multiple tables to serve. Our food arrived but we didn't get any water that we asked for.
Due to the good lunch experience we had here, upgrade a star! Thanks for the delicious meal.
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