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What do you think when you hear Nobu Matsuhisa?
Nobu's signature miso marinated black cod!
To be honest, miso marinated anything is delicious (especially seabass!) and the black cod at Izayoi was no exception. The dish was delicate, sweet, hot, just all around mouthgasm. Found the recipe from the "Nobu Cookbook" and hoping to recreate this dish at home. *cross your fingers*
We also had the yellowtail sashimi. My favorite type of sashimi along with salmon (yes. i'm pedestrian. sue me) OMG. Generous, fresh, thick pieces. I would come here just to eat yellowtail all night long.
The mushroom medley and ginko root appetizer was amazing also. the portions are generous. The hot sake pairs well with everything.
Another wonderful neighborhood spot that's not in my neighborhood. *sigh*.
Was in LA on business, and was taken here for a business lunch. Wasn't really sure what to expect, so kept a very open mind going in.
I ordered the tonkatsu teishoku, mainly because i am on the same quest as tetsu n. to find a good tonkatsu in america. this definitely was not the place for that. the fried part was way too fried, and the meat inside was definitely not tender at all. there really wasn't a mountain of shredded lettuce, but a tiny thing of it, along with a salad mixed together with it. at least there was some sauce.
service was good, and although the waitress could speak japanese, which gives it a better touch, her english was heavily korean accented... guess my friends are right in saying that j-town is turning into k-town.
the people that took me there told me that they enjoyed it more when they went there at night when it is izakaya style. maybe i'll give it a try next time i'm in that area.
Went to Izayoi the other night with a group of friends from school. Though the restaurant is small, they did a great job accommodating 20 of us.
The food is really quite good. The sushi was as fresh as any superly yummy sushi restaurant in the area, but what I think really sets this place apart from some of the other restaurants is the amount of other dishes besides sushi they have. Our table ordered a huge variety of things: sushi, calamari legs, pork belly, tofu, salads, grilled chicken cartilage... truly.. can't even remember everything we ordered!
As others have already said, the price is a bit higher than some of the other restaurants in the area but at least the food is darn good!
The food is varied, delicious, homey, and... well, we'll definitely be back!
At first I was impressed with the menu selection, quite a variety. I got really excited about all the choices I had. Unfortunately, once the dishes started coming out, the excitement dissipated. Of the dishes ordered only half of them were good.
Mussels - Overcooked and rubbery. They were neither cold nor hot. We weren't sure how they were suppose to come out.
Sauteed Gizzard - The sauce did not pair well with the gizzard. It was creamy and did not add anything to the gizzard, which normally tastes good just grilled.
Sardine with Mentainko - Where was the mentaiko? All I tasted was sardine, and the sardine was not tasty.
Shrimp Tempura with Chili Sauce - The tempura was good, served on skewers. The sauce failed again. It was far from spicy and quite flavorless. Bleh.
Uni sushi - It was yummy and fresh.
Monkfish Liver - The ponzu sauce was balanced and I enjoyed the seaweed underneath.
Karaage - Standard. Good.
Mushrooms and Scallops in Garlic Butter Sauce - This was my favorite. It had a hodgepodge of mushrooms and the whole dish smelled of butter. Delicious.
I would not come back. There were some delicious dishes, but there were some god awful ones. The majority of the dishes at a Japanese Tapas spot should be good. Actually, this holds true for any good restaurant. I left feeling that I wanted half my money back.
Meh. I've experienced better, Musha and Torihei.
The food and service was great! Good to bring a date but small for a group but heard they could accommodate if they have space.My favorite dish is the sautéed scallops and mushroom in garlic butter sauce. Awesome! lol Also ordered the fatty tuna cutlet, chicken with cartilage (appetizer), crispy spicy tuna (appetizer), and the fresh shrimp with the head fried (appetizer).
Oh the thing I didn't like was when our order was coming out people just couldn't stop starring and whispering. I know its a small restaurant but where I come from we usually end up beating in their face with our fists. Just plain rude people Just ask the server the name of the dish and go about your business. =)
Hands down the best unagi I've ever had. Whenever my mom comes to visit me in LA, we go here just to get our three or four orders of unagi. The prices are not bad, but they do close a little early for an izakaya.
A great place to have some small bites while drinking massive amounts of sake, soju, beer, or all at the same time. The oysters, pork belly, and cod were standouts. The only dish I felt was weak was baked scallop, but i'm not a fan of that dish in general... everyone else seemd to like it.
Atmosphere wise has a modern feel to it, in a cheap/simple Ikea sort of way. It's small and can get packed, just like everything else in J-town. It's worth the wait though. Their obvious competitor is Haru Ulala and i think Izayoi outdoes them by a slim margin.
My friend and I called ahead to place our names on the list so that we wouldn't have nearly the long wait when we arrived. Thank goodness we just did that because we still had to wait a good 15 minutes, despite indicating that we were open to sitting at the bar.
It's a cozy set up. And guests are packed together cheek by jowl. But don't let that deter you. Once you're eating away and drinking cold pints, you'll forget that you're rubbing elbows with different company!
We had the lovely braised pork belly, yellowtail collar, chawan mushi, saba nigiri and uh...actually, quite a few other dishes that I forgot to sample. The braised pork belly alone was worth the night. Yes, I'm a pork fiend, and if its tender, juicy and fatty, all the better! The chawan mushi was piping hot and fluffly, like an overheated cloud. The saba was the right balance of salty and fresh. And ooh, the yellowtail collar...drool. A lot of the dishes we ordered were fatty, so pints of beer cut through that.
The total for a party of three came out to be around $90 with tip. But we obnoxiously ordered lots of beer. I think without too much alcohol, the meal is a lot more affordable. I will definitely be returning with other drinking buddies to partake in the fat fest! w00t!~
Surprisingly tasty and homey Japanese food given the location. Well, it's in Little T. obviously, but the easy parking and chain-ey storefront don't give off the same vibe as the older places across the street. But it's well worth the visit. I had my lunchtime staple, katsu-don, and it was A-okay. M. had a bento box that included a yummy tofu soup - I might just have that next time.
Service was prompt and pleasant (great for lunchtime), there was plenty of space, and most important there was easy parking which also allowed for a relaxing lunch. No worries about feeding the meter!
The Sushi is great!! I would not touch the other the on the menu.
Great service too!
CHEF'S
Great guys, know how to whip it up.
SUSHI
Yuma-my-tuma!
PRICE
Fair
EAT IT
Yes please.
This place is rather small and crowded, but that's what I like about it. There's just more of an authentic Japanese feel to it. The food is pretty good and so is the service. I tried the seafood croquettes, pork belly, and several different kinds of sushi, all of which were delicious. Warning though....do not try the squid guts! I wanted to be brave and try something new, but boy was I wrong. The squid guts were extremely salty, and the sauce was just too strong for me. Overall, I had a good experience here.
For any fan of Japanese food culture, Toro and katsu are both staple menu items for any Japanese restaurants. What is not typical, however, is to combine the two together.
Toro comes from the underbelly of the tuna and its melt-in-your-mouth-like-butter texture is best enjoyed in its freshest form; as sashimi or sushi. It seems redundant to point this out again but the rich and fatty flavor of Toro seems least likely suited for deep fried katsu dishes. Imagine deep frying fat with more fat. Ew, right? WRONG! Izayoi's Toro katsu defied all my beliefs and delivered the most satisfying lunch I had in a while.
I don't know how the chef was able to cook the fish to perfection with its perfect katsu layers while still retaining the melt-in-your-mouth-like-butter texture but he did and now I'm a fan. The rice it came with was a perfect complement as with the fresh green salad that helped cleanse my palate.
I went with several people so I was able to try out their food as well. Japanese style beef steak had a nice homey flavor which made me feel kinda nostalgic, the fresh sashimi was a visual feast and the tempura was fairly decent. Overall, a good and satisfying lunch for everyone in my group.
As for the service, my order of Toro katsu came last but it was well worth the wait. It would have been better if all our orders came together at once but during busy lunch hours, I can't fault the restaurant for 5-10 minutes delay.
Solid 4 stars.
Just went here
"B" Rating posted out front
In a Chinese restaurant "B" Rating is Ok in a Japanese restaurant with raw items ?
Ordered
Kirin Pitcher = Poured Slow No Head on Pitcher UGGGH
Sake = OK (In Bottle)
Seaweed Salad 20 + ingredients
with a off ginger dressing including
Stale Iceberg lettuce pieces = Horrible
Chicken Kuriage 4 Giant Fried Chicken Pieces = Fair to Midland
Duck Saute = Fair
Soba and tempura = Good (No MSG)
Shrimp and vegetable tempura = fair
This place used to be good about 2 years ago
but has seriously dropped off a cliff
Huge expanded menu almost anything under the sun = not good by me
As you know I am a big fan of short menu"s
and this place now has a HUGE 200
Item Menu = Almost insurmountable ding.
Atmosphere .25 stars
Food 1.5 Stars
Total score
1.75 Stars
I just discovered their $11.50 sashimi lunch special. Actually, I've been exploiting it for the last couple of weeks. Total steal. For $11.50 you get many different varieties of fresh sashimi, a salad, miso soup, rice, Japanese pickles, and some other little side dish. I can satisfy my hardy appetite for sushi and still afford to have a beer without busting my wallet! WARNING: the sashimi plate samples many different varieties of seafood (including squid, octopus, and clams), so if you are mostly a yellowtail/salmon/tuna type of eater I'm not sure if this is the plate for you.
Izayoi is supposed to be an izakaya, but really the best part about the restaurant is the sushi bar. They have a much more comprehensive variety of fish and sauces than some of the other nearby restaurants (some places don't have toro, others don't have aji, blah, blah blah). In my experience, the fish has always been very good, the service outstanding, and the staff are the most personable of all the other sushi bars in Little Tokyo. They make a conscientious effort to remember you and things about you, which adds a touch of comfort to the overall experience.
(The free validated parking lot doesn't hurt either).
Japanese izakaya is comparable to Spanish tapas (or bar food) and is a variety of small appetizers… Read more »
Another great dinner at Izayoi last night. DH ordered spicy tuna sushi, as he always does and the tuna was amazingly fresh and delicious. I ventured into agedashi tofu, my new most favorite food on the planet and it was wonderful. The broiled cod is always wonderful, as are the hama hama oysters, although $11 for 3 is a little steep in a place this inexpensive. For another 5 days they are offering half off all booze, so get in there and order some great sake!
I love love love Izayoi! I have been twice and kinda cannot believe I have not yelped its ass off.… Read more »
Acutally 3.5 stars.
I keep going over my thoughts on this place in my head. At times I think it is good at other times I think it's pretty good. I think what keeps me from having a definitive opinion about the quality of the food is the price. I spent about $70 just for myself when I normally spend somewhere around $30 or a tad over.
So was the extra cash worth it. Hmmmm. Let's just talk about the food and then I'll see. I stuck to the sushi at the bar so i can't attest for the other items on the menu as of yet. My order was a Rainbow Roll, Spicy Garlic YellowTail Roll, Fresh Water Eel sushi, Spanish Mackerel sushi, and Toro sushi. Yeah, I was hungry and although I noticed the expensiveness, I felt I deserved the treat and so I got cold sake to wash it down to boot.
I have to say, all the seafood was fresh and looked photo op good. I asked the chef how was the spanish mackerel and toro to which he replied that it was very good. Well, I thought it was okay but I think it's a difference on opinion as to what is good. I like mine tasty, good color, and melts in your mouth like fat dripping from the knashing teeth of a wild animal. Okay, that sounds probably disgusting but I want to swoon at how it melts in my mouth. The chef, I think likes his firm with some body like you're actually biting into flesh. That also sounds disgusting but some folks like their meat to well feel like meat and I think that the chef is one of those guys. So for me, I didn't quite enjoy the spanish mackerel and toro.
As for the eel, I asked which was better today, the fresh water or the ocean and he emphatically said the fresh water. Now that was definitely to my liking. It was very tasty and it melted in my mouth and I swear I almost teared up---okay not really but after the spanish mackerel I was really happy.
One of the house specials is the Spicy Garlic Yellow Tail which was impeccably presented and tasted really good. I would recommend it and without burying it in wasabi and soy. It comes with a dressing that is just perfect.
The Rainbow Roll is my I-wanna-try-everything-but can't-afford-to-roll. I love getting it at every new sushi restaurant I try as it gives me a little bit of everything. Again I was impressed with the freshness and quality of the fish. And again, it veered toward more firm than I prefer but it was good.
In the end, I think I liked what I had and was certainly satisfied. And here's the But...but I think the cost wasn't justified. I like my regular place, Zip Fusion a few blocks away. Granted it's not quite as good as this place or Oomasa at times but it's reasonably priced and I've never left Zip feeling cheated, sick, or a sense of "eh." Zip has good fish but yes Izayoi has overall better quality and presentation.
Is it worth the price, I don't really think so. For $70, I want to feel like "WOW" this place is frickin awesome but I don't feel that way. I feel it's good, it's pretty good but hard to justify the outlay in cash. I told my gf I probably go once a year but I'm not big on throwing money away unless it has a 5-star reaction from me.
Like most Japanese restaurants, there's always something for veg*ns. My favorite item to order at Izayoi is their Salad Lunch special ($9.20 including tax). This includes miso soup, 2 inari, a small portion of pickled radish and marinated sea vegetable, and a medium-large portion of salad. The salad has fried and raw onions, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, and mixed greens. I love onions so this is one of my favorite salads ever.
Pros: Free parking in the adjacent lot with validation. Fast service. Yummy food.
Cons: Not open every day. Portions are large enough, but you won't have left overs. If you're really hungry you might not be full depending on what you order. Small restaurant, so if you come at a peak time (noon) there will most likely be a wait.
all the food is really good and authentic japanese... only problem is the portions are pretty small... which means you gotta order a lot.... good for variety but bad for cost... the items we ordered we're pretty green and healthy
edamame & cucumber miso: cant really screw this up
black pork lettuce wraps: pretty good
chicken karaage: chicken is juicy, fried part is crispy and not greasy
fishcakes: little bit on the salty side, but still good
green mussels: delicious
albacore salad: healthy, very 'fresh' tasting, good
kirin pitcher: beer on tap is always good and necessary
It's rare that a sushi place has fish that's noticeably superior to everything else about the place. But that was my impression of Izayoi. I ordered a sashimi plate. Fish was cut sloppily. There was no ginger. The plate was deformed and turned every time I tried to pick up a piece of fish. The interior was fairly dirty. But the selection and freshness of the fish was surprisingly excellent, and the price for the quality was reasonable.
I have been to this restaurant 3 times and I don't remember much about it.
I remember there was a rude server,though.
And the dinner was about $50 for each person.
I am very picky when it comes to manner and service. The rude server forgot to bring Nozoki( soy sauce plate) and I didn't like it.
Food should be fresh, but once again I don't remember much. I mean the food didn't blow my mind and that's not a good sign.
However, the lunch box was pretty good.
I have to go back there.
It gets better every time.
Finally got to go for dinner with "jet-set-playboy" on Tuesday.
What a great evening.
Maybe it was the company, but I am sure the food and the sake had a little to do with it.
"Jet-set" went to town and just raped the appetizer menu...house tofu, eggplant, kumomoto oysters, sticky-yam with tuna (my favorite snack), some pickled items (cna never have too many pickled goodies), pork belly (I was so worried that "jet-set" wouldn't like it since I had been talking it up for months)aah, the pork belly was "devine", in the words of "jet-set-playboy".
He ordered a few traditional rolls (not some cheesy Cali kind-they don't serve that stuff there) and then we took a little break before I ordered my dessert:
Amberjack, kohada, and spanish mackrel, and the happy deep fried bones...mmm, all so good.
As always, the service was excellent and the attention to detail and presentaion was perfect.
A quite evening of good quality company, food, sake, and service...what more could a gal ask for on a Tuesday evening?...well, maybe a foot rub.
It's all about the food!!!
Lunch time gets VERY busy.
The place is very small.
You can find some great…
Read more »
I loved this chef back when he was at Sushi Ryo on Santa Monica and Highland. Seriously awesome sushi here complimented by a huge menu of non-sushi items. I recommend anything on the daily specials menu and implore you to try things you've never had before, you will be pleasantly surprised. Among my favorites at Izayoi:
Jumbo Scallop Sushi
Uni
Miso Black Cod
Nasu Miso
Sardine stuffed with spicy cod roe
Japanese Yellowtail
Japanese Spanish Mackerel (anything off the fresh fish from Japan menu is a winner)
Fried Oysters
Do yourself a favor and try Izayoi unless you're that person who orders only teryaki chicken and California roll, if that's you, you might as well be at Yoshinoya.
So far, this place is my favorite izakaya in LA. I havn't been to many, but this place has a trendier vibe and puts more emphasis on the quality of the food then other places I have been. The pricing is maybe slightly higher than hondaya, but the portions are either the same or larger so it works itself out in my opinion. The server's and chef's were mostly Japanese, so expect a different kind of service than the more Americanized spots.
My favorites have been the seafood croquettes, the kakuni (stewed pork belly, way better than hondaya's), and the mushrooms with scallops. The homemade tofu and gindara have also been consistently good. A lot of menu items are pretty authentically Japanese and done right. Maybe just slightly fancier. I've also had pretty good luck just ordering random small plates and rarely get sashimi or nigiri, but what I did have was pretty fresh.
Huge plus is the free parking as opposed to $6 across the street. If you can snag a spot that is.
Being a big fan of Japanese food, I don't say this lightly: This restaurant has really good Japanese food.
Don't let them fool you, the waitress told me they have small portions, but they were pretty generous with their portions. I had the seaweed salad with ginger sauce. The tiny little noodles and the horseradish gave it a good crunch. I also like the vegetable tempura. The tempura batter was just right it wasn't to thick, it was very crisp and the vegetables were cooked through. And they used very unique vegetables - Shitake Mushrooms, Asparagus, and others. The chilean sea bass was great.
I didn't know what to expect when I came here on a whim last week. Sushi-Gen was full and I didn't want to find parking so the idea of parking in a lot for FREE was enticing.
Overall the experience was delicious. The miso marinated pork belly was sooo good, it was like eating chunks of sweetly glazed bacon. We also had the homemade cold tofu which was texturally perfect and very fresh, I could see how one could think it was bland, but I thoroughly enjoyed how refreshing it was. but you have to be a tofu lover The seared duck breast was also a favorite and seasoned perfectly. We also got a few rolls, spicy tuna, eel, and a rainbow roll stick out in my mind, fish was exceptional and of high quality. None of that slimey-ness that accompanies sub-par fish.
The only let down of the night was the fried lotus root was not the way I usually have it, it was fried in one big piece then sliced in a very heavy panko batter, I've had better. The portions are small, be forewarned and service was adequate but could have been better.
Tab came out to be just under $30 with tip a person which isn't too bad for the amount of food we ordered. But we didn't order anything seasonal.
I would stop by again though, free and easy parking around dinner time is hard to beat.
I live about one block from here. It's become the place to go for special occasions.
My wife and I recently celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary here for lunch. With three kids (two in elementary school and one still in diapers) and our anniversary falling on a Thursday, evening celebrations are pretty much out for another few years.
Anyways, my wife used to work with the owner when he was a chef at Sushi Gen so we always get greeted very warmly.
We both ordered the Chirashi Sushi, which in my opinion is one of the best around L.A. It comes with Miso soup, side salad (the dressing is excellent) and Japanese pickles. I was really hungry and was a little concerned that one order wasn't going to be enough but by the time I finished I was full.
For $11 bucks it's a winner in my opinion. Highly recommended.
09/08/2007
Having experienced eating tapas-style in the past, my first foray into izakaya dining was at Izayoi in Little Tokyo. For those of you who didn't know, the name "izakaya" is a compound word consisting of "i " (to remain) and "sakaya" (sake shop), showing that izakaya originates from sake shops where a night out consisted of dining on bar food in between bouts of sake and beer, very similar to the concept of eating tapas paired with wines. Since I'm not actually much of a drinker, it was all about the food and for our meal, we sampled 15 different dishes, from salads all the way to dessert. Being a first-timer, Izayoi has definitely set a pretty high standard for future izakaya outings because except for 2 or 3 items that were just so-so, everything I had was extremely tasty.
First to arrive was the Cooked Broccoli Served Chilled with Spicy Cod Roe Dressing. This dish was pretty straightforward but I really enjoyed how the sweet and tangy onions along with the slight salty-heat of the dressing added great flavors to a vegetable that a lot of restaurants normally cook to an unappetizing mushy mess. Along with the broccoli came the Mustard Greens and Fried Bean Curd Tossed with Sesame Dressing, which was fresh and even re-freshing. Both were great starters for the meal to come.
A couple of dishes later, the Homemade Tofu with Ground Sesame Paste landed on our table. At first, it didn't look very appetizing. I kept thinking about camouflage colors every time I looked at it. After a few bites, I did end up appreciating how the fairly creamy tofu absorbed both the nuttiness and a tinge of bitterness from the sesame sauce for a duet of flavors that somehow worked well together. The Steamed Clams with Sake Broth also hit the spot. Though not a hearty soup, it's a bowl of goodness, tasty and light, that would be great to have on a chilly evening when you're not in the mood for a heavy meal.
Something that else that stood out for me was the egg custard presented in a tea cup with a little wooden spoon. It was a perfect complement to a meal with ts fair share of grilled and deep fried items. Both creamy and silky, it helped give our taste buds a rest in between courses and in a way, was a great palate cleanser as well.
Other delicious offerings from Izayoi were the Garlic Sauteed Scallops and Mushrooms, though a tad oily, still packed a lot garlicky punch while the Miso Eggplant was on the other end of the flavor spectrum because of the delicate sweetness of its miso glaze. Overall, most of the dishes we sampled were quite stellar, but there were those 2, even 3 items that did disappoint.
First, there were the tempura squid legs. The tempura wasn't light or crispy. In fact, I found it to be a bit heavy. What I also found unappealing is that when trying to take a bite out of the squid legs, the whole thing literally came out of the tempura. I felt like a cat in front of an aquarium looking perfectly innocent while a part of a fish was hanging out of its mouth. Get the picture? The whole squid leg section was just too big to have been fried because there was certainly no way anyone could eaten the whole thing in one bite. Second and third actually because both the Miso Duck and Ponzu Grilled Chicken had the same problem. Both meats were a little too over cooked and as a result, a little chewy.
In the end, to have only 3 out of 15 items not quite come up to par, definitively speaks well of Izayoi. People have told me that izakaya food actually tastes better with sake and/or beer, but in my book, Izayoi's food really doesn't need any further enhancement. Their menu can definitely stand on its own merit.
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/...
Man, I had not been to Little Tokyo in a while and was quite surprised by the development.
I met some friends of mine who know their Japanese foods including a gringo who lived in Japan for 10 years and they picked the place. It's on Central Ave between 1st and 2nd street. The restaurant sign is hard to see from the street, so just park in the Office Depot parking lot (they validate). I think Izayoi was between Quiznos and Yogurtland. At first, I thought "what the hell" since you wouldn't expect a good Japanese restaurant to be next to Quiznos.
The decor was okay and the place looked clean though I noticed they had a "B" rating by the city.
They had all the traditional Japanese beers and sake. The only draft beer they had was Kirin. A pint was $3.50 and a pitcher was $15 (I think).
I was surprised to see that most of the clients were non-Japanese until I looked at the menu. They had a lot of Japanese fusion appetizers which I never heard of and didn't care to try. I stuck with the traditional dishes and was happy with their sashimi and sushi.
I recommend this place to anyone. The menus are in english and I noticed the waitresses took the time to explain the ingredients, so it's not an intimidating place if you want to experience izakaya style dining.
Bathrooms were clean too.
We were trying to decide on a place to get our parking validated (we had given up on street parking in j-town tonight), I saw the Zagat plaque and walked in, the decor was pleasing and fresh but wont distract from your attention to the food. Their room temperature sashimi was the best I had eaten in many years.
The Jo-Chirashi set featured a donburi style rice beneath the blend of shrimp, tuna, salmon, clam and hamachi. This stuff really melts in your mouth. The seaweed salad was delectable and we ordered a sizzling miso eggplant dish to complement. They refill your ice tea and water promptly. The prices are med-high but bear in mind you get Zagat quality sushi here and your parking validated ;-).
We don't get up to LA much and when we do, we go with a big group which has its pluses. It means that when we eat out, we get to try a lot of stuff. Going to Izayoi was not any different. There were 12 of us at dinner, each of us ordering a few items and most of us tried everything. Like Lena, I don't remember every dish we had, but there were a few which stood out, a few which didn't and some which were just plain nasty.
The ones which stood out were the chilled lotus root appetizer, buta no kakuni (very tender and flavorful), mushrooms and baby scallops in a garlic butter sauce, black cod, minced sardines wrapped in shiso and deep fried. I also enjoyed the miso eggplant a lot, but then again, I love eggplant no matter how you cook it.
Then there were those items which you can't really go wrong with, such as edamame, agedashi tofu and ankimo. Zaru soba was also not too bad, although it was a bit doughy and nothing like what you get at Fukada.
Garlic stem with bacon sounded great but they over cooked the garlic stem and the maple flavor of the bacon just didn't register "Japanese" to me. Another mushroom dish was ordered, I think, simmered in soy and mirin, but that did not impress. Neither did the grilled duck slices (too chewy) nor the spicy chicken (which tasted like orange chicken) create a stir.
Some sushi rolls were ordered - I enjoyed those but again, they weren't stellar. The grossest thing which I tasted that evening was the duck slices with egg cooked in a pot. When it finally arrived, it looked like it should've been part of a donburi. It was pretty nasty and sadly, it was something I had ordered.
We had a great time, but I wouldn't return again especially since this is located in J-town and there are just too many other places to eat at. Atmosphere was nice, but I can't eat my surroundings. And oh, even though this calls itself an izakaya, it really isn't in the traditional sense.
I don't even know what I ate because the 2 guys at the end of the table were just ordering everything on the menu. All I remembered was plates flying on and off of our table as they're being attacked by 12 pairs of chopsticks. actually .. 11 pairs and 1 fork.
but .. I do remember this .. Grilled pork belly .. was the BOMB diggity!
and then top it with yogurtland for dessert. mmm mmm mmm
happy stomach = my baby got lucky that night. ;-)
This is my favorite restaurant in Jtown! i abs. love the misoyaki eggplant, fried chicken with mayo, yellow tail collar bone, garlic scallops and enoki mushrooms... i can go on! The staff is always very friendly and attentive!
Good food, excellent service. 12 of us dined here last night taking the largest table they had. I'd suggest a party of 10 or less as it was a little cramped for two in our party. We had the mussels, shrimp & jalapeno spring rolls, shrimp dumplings, albacore salad, eggplant, both types of pork belly, tuna sashimi & yam, buckwheat noodles, softshell crab rolls, fried chicken and a few more dishes.
With a couple of beers, my share ran me $50 including tip. Pricey considering izakaya joints are supposed to be bar food and not too expensive. The shrimp dumpling cost $5 for 2 large dumplings. They were tasty but 1/2 mile away in Chinatown, I could buy 3 orders of dim sum that had 3-4 dumplings for $5. I looked over the sushi bar and the fish in the counter looked outstanding. Next time I go here, I'd go with 1-2 friends and sit at the sushi bar. They had live baby abalone and quoted me $20 for an order, not clear if that was for sashimi or nigiri sushi or the whole abalone. The albacore and yellowtail looked really fresh and we ordered the albacore salad and the fish was indeed excellent.
The pork belly dishes were my favs as was shrimp jalapeno spring rolls.
Great parking as you are allowed to park in the Office Depot lot. I'd come back here for sushi, but for izakaya, I'd much rather go to Haru Ulala and pay 1/2 the price. If the prices were comparable to HU, I'd give them 4 stars, maybe more! No reservations unless we rsvp'ed at 6:30pm for our party of 12.
I think you have to have a taste for the food to really enjoy it...it's sort of a modern twist on traditional Japanese food. The sushi was very fresh ~ yum! I liked the beef tataki and the cream korokke too. We also ordered a shiitake tempura thing (Japanese equivalent to stuffed mushrooms) ... very good.
The service is excellent and it's very cozy, typical of most Japanese places. It's great for trying a variety of dishes and flavors.
Izayoi is different from Haru Ulala both in atmosphere and in offerings. Notably, Izayoi serves sushi which usually isn't the go-to when you crave Izakaya fare. However, the people there used to work at Sushi Gen so the sushi is pretty high quality. Izayoi also feels more upscale and lacks the nitty gritty of Haru.
If you're fortunate enough to work near Izayoi or if you have the free time to drive there during the lunchtime, you can try what I think is one of the best bang for the bucks - the izayoi bento - priced at 9.75 and limited to the first 25 orders. If you're not, still go for dinner. The fried chicken is - to paraphrase Dan F. - stupidly good and the creamy seafood croquets are orgasmic.
Food wasn't amazing...but it has that cozy warm vibe. Good music. Authentic ambience. Japanese tapas + sushi bar. What more can a girl ask for? Free parking in the home depot (or is it office depot) lot is a plus.
My first izakaya experience. i loved it! Nice big cold glasses of Otokoyama sake, edamame, nigiri, agedashi tofu, soba noodles, savory custard, fried green tea ice cream, and, most importantly, all shared over leisurely conversation with a good friend. I wish either I had more time for lunch, there was an izakaya where I live in Long Beach, or that I were inclined to go out drinking after work more often, because I would totally come here all the time if any of those were the case. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of both the food menu and the drink menu, and I am anxious to try more. If only I wasn't also so anxious to get home as quickly as possible after work.
Other useful info: we got here around 7 p.m. on a Thursday night and there was no wait, although the place got really full after that (we made it just in time). Service was okay. Our orders came pretty quickly, but drink refills were kind of lacking. The restaurant, as other reviewers have mentioned, was clean and modern without being obnoxiously trendy, and yes, the restrooms were nice and clean. With tax and tip and everything, the bill ended up being just over $40 per person. All in all, a night well spent!
Man oh man... I wanted to have some dinner in Downtown LA, I decided to narrow it down to Little Tokyo. After reading some reviews here on Yelp, I decided to go with Izayoi. After all I love eating at Musha another izakaya restaurant, Torrance location.
Parking was easy and free, in the Office Depot lot. It got packed by the time I left, (8/830). B grade by the health inspector, booo. No wait sat right away (7pm). The menu did not have anything eye popping except for the pork belly. So the order was...
Pitcher beer, sake.
House salad (good)
Sushi roll, forgot the name but had asparagus and other stuff (bad)
Simmered Pork belly (good, but Musha's is better, they give potato and egg too)
Shabu shabu lettuce wraps (what the hell is this sh*t, it was like a homemade leftover ingredients in a lettuce wrap with a funky yucky peanut dipping sauce, Boooo!)
Garlic buttered mushrooms and scallops (extremely average)
Service was good and prompt.
We couldn't even finish the lettuce wraps, they come served ready to eat, 4 wraps, 1 and half wraps were not eaten. We pretty much ate the rest of the food, begrudgingly. Still a bit hungry but I did not want to order anything else from here. The one bright spot was for the very first time in my life I saw the Kogi truck, it was across the street on 1st St. there was a huge line. I was hoping to catch it on the way out and fill up on the mysterious Kogi truck. Only bad thing was it was gone by the time we finished. So really no bright spot. I did get to see it live in person though.
Yelpers, how could you do this to me. It was one of the worst dinners I have ever paid for. The bill ended up at $65, not too bad, but bad since the food was blaaah! I figured with the B rating the food would taste good, due to some secret ingredients, but no. Ended the night splitting a 10 pc chicken mcnuggets and cheeseburger to fulfill my appetite. Now that was delicious.
music and food. two of my greatest passions and ways to my heart.
themes/choruses of the night:
think damien rice. modern english. fiona apple, the cure.
more specifically: delicate. melt with u. slow like honey, just like heaven.
WOW.
if u think izakaya food is just izakaya food, u have not experienced izakaya at izaoyoi where they take it to the next level.
certain foods are meant to be enjoyed by inhaling. I'll inhale my hot and fresh eggplant and sausage pizza from casa bianca, inhale a heaping bowl of sapp's thai boat noodles, inhale ridiculous amounts of almost any type of pasta....but the food at izayoi is where u slowly enjoy and savor EVERY DAMN bite and morsel, eyes closed, grinning ear to ear (accompanied with the occasional fist pound on the table)
homemade tofu- refer to all the songs above. the first bite of this was the just so incredibly..."comfortable" ok fine, add john mayer to the mix too. ultimate comfort food. the texture was amazing, the sauce and daikon sprouts perfect. if u've ever watched the old school episodes of iron chef, I'd always get a good chuckle at the common theme of one of judges saying "this reminds me of being a little girl again in the countryside" WTH right?? yeah after one bite of this tofu, instead of chuckling, I started giggling like a little school girl. yeah, shaddup.
ankimo- hands down the BEST ankimo I have ever had. again, back to the chorus(es). it was just so incredibly delicate and melted in ur mouth. the texture of this monkfish liver is like none other. the ponzu wasn't overpowering but just the perfect compliment. the taste was creamy, buttery, and smooth (not too fishy or offensive in any manner)
miso pork belly- WOW. ok those of u who know me, know that I love my brash pork belly. love it sam gyup sal style as kbbq, thick chunks of it in bo sam, deep fried filipino style. however, brash is NOT the word to describe this ultimate orgasmic dish. AGAIN BACK TO THE CHORUS(es). this was simmered and braised in the most delicate broth with just the right amount of miso but with a sweetness (probably mirin). I've never had pork belly ever MELT IN UR MOUTH this delicately and smoothly.
bbq beef tongue- when I think beef tongue at izakaya's, I think on skewers, kinda chewy, kinda charred. don't get me wrong, I like that too but holy CRAP. this was NOT that beef tongue. this was served as the star and center of attention on a large plate garnished with broccoil and tomatoes. the quality of this beef tongue is SUPERB and again it was extremely delicate but with the just the right amount of char. great temperature of a seared outside and a love-me-tender warm inside. so good, so good.
also ordered some amberjack and ika (squid) sashimi that were extremely fresh with great texture and smooth flavor.
paired with some excellent sakes and shochu's, a wonderful meal. bc its izakaya the portions aren't ridiculously huge so u can try many dishes and u don't leave feeling like a beached whale or heifer. again refer back to the chorus(es). needless to say, I was left singing for days...
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Japanese
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