Tama's Sushi, Jacksonville-Neptune Beach, FL - Forget About It

I've eaten in lots and lots of Japanese restaurants - both during the 4 years we lived in Japan and in many areas of the U.S. since we returned from Japan. I usually enjoy the experience. However, Tama's Sushi in Neptune Beach, FL was an exception. My meal there last night ranks as one of the worst Japanese meals I've ever had. We went there with my niece and her husband to introduce them to some Japanese dishes other than sushi before their upcoming assignment to Japan. We were really disappointed.


I normally start with a favorable bias toward authentic Japanese restaurants, so it takes a bit of work for me to end up with a negative view. From what I had read about this restaurant before going, it sounded authentic. A look at the menu reinforced my view. However, in this case, authentic did not equal tasty.


One of our appetizers was shuumai, a type of pork dumplings that originated in China. This is the first time that I've ever had shuumai that I didn't like. We had them deep fried instead of steamed. That was probably a mistake.


Two of us had tonkatsu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkatsu), a dish which I usually love, as our entrée. Tonkatsu is a pork cutlet that is breaded and deep fried, then cut into slices. The cutlet is accompanied with a delicious sauce called bulldog sauce. Tonkatsu is normally served with rice and shredded cabbage. Normally, the cutlet is sliced after being fried. In this case, gnarled strips of pork were sliced first, then breaded and fried. The result was the worst tonkatsu I've ever had. The strips of pork were dry and flavorless. The rice was mediocre.


My niece and my wife had yakisoba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakisoba), a noodle dish which is often sold at Japanese festivals. It is of Chinese origin, but has been adapted to Japanese tastes. It uses ramen-style wheat noodles and includes vegetables and pork. It incorporates a yakisoba sauce and is usually garnished with ginger. Tama's offered versions with and without meat. My wife ordered a version without meat. She normally loves yakisoba. She considered last night's version tasteless.


We also had some sushi. It was mediocre at best.


Did I enjoy anything? Yes - my Kirin beer and the soup, which was a simple broth - not miso soup.