I've never been the biggest fan of Teri Cafe, which I've always thought served low second tier Americanized, Japanese food with sort, kinda, maybe, a plate lunch-ish touch. There were however, folks who really felt that I was totally wrong and they've let me know that over the years. So, I finally decided to circle back to Teri Cafe and give them a serious shot, just no "rolls" or ramen for me. I was in for quite a surprise.
So, first things first. The miso woup here was heinously bad, watered down, lukewarm and without flavor.
Second, my yakisoba was delivered and I was given a fork and spoon....no chopsticks, which I had to go and get.
The noodles were decent, but overall this wasn't nearly as good as what I had here before, which wasn't all that great anyway. The flavor was on the bland side, I like my yakisoba to have hints of worcestershire and the flavor here was faint. It also lacked any of the typical garnishes like pickled ginger. I was content with the chicken, which could have been cooked a bit more to give it a bit of crust, but it was fairly moist. I was glad the teriyaki sauce was on the side as the version here tastes a bit too heavy in soy and is pretty salty.
As I was leaving I was surprised to see the change of ownership notification......
And a few days later, Teri Cafe became Katsu Cafe. So why not check it out, right?
It was exactly the same restaurant, menu, decor......
Ironically, "Katsu" isn't on the menu per se; it's still listed as Chicken Cutlet and Pork Cutlet on the menu. I recall being corrected once when I ordered the Chicken Katsu, "you mean, the chicken cutlet...."
Well, to check on the namesake, sort of, I ordered the Chicken Katsu Cutlet ($8.65). It was nice to see that I was provided chopsticks by the really friendly....extra friendly, like everyone suddenly took happy pills friendly, girls here.
And guess what, they brought me chopsticks without having to ask for them!
You really can't fault the portion size, though that green salad is much too large and the dressing too thin and sour. The potato-mac salad on the other hand is decent, but seems to have a bit of a citrus taste to it that I really don't care for.
The chicken could have been fried a while longer, it was too light in color and soft. Much of it peeled away from the chicken, meaning the product was probably too cold when breaded. The sauce tasted like by-the-book bottled katsu sauce, which is not a bad thing. All-in-all, it was sustenance.
One big improvement; the miso soup, while still not great, at least had more flavor and was served hot.
This was certainly not a bad lunch; so I decided to return.
Tonkatsu, ummmm Pork Cutlet ($8.65):
Basically the same production as the previous visit with the miso soup and salads. This time however, they had done a nice fry job on the pork. The panko was crisp and sported a nice color. Just based on the portion size and price point, I didn't expect this to be say; Kayaba, and it was not, as the pork was on the dry side, though it was adequately tender.
So where does Katsu Cafe rank? Well kinda in the Chopstix category for me. It's not bad, the portions are fairly large, the staff seemed a lot more friendly...the owner was bouncing around contantly talking on his phone rather loudly, checking the television, the doors, everything but the customers on both visits; kind of like he didn't feel comfortable talking to them..... Personally, based on these two visits, I think it's a bit better than it was, perhaps new blood has provided a bit of fire. Plus, I overheard the owner talking loudly on the phone that he was replacing Pepsi with Coke.
So perhaps I'll drop in every once in a while to see if they start calling their Cutlet, Katsu.......
Katsu Cafe
7305B Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
interesting name if they aren't using it for the cutlet...
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 29 January 2014 at 09:12 PM
I really appreciate your "Beware of" posts.
Katsu Cafe and the Turkistan burrito place will never see me visiting.
Thanks, Gypsy Jan
Posted by: Gypsy Jan | Wednesday, 29 January 2014 at 10:43 PM
Is it really that hard to make Miso soup? Is it wrong to judge a restaurant alone by it's miso soup? IMO, if they can't make the most simple stuff....I'm done ranting. :-)
I think all the dishes is missing an easy over egg.
Posted by: nhbilly | Thursday, 30 January 2014 at 04:55 AM
It is Kat...hopefully they'll change the name on their menu.
Thanks GJ - I think Katsu Cafe is ok if you want Americanized Japanese, but that "Doner" was terrible. Thanks as always for reading.
Ii's not Billy, but that is where a lot of places cut corners and water things down.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 30 January 2014 at 06:19 AM
I like how they just stuck a banner over the old name and called it a day - no decor change or anything. I hadn't been to Teri Cafe in a long, long time but it was always decent. Nothing awe inspiring or anything - sounds about the same with the new owner.
Posted by: Mary | Thursday, 30 January 2014 at 08:44 AM
Bummer about the yakisoba. What places have good yakisoba? I like it at Khan's Cave.
Posted by: Soo | Thursday, 30 January 2014 at 10:33 AM
My friend comes here all the time b/c he says it's cheap, good food. I visited once with him and thought it was ok. Have you tried any of their rolls/sushi? I think my combo way back then had 4 pieces of CA roll or something. Do they have the katsu sauce on the table or do you have to request it?
Posted by: Faye | Thursday, 30 January 2014 at 04:28 PM
Quick and dirty Mary! I'm sure (I hope) they get a new sign and actually change the name of the "cutlets" on their menu.
Hi Soo - I thought Tajima made a decent yakisoba, I haven't had it in a while, need to check it out.
Hi Faye - They bring you a squeeze bottle of the sauce when you order katsu. You know I'm not a big rolls guy...so I really can't help you there.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 31 January 2014 at 06:25 AM
Yeah, friends rave about Teri(Katsu) Cafe but I always thought they were mediocre. I always thought their Miso soup was lame too (I didn't think it improved as Ktsu). It's an OK alternative to Niban but I think Niban is a little better.
Posted by: Denver | Friday, 31 January 2014 at 10:59 AM
Teri Cafe in Oceanside is waaaaaaaay better.
Posted by: Michelle | Wednesday, 05 March 2014 at 06:30 PM
I am a regular patron, 3-4 times a month. I was disturbed by the way
clean glasses from the kitchen were being handled and stacked on the front counter, so I reported it to the owner. Today I was pleased to see a new and safer procedure had been implemented. Nice to see others also care about food safety. As to other posts, the food and portions are both excellent. The owner seems to be the same person as before.
Posted by: Robert | Tuesday, 18 March 2014 at 01:34 PM
Hi Robert - Well, "the food and portions are both excellent", that's all relative....
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 18 March 2014 at 08:03 PM