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| - Quick summary: Shibuya Izakaya transcends the average, forgettable sushi restaurants that plague every major city. With a menu of handful of creative rolls and appetizers, it will definitely please both the sushi fans and the first-timers. The only complaint I have are the overwhelming number of dishes listed on the menu, plus the dim setting that made the restaurant look more dingy hostile than hygienic and welcoming.
Full Review
Fellow Yelpers, you had me scared for my dear stomach (and my pants). Despite my friend's recommendation for this place, I was worried after reading reviews from here that implied higher-than-average possibility for food poisoning. I felt like I picked this restaurant out of many others that my friend offered too soon, and wondered even as I was driving to the restaurant if it was too late to change plans. On the other hand, I really did not want to disrespect the credibility of my friend's opinion. In the end, I decided to honour my friend's recommendation and give this place a try.
When I walked in through the entrance, my fear doubled such that I took a few seconds locating the washroom before sitting down. Bless my metabolism, my stomach responds very fast to food of poor quality. The dining area was dimly lit, making the dark walls feel ominous, if not simply dirty. The mostly red decor did a poor job compensating for the lack of lighting - and this was during a bright, lunch hour! It did not help that the server dropped two encyclopedia-worthy books on our table that turned out to be menus - to go through it entirely would have been rude to my companion, who had been there a couple of times already. After flipping through hastily to imply that I've sort of tried to pick on my own, I turned towards my friend and asked her to order anything good based on her past experiences at the restaurant.
She picked tayoyaki and tuna tataki for appetizer plus unagi and Red Forest rolls (with kimchi) as the main course. The server took the liberty of bringing the appetizers and the rolls at the same time without asking us beforehand - but service is not always the best strength of most Asian restaurants. Fortunately, most Japanese food can be eaten cold without ruining the experience too much. That being the case for everything we ordered, all the dishes tasted amazing.
Tayoyaki was one of the best I had in Canada; it was packed with drool-worthy flavours, and the crunchy exterior surrounding the creamy interior made it even more enjoyable to eat. Tuna tataki was perfect; tuna - I was relieved to find out, as you can imagine - was very fresh, and it was seared just enough to bring the best of both worlds of cooked and raw flavours of tuna together. The sauce and other accompaniment (e.g. sliced onions, katsuobushi) complemented the tuna well without overwhelming it - they were all necessary additions to the fish to make the dish an exceptional experience as a whole.
Rolls did not disappoint either - in fact, they were quite tasty! The unagi roll, wrapped with avocado and topped with fish eggs, was a pure joy to eat. The smoothness of avocado, added with the firmer texture of unagi plus the bubbly fish eggs made the roll an absolute delight. Oh, but what about that one particular roll with kimchi as one of its main ingredients that was ordered? What do I, a Korean person very well accustomed to Korean cuisine, have to say about the Red Fores roll?
Amazeballs. Seriously, I wish I could come up with a more respectable vocabulary to describe it, and I did try, but amazeball literally is the best word I can think of to describe it. The last time I enjoyed the fusion of Korean cuisine to that of another country was nearly two years ago when I found myself at a small, but fashionable restaurant in downtown Calgary, then-and-currently known as Anju. So my compliment to Shibuya Izakaya for creating a fusion roll that simply melted on my tongue should not be overlooked. What blew me away the most was how authentic the kimchi was. Not only was it most likely made by someone who is as well-experienced at making kimchi as any competent Korean housewives, it was also fermented just enough to bring the solid, unfiltered flavour of one of the highlights of Korean cuisine. The boldness of using the fermented kimchi rather than a freshly made one alone deserves to be applauded. Well done, chefs at Shibuya Izakaya!
Other than the food, everything else was pretty standard. The dining area was quiet enough such that my friend and I could carry on a conversation without raising our voices. The seats were comfy, the tables were clean, and the server was attentive enough to ask us how the food tasted; with that said, I still am regretful about his bringing of main course and appetizers simultaneously. The price was reasonable, considering the quantity and the quality of the food.
Oh, and nothing even remotely close to stomachache came after leaving this restaurant.
Four stars.
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