Izza

Cuisine	Japanese
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	7/10
Last Visit	April 23, 2022
Location	SFBA: Berkeley + Oakland

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General Notes

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Came here on Valentine's day, was very pleasantly surprised by the experience! We arrived around ~6:30 and apparently got the last walk-in outdoor seating table available. Friendly service, great food, and a diverse selection of tasty menu items. There was nothing in particular that stood out as amazing, but everything was solid and executed well. Would recommend for an izakaya-like experience that's more focused on the food.

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Negatives

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> The interior can get pretty smoky from the yakitori. The second time I came here, something seems to have started smoking in the kitchen, as it ended up smoking up the entire room. Would recommend outdoor seating if possible.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★★☆ Curry Shrimp Katsu -- deep fried shrimp katsu with curry, comes with salad and rice. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but the shrimp itself is quite lovely. Perfectly cooked, so crispy on the outside, and despite the fact that the curry is ladled over (which I'm not the biggest fan of), it remained pretty crispy.
• ★★☆☆ Ankimo -- monkfish liver, shitake mushrooms, avocado, seasonal fruit. The ankimo itself is pretty solid, but I'm biased b/c I'm not the biggest fan of shitake mushrooms.
• ★★★☆ Skewers Sampler -- brussel sprouts, eggplant, mushroom, chicken thigh, pork belly. These are delightful -- perfectly cooked and so flavorful. The grilled / smoky flavors meld beautifully with the slightly caramelized soy-based sauce. The pork belly was my favorite -- it had a bit of fat layered inside that gave it an intense savory flavor that other skewers don't have.
• ★★☆☆ Tonkatsu Curry -- about average; nothing particularly noteworthy. The pork itself is a bit on the drier side and I'm not a fan of how the curry is ladled on top. A pretty generous portion of pork
• ★★★☆ Sashimi Moriawase -- good quality sashimi, thick-cut. I ordered the 13pc but actually got 17pc, which was a pleasant surprise
• ★★★☆ Ikayaki -- lovely grilled flavor; the lemon, mayo, and chili pepper bring everything together nicely. good texture, not overcooked
• ★★★☆ Agedashi Tofu -- despite sitting in the broth, the tofu retains a surprisingly nice exterior (it's nice and chewy!). Good flavor, very heavy on the bonito flakes just the way I like it