One of the food trends last year is the rise of izakayas in the city of San Francisco. Gone are the days when our only choices for Japanese food are the sushi/ramen mom-and-pop shops or the expensive designer sushis. The izakayas are not meant to break the bank but rather let diners enjoy small plates of Japanese flavors and ingredients in a casual atmosphere.

I wanted to post a "Battle of Izakayas" article, but since I have only tried two (Yuzuki and Roku) out of the three popular izakayas in town, I'll leave that for later.

I felt a little bit short on the 8-course tasting menu for 2 at Izakaya Yuzuki. Appetizers started out small then as the dinner progressed, the food portions became unusually bigger. Their desserts were 2 big scoops of matcha ice cream and sorbet each. That's why I'm starting my post with those photos.

The quality of the ingredients (a lot of uni!) and their technique's level of difficulty can't be ignored or argued. They are good at what they do and the Japanese tapas speak for themselves. Izakaya Yuzuki also has a sake specialist, the first one I've seen in the Bay Area, who took the time to explain where the sakes came from the and the different, delicate tastes. For those who want to experience the different types of flavor in sake- bitter, sweet, cloudy, etc., then the sake flight is for you. The flight is also good for sharing.

I was disappointed though that the tasting menu didn't include the kara-age fried chicken. (I am a sucker for Korean and Japanese fried chicken!) Instead, we were served the grilled chicken skewers (see last picture below) marinated with salt koji, which is a fermented mixture of koji (rice inoculated with the special mold Aspergillus oryzae) and shio or sea salt. The skewers looked plump (looks like collagen was injected to it which made me wonder how it was made) stuck on the wooden stick and tasted juicy and flavorful. I could have more of these.

Tip: Please be forewarned that Izakaya Yuzuki is located at the busy street near Dolores Park where the well-known Delfina and Bi-rite Creamery are. Parking during peak dinner hours can be ruthless.

Feast your eyes with these scrumptuous plates. I just wished they had more light in the restaurant to get better pictures.

Ginger sorbet to cleanse the palate

Green tea ice cream- a little bit icey

Obanzai- Kyoto style cooked local veggies. We got the spinach which I loved, seaweed salad and the other one escapes me.

Grilled rice with uni. Must order these!

Tempura

Chawan-mushi with uni- egg custard with sea urchin and yuba tofu skin. Balance of sweet and salty.

Yakitori- salt koji marinated grilled chicken skewers. Doesn't it look very plump!?!