Koto

Small but likeable little restaurant. Been here a few times now and haven’t left disappointed. The food is very tasty and the portion size won’t disappoint. The combination for 2 had like 14 chicken balls with it! A steady stream of people coming in for their take-​out orders should also be a testimony of their quality of food and price. Although, (take note Koto) that when a customer orders an appetizer the main course should not come 2 minutes later. Leave time to finish the apps. Our little table was quite crowded. This may be more of a server fault than the kitchen.
As for the server, not sure if she was really cut out for a dining restaurant — friendly enough but a little abrupt and boisterous. Needs someone to teach her about approaching the customer with ease and that not everyone is looking for her opinion. Could use a lesson in table manners and how to be more diplomatic in her approach. She had more of a diner personality.

I have to start by saying the food is ok. The Japanese Manu is not Japanese they have the name but not anything else. For example, The Japanese chicken curry and the tempura shrimp don’t use Japanese spices which is what I had ordered. In the tempura’s case the batter is not Japanese nor tries to be Japanese. Moreover, the style of Japanese curry more resemble Indian curry.

I got take-​out from Koto twice recently and must say I was quite satisfied both times. I have yet to eat in their dining room, but plan to do so in the future after two positive take out experiences. As such, this review really only concerns the food itself, and not an experience dining at Koto.
One thing Koto has going for it is the variety of dishes they offer. I find the whole pan-​Asian approach to be appealing because it’s nice to be able to get decent Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai dishes at one restaurant. Sometimes you just wanna mix and match your Asian foods!
The first time I got food from Koto I got Korean dumplings, hot and sour soup, and combo #1: sweet chili deep-​fried tofu with vegetables guy ding and steamed rice. I was certainly satisfied with the dumplings and the soup, but the combo, which was only $ 7.95, was a particularly good deal. A delicious dish that can feed you 2 or 3 times for under $ 10? Yes, please. The deep fried tofu was nice and soft inside. The sweet chili sauce goes well with it, but I would like to see them off or some other sauces for this delicious tofu because let’s face it, there’s an overabundance of sweet chili flavored things out there in the world. I will be getting this combo (combo #1 on the menu) again for sure. It’s an inexpensive combo that offers a generous portion of simple, yet satisfying comfort food.
Today, I wanted to get that combo again because I had enjoyed it so much, but I opted to try something new. I chose an order of the honey garlic spareribs, a spicy vegetable pad Thai, and a spring roll. The sauce for the ribs is a deep reddish-​purple-​different than most of the ribs you get around town. I found them to be pretty fatty, but good nonetheless because there were still nice pieces of meat on them. Now, for me, The quality of a restaurants pad Thai means a lot to me, it’s a go-​to favoured dish that I always try. (While pad Thai is not listed on Koto’s menu, they do offer it and your standard chicken, beef, shrimp, and vegetable varieties.) And if I like the pad Thai, that doesn’t mean it’s because I deem it to be authentic or something, it just means I like the way it tastes. The vegetable pad Thai is $ 10.99, it tastes good, and the portion is generous enough to feed me for 24 – 36 hours. There is a fair bit of tofu in the (veg) pad Thai though, so that’s nice. There were also nice big chunks of egg, and the chef made it nice and spicy, just how I like it. The spring roll was nice and crispy, but otherwise pretty standard.
I would definitely recommend giving Koto a shot, I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far. I’m going to go with some friends soon and have a sit down meal so we can try not-​so take out items like sushi sets and whatnot.