The Public Izakaya
This is getting popular in Singapore. Izakaya dining. What exactly is an Izakaya? Its is a Japanese restaurant that is like a tapas bar. Is it a restaurant that serves a lot of alcohol or a bar that serves a lot of food. It is really a drinking joint that serves food.
Izakaya was derived from "i" which means "to stay" and "sakaya" meaning "sake shop". Japanese men like to drink beer and sake after work and in modern day even women and students. Some started offering more types of food and drinks to increase their clientele.
You ought to be more adventurous in an izakaya where you can find a lot of sochu or sake. The common sense rule of eating is that when you have more people with you, you can sample more things but still you can go in alone and it is not a problem.
I found myself in one which was often crowded during lunch time. This one is called "The Public Izakaya". The setting is rather casual.
In our modern day life, we are fortunate with modern day comfort everywhere. Especially when having a meal. In the olden days, it is difficult to get a meal in peace. If you are Chinese, you walk into an inn after travelling a long distance, sit down to have meal and some wine and someone will come and throw daggers at you and you will need to be highly skilled to catch the darts with your chopsticks and then a fight will break out and all hell will break loose. Watch:
If you are Japanese, it is also not easy. You will also need to fight. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfBmKZVPPHc
Worse, sometimes you may be surrounded by 20-30 ninjas on the roof top when you are eating. Watch:
Today, the fighters and ninjas who wants to challenge you have evolved. They are unseen enemies. It is called "stress". Stress can cause people to overindulge or not to eat at all. We need to be highly skilled to deal with these enemies.
Back to izakaya. I think this is their most interesting section. Yakitori. But if you sit right there, you are going to smell like cooked meat.
I have always love noodles. This one is okay not great.
The soup is also just alright.
This is not the best tempura around but is is fresh.
Agedashi tofu is easy to eat but I was not impressed with its coating.
This Kani Tama Gratin is fabulous! It is snow crab and fish meat baked with bacon, white sauce and cheese. Try it!
This wagyu beef on a stick is fantastic! It can melt in the mouth as there is not much seasoning, probably just a little salt and grilled perfectly. Yummy!
It is worth taking another look before I gobble it down.
I did not have anyone to drink sake with me this time. What a waste. The Japanese really know how to enjoy life.
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