Tataki Japanese Resturant

Tataki is slightly isolated from the main body of Japanese restaurants located further down Glenhuntly Rd yet easy to find with lots of street parking
ATMOSPHERE
The restaurant was full in the front dining room with a group located in the function room. The décor is simple and reminded me of a small suburban Yakatori or Ramen Houses in Tokyo.
SERVICE
The floor is staffed by Japanese nationals which gives an authentic feel to the service, although may I say a little below par by Japanese standards. I noted a large number of locals who seem to be regulars and provided with a much warmer level of service. All this aside, the service was professional and speedy and I found the language barrier quite endearing adding a fun aspect to the service reminding me of my language and cultural faux pas I demonstrated during my visits to Japan over the years. No mistakes were made with orders and we were charged correctly. We used our Entertainment Book card for 30% discount and it was welcomed without fuss
FOOD AND DRINKS
The drinks list is good with a focus on Sake, Choya and Japanese Beers. The wine list is not too bad but wines by the glass are very limited. I think I read somewhere that they have a BYO wine service. we choose Kirin beers which was served with a small bowl of Sesame sprouts.
The specials board isn’t a special board as the items are listed in the main menu. The menu is well laid out and easy to understand. Given there were only two of us we were limited in our choices but will certainly return with a larger group to shared more dishes. We opted for the Chicken Yakatori, Eggplant andGyoza for starters… all equally delicious and simple. For main we opted for the Soft Shell Crab and Salmon. The crab was cooked perfectly and not doused in oil as I have encountered in some restaurants. The portion size was very good indeed but I would consider serving a small bowl of dipping sauce or Japanese spicy mayo rather than just soy sauce. the Salmon was simply delicious and subtlety marinated. We ordered a small bowl of rice to accompany which satisfied us both
ROUND UP
I will return and sample some other menu items. I had read reviews referring to the small portion sizes. I would disagree and suggest that the reviewers were not acquainted with Japanese cuisine or healthy portion sizes. The pricing I found «ok» but I will need to sample a larger menu to determine if it is great value or not. I noted a good value Banquet option. Our bill came to $ 75 before discount. Mains sit in the upper $ 25 range which I feel is reasonable given the simple and clean quality of the dishes

Never trust a restaurant with food in the front window.
That’s a motto I’ve stood by for a long time but I was intrigued at visiting this Japanese Restaurant because I love Japanese food. My other little qualm with Japanese food is that it’s always much more pricy for what it is.
The food is good but nothing crazy where the menu is all the items you’d expect. Maybe I was a little nervous the whole time just because I never could fully let myself go and enjoy it because the food is still in the window.
Just not sure about it…