Tani's Kitchen - Japanese, Daly City

32 Park Plaza Drive, Daly City, CA 94015
(650) 992-1701
Parking: shopping center parking, street parking
Hours: Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sat 12pm-9:30pm, Sun 2pm-9pm, Closed Wednesdays
Last Visited: March 22, 2012

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Josh told me about Tani's and how his favorite dish their is the tonkatsu.  With that in mind, a friend and I decided to check it out together.

Located on on the outerside of Westlake Shopping Center, you might pass by it without a second look.  The restaurant is pretty tiny and would be described as a hole in the wall.  The small L-shaped counter seats about six people when packed and the way the small amount of tables are filled (sometimes three to a table typically meant for two at most restaurants) gives you a sense of being packed like a sardine.  Yet, Tani's has a line waiting out the door.  We waited about twenty minutes to get a table. 

Once inside, we saw a lot of people ordering the curry.  My friend ordered it and said it was a little sweet.
- California Rolls with real crab - The California rolls tasted fresh, but the roll itself was just ok when it comes to presentation.  First, I noticed that they weren't cut evenly, so you saw variation in the height of the pieces.  The other problem with them was that they weren't rolled tightly enough, so they fell apart when I picked them up with chopsticks.  While the flavor was fine, the seaweed wasn't as crisp as it could be.  Considering how closely I was sitting next to the kitchen, it should have come out sooner and the texture seems to indicate that it sat for a few minutes waiting to be served.  These rolls also come with a small serving of pickled ginger. $3.95

- Tonkatsu - The tonkatsu pork chop comes with green salad, macaroni salad, and rice.  The dressing on the green salad is thick and wasn't particularly pleasant to my tastes.  The macaroni salad lacked flavor and just seemed to be dressed in too much mayonnaise.  The tonkatsu was nicely breaded, but fried too dark.  The pork chop cut was a bit too fatty for me, so a portion was inedible.  $8.25

Service is efficient, mainly so you can get out the door faster and they can take new customers.  It's not particularly warm, but not too bad either.  My tea was refilled without my asking for it. 

The prices are reasonable and the food is decent - I would say it's an ideal place for college students whom might have a less discerning palate and are on a budget.  To go orders take quite a long time - some people waited for as long as 45 minutes, so call ahead.  Also, it's cash only, so come prepared.