The original Taketei in Khao San is hugely popular, thanks in large part to its value-for-money set meals that are available at lunch as well as dinner—but also, it must be said, because it is a big fish in that little backpacker pond, with no real competition. So in that respect, opening a second branch on Silom Road, with its proximity to some of Bangkok’s best Japanese restaurants, is a bold move that suggests confidence (which we think is misplaced) in their product. There’s no question that Taketei offers lower prices than its counterparts in Thaniya or other Silom sub-sois, but we’d rather pay a little more to avoid food and service that can be adequate at best and shockingly poor at worst. On our last visit, our Taketei Special sushi was sloppy and the fish badly cut; the beef in our Steak Set was chewy, the fish overcooked and all of it was lukewarm despite being served on a hotplate; and the meat in our cheese-stuffed tonkatsu (breaded and deep-fried pork) was dry and not even warm enough to melt the slices of processed cheese. Believe it or not, more appalling than the food was the behavior of the staff. Led by a bitchy head waitress/captain, the gaggle of girls ignored customers in favor of chatting among themselves. This is also one of those places that is technically open until 2:30pm for lunch, but they’ll pressure you with last calls for the kitchen at only minutes after 2—and the only bit of discipline, if you can call it that, they show is when they turn off the air conditioner precisely at 2:30. Obviously all the Thai office workers who pack the place at lunch don’t agree with our observations—or they don’t care and are focused solely on the price. Which is fine with us. But what we don’t like is that many of our compatriots also patronize Taketei in the mistaken notion that it’s a step above, in terms of authenticity, chains like Fuji and Ootoya. We wish they’d be more adventurous and try what’s available just down the street on Soi Thaniya. The owners of Taketei could probably learn a few things there, too.
