B-Dama (Oakland)

DINNER DATE: March 3, 2012 @ 7PM

Japan is one country in Asia I have not been to yet eventhough my Filipino-Japanese loveones have been calling Japan "home" for decades. For years they have been inviting me to come and visit. They have regaled me with stories of fun drunken nights at many izakaya in their hometown of Nagoya.

An izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment  which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.

Despite my very limited experience with authentic izakaya, B-Dama gave me a sense that it is the real thing. The chefs are Japanese.  Being housed in a newly built commercial building does not diminish its feel of authenticity. As soon as you walk in you will be facing a "messy" kitchen where the grilling is being done. A step down is a the tiny dining room with sushi counter that seats about 10. Dining tables are tightly packed. B-Dama is how I imagine the izakaya in Japan to be like--casual, unpretentious, homey and relaxed. Little hand-made cutout menus are pinned on the wall  in addition to separate grill, sushi, soup and drink menus at the table.  Even the sign was crudely spelled and pasted on the glass window.



Honestly, Enrique and I felt "lost" while perusing the menu.  This is not a typical sushi place which we can navigate without having to look at the menu.

I am more familiar with the concept of izakaya than Enrique so I took care of ordering the yakitori (grilled items). Most of these grilled items can be ordered  prepared with sauce or salted. He took care of the sushi/sashimi part.

We were welcomed with complimentary pickled cucumber and radishes which were very nice palate cleansers:

For the YAKITORI, we had the:

SHORT RIB AND QUAIL EGG $3.5
*Very nice and flavorful. Slightly chewy but tasty. The beef and quail complimented each other texture-wise.

CHICKEN HEART $2.5
*I tried one and it was fresh, not chewy and with just the right amount of gaminess. However, now I remember that I really do not like chicken heart even when I used to eat them as street food when I was a kid in the Philippines.

SOFT-SHELL SHRIMP $3.5
*3 fresh shrimp with shell and head still attached. You bet I ate the whole thing--head, shell and "feet" and all!

CHEF'S CHOICE 10 DEEP FRIED SKEWERS $10
*Enrique was slightly disappointed because he said it was mostly veggies with some seafood. I tasted what seemed to be "fake" crab leg. It was good but I was really there for the yakitori.

We also ordered nabemono (soup), sushi and sashimi:

TARA NABE  (Black Cod Soup)  $12: Arrived in a traditional cast iron pot, this soup was one of the best fish soups I have ever had in a while. The soup came with generous slices of very fresh black cod, tofu and veggies. The broth was not salty at all. I did not suffer from temporary dehydration whenever I eat MSG-laden Asian soups. This soup at B-Dama was so delicate and divine. The pot looked small compared to the big bowls of ramen we are used to but it was more than enough to truly satisfy me for the evening. A wonderful soup that I will definitely get again and again!

SASHIMI PLATE $17: Enrique was still slightly hungry (Surprise! Surprise!) and decided to order a sashimi plate. It came with about 10 pieces of assorted fish. We did not pay attention to what kind they were but we recognized tuna, salmon, halibut, etc. They were fresh but not melt in your mouth sashimi that I have experienced at other Japanese restaurants before. It came with a pile of grated radish which speaks to the authentic presentation of a traditional sashimi.

TAKO SUSHI $4.5: This is how we test the freshness of the sushi at a Japanese restaurant. We order tako or tuna sushi. The tako has to taste fresh, not rubbery or previously frozen.  B-Dama's was definitely the fresh kind!

CHECK: $65 including tax before tip and 1 Japanese soda.

VERDICT:
I love the casual, non-pretentious vibe of B-Dama while feasting on delicious small grilled dishes. It is a fun place to bring your friends and order everything on the menu.  Overall quality is remarkably high. The black cod soup was exceptional. Even the green tea (another factor I used in judging the quality of a Japanese restaurant) was very nice--not bitter and appropriately hot.

Service was friendly but hurried. We absolutely loved our server that Enrique tipped generously. She was nice and very attentive. Be ready to patiently wait for drink refills as the staff are very busy.

Now that we are familiar with the menu, we will have a better time navigating and enjoying the dishes. B-Dama is a neighborhood gem. Enrique and I took advantage of the beautiful evening to walk here from our home.  A sense of adventure is a big part of izakaya dining.

And lastly, izakaya are sometimes called akachōchin (red lantern) in daily conversation, because these paper lanterns are traditionally found in front of an izakaya. B-Dama has one which further convinced me of the authenticity and integrity of its owners:

GOOD TO KNOW:
1. B-Dama tends to get packed. Get a reservation.
2. Prices of yakitori are reasonable between $2.5 to $3.5 each small plate.
3. Fenton's is directly right across the street if you want ice cream for dessert after dinner. (Which you bet was what we did!)

Hecho (FiDi)

Gal Foodie Lunch Date: April 29, 2011 @ 11:45 AM

After an excessive consumption of champagne, cucumber gimlet and pear martini at Lime the night before with my gals, both me and my gf Heather met up at Hecho the next day nursing a hangover.

Hecho was the perfect choice since I consider sushi my "morning after" guilt-buster remedy for overindulgence.

WHERE:
Hecho is the new kid on the block residing at the former home of now-closed Midi.

EAT JAPANESE/DRINK MEXICAN:
And Hecho, despite his Spanish name, does not have an identitiy crisis. Actually, he is solidly rooted and comfortable in his Japanese roots. One cool thing about him, though, is he knows that while he could provide the fresh and delicious Japanese bento, his Latin brother could provide the good times in a bottle (or 80+) of Tequila.

So Hecho is a Japanese restaurant/Tequila bar. We sat downstairs where the extensive tequila bar covered the walls that continued on to the sushi bar. The tables were made of wood with matching backless stools. The decor is definitely Japanese, minimal and handsome.

SUSHI PURIST:
And you won't find crazy Godzilla rolls here. It is all about fish purity and freshness.

* 2 SPOT SHRIMPS NIGIRI AND 1 OCTOPUS NIGIRI ($4 each): Pricey for 1 nigiri but the freshness is so pronounced! They melt in your mouth and meant to be savored.

BENTO BOXES:
In my hangover state, drinks were out of the question. I glazed over the short but adequate lunch menu. I really just wanted to fill my alcohol-induced hunger pang:

CHIRASHI ($18): Whenever I see chirashi on the menu, I am like Pavlov's dog. I start to salivate and get fixated on it. My meal was nicely presented with the chirashi placed in a ceramic boat-shaped bowl. It came with miso soup and a salad. I had 6 pieces of adequately cut assorted fish pieces which were very fresh. I love that my rice was not hot since the hot rice would cook the raw fish.

GRILLED SALMON ($22): It was also a bento box with a generous piece of thick salmon, salad and miso soup. I tasted a piece of her salmon which was simple but very fresh. Heather commented that the fish did NOT even have a hint of fishiness.



TAB: $60 including tax and tip without drinks. ($30 per gal.)

LOWDOWN:
Splurgey meal but you get what you pay for which is good quality fish. Portions are adequate but you might leave the place still a little hungry. Service was professional but very friendly. Most of the folks eating there were in business work suit.

I do not usually spend $30 for lunch on a daily basis but once in a while I like to hide and runaway from work for an hour to sit down and have a quiet satisfying meal.

Hecho fits the description if not the expensive bill but I will definitely return. A good choice for a day off with Heather spent on a super-gorgeous day in SF! Next stop, Ferry Building!!!!

Foodie Girl's Rating: 3 Stars


Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Ichiro: Titanic Chirashi Bowl

The first time I ate at Ichiro, I had a terrible cold. I could not taste my chirashi. Now did I mention that the CHIRASHI at Ichiro is so ginormous that it could sink a titanic-sized sushi boat? For real!

This dish was so colorful and so pretty to look at with the sharply cut fish pieces arranged neatly in the bowl.  The humongous size of the bowl was impressive  but I had to go back to taste the quality of the fish. I went back on Veterans Day at 2:20 pm for "me" time lunch. The restaurant was about to close but the servers were so friendly and told me that it was okay. I was the only customer, got my chirashi bowl within minutes and was told to take my time eating.

The servers themselves started eating their meals after tidying up the cash register and had their friendly banter in Japanese. So this place is legit.

The chirashi bowl did not look so impressive until I started dissecting the contents. And one by one I started transferring generous pieces of the fish onto another bowl so I could taste all the fish. Among the ones I recognized were the following although there were more fish types I didn't list:

1. Plenty of ginger
2. Seaweed on top of rice
3. Perilla Leaf
4. 1 shrimp
5. Salmon
6. Saba (mackerel)
7. Cuttlefish
8. Ika (octopus)
9. Tamago (egg)

There was more fish than sushi rice in term of rice:sushi ratio. Quality-wise, it was not bad but not spectacular or great quality. The fish were fresh enough but I bit into a very fishy mackerel that I almost gagged. During our first visit, my fiance ordered a bunch of sushi rolls. He was not impressed.

Tab was $17. 83 (tax already included.) With $4 tip and hot green tea total was  $21.  Pricey for lunch for a little mom and pop in Oakland Chinatown.

Unless your appetite is as big as a titanic sushi boat, I recommend sharing this with a friend. I took my leftover to go and ate it that evening. It was not good anymore.

Sometimes bigger is not better......

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 3.25 Stars for average quality sushi.
Portions: 5 Stars
Service:   5 Stars

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Shimizu: New Kid on Piedmont Block

Friday Date Night: July 30, 2010 @ 9 PM

I decided it was time to forgive Shimizu for taking over Szechuan Garden--a beloved Chinese-Korean restaurant that resided on Piedmont Ave for a decade or maybe more. Shimizu did not really do anything bad or wrong. It's just guilt by association.

So, last Friday my guy and I decided to pay Shimizu a visit at 9 PM to check out the new kid on the block.

It was a beautiful evening on Piedmont Ave. It was not too cold and every restaurant on the entire block of Piedmont Ave was packed with merry diners.  Parking was difficult and we had to circle the neighborhood few times  We saw that there was a line at Shimizu. One more try and we snagged a parking space at Shimizu's free parking lot!  We were seated as soon as we walked in. The diners were finishing up their dinner.

 I was almost expecting the neurotic classical kitschy decor of Szechuan Garden to greet us but we were welcomed by a cozy contemporary sushi joint. 

The highlight of the evening was the "FLAMING DRAGON." This sushi came wrapped in a foil and arrived on table still "on fire." No, don't call Oakland Fire Dept yet. The flames are meant to "cook" the sushi. When the fire goes out, you open the foil and voila! There comes your hot steaming sushi roll of deep fried shrimp, crab and spicy tuna with salmon, yellowtail, tuna and tobiko.

Shimizu is not for the sushi purist. However, Shimizu has an extensive menu of very creative sushi including a lot of deep-fried stuff. This is a place to bring your adventurous spirit and try the sushi rolls with creative names.

Everything we had was noticeably fresh. The sushi rice was cooked properly--not too sticky or too hard that they fall apart. The portions were adequate with generous portions of fish on top of the sushi rice.

The GYOZAS were crispy, light  and not greasy. 

The 4 OYSTERS ON HALF-SHELL were freshly shucked and came chilled in ice with ponzu sauce.

The FATTY TUNA  nigiri was delicious at a market price of $12.95.

We also had TAKO nigiri, CHARISMA (deep fried shrimp, crab and spicy tuna with tuna and avocado) as well as ICHIBAN (Eel, cucumber with spicy tuna.)

Szechuan Garden will always be missed by Oakland old-timers like me who had many cozy memories of the place and the owner.  But Shimizu is also a very much welcomed addition to the neighborhood.

Very friendly and efficient staff.  Nice ambiance. Good sushi. I think we found our new favorite sushi place in our hood.
 
Our tab came out to be $77 including a soda, small hot sake and tax before tip.  Yes, we were very hungry that night!

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING:  4 STARS for creative sushi rolls, very nice staff and contemporary ambiance.