Hanmoto — Restaurant in Toronto

Second let down in a row; it's possible I'm just out of touch. Fair warning. Lots of great reviews here and the place was busy.

Honestly, cool little spot. Reminded me of the 2012 hipster era of apothecary decor and mason jug beer glasses. Staff were generally friendly, and the cocktails were great. However, we were served our first dish way before our cocktails arrived - and we were seated at the bar. My wife actually stopped eating our first dish so that we could drink with our meal.

Salmon Aburi was basically deconstructed sushi. Salmon on rice with literally the dried nori snacks you can buy at a local grocer. The "kewpie honey" on it is best described, as another reviewer said, as a "salad dressing." The rice was not sticky and covered in sauce; it was legitimately impossible to eat with chopsticks. I asked how we're supposed to eat it, and it was either chopsticks or using the nori pieces like little taco shells. We asked for a spoon, eventually. No, we are not incapable with chopsticks. Sushi was designed to be eaten easily, I'm unsure why a hard-to-eat version was considered a better choice. Overall flavour was good, but being difficult to eat in a very tight space made it quite an annoying dish.

My wife also ordered 2 sandwiches for us to try: the Moto Bun and the Katsu Bun. Both are served on coco buns.

The buns themselves were nice but incredibly greasy. Like seriously greasy. Glistening, even. The Moto is Japanese curry chicken, and the flavour was good but the chicken itself was luke warm. The bun was hot, but if you just tasted some of the chicken curry salad, it was just warm. Still, probably the best item we tried.

The Katsu bun was awful. I've seen some pictures here on reviews, and the pork belly we had was not nearly as thick. If you had a bite that was primarily katsu pork, it was heavily salty and the katsu sauce was flat. I'm a smoker, so if it's salty to me, then it's really salty. That wasn't the big problem. Also served on the bun is iceberg lettuce with soy remoulade. Ultimately, it was an over-the-top amount of mayo cut with maybe vinegar and soy. My wife squeezed out a large dollop with her half. My plate, by the end of the sandwich, was covered in mayo and lettuce. It felt like I had ordered a BK chicken sandwich with extra mayo - I actually used this comparison while eating it. It wasn't good, and I actually left a bit of bun on my plate because I was tired of my mayo sandwich. Wait, the server actually took my plate before I was done - we had shareable plates on the side, but I was using the plate the sandwich had come on. I was seriously still holding food in my hand, and the plate I was using was taken away. I put the remainder of my mayo sandwich on a side plate.

We decided to end our meal then rather than to try a few more things.

I can't tell if this place used to be great, or if people love it for the decor or style, but the food itself does not meet the hype. It's cool looking, and I get why people would be attracted to it, but ultimately, it's a restaurant. The food was not great, we had to ask where the cutlery was and we were pointed to a basket of chopsticks, our drinks arrived after our food did, and it felt like it was more about turning tables around than caring about their customers. See the other reviews about the overly loud music, which is typically used in the industry to encourage faster eating and customer turnover.

I would have preferred a Lawson katsu pork sandwich than the bun...

Hanmoto is in Trinity-bellwoods area so it is easily accessible via TTC streetcar (505).

The restaurant is sort of hard to find as it looks to be apart of a house. As soon as you enter the restaurant the waitress is waiting to seat you. The seating is consisted of small tables and stools. The vibe of the restaurant is that of a late night snack bar. The washroom in the restaurant is sort of sketchy looking and awkward to get to (you'll see when you go to it)

I went on a Saturday at exactly 6:00 PM (when they opened) and although I was the first person there, after about 10 minutes almost no table seating was available.

Ordering: There is a small menu available at the table, one side with drinks and other side with food.

Cost: I paid $60 including tax for my meal. I got the Moto eggs ($9), Moto Bun ($17), Karaage Wings ($17), Paper Crane ($16)

Wait Time: You get your meals one at a time so maybe 10 minute wait per item.

The Paper Crane drink was good but sadly reminded me of a lemon popsicle after multiple sips. The Moto Eggs was the standout dish for me. It was soft and savory, but also had a crunchy component from the fried chicken skin. Overall an excellent snack item. The Karaage Wings was not on the menu, but the waitress recommended it so I tried it out. The wings were breaded and juicy but the sauce that came with it was bland. The Moto Bun had curry, slaw and and a coco bun. The Moto Bun was hard to eat since it was the last item we got. All the breading from the other meals made it hard to eat. The coco bread was really buttery, the slaw was creamy and the curry sauce was rich. It sounds like it should be good but it just felt overly greasy, and with tonnes of breading (including the coco bread) it was just too much.

Overall: The atmosphere of the restaurant is great, the music played matched the vibe. The seating is limited so be sure to go there early (or reserve if you can). The drink I got was okay. The The standout of all the items I got was the Moto Eggs and it was only $9 which seems like a steal compared to the price of the other food items here. The vibe of the restaurant can't be understated though it was great and definitely a good date spot. As seating is limited in the restaurant bringing more than 3 people might be kind of tough given that the restaurant is small and walking...

The food is excellent and worth the visit to Toronto. The service we received was mixed - good and bad. The restaurant itself has a good vibe but the location is cramped and somewhat off-putting.

Location: They do not take any reservations and the seating is limited so you will need to wait even if it is not busy. If you go to the washroom, you can see all their stock just laying around. The sight of frozen meats being prepped and boxes of produce everywhere is upsetting.

Food: Choices for alcohol are limited, and we only had canned and mixed drinks as we were recommended to stay away from tap during our visit. The food was fantastic and for your first time, I would recommend ordering the following: Katsu or Moto Bun (good portion size, delicious and filling) Miso steak (steak is perfectly cooked and flavor of the caramelized onions is fantastic) Dyno Wings (the wings are stuffed and it gives a very unique mix of texture and flavor) Nasu Dengaku (vegetarian dish but I like it as someone who doesn't like eggplant, the texture and flavor of the eggplant is unique and almost taste like a banana) Miso ice cream (sweet, salty and creamy, must get) Salmon aburi (nothing too special but it is delicious and filling)

I would not recommend: Okra (this is good when it first arrives on the table but the outer skin gets difficult to chew once it sits for a bit) Handroll (too expensive for what you are getting, not very flavorful, just a lot of rice in a roll)

Service: The service we got was mixed. On one side, the server was excellent - conversational, knowledgeable and attentive. She gave good recommendations on the drinks and the food. On the other hand, the service was a bit slow. We waited an hour to get seated. We found ourselves sitting with the menu for quite a bit of time and reordering anything also took a while. We got one of the bigger tables at this restaurant but it still felt cramped. Seating was not comfortable as well since you do not have any back support (stayed for 2+ hrs. and my back is...