Izakaya Mita :: Restaurant Week #1

RainbowSashimi Avocado Salad

tuna, yellowtail, salmon over avocado and spring greens in a special wafu dressing

I enjoyed this dish but it was quite small and on the salty side.

Kani Ankake Tofu 

blue crab in a thick wafu-chuka sauce with carrots, onions, kale and shiitake mushrooms served over silken tofu

I personally didn't care of this. It was small and soup like. Didn't taste the blue crab and the sauce was too overwhelming. Considering it was a tofu dish, there wasn't much tofu.

Niku Katsu Panko 

breaded beef sirloin served deep fried with special ponzu dressing

I liked this despite it being very oily and not very crunchy. Note ponzu sauce was had hints of wasabi.

Kamo Misozuke 

cold smoked duck breast marinated in a miso and ginger sauce served with a special ume pickled plum puree

Pretty disappointed with this as it was pretty bland and the meat was very chewy.

Robusuta Slider 

rice slider topped with deep fried lobster and drizzled with spicy mayo

Was also disappointed by this. The slider was soggy and couldn't taste much of the lobster as the batter was overwhelming.

Mama Mita’s Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake 

the owner’s homemade matcha green tea cheesecake steamed in a custard bowl, topped with whipped cream and served with 2 green tea chocolate pocky biscuits

I really enjoyed the green tea cheesecake but wished it was bigger!

Came here for the first time during Restaurant Week. As an izakaya aficionado, I was pretty excited to try it after looking at the Restaurant Week menu and the 4 star ratings on yelp. Unfortunately, Izakaya Mita didn't meet my expectations and left underwhelmed. Despite arriving for the Restaurant Week menu, I also looked/considered the restaurant's regular menu. Despite the numerous menu items, I didn't find anything that caught my interest and I noticed it was slightly on the pricy side. As such, I stuck with my choice in trying the Restaurant Week Menu. One of the deciding factors in choosing Izakaya Mita over any other Japanese establishment for Restaurant Week was that there was more courses than the others (6 courses for $44). Don't let this fool you! The portions for each course was quite small and I left the restaurant pretty hungry. Since the portions were small, I was planning to split a ramen with my friend but the waitress never came back so we never ordered it. In terms of the food taste and quality, I was a little disappointed. Ingredients are good but average. Taste missed the mark as some items were either overly salty, overly bland, or overly fried. The one thing I did really enjoy was the matcha green tea cheesecake! Service is prompt and friendly, but not very attentive. We initially ordered the Restaurant Week menu to get the food order started and told the waitress to comeback after we decided on some additional dishes from the regular menu and she never came back. I also asked for some hot water in addition to my friend's beer, but only the beer came. Overall, I wouldn't say Izakaya Mita is a bad restaurant, but I've definitely had better experiences elsewhere.

Izakaya Mita

1960 N. Damen Ave

Chicago, IL 60647

773.799.8677

website

restaurant week link :: menu

Nomé Izakaya :: Sunday Dinner

Assortment of Alcoholic Beverages Displayed on the Bar

(L-R) Red Sake Sangria ($7.45), Takara Plum Wine ($9.30 for 4oz), Virgin Sangria ($5.50)

Another restaurant to add to my mental list of restaurants that carry Takara Plum Wine! Additionally the Red Sake Sangria and the Virgin Sangria taste pretty much the same except the Red Sake Sangria has a small taste of sake, though not quite apparent. This makes the sangria for those who dislike the taste of alcohol but enjoy a couple drinks (but quite dangerous for those who are drinking quite a few as they may not realize!).

Japa-Burger ジャパバーガー ($8.80)

Nomé’s original homemade sliders made with sliced rib eye meat and topped with tomato, spring mix, onion, smokey bbq sauce and garlic seasoning

The Japa-Burger was pretty good, though I feel the buns took a little away from the dish as it was cold and the proportion of bread overpowered the patty. The sliders would be greatly benefited if a different bun was used and/or if the buns were placed on the grill. Otherwise, a pretty homemade-like slider. 

The Tuna Tango (Maguro Tataki) マグロのタタキ ($9.80)

lightly seared tuna with ground daikon, shallot chips and Nomé’s original ponzu sauce

Great for seared tuna lovers! The toppings provided a tasty change in texture and the ponzu sauce enhances the flavour of the seared tuna.

Marinated Black Cod (Gindara No Yuan Yaki) 銀鱈の幽庵焼き ($9.80)

black cod marinated with citrus soy sauce

Your standard black cod served at any izakaya joint. The black cod was buttery, though arrived slightly on the colder side. Good dish, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Baked Oysters (Kakimayo) かきのクリームソースやき ($9.30)

oven baked oyster with spinach cream sauce (4pcs)

Buttery, buttery, buttery creamy goodness. Your traditional cheesy baked oyster - no extra bells or whistles. Although spinach cream sauce, the spinach taste was not extremely apparent. Personally, I would have preferred if they added more cheese. The oysters arrived warm, though not really hot (since they are baked). For those who have been to Guu, the 4 individual oysters here are approximately the same amount or less than the 2 baked oysters that Guu provides.

Buttered Scallop & Shrimpホタテとえびのバター焼き ($8.80)

baked scallop and shrimp, simmered in garlic butter

Similar to the last few dishes, nothing extremely out of the ordinary. The Buttered Scallop & Shrimp provide exactly what the menu describes. Butter-simmered scallops and shrimp with crunchy chips on top.

Korean Style Beef Sashimi - TarTar (Yuké) ユッケ($8.70)

thinly sliced beef sashimi and fresh egg yolk with a Korean style soy sauce dressing.

My favourite dish of the night and the most unique of the dishes ordered. The tartare was fresh and with onions/garlic mixed in. Loved the fact they provided lots of tartare but did not provide enough crackers for the amount they provided. Luckily I used the Creamy Mentai Crispy Potato Chips (next) to eat with the rest of the tartare or ate the tartare alone.

Creamy Mentai (Crispy) Potato クリーミー明太じゃが ($5.80)

pan fried thinly sliced potatoes with reduced creamy cod roe.

The Creamy Mentai Crispy Potatoes took quite some time to arrive. Since the word "Creamy" was in the name I was expecting it to be a lot creamier than it actually was. Would have liked a little more cream and a less oil to be the perfect dish for me.

Marinated Short Rib カルビ ($9.30)

"arguably Toronto’s BEST marinated beef short ribs immersed in our secret blend of spices"

Menu claims that the Marinated Short Rib is 'arguably Toronto's BEST marinated beef short ribs' and I would argue otherwise. Although tender and juicy the short ribs came cold and for those who prefer their beef medium rare, the short ribs came out more on the rare side. Although they were good, I would say I've had the same quality elsewhere.

Overall, Nome Izakaya is a great izakaya joint for those who live in North York/Markham who do not wish to travel downtown to satisfy their Japanese Tapa cravings. The food is the typical Japanese tapa standard - but nothing extremely unique. I found a lot of the food arrived on the colder side though. The staff are super friendly and the environment is great. I would definitely return with friends or go for a birthday (though the location isn't super large) and perhaps try some of their sushi items (I saw a few pass by that looked interesting). Food is on the pricier side for tapas (by a few bucks) and the portions are great for sharing though the typical tapa portions. Great for weekends out with your friends due to their extensive drinks menu.

Nomé Izakaya

4848 Yonge Street

Toronto, M2N5N2

647.347.7937

info@nomeizakaya.com

website