Izaka-ya: A Pleasant Surprise
Posted: February 18th, 2010 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: Foodies & Dining Scene | Tags: Dining, Hatsune, Izaka-ya, Japanese food | 1 Comment »
Tucked away just beside d.lounge in South Sanlitun, Izaka-ya is not what I was expecting when I walked in the modest entrance that zigzagged and led me into a beautifully designed, very impressive dining room surrounded by a large L-shaped sushi bar with a section to sit either in standard chairs and tables or Japanese style on pillows with little wooden houses all around, serving as private dining rooms in various sizes starting from a minimum of 6 people and up. A perfect venue for a nice dinner for two or a big group dinner.
I was impressed to find an extensive Japanese menu serving everything from sushi, salads, yakitori, hotpot, tempura, ramen, and teppanyaki. Prices were set for great value, considering the first page had set menus starting at RMB 2,000, RMB 3,000 and RMB 4,000. Eeek! But rest assured, once you get past the first page, the rest is sound and fair. Chinglish is everywhere in throughout the menu, but the food selection is extensive, service is decent and I will definitely be back.
Review of Izaka-ya: Neighboring d.lounge in South Sanlitun 牛屋日本餐厅 朝阳区三里屯南路(书虫书店后) Tel: 6585-3570
Best Part:
- Above all else, I was most impressed with the decor of the venue. I want to come back and bring more people just so I can sit in the little wooden houses for my own private dinner party. I love the style and decor of the whole place. Very unique and innovative.
- Menu had an extensive selection set at very fair prices. Definitely quantity over quality, but great value for what you get.
- Their beef teppanyaki with avocado and vegetables was our best pick of the meal
- Yakitori selection starts at RMB 7 each and they have an extensive selection of meats and seafood
Comments:
- For sashimi, nigiri, and sushi rolls, Hatsune is still the best of the best and no one else comes close. (Not biased, just the honest truth) Izaka-ya had a few rolls on their menu, which are all massively large (can barely fit it in your mouth all at once), but not so tasty and a lot of their sushi roll selection incorporates cooked fish and meat, which is not really my cup of tea.
- Oden was not particularly great, I would also still recommend Oden restaurant if you are a fan of quality oden with premium ingredients.
- Ingredients, quality and presentation were not top-notch, but equivalent to what you are paying for. A big meal for two was RMB 150.
Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)
- Food: 7
- Atmosphere: 9
- Service: 7
- Overall Experience: 8





