An Izakaya is first and foremost a neighborhood bar that serves drinks and bar food. This place did…read morea great job making me feel welcome, offering me a menu in English as we greeted.
There were certainly plenty of Japanese speaking customers mixed in with Portuguese. And I, the odd tourist, felt right at home.
The bamboo shoot and shitake mushroom appetizers were delectable.
The chicken broth ramen was insipid.
The Gyukatsu Kare (breaded fried beef with curry sauce over rice) was better, but not the ultra crispy panko planks I've had in some places. Maybe it was because I ordered it at the end of the night.
The Brazilian brewed cold sake was really good. Could hardly tell the difference from Japanese sake.
But, the highlight of the dinner of Sanma Shio--grilled pike mackerel with sea salt. Inexpensive for Sanma, uber fresh, grilled crispy so that you could crunch up the head and tail!
The service was prompt, efficient and very warm. Even the owner came by to chat several times.
Arigato gozaimasu! Obrigado! Thank you.