Itadakimasu! Tapasu wa totemo oishidesu!
Tapas here are easy to love, hard to choose! Extensive list of items on the menu and I liked all what I'd ordered. Food came out beautifully and most of them exceeded expectation. I especially liked pari-pari ebi mayo and grilled sable fish - fresh, savoury and delicious with sake.
The atmosphere here was friendly, casual and suitable for after-work drinking.
Point to eat at an Izakaya: "drinking is primary; food is secondary; and if you’re doing it right, there will be hangovers". I loved the crisp, clean palate and the warm sensation when I gulped it down my stomach. My personal preference is to enjoy sake warm especially during winter.
A simple and beautiful wakame to start with to comfort our growling stomach. Crispy without too much seasoning.
Tuna Tataki - Shichimi crusted tuna, ponzu jelly and scallions. The only thing I had complaint was that it was impossible to eat tuna together with ponzu jelly with chopsticks unless I had a spoon. So I put jelly into mouth first then followed by tuna. Or sweeping the food into mouth with the sauce plate placing very near to mouth isn't a bad idea too. Tuna resembled a softer texture and milder taste. This kinda tuna is usually not my favourite fish/sashimi.
Beef croquette. Some potatoes and ground beef molded into balls and deep-fried. Crispy yet absolutely not oily. The croquette had beautiful golden brown shell covering the soft and not lumpy fillings. I liked the sweet and sour teriyaki-tonkatzu-mayo-like sauce that went so well with the croquette.
Pari-pari ebi mayo. I definitely thought that this is a must-order. Pari-pari in Japanese means the "sound" of crispiness. The ebi mayo was totally like what the title said. Every bite was full of crisp, crisp and crisp. Absolutely no heaviness from the oil - this is what I really love about Japanese fried goods because the chef is able to perfectly fry them without traces of oil. The sweet-spicy mayo was so addictive that I finished the very last drop of it. I would come back again just for this.
Pork belly pao buns. Chef seemed to brush some sugar-like ingredients on the top side ( but I didn't taste sweetness) that gave the bun a beautiful caramelized look yet it remained soft and moist inside. Pork belly tasted like roasted pork - it was more savoury than sweet and I prefer to have a little more sauce in it to give a better moist to the roasted meat. This killed space in the stomach.
Unagi nigiri. This was not exceptional compared to others but still good to have. My partner loved unagi; that's why we had this.
Grilled sable fish. Sooooooo buttery and literally melt-in-your mouth. Some might think the amount of oil in the fish was overwhelming, but i really enjoyed how it swam in my mouth with the amount of fattiness and smoothness. It's hard to get this wrong.
Chocolate Matcha Mousse. As tapas are usually salty, savoury, spicy and crunchy, it was good to end the meal with something very light and refreshing. Despite having some chocolate in it, the mousse was light in body and mild in sweetness.
There are a few more items like beef tongue, lotus chips, tuna taco, mentaiko and other items I would like to try - they all seem interesting and delicious! Hope I will be back to this izakaya soon!
