The "T" Page
Last updated: 2000.6.12
Taka Japanese Restaurant
270 Bleams Road, Kitchener. 748-5456
Visited: Wednesday, August 25, 1999, 7pm
Formerly known as Japanese Taka Restaurant. The ownership changed earlier in 1999.
David:
I'm compressing two visits (one club, one non-club) into this review.
Back in the 'Eighties I developed a taste for Japanese food. (A
girlfriend convinced me to try raw fish for the first time, and lo and
behold, I liked it! She also convinced me to try anchovies on pizza.
Having tried it, I can only assume that the first person to put tiny
little fish on an otherwise edible pizza was either playing a nasty joke
on people, or a mental patient. But I digress.) The problem was that the
nearest Japanese restaurant was in Toronto. Then we discovered a Japanese
restaurant in Paris, of all places. We became regulars, although it wasn't
exactly somewhere to go on a whim being about forty minutes drive from home.
When Taka opened, down on Bleam's Road at the south end of
Kitchener, our visits to Paris dropped off precipitously. Taka was closer,
and Taka was better. (Now there are four Japanese restaurants in KW, and
Taka is the furthest away from us. The owners of the Paris restaurant
moved to Kitchener and opened Sora).
The seating area in Taka is divided by paper and wood partitions
into small dining areas. Although the partitions are hardly soundproof,
they give a sense of privacy, and the restaurant is generally quiet. There
is a small sushi bar behind which the chef works his magic on their sushi
and sashimi.
The first time we visited Taka after the ownership changed, Nora
and I ordered a sashimi boat between us. The serving was lovely, with
delicious looking raw fish piled on a large wooden boat, surrounded by
strings of daikon radish, pickled ginger, and that evil green Japanese
horseradish paste, wasabi. The only problem was that ninety percent of the
fish was salmon and tuna. Although I like raw salmon and tuna, I also
happen to like octopus, mackerel, and yellow fin, etc.
When the chef came around later, I had the temerity to ask about
the lack of variety on the sashimi plate. He explained that most Canadians
don't like the 'weird' fish, so he plays it safe and emphasizes the salmon
and tuna.
When we went a few weeks later on Club night, Nora and I asked for
a wide variety, and we got it. (This is not a problem we've had at any of
the other Japanese restaurants in town. Although the variety varies
between them, there is still a variety. The chef at Taka may be right
about Canadian preferences, but it means I'll have to be on my guard
whenever I order sashimi at a new restaurant).
We stocked up on appetizers as well. Yakitori (sweetly sauced
chicken on a skewer); tempura (lightly battered shrimp and vegetables with
a sweet dipping sauce); gyoza (fried pork dumplings with a dipping sauce,
not unlike Chinese pan-fried dumplings); and miso soup (a thin, tasty
broth with small chunks of seaweed and tofu). They were all very good.
Please note that tempura style is the only kind of breaded shrimp
I enjoy, all of the others consisting of a vile, dark, heavy batter in
which the tiny shrimp become lost.
Not everyone had raw fish. We also ordered katsura, a breaded pork
disk, and chicken teriyaki, chicken in a sweet teriyaki sauce.
Although I like teriyaki, many places serve it in a cloyingly
sweet sauce. When eaten along with some of the sweetened appetizers,
I feel a sudden onset of diabetes.
Our waitress that evening was brand new to the job. She was
shadowed by another waitress throughout the night who often tugged on her
sleeve and whispered in her ear as she took our orders. We eventually got
everything was ordered, but it took a bit of explanation now and then.
She apologetic and unfailingly polite, however, so I didn't mind her
inexperience in the least.
Rounded off with some Japanese beer, Asahi and Sapporo Dark (or,
as one waitress tried to explain to me, "brack beer"),
we had an excellent meal.
Alas, Japanese food comes at a price, and a fairly hefty one at
that. Although Taka is cheaper than most places in Toronto, and only
slightly more than the other Japanese restaurants in town, it's still not
cheap by any stretch of the imagination. A meal for six was about $200.00,
and that included only four beers. Admittedly, we over indulged on
appetizers. Not that we were surprised. We've had enough experience
with Japanese food to know what we were getting into.
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, Taka is well
worth a visit.
Traditions of the Conestoga
1333 Weber Street East (near Hiway Market), Kitchener.
Visited: Friday, November 20, 1998
July/99 Update: The hotel has changed names (switching to a different hotel chain association this past spring). The restaurant has been converted to a Golden Griddle. The restaurant is managed by the same people that run the Waterloo one. I got a chance to look at the new menu, and see that prime rib has been added to the list of selections. So I may pay them another visit to make a comparison. -dennis
Dennis:
This is a nicely decorated restaurant with a fireplace at one
end. Except for the group in the banquet room it was not very busy.
David:
We debated whether to try the restaurant at the Clarion Inn.
For many of us, a hotel restaurant is a place to have an
over-priced breakfast when there isn't anywhere good nearby.
The Friday night special for $12.95 is the all-you-can-eat Prime Rib.
As well as the large slab of meat, it came with your choice of potato
(baked, mashed, or fries) or rice; vegetables on a stick (zucchini,
mushrooms and tomato); and with or without gravy.
Three of us went for the special. One rare, one medium, and one
well done. Each was pleased with their choice. The prime
rib was nicely seasoned. I even managed to stuff in a second
portion of the prime rib.
With tax and tip our group of 5 had a bill of $100.
The menu ranges from a breakfast special of $3 all the way
up to $23; but most of the meals were in the $9-13 range.
Another hidden gem. If you like reasonably priced Canadian
cuisine, this is a restaurant I recommend.
Traditions was very pleasant surprise. The food was,
without exception, very good. The garlic shrimp appetizer, perhaps the
least of the things we ordered, were fine, but the seafood sauce was
homemade, and very tangy. (This is a rare find!) The prime rib itself was
done to our tastes: Dennis, I'm afraid to say, well-done; Annette, medium;
myself, mooing. It was very nicely seasoned, and came in a nice au jus. I
won't claim it was the very best prime rib I've had, but it was darn good.
Nora's Cajun chicken, while not quite spicy enough for Nora's hot
tastes, was incredibly tender. Gina's sirloin tips were also very good.
The chocolate cake that our server forced upon us at the end of the meal
(you should have seen me struggle manfully against her evil machinations)
was unspectacular, but nice.
The service was very friendly, if a bit scattered at times. It was
the server's first time in the restaurant. She had previously worked only
banquets. A couple of dinners went missing for a time due to
miscommunication with the kitchen, but things were righted quickly enough.
Prices were very reasonable. Most entrees were priced between
$7.95 and $12.95, and included potato and vegetable. The prime rib special
was only $12.95, but only Dennis and I could even think of having tiny
extra pieces of prime rib. (Alas, if only I were a teenager again -- I'd
live for Friday nights at Traditions!)
The atmosphere was very pleasant - lots of wood, high ceiling, and
fire place, but not formal. We almost had the place to ourselves on a
Friday night.
Traditions is not advertised at all. It isn't even listed in the
Yellow Pages separately from the hotel. They seem to make their business
from the bar (which was very busy), and banquets. It's a shame -- although
I guess that means it can be our little secret.