the hub and i were able to go out on
a date night and have some delicious
izakaya. i had had it only twice maybe while
living in los angeles and k found this awesome
tucked away restaurant that is absolutely
delicious and quaint.
the place was nearly full at 6pm!
i was glad we made a reservation. also
love sitting at the bar–near the food. ha!
burdock (sort of like bamboo but tougher?
we still don’t know what it is!), japanese seaweed
(which i liked. and i don’t usually like seaweed much),
cold mackerel pickled in vinager (only the love ate
this and he says it’s just like the english stuff. gah!)
and a rice ball with salted salmon in the middle. yum!
a favorite of mine. daikon (like white carrots) w actual
carrots, yam cakes and tofu. the yam cakes scare me.
i thought they would be chewy like mochi, which i love.
but they have a crunchy consistency and are savory!
grilled yellowtail. again, mostly eaten by the
love. i did have two bites. delicious!
chino’s grilled sweet corn. SO GOOD!
chino’s is a fancy organic farm in san diego.
we also ordered “kama” for the first time. i was
completely wrong in thinking it’d be like rice
porridge. instead, it was seven grain rice cooked
with chestnuts dry, so the bottom is a little
bit burned. so yummy! they change the kama
featured ingredients each day. the chestnuts and
sweet corn made me feel very autumnal.
one of my favorite dishes! agedashi tofu.
if it’s on the menu, i’ll most likely get it.
interestingly, to “eat tofu” in mandarin means
to flirt.
i decided to try the green tea (love green tea!)
panna cotta and it wasn’t at all what i expected.
it was like a green tea mousse with a dollop of red
bean on it. SO GOOD! you see i ate a few bites before
i remembered i had to take a foto. ha!
we then watched 2012 which we both enjoyed.
i was sort of meh at another end of the world
film but i liked this one. everyone says you need
to suspend your disbelief but i had no trouble.
the visuals were amazing. i also liked the small
ways they tried to tell you something about each
character–it’s harder with film. do we expect as
much characterization from films as we do from
the books we read?
some silver phoenix fun!
a super fun and cute review by twelve
year old gwen. i LOVE the foto!
and sarah rees brennan’s [The Demon's
Lexicon] hilarious take on Silver Phoenix. =D
currently reading :
the demon’s lexicon by sarah rees brennan
ETA : and the lucky winner of hannah’s debut
BREAK is kiersten! thanks for sharing your terrible
injuries with me guys!
17 Comments
first I was drooling because of the pics, then I spit my coffee on my computer screen when I read Brennan’s:
“AI LING: My father seems to have disappeared. Well, time to go questing for him through the Asian-inspired fantasy landscape.
CHEN YONG: Are you sure that’s wise?
AI LING: You are right! I should also bring a packed lunch.”
I think I need a bib today.
YUM!! I love Japanese food :)
That grilled corn looks AMAZING. Love Izakaya – so many tastes in one meal. :)
i heart izakayas. maybe one of my fave choices when dining.
You made me drool on my keyboard. The green tea panna cotta!!!
And yam cakes…sooooo tasty.
Still so excited!! YAY!
Oooh, that tofu looks fantastic! :D I love reading about your foodie adventures.
all the food looks absolutely delicious!
ooh! i want to go back when i come to visit! looks yum!
haha, you were so grossed out by the yam cakes.
jen, wasn’t that so funny?
martha, i actually *shared* half that corn w the love. i guess i really do love him. haha!
bryn, hee! did you ever have izakaya in japan?
dara, rebecca, sonnie, thanks!!
kiersten, yahooo!
karissa–my treat when you come back! =D
and the love ate all the yam cakes. blurgh. i could eat the LITTLE ones but the big ones, eeee!
I loved the pictures you took of the food and the descriptions, too! It looked really good and authentic. Reminded me of a trip I took to Japan a couple of years ago.
YUM!!!!!
um… can i come visit you? forever? maybe live under your diningroom table or something?
*squishes moonie* YES! =D
if you don’t mind the cesspools of
germies i live with known as the bublets!
Yum!! What a great meal!!
And I LOVE agedashi tofu!! I always order it when I can.
Thanks for the great photos!!
hoorah for another lover of agedashi tofu! =DDD