The food at Yama Izakaya is good but not great. I do love the atmosphere of the restaurant. There is lounge-like seating area at the front and a nice bar area. Our waiter was also very good.
Tonkostu Ramen: 3.5 stars. The broth was delicious; rich but not too viscous. The thin noodles were great. I liked the egg and bamboo shoots as well. However, I thought the pork chashu was mediocre at best. The chashu was thinly sliced and lacking flavor. I think they should drop the fishcake altogether as it makes the ramen bowl appear low quality.
Takoyaki Octopus balls: 4 stars. I really enjoyed the takoyaki. The octopus balls were flaky on the outside and flavorful inside.
Osaka sushi roll: 3.5 stars. This could easily be a great Sushi roll if they would only add avocado or cucumber. There are some scallions sprinkled on top of the roll but the roll still tasted incomplete from a texture and flavor standpoint. The seared tuna and flaky tempura desperately need smooth avocado to balance out the roll. I thought it was strange that they had a completely separate sushi menu.
Spicy cumin lamb yakitori: 3.5 stars. The lamb was decent. It was rather heavy on the cumin but I did not find the lamb spicy. The meat was a bit chewy.
Duck negi yakitori: 3.5 stars. the duck was tasty but I didn't care much for the sauce on the skewer which tasted like barbecue sauce.