Fin Izakaya

Very Japanese...

View of the Kitchen

 

Izakaya instructions!

Specials menu

Sea Salt pork belly skewer and Teriyaki pork belly at the top 

Teriyaki was better - the sweetness of the soy sauce made the pork belly meat taste better. 

Top left (and going clockwise): chunky braised pork kakuni, spicy salmon tartare, takoyaki octopus balls, chicken tatsuta. 

The pork kakuni was really good (very similar to a chinese dish made with pork belly and pickled vegetables). The meat was perfectly tender. 

Inside of a takoyaki

When I was in Japan, I wasn't a fan of takoyaki because of the bonito flakes which are the dried and smoked fish flakes on top of the takoyaki. When my friend ordered it here and I tried it, I couldn't help gushing over how good it was (so much so that I ordered another takoyaki after we were done this one)! The bonito flakes don't overwhelm it and the takoyaki was nice and doughy.

Spicy salmon tartare with seaweed wrap

It was spicy and mushy (I wasn't a fan).

Close up of the pork kakuni, agebitashi (deep fried tofu) and chicken tatsuta

The agebitashi was crispy on the outside and tofu-y goodness on the inside. Delicious!

The chicken tatsuta was great as well! Tender soy flavoured chicken meat marinated in sake and fried until crispy (yum Asian fried chicken!)

Blowtorch mackerel

The mackerel was delicious (and definitely not burnt). I loved the presentation - very simple and clean and our waiter blowtorched the mackerel right in front of us at the table. Quite a show!

Tuna lover - 3 types of tuna sashimi

On the left was a seared tuna salad, they do something amazing with their salad dressing because my friends and I demolished this - it was amazing! The middle is tuna sashimi which was really juicy and soft (mmm) and on the left was a spicy tuna tartare (which I actually liked better than the spicy salmon tartare). This dish was great! 

Lamb garlic sautée

Lamb has a distinct taste that doesn't always appeal to everyone and this lamb done in a relatively simple dish. I thought it was ok. 

Sake-steamed Japanese Clams (and in the corner you can see the second order of takoyaki)

Delicious! The clams were tiny, but the sake broth made it amazing! Really nicely done by Fin Izakaya.

Beef Tataki

Seared angus beef steak with ponzu sauce and garlic chips

This was beautifully presented. Unfortunately after eating this, I realized I'm not a fan of raw livestock meat (fish is delicious sashimi style); I didn't really like the seared beef (maybe because I'm used to eating cooked beef) and the texture of seared beef was such a different take on it. It's more gummy and I found raw beef was flavourless relative to cooked beef.

Yu-an roasted chicken stone grill

At first we were concerned with the lack of sauce since the waitress told us that there was no sauce, and we were slightly skeptical at first. Turns out the meat and veggies cook in their own juices and a light soy sauce which was delicious. Very simple and yummy.

Overall: Great experience! The food was superb and we all got to try a little bit of everything. This meal didn't really break the bank for an Izakaya - considering it was about $25 per person (including drinks). 

Website: http://www.finizakaya.com/