Izakaya Mai

For Justyn's mom's birthday we went to Izakaya Mai in San Mateo for dinner.

We started off with some Gomae-Ae which almost had a miso-y sweet flavor to it. Then we had some natto with maguro which was bland compared to when we make it at home. It lacked the saltiness from soy sauce & that slight bite from the mustard. Next we had Agedashi tofu which was lovely and silky. After that the tako yaki and okinomiyaki came out. The tako yaki was divine but the okinomiyaki turned out a little too soggy for my taste. We also got some fish cake which was grilled and topped with some spicy mayo. I really liked this dish despite its simplicity. The yakitori chicken came out next. With a squeeze of lemon juice, the green onions were a really nice combo with the chicken. Yaki onigiri came out next. I thought it was just going to be a rice ball but it had some fish roe in it which made it even better. We also had grilled eggplant topped with miso paste which was surprisingly nice. The skin on the outside was charred so it had a crispy texture to it. After that we had some grilled squid which was a nice change of pace. Of course I couldn't go without ordering the Hamachi Kama which is the collarbone of yellowtail.