h6f67hr6: [Food Review] - Issho Izakaya

Brought to you by the same people that opened Umi Sushi, here's Issho Izakaya, a newly opened Japanese restaurant that specializes in tapas and yakitori. A perfect place to visit for a wholesome dinner comprising of Japanese and western fusion dishes and complete with drinks be it alcoholic or not.

Experience an authentic dining experience with dishes whipped up by Chef Takayuki Fukushima, who hails from Tokyo, Japan and the rustic Japanese decor here with private rooms with floors seating on tatami mats.

A variety of Japanese imported beers and beverages filled up the menu. As a tea lover, I liked their combination of green tea and roasted brown rice. Another drink worth mentioning was the Abashiri Ryuhyou Blue Beer ($15), a unique brew that uses water from icebergs and blue seaweed. When poured into your glass it has unique blue-purple tint which is light and refreshing, with the after-taste of minerals.

Tapas were served and I loved the chicken liver pate ($7.80), served alongside wafer thin slices of bread toasted to a crisp. The pate was velvety and bursting with umami flavours, with the crunch of the bread adding a much needed textural element to the dish. Another dish which we liked was the buta shabu salad ($12.80). Heaped on the crispy fresh vegetables, are thin slices of pork, which have been grilled to perfection. The cuts of meat which they use offer just the right amount of fat running through each slice making them moist and tender but not oily. Hitting a home run and bringing in all these ingredients together is the goma (sesame) sauce in which the salad is tossed. Specially made by their chef, it provides an amazing balance of savoury, sweet and sour flavours of the dish.

And of course, their menu has an extensive range of Japanese charcoal grilled skewers. Agemono, Nimono, Nabe, Tempura, Sushi, Sashimi items and interesting desserts are all available too.

Shabu Shabu came next and its accompanying assortment of vegetables, well marbled U.S. beef, pork, home-made chicken meat balls, fillets of fresh cod, salmon as well as prawns. We were told that this is a typical meal a sumo wrestler in Japan would consume everyday.