Izakaya

An izakaya is normally described as a Japanese pub: a place where you go to drink, but which also serves decent food. The comparison is apt, but I think an izakaya is more like a Japanese tapas restaurant: a place where you can order a bunch of small, nice dishes for sharing, and also drink yourself silly if you so choose.

Last night, Nana and I had our first izakaya experience since coming to Fukuoka when we sat down for dinner at Enya, a dim, cozy place on the market street between Fujisaki and Nishijin. We didn't drink, but boy did we eat! And not a bite crossed our plates that wasn't delicious.

Round one was kushiyaki, or grilled stuff on skewers. (Like yakitori, but yakitori technically means chicken.)

We ordered a set of pork skewers, plus a skewer of green chillies and leeks. From left to right, we have (I think): tripe, tongue, some kind of white meat, and pork belly (think bacon, but not cured). All delicious, but that pork belly was out of this world. Took us back to our samgyeopsal days in Korea!

Round two was fried mushrooms, which we were specifically instructed to dip in a tray of salt.

Nana says this was probably her second-favorite, after the pork belly.

Third round was a plate of potatoes with parsley in butter.

Tasty, but a bit on the bland side, I think.

And finally, we have some squid dumplings.

My second-favorite, but I don't think Nana cared for them as much.