Japanese Restaurants – Page 21

Chopstix Too (one more time)

January 19, 2019 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is taking a short break and Cathy is writing several short posts.

Kirk and I first wrote about Chopstix Too on the same post in 2006. I wrote some follow up posts: 2008, 2018 and probably other times. (Vicky wrote a post in 2009). Fast, casual, fresh, Japanese.

It's been raining for the past few days and I have more than several bowls of soup to show you, but last week, we changed it up.

Here is photographic proof that it does rain in Southern California.
We arrived before noon and the tables were not filled (they were by the time we left).
The Mister chose the plate of Ika Katsu with Mabo ($9.45). You may not think this is a big deal, but if you peruse my previous posts, each one of those shows a bowl of Mabo Ramen; this was the first time ever when it was not ordered. The Mabo sauce was great; it goes with rice, too! The fry on the squid was light, crispy, not oily-very tender squid. The miso was well made. The crisp salad was refreshing; we've only been eating cooked (in soups and stews) vegetables the past few weeks.
I chose the seafood yaki udon (instead of soba) ($9.95). Mussels, squid, shrimp, fresh vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, green onion) and the fat udon noodles, stir fried was just comforting, texture and flavor filled bites throughout the whole plate.

The rain should be over by today, but we need some sunshine (and heat)-so much needs to dry to get the chill gone. It's still soup weather, though. Future posts.

Chopstix Too 4380 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego 92111 (858) 565-1288 open Sun-Thurs 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., until 9:30 p.m. on Fri-Sat website

More Ramen Ruminations – Revisits to Karami Ramen and Ramen Ryoma (Clairemont Mesa)

January 13, 2019 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Two ramen places I promised to return to. The Missus calls me "boring"; I call it consistency….but, on these visits, I decided to have something I hadn't ordered before.

Karami Ramen:

I'd heard that the menu had changed up a bit since I first visited in August. In fact, "Som Tommy" recommended the Curry-Shoyu Ramen……which I would probably never order on my own. I recalled the curry being okay…so on a pretty cold day (insert "by San Diego standards" disclaimer here), I thought it might be worth a try.

The same funny young lady….who warned me about the (not so) Triple Super Spicy Chashu Shio Ramen last time was working. I went ahead and ordered the Curry-Shoyu Ramen.

So, this was kind of interesting. Apparently, the ramen broth is poured in first; then the curry in the center so it's separated. The curry was barely lukewarm while the shoyu broth was just slightly hot, mixing it together made it colder than I prefer overall. The curry here is actually not bad; though again, the beef is really dry. This was ok; if you like curry flavored ramen broth, or runny curry, you'll love this. I had tasted the broth and it was less salty than I recalled, but really lacks any depth of flavor….so maybe the curry is doing you a favor. The noodles were the typical type you'll find everywhere; though it was cooked nicely, and was actually hotter than anything else in the bowl. Enjoyed the thick sliced menma, nice crunchy and earthy flavors. As before, the egg was cold and the chashu dry.

I was the only customer in the place. I believe we're hitting "critical mass" with regards to ramen in San Diego. I'm wondering how long Karami is going to last?

Karami Ramen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Ryoma:

**** This location of Ramen Ryoma has closed

Another shop I promised to return to. With their second location now open in PB and a third coming soon, I thought it might be a nice time to return. I visited on a Sunday right when the place opened and like Karami, it was pretty quiet.

Having tried both the Shoyu and Shio ramen; I decided to go with the Miso Ramen, with tamago.

While the broth edged on being a bit too salty; it was fine in this framework and was overall less salty than what I'd had here before. It wasn't very miso forward; just a hint of umami and was fairly rich while not being greasy. While I didn't find the broth thick enough to coat my tongue it did cling really well to the perfectly cooked curly and chewy noodles. This might be the best of the three versions of ramen I've had here. The chashu was too tough and salty. The egg was nicely done and not cold.

Not bad, definitely worth another visit….one of these days.

Ramen Ryoma
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Roaming for Ramen – Revisits to Santouka, Nishiki Ramen, and BeShock Ramen and Sake Bar

January 7, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

It's definitely been ramen weather over the last couple of weeks; so I took advantage of the nice chill (all relative of course) to revisit a couple of ramen places I haven't been to in a while.

Santouka:

Even with wall to wall ramen in San Diego these days; I still count Santouka among my favorites. And though it's no longer my #1 favorite; I'd still take it over just about every other place. Though you can tell that there's been a whole lot of ramen shops opening in San Diego since I don't think I've been to Santouka in over a year!

Still, Santouka was the Missus's favorite, so much so, that we sought out the original flagship shop in Asahikawa.

Foe me; there's just one thing to get here. The Shio Toroniku.

Which is, of course what I got. The noodles were firm, with a nice chew, the broth not overly salty, rich, and scalding in the signature thick sided bowl….a necessity in Asahikawa where the coldest temperature in the history of Japan was recorded. The pork cheek was fairly tender and well flavored, nice soy tones going on. It delivered as expected. I decided to go without the terminally over-cooked egg….which, unfortunately, like that bowl is a signature of Santouka….it was the same in Japan! The one difference I do note is that the broth in Japan has a hint of seafood. I recall it being that way when Santouka first opened here in San Diego; but it seems to have gotten more "pork forward" since then. Not that I'm complaining about that.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Nishiki Ramen:

In the same strip mall as Santouka and Mitsuwa. Calvin had never been and had been asking to go. I hadn't been in a while, so I thought why not.

We started with the Chicken Karaage; which was nice and crisp.

It was too salty and lacked the savory complexity of a good karaage

After my Santouka visit; I decided to put my preference for straight up Tonkotsu style broth on hold and try some different things. So I ordered the "Smoke Bomb Black" Ramen again.

This looked very rich, almost greasy, but it was strangely not. You got a hit of garlic at the front end; but not much other than a bit of pork-poultry….the broth lacked the tongue coating richness I anticipated, it was almost weak, somewhat anticlimactic you could say. The temp was also on the colder than I prefer as well. The noodles were over-cooked for my taste and a chashu tough. I did enjoy the sweet crunch the corn brought to this bowl and the egg was perfectly boiled and not cold.

So now that I've had this twice, I can move on……though I'm not sure to what…..

Nishiki Ramen
8055 Armour St
San Diego, CA 92111

BeShock Ramen and Sake Bar:

I'd been wanting to return to BeShock since I first visited over two years ago. Having two long weekends with no plans on a couple of those days meant I could finally head back and check in at BeShock.

I got there right when they opened and was greeted by two cheerful, smiling faces. The young ladies here were very friendly and efficient.

Being a fan of using Shio Koji in my recipes; I was intrigued by the Chicken Koji Ramen. So I decided to get that.

I expected something on the salty end of the spectrum and this was that; but it also lacked any real complexity. The broth was too thin and really lacked richness; I'd expected that nice umami from Shio Koji; but that was definitely lacking. That dry, flavorless chicken breast didn't help things as well. The egg; while cold, was cooked nicely as were the standard issue noodles. I guess this is "healthy ramen"?

I was thrilled to see Nagoya Teba on the menu. I recalled that the owner was from Nagoya, so I was excited to try out these chicken wings.

Decently, though not evenly fried and the flesh was on the drier side. The wings weren't evenly glazed with the sauce and was really too sweet. It definitely needed that kick of black pepper and more soy sauce, garlic, ginger juice, you name it. You can tell by how light the wings are in color; this needed more….

I thought the service was very nice and I'll definitely drop by again. Though I'll go for a more conventional ramen next time.

BeShock Ramen & Sake Bar
1288 Market St
San Diego, CA 92101

Breakfast at Hinotez Again

December 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japanese Restaurants

I'm a bit under the weather, so just a short post for tonight.

So, you know that Mien Trung was my first meal after returning from France. The other thing I was craving was Japanese Breakfast; I wasn't looking for anything particularly fancy; just a simple workmanlike (or Salarymanlike) breakfast would do. Something I've already waxed nostalgic about before. The only show in town for this is Hinotez.

And while I do enjoy the Japanese Breakfast here there have been changes over the last couple of years; on the good side; you can now get Japanese Breakfast everyday from 8am to 11am. On the bad side; and this has been true for a while…..you need to order 2 items from the entrée category. Kind of a bummer; because I really wanted natto-egg-tororo.

I enjoy the karaage at Hintotez, so that was an easy choice….it's the second choice that had me in the grips of "analysis paralysis". In the end; I just went with the Gyoza and with everything, this came out to $12……..

I keep forgetting to tell them to give me "half rice"…..this is just a load of rice and it's totally out of proportion,when mixed with the tororo, natto, and egg.

The karaage could have been more crisp; but the savory-soy flavor was perfect….the gyoza was not bad, crisp and the filling was decent. The miso soup was better than on previous visits; not watered down.

But, of course I was all over the natto-tororo-3 minute egg……gooey-fermented loveliness.

It did hit the spot. I left not feeling like super-hero….but in need to return to bed……a perfect weekend day indeed.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Breakfast now served daily from 8am – 11am

Izakaya Masa Revisited

December 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Well, it's been a pretty busy couple of days for me and I'm getting older, so it ain't getting easier…..even though they say you need less sleep as you get older, which I'm finding to be true. Anyway, these 4am mornings and long days…… Since the Missus was working until late on this day, and it was close to 6pm, I decided to head up to Izakaya Masa. It had been a solid fours years and change since I last visited. And there was a line out front five minutes before opening. They don't open until 6pm these days; though I remember when I used to work close by and they served lunch. Heck, I used to stop by when they used to be Teriyaki Cowboy. One thing was certain, I'm not a huge fan of the ramen at Izakaya Masa; so I'd be passing on that. At least on this visit. Maybe one day in future if I'm feeling especially curious……

On this evening, I was beat and wanted a nice variety of items. I started with my favorite little appetizer here; the Chuka Kurage; jellyfish salad.

The flavors are not as strong as Chinese style Jellyfish salad; not as salty, not as sour, not as sweet. But I enjoy the nice crunch, the light touch of sesame oil, it makes for a good start to a meal.

Being a fan of "neba-neba"; the rather gooey-slimey texture of foods like natto and soft egg; things I raised on. I ordered the Maguro Yamakake; raw tuna with grated Yamaimo (mountain yam).

I had seen folks ordering sashimi and other stuff; which had me wondering what the quality of the fish was. Well; it was really low quality maguro; on the hard and crunchy side, lacking in the wonderful, buttery texture of good quality fish. I should have known better.

One item; which for me, has always been one of the signature dishes at Masa has been the restaurant's version of chicken karaage; Masa's Fried Chicken. So I had to order that.

Back over a decade ago, the chicken used to have a slight funky, fermented spice, along with the typical soy flavors of karaage, it had gotten less so over time. It was also a lot less crunchy and dry the last few times I ate the chicken here. Well, even though I still think the pieces here are too large; reducing the batter to meat ratio; there was some crunch to be had, the dark meat chicken was very moist and juicy and the seasoning, though milder than before, combined with how it was cooked this time around, made this a very satisfying dish. This was not bad at all.

I needed something to finish things off; to balance out the fried foods. Growing up; we didn't have much money and a simple dish of natto-gohan or chazuke was often a meal for us. Feeling a bit worn down and in need of something comforting; I went with the Ume Ochazuke. Growing up; my mom made chazuke with Genmaicha and dashi-no-moto. It wouldn't be strange finding a slice of fried Spam® topping my rice.

With that in mind; this was terrible; from the hard rice, to what tasted mostly like boiled water; could they have made this any more bland? I used the entire lump of "wasabi" to try to bring some flavor to it and ended up dumping some soy sauce (my mom is rolling over in her grave right now) in it for some flavor. For $7 I expected better.

Overall; this meal, while being a bit of a roller-coaster ride, was fine….the jellyfish salad and chicken made up for the the other two dishes.

It was amazing to see how busy Masa is. This was the crowd waiting outside as I left.

So Izakaya Masa isn't doing too bad at all.

And as I always say….I'm sure the food here tastes much better after 3 or 10 beers…..

Izakaya Masa
928 Fort Stockton Dr
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues – Sun 6pm – 1am

Anchorage – Yamaya Seafood

December 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

Once in a while you'll have a meal where perhaps the food wasn't extremely good; but the experience itself is like something out of one of those food-travel shows, the characters or in this case character is somewhat unforgettable. Thus was the case with Yamaya Seafood. A Japanese, yes, "real" Japanese Izakaya-ish restaurant in, of all places Anchorage.

After sleeping off lunch in our "haunted hotel"; we strolled around town a bit. Stopping at several places to browse.

When it came time for dinner; I knew the Missus needed a short respite from the fried food and such and I was curious about a place I'd read about. Located near the Downtown Transit Center is Yamaya Seafood.

It's one of those "blink and you'll miss it" kind of places. I was curious as to how a Japanese; not Americanized-Japanese, but real Japanese restaurant would do in Anchorage. The entrance to the place is located on the side of the building. We accidentally walked in the front door; into what looked like a living room; sofa, television, mats on the floor, the décor really looked like my grandparent's place. And then we were greeted by a little, but quite feisty woman, who totally reminded me of my aunts on Lana'i. I believe her name is Kazuko.

We were ushered into a dining room that really wouldn't be out of place in some little neighborhood in the Japanese countryside. All the while we were regaled with conversation and questions. Eventually, the Itamae/Chef came out; apparently he is Kazuko's son. We placed our orders; this being a one man operation; with Obaachan doing the dining room work, I expected things to take a while. And they did. But man did we enjoy ourselves.

We just sat back had a couple of Sapporo, all the while chatting with Kazuko-chan.

And boy did we have a lot of questions…..and oh my; did she have some answers:

As to why she moved to Alaska – "the clean air and the clean water…….the beautiful mountains"

Where she lived in Japan – "Tokyo; but it is too dangerous and the too much crime" ??????

The cold? – "it's when the air is the cleanest…."

"When we first built our restaurant, you could see the beautiful mountains; but then they built the Marriott and bah, you can't see the mountains anymore…."

"There one cruise ship from Japan that comes in every year; that is our busiest week. We have to open up the dining room upstairs. But people who eat there have to come down and pick up their own food. I'm too old to be walking up and down the steps."

"Japan is too dirty (?????), here the air is so clean and the water is so pure; I want to live a long life…."

At one point the Itamae said "Ma; you need to stop talking. You are repeating yourself and sound senile!"

But we just loved listening to her.

About forty five minutes later the house cold smoked salmon arrived. It was amazingly good.

Rich and oily (in a good way); a nice mild smoked flavor, perfect salt, the texture was nice and meaty. The onion did a good job of cutting the richness.

Unfortunately, the mixed sashimi wasn't so good.

The salmon was excellent as expected; after all; this is Alaska. The hamachi and tako were still slightly frozen, the maguro had a metallic finish; the shrimp was mushy and watery. The shiromi was fine if edging on the fishy side.

Perhaps we should have ordered something else. But heck; I'd pay twenty bucks just for the conversation. Sometimes the experience tops the food and we were learning a bit about life in Anchorage (it ain't easy) from one tough and feisty Obaachan. At, of all places, a Sushi Bar cum Izakaya in Anchorage. Travel is amazing.

Yamaya Seafood Restaurant
825 W 6th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501

Revisits – Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa) and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside

November 27, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

We're slowly getting to ramen weather here….so a couple of ramen revisits might be in order.

Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa):

Calvin wanted to take me to lunch before my trip, so he got to pick…….it was easy for him; he wanted to try the Mira Mesa location of Menya Ultra. Calvin had been singing the praises of MU on Clairemont Mesa since he first tried the place. While I had the broth had not sustained its excellence over time. Of course he didn't know any better. So, when we got to MU, I told him he was in for a treat as the owner, Takashi Endo was working in the kitchen area.

And this was indeed quite good; even better than usual.

The broth was a bit richer and full bodied, the fragrance, a nice funky tonkotsu, the flavor mild and not too salty. The noodles were perfect; the ajitama, nicely done and not cold.

A really well done bowl….things are better when the boss is around.

Menya Ultra
8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside:

**** Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman has closed

The Missus had to work the weekend before we left on our trip. I decided to head on back to Oceanside and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman. I'd enjoyed the noodles in their Aburasso Ramen and wanted to try out the Tsukemen….and of course that Chicken Karaage I enjoyed.

Sadly, they weren't serving he Tsukemen on this visit. So, I ended up ordering the "Red Hot Miso Ramen Deluxe".

While not being particularly spicy; I preferred this to the rather bland shoyu ramen. It wasn't overly salty; with some decent savory tones; the thickness of the broth was pleasant, if not overly rich. The chashu was nicely seasoned if a bit on the "waxy" side with regards to texture. The menma, which I enjoyed last time still had that nice woodiness; except that it was ice cold….ditto the egg; which was also on the overcooked side for my taste. The noodles were also past the nice chewy-al dente ("katame") texture I prefer as well. Not bad…..

I was really looking forward to the chicken karaage.

Which sadly did not live up to the level of my previous two visits. First off, notice that one piece had been sliced to check for doneness….just seeing this made me rather sad as it meant whomever was making this wasn't familiar with frying the karaage up. And yes; the sliced piece was very dry and as you can see by the photos, so were the other pieces, of which the batter was also hard instead of crunchy. While on previous visits; the flavor of the marinade had danced on the edge of salty; this went over that line as well and was really salty.

Man, what a bummer….I really enjoyed the karaage on my previous two visits.

Service was efficient, the ramen decent, but to me, this really wasn't worth the drive up to Oceanside; so I'm not sure if, or when I'll make an effort to return.

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside
509 Mission Ave
Oceanside, CA 92054

Kura (Conveyor sushi) (revisits)

November 26, 2018 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk is getting used to the time zone change so Cathy is writing a brief post.

I wrote about Kula the first time in 2015, when we first went to the Rancho Cucamonga location. The conveyor sushi chain arrived in San Diego in about 2016 and I wrote a post in early 2017. (Those links have some explanatory stuff in case you've never been). At some point, the nationwide chain changed its name to Kura (at least on the exterior of the building) and raised the basic price of revolving sushi standard plates to $2.50 each. There is an outdoor Tablet sign in/wait list or you can reserve a seat using a mobile app. We usually ask to sit at the counter.

This time, I was right at the corner and could see into the open kitchen. There was a tabletop photo ad of new offerings.
There is a first plate 'introducing' the following plates, all connected to each other; it helps the kitchen know what to refill.
I always grab the sunomono when it arrives in front of me. A perfect balance of vinegar and soy covering cucumbers, seaweed and bits of tamago (a sweet egg omelet which can be a dessert by itself). Everything on a green plate is $2.50; you slide used plates in a slot in the table when it's time to pay the bill.
If you end up with 15 of those plates, after insertion in the slot, the Bikkura Pon machine will shoot out a ball filled with a small gift directly on your table. We've never had that many small plates; tend to order from the Tablet you see at the second level. Most Tablet items are the same as on the conveyor, but are a bit more fresh; other items are made to order.

While waiting for an order to arrive (it stops right in front of the Tablet where you placed the order- on a second conveyor belt) I saw the Tuna Yukhoe and wanted to try (yukhoe is akin to tartare; raw. Though the egg yolk is cooked.) The raw tuna is marinated in soy, sesame oil, garlic and has some sesame seeds mixed in). Kind of poke, in a good way. The garlic steak is quite nice (we ordered from the Tablet, so the steak arrived warm). Crunch garlic on top.

New to us on the menu was shrimp stuffed baked avocado ($3.60). It arrived with a small spoon.
This will be ordered again. It was divine. Lots of shrimp, melted cheese, just warm ripe avocado. A meal.

The squid tempura ($3.60) was interesting this time; there were two pieces of chicken karaage mixed in. All good; light breading, perfect fry.
Also new on the menu was grilled albacore ($3.60). The fish by itself was excellent; char grill, a meaty piece that flaked perfectly. The slices of jalapeño were a 'warning'…those carrots had something mixed in that had a nice kick of spice; it complimented the fish and was good on its own. The soft shell crab ($4.80) is also one of those items we must always order; it's done right here. The batter, the fry, the shaved radish with a dollop of yellow hot radish. Just so nice. The hand rolls (as you can see, $2.50) are ordered on the Tablet and arrive quickly. They are offered with soy paper wrap instead of seaweed; a little different in flavor…lots of flavorful sesame seeds and really good; a compliment to the rice and tuna filling. The dessert we shared ($3.60)-Anmitsu. Vanilla ice cream with a sort of caramel sauce, red bean paste, small mochi, a marinated strawberry. If you see it, get it-a perfect ending.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar 4609 Convoy San Diego 92111 Open Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Website

Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa)

November 1, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I know of quite a few people who had been waiting for Menya Ultra to open in Mira Mesa. So when Eater annouced the soft opening, then grand opening schedule; I just figured it was going to be nothing like being able to sneak into Menya on their first day of business on Clairemont Mesa; since Menya had made a name for itself. Still, with several meetings cancelled; I found myself with some time and a bit of freedom on my hands. So, I decided to head up to Mira Mesa, I take a quick peek to see what the line was like. I arrived at 10 till 11 and things weren't bad at all.

Instead of a sign in sheet; this location uses an iPad and you get a text right before your table is ready.

The capacity of this location seats about 50; so even with the staggered seating, I was in by 1110. Funny thing; they sat all the parties for two at the counter and single customers at the two-top….which probably made sense since it was a pretty tiny two top.

I knew what I wanted by the time I hit my seat and it took me thirty seconds to fill out my order. The young lady who was working the seating and seemed to be managing the front of house; I believe her name is Maia is amazing. As soon as she saw I had my order filled out, she walked over, smiled and said, "that's fast". I told her that I'd been "trained well" eating the Clairemont location. She cracked up.

I think they had a bunch of stuff already going as my Chicken Karaage got to me in less than five minutes.

This wasn't bad; moist, but on the chewy side. There's some nice savory tones going on; but it's not nearly as good as Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman; which while on the salty side, was much more crisp and even more juicy than this. Like I said, not as crisp as I enjoy, but a passable version.

Of course I got the Ajitama Ramen with extra ajitama.

This was a darn good bowl; better than what I'd had at the Clairemont location during my last couple of visits. Rich, but not greasy, not too salty, nice belly and tongue coating, collagen filled goodness. The noodles were good, chewy and al dente, but nice and slippery, as expected.

The ajitama looked really good; the orange yolks glistening, but much like Kirbie's visit (Please check it out here), this was much saltier than I'd had in the past. The eggs were also too cold.

Still, I don't think you can get a better version of tonkotsu ramen in San Diego. And maybe it'll be easier for you to get a seat at the Clairemont location.

Menya Ultra
8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am 2pm, 530pm – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 9pm

Hanaoka (National City)

October 17, 2018 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is very busy with work today, so Cathy is writing.

Hanaoka opened in January 1986 in this National City location, West of the 805 on the South side of Sweetwater road. Hanaoka Enterprises is now the umbrella group for itself, North Park Sushi & Grill as well as Junz Teriyaki &BBQ. A good Japanese restaurant in the South Bay area of the County, almost taken for granted.

A series of several rooms (originally it was a sushi bar with three tables but when Swensen's Ice Cream closed, Hanaoka bought up the attached building), Hanaoka is quite large inside. The menu is fairly large and sushi is predominant (but now there is no sushi bar seating area). We were here at lunch.
The green tea ($2.25), which is not matcha is remarkably good- a roasted tea leaf and very strong brew, was kept filled throughout the meal. The miso soup is also quite good. I ordered the Hanaoka lunch bento ($13.95): two pieces of California roll (real crab), five pieces of sashimi, tamago, rice, salad, beef, chicken, fish and a tempura shrimp. Everything was fresh, flavorful and plenty! The teriyaki sauce is not too sweet nor sticky.
The Mister ordered the beef teriyaki and fried fish lunch plate ($13.95), just for the fried fish. It was very well made with a crisp yet light crust. The tartar sauce is house made and quite nice.
The green tea ice cream ($4) which was matcha and had not much 'tea' flavor (other than a small 'background' tannin hit) and was a pleasant desert.