Didi N.
Yelp
The last time I've been to this place was at least 4 years ago. I was in the area visiting my family and we decided to come here for dinner. The place is really small so you definitely have to call in for a reservation. They also get pretty busy too.
It's a nice, cozy, small place and everyone there is so friendly! From the servers to the cooks, we felt welcomed! Matt, our server was super attentive, nice, and took really care of our table!
The premise is basically, you order from a list of yakitori items (essentially meats, seafood, etc grilled on skewer sticks). They make it fresh and bring it to your table as soon as the chef is done cooking. The chef we had that night grilled our items to perfection! We had the following skewers:
Pork neck: 10/10 - if you never had pork neck, you are missing out. I was skeptical in getting it but I was so happy that I did! It was so juicy, flavorful, and the texture was SO GOOD!!! I don't know what glaze they put on it but oh my goodness, after the first bite, my eyes widened because it was that dang on delicious. The texture reminds me of eating really tender cartilage. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this.
Pork wrapped in shiso leaves and bacon: 10/10 - another one of my favorites from the night. It had beef wrapped with a layer of shiso leaves and bacon with umeboshi (salted plum) in the middle. It was decadent, juicy, and the umeboshi added this umami and tartness that brought all of the flavors together. The pork was extremely juicy and as I was eating it, I could see the juices falling on the plate.
Grilled steak: 7/10 - I don't usually eat steak but this was grilled to perfection and a nice medium rare texture. I appreciate that they don't overcook the steak here.
Grilled steak and pickled radish: 8/10 - Essentially the same as the grilled steak but served with a side of pickled radish. I enjoyed the radish as it provided a refreshing taste and palette cleanser after eating the steak. I didn't try the steak with wasabi but my sister and BIL said it was good and spicy!
October: 8/10 - tender, juicy, and the tentacles weren't chewy at all! You could tell the octopus was fresh because it had no fishy aftertaste!
Takoyaki: 9/10 - fluffy, stuffed with veggies and octopus and the batter was pan fried to a nice, golden, brown. It was soooo good! The toppings on top (bonito flakes, kewpie mayo, and eel sauce) tied it all together. I've had many takoyaki throughout my lifetime and this one is one of the better ones!
Tip: definitely dip your skewers into the Togarashi powder (it's like a slightly spicy Japanese seasoning). It creates a medley of flavors and provides a nice contrast to the meat, seafood, etc.
Overall, a wonderful place to socialize and grab some small bites! I thought I wouldn't get full off the skewers but I actually did haha. They give you decent portions and for a table of 3, we were all full. It ended costing us around $150 but it's not bad if you break it down for 3 people with alot of skewers!!! Note, I didn't mention all of the skewers that we got! Thank you Matt, chef, and the staff for making our visit so awesome! I'll come back every time I'm over in San Diego.