Japanese food is one of our favorite dishes. Since my son’s childhood we would go to the first and only Japanese restaurant near our apartment, TADAKUMA. It started as a tiny restaurant located near the Central Bank until it grew and had 2 more small outlets in better locations. When we crave Japanese food, we would think of nothing else but Tadakuma.
Every time we went to Tadakuma we ordered the same set of food again and again: Gyudon, Ebi Tempura, Chicken Terriyaki, Seafood Ramen, and Seafood Chahan.
Years passed. We transferred to another house and seldom visited the original Tadakuma restaurant and even its new branches. Some Japanese fast-food restaurants have emerged in the city. We tried some but Tadakuma’s Gyudon was unbeatable.
Today was different though. My daughter convinced us to try a newly opened Japanese restaurant in SM Mall named BOTEJYU.
The façade was enticing so I did not refuse and got in.
The ambience was good: new furniture, good lighting, clean spaces and the space as a whole was bigger than Tadakuma. It feels like the costs are higher. We were right but we still find their prices reasonable.
My son ordered Beef Hayashi while my daughter ordered Chicken Butter Rice Bowl. They wanted something with rice hence their orders. I ordered something the three (3) can share. I ordered Seafood Sashimi Salad, Fried Prawn Tempura, California Maki Roll and Chicken Terriyaki.
Good food!
So let me compare the two (2) Japanese restaurants.
In terms of Ambience
The design of Tadakuma is more traditional. It has small tables partnered with wooden tables. It also has soft lighting which gives a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere. Every time customers get in, the waiters greet each other in Japanese. The same when customers go out, they would say thanks in Japanese. There is more Japanese touch because the Japanese owner was always visible, supervising his staff in the restaurant.
Botejyu is a bit modern. It is relatively bigger than any typical Japanese restaurant. The lights are brighter therefore showing the busy movements of the waiters. Of course, it is noisier given that it can accommodate more customers. The waiters do not emulate the Japanese language.
In terms of Price
Apparently Botejyu has slightly higher prices. This may be unacceptable for those on a budget but may still be good enough for some. Price difference may be due to some factors like location, rental, etc.
In terms of Food Taste Quality
I think both have their own specialty, so it is honestly difficult to compare their food except those we have tried in the same restaurants as the California Maki and Fried Tempura.
I find Tadakuma’s California Maki better. It is more flavorful because there was so much inside the roll. There is an equal amount of mango, cucumber, imitation crab sticks and these complemented the taste of the seaweed and tobiko, not to mention the mayo. Botejyu’s maki, for me, is boring. The rice was dry and as you can see, it is almost all about the imitation crab and just some cucumber inside.
As for tempura, Botejyu’s is better. It is freshly served, well-cooked and very soft. Tadakuma’s tempura looks uninteresting and tastes just like that. You cannot eat them altogether because the prawn shell is still hard.
In terms of Food Presentation
I had a good first impression of Botejyu’s presentation. Their cutlery, serving dishes and glassware are more presentable than that of Tadakuma because the latter simply uses plastic without much effort on decorating the dish.
I believe that tableware or dishware should be equally important as the food being served because it binds the whole table together. The food in Botejyu looked more appealing and that added to the divine experience.
In terms of Accessibility
Both restaurants have strategic locations, but Botejyu’s advantage is that it is inside a frequently visited mall. If the restaurant is full, customers can kill their time while waiting for their turn by going around the mall first then just come back. Tadakuma branches cannot offer this because they are outside and not even near a mall. They do not even have a waiting area, so when they are full, the customers immediately decide to look for another restaurant.
After these observations, I will still remain a loyal customer of Tadakuma for its food taste, but in terms of convenience, I will go for Botejyu.
Photos edited with Pic Collage.