DO YOU want a night-out but want it to be a little different than the usual fare? A Japanese Izakaya with friends might be the answer.
Izakaya are casual drinking establishments, similar to tapas bars that are very prevalent in Spain, where customers order a variety of small dishes of food that can be shared at the table. They are one of the most common restaurant types in Japan and a popular hangout places after work. It is a compound word consisting of iru ("to stay") and sakaya ("sake shop"), indicating that izakaya originated from sake shops that allowed customers to sit on the premises to drink. It is similar to watering holes or pubs, or a tavern.
In Japan, Izakayas are full of after office workers during pre-Covid where boisterous laughter, casual talks and a lot of drinking happen among friends or colleagues with a handful of shared plates.
Most Izakayas have a decent range of nihonshu (sake) and shōchū -- a distilled spirit made from sweet potato, rice, barley, soba wheat, or brown sugar. In this particular Izakaya we checked out in Vancouver, Canada, the list of sake was extensive and our host Lanabel Go and her children Julia and Joshua and zeroed in on a Junmai Daiginjo, which was a well balanced sake, with a tinge of sweetness, and noticeable acidity. Notes of ripe melons leading to a dry clean finish describe this sake well.
Our appetizers were ordered from the Black Rice signature items such as A ceviche with Seabass sashimi, diced onion, bell-pepper in cold Yuzu-Miso broth with touch of truffle oil served with Taro chips was another dish similar to our local kilawin was also ordered.
One of the must-order dish is the Aburi platter with Aburi Salmon Hako, 8pc Black Mentaiko Roll and 4pc chef’s choice Aburi nigiri. It is a form of sushi that is “flame-seared.”
Another must-try in this izakaya is their take on motoyaki with a Korean twist in the Kimchi Scallop Motoyaki, which were three pieces of giant scallops on a shell topped with Kimchi, chopped onion, mayonnaise, and gooey cheese.
Filipinos love fried chicken and the Japanese also do delicious take on this with its chicken karaage, which was double battered deep-fried chicken glazed with house soy sauce and topped crushed peanut. Beef and Assorted Mushroom Ishiyaki-Sliced Prime Black Angus Beef with Assorted Mushroom in Hot Stone Bowl of Rice came with the server serving the hotpot and mixing the ingredients right in front of us. It was like table service in fine dining places with a table side Caesar salad or a steak flambe, but this time with Japanese dish.
Shaved Rib Eye Beef, Assorted Mushroom, Vegetables and Vermicelli Noodle in Soy Sauce Broth make up the sukiyaki soup dish of Izakaya which we all loved. Another dish worth mentioning is the Mentaiko Cream Udon, which was cooked with Cream Sauce with Marinated Pollock Roe, Udon Noodle, Bacon and onion. Sounds like a simple dish to prepare but Black Rice Izakaya definitely made it well. A donburi or rice bowl dish of uta Shoga-Yaki Donburi was a Rice Bowl with Japanese style ginger pork, Thinly Sliced tender pork belly cooked in soy-ginger sauce with onion and chives.
The dinner was to welcome Ty Tang, former professional basketball player and basketball coach to Vancouver, Canada, as he and his family navigate Covid by taking a break in this beautiful city in Canada.
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