I have been craving some Japanese Izakaya for quite some time and have been watching Imadake and the reviews closely looking forward to the day in which I could try it out! Japanese Izakaya is getting quite popular in Toronto and Vancouver and other cities because it's a very easy concept. Small appetizer plates but very tasty with a Japanese theme. In Japan this is Happy Hour food and beer for you mid-western folks out there! A seriously awesome concept!
Okay enough with my intro.......onto the food!
Since my wife is an Izakaya newbie I didn't order many of the crazy dishes I'd normally such as ox tongue, chicken skin or other fishy North American "not so used" to dishes.
The evening throw down was this:
Gomae- smaller portion but nice sauce and quite good. 3 / 5
Seaweed Salad- great dressing fresh and light 3.5 / 5
Shimesaba- smaller portion cuts of fish but nicely done. 3.5 / 5
Chicken yakitori skewers in a sour plum sauce- yummy tender thigh pieces. 4 / 5
Takoyaki- On Osaka classic lightly doughy and good. Not as much tako meat more dough but good. 3 / 5
Vegetable Yakisoba- done with a nice bulldog tonkatsu sauce taste and flavourful 4 / 5
Vegetable Tempura- I've had better elsewhere. Crisp but batter could have been better 2.5 / 5
To wash it down I chose a large $10 Sapporo. My wife had a mojito (she claimed devishly fantastic).
I'll have to try some of the other Izakaya in the YUL but I'm down with this joint.
Be careful kids. Lots of homeless people in the sketchy neighbourhood. A rather unfortunate minor concern but be aware!