We always drive by Yokai Japanese & Asian Restaurant on thousand oaks, since it’s close to where we live. They opened up not that long ago and been wanting to try it out for a while. Well, today we finally did! I wish we would have taken more pictures of the place for this post lol but can update it the next time we go to try some other dishes.
First impressions upon walking inside were good. It felt like a clean and safe place to dine in, especially with all the worries of covid right now. They had menus up at the front where you order your meal. It’s a small place with seating around the walls and a few tables in between, like most Ramen places I’ve been to. I liked some of the anime that was up on the wall & the Japanese music playing in the background. It had a fun vibe.
So, we ended up ordering the veggie Ramen, Japanese honey chicken, edamame & Takoyaki. First off I want to say that, everything we order, we always share. We like going that route better, because we get to try a variety of dishes. I have to say, the presentation was great when the food came out. The cool thing about this place, is that they have these little windows that slide open when your food is ready. They got the no-contact delivery inside the restaurant down!
The Veggie Ramen was my wife’s choice, as she loves eating healthy as much as she can. Although, I’m always the one messing that up by ordering the delectably fattening stuff haha. My choice is probably the obvious one, with the Japanese honey chicken. We partnered it with 2 appetizers. In every Japanese place, we have to try the Takoyaki. The first time I tried it was in Colorado and didn’t know what it was. My wife loves it and really wanted me to try it out. Ever since, I’ve been a Takoyaki fan! It was pretty good here, but a little softer than what I’m use to.
The Ramen broth had a good flavor and the noodles were cooked well. They were soft but still a little chewy, which adds that little texture that a good noodle should have. Definitely going to have to go back and try the spicy tonkatsu. I love chashu pork! Going to have to learn how to make it one of these days. All the in all the ramen was great and would get it again.
As for the Japanese honey chicken, it was cooked perfectly. My son surprisingly loved it and kept asking for more. If there’s one thing I learned, kids don’t lie when it comes to food! It wasn’t overly breaded or overly sauced. The sauce coated the chicken just right and had a nice sweet flavor to it that wasn’t to powerful. It might be on the sweeter side for some people, but I got a sweet tooth and was good in my books. It was a familiar taste that I’ve had before at another place. I wonder if they are the same owners…. hmm will never know! It was between this and the Korean fried chicken, but since we got 2 sides already, I think it would have been a bit much.
Last but not least, the edamame. This is my sons favorite whenever we go to Japanese places. They were steamed just right and had a good bite to it. I wouldn’t say there were the best I’ve had, but all in all not too shabby.
If your looking for a good Japanese place, I’d definitely recommend them to anyone who lives close by. There’s not really a lot of Japanese places around the area either and I hope they stay open for business. Looking forward trying the Korean fried chicken, the other Ramen bowls and a couple other appetizers. One of my other favorites that I was looking for, was the karaage chicken. I didn’t see it on the menu, but only glanced through it briefly. Later when we got home, I looked up their menu and low and behold was the karaage chicken 🤦♂️
Well, all in all! The food was really good, in a clean environment and we will most likely be going back sometime soon! Give Yokai Japanese & Asian Restaurant a try and let TheFoodiesTaste know what you think down below.
