Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood

Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood, Ground Level,Waltermart Center, 790 Chino Roces Avenue corner Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City

May 16, 2009

OVERALL GRADE : 2.87 / 5

FOOD: 3 / 5

Chicken Teriyaki, Gyoza Ramen and Punch Tea

Presentation : As expected from a fastfood, the chicken teriyaki and gyoza ramen were neatly placed in standard Karate Kid plastic bowls separately. For advertising purposes, anything that has a trademark/logo of Karate Kid on the tray faced towards my direction. The tray set-up consisted of a glass of red punch tea, bowl of gyoza ramen, handful of tissues and the chicken teriyaki bowl. Spoon and fork aluminum container was stationed near the counter. Chopsticks were not included in my tray set-up. I requested for the chopsticks.

The ramen bowl had two pieces of bite size gyozas, ramen of course and slices of green veggies. The ramen bowl did not appeal to me base on appearance and presentation alone. It reminded me of the bowl of ramen soup which was a regular fixture in my college cafeteria. It looked flat and dull.

The chicken teriyaki, on the hand, had sprouts for side dish and a hefty rice serving. The chicken portion was a big letdown. Literally, these were little bitesize chicken pieces. The burnt portions on the chicken pieces whetted my appetite. The sauce on top of these small chicken pieces temporarily offset my frustration on the chicken portion.

Quality and Taste : The gyozas were succulent. The taste of meat was distinct despite the fact that these gyozas were floating in a bowl of ramen soup. The veggies didn’t do much to alter or augment the taste of the soup.The texture of ramen was just right, not soggy nor overcooked. It did not have that “floury” aftertaste. The soup was a bit salty. This was offset by the natural taste of the veggies which somewhat tapered the salty taste. I ordered for the snack size but the portion was more than enough to fill my hungry tummy. It was served hot on my table by the way.

The chicken was delicious, tasty and best of all, boneless. Perhaps it was the sauce or the burnt parts of the skin, but the chicken tasted so good and the sauce complimented its taste. It was cooked evenly, no uncooked bloody parts. The sprout side dish was the perfect match for the chicken. The sprout was half-cooked which was the best way in preparing veggies. It was juicy and crunchy. The rice was that of a regular variety. I thought they would serve sticky rice since it was a Japanese fastfood outlet but apparently not.

For all its worth, the food in Karate Kid does not taste anything Japanese. The food tasted Pinoy, far from the real one. Real Japanese condiments are wanting compare to other Japanese eateries.

AMBIANCE : 3 / 5

It was crowded and cramped with tables and chairs, but not with eating patrons. I perfectly understand the rationale behind the number of tables and chairs filling up every nook and cranny of a limited floor space. But what I don’t understand is this: fastfood outlets, in general, do not think of the convenience of customers in terms of ease of movement. Karate Kid was so cramped that I had a hard time squeezing myself amidst tables and chairs. It had to negotiate my way in a very narrow aisle on my way to the washroom. There’s not enough space to stretch your hands afar lest you hit your neighbor who is just 12 inches away from you.

The spoon and fork aluminum container did not have any fork when I was there. Only a handful of spoons was available. This aluminum container must be hygienic but based on what I have seen, it was far from being hygienic. The spoon was not even heated when I got it from one of the receptacles.

Too much light inside the Karate Kid outlet in Waltermart. The temperature was tolerable; not too cold to affect my hot ramen soup. The washroom was surprisingly clean. The unisex comfort room was clean and dry. No foul smell from the CR. However, there was no tissue roll in the wall-mounted tissue dispenser for the ladies.

SERVICE : 3 / 5

Echo, the busboy of Karate Kid, is the most accommodating and amiable fastfood staff that I’ve met so far. I asked for chopstick and extra tissues and in less than 60 seconds, he was there to give these to me. I asked for a refill of my punch tea. He did not personally serve it to me because he was busy cleaning tables, instead, I saw him endorsing my order to another staff. That person refilled my punch tea. Talk about customer service and crew coordination. He should be commended for this.

After placing my order, I waited for 6 minutes and 23 seconds before my food was served. I thought this was a fastfood outlet and food must be served right after punching in my order. I saw other patrons complaining about the waiting time. In fact two people (different tables) stood up and followed up their respective orders to the cashier. I was “lucky” to have my order served in 6 minutes and 23 seconds.

There were regular food servers attending to the “refill” needs of other patrons. They were busy bussing tables, refilling rice and punch tea. The food was slow to come by but it was compensated by the food attendants keen attention to the need of the eating public.

VALUE FOR MONEY : 2.5 / 5

The price of Karate Kid is neither cheap nor expensive. Working class can definitely afford it but if one is earning the minimum wage or paid by the day, Karate Kid is not the right place to eat as there are other more affordable fast food chains around.

The price of bottomless punch tea is worth it.

STRONG POINTS

• Excellent customer service of the serving staff
• Food tasted great; food variety on the list is “adequate,” more than enough to choose from
• Clean and dry washroom/restroom
• Eat all you can and drink all you can scheme is excellent especially for those who have big tummies to fill-in.

WEAK POINTS

• Very cramped, too many tables and chairs clogging every available space.
• Food does not taste Japanese, far from the real thing.
• For a Japanese fastfood, condiments are wanting compare to other Japanese eateries.