Icho Izakaya

While going through a thankfully speedy Friday at work, James Bomb and I suddenly craved for some fish liver. Yes, fish liver. You commonly hear about fancy people eating duck or goose liver, but no, Asians prefer chicken, cow, snake...and fish liver. When we think about fish liver, we always end up thinking about our favorite little Japanese restaurant tucked away in an obscure plaza in San Gabriel- Icho Izakaya, or as the locals call it,Yi-ding.

Good for: Families
Parking: Free parking lot

Scene: Lots of local Chinese families eating at a Chinese-run Japanese restaurant

Service: Love them! Very sweet waitresses

Noise level: Moderate chatter

Seating: Indoor

Price: $$
Rating: 3.5/5 (James Bomb would probably disagree with me, this is his place)

We ate: Fish liver, Uni Nigiri, Toro Sashimi, Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Tongue, Chicken Cartilage, Dobin Mushi

Now my loyalty lies with Sushi Gen, which was previously blogged about, but Icho Izakaya isn't a bad runner up. However, if you're looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant, this won't do it for you because it is very Taiwanese.

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James Bomb and his family are frequent visitors to this joint, so once we entered, we were met with smiling waitresses who greeted him very nicely. We got free endless edamame and some miso soup and salad, free of charge as well! We took a seat at the sushi bar, and since it's run by Taiwanese people, they weren't strict at all about how we were eating our sushi or if I was on my cellphone or not (at Sushi Gen they get really angry...).

Fish Liver

Verdict: I never ate fish liver until James Bomb introduced me to it at Icho. It's soft, melts in your mouth, and well, doesn't taste like a fish's liver. Drenched in ponzu and topped with onion and radish, all these different tastes simply blend into a very light and scrumptious appetizer.

Uni Nigiri

Verdict: The color seemed a little off to me as I'm used to a more vibrant orange, but this place piles the uni on. We each got three thick slices in our nigiri. It had a light sweetness level, and tasted a little off...but James Bomb liked it.

Toro Sashimi

Verdict: Ice cold tuna belly melting in your mouth. That's basically all there is to it. This toro was the more firm version of tuna belly, not the fatty, oily kind. Nom nom nom.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

Verdict: I normally never order chicken teriyaki at a Japanese place because I go for the sushi, but we were trying to keep our bill down. I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy and perfectly crispy the chicken and chicken skin was. Good to share between two people.

Beef Tongue Skewers

Verdict: It's nice that Icho doesn't completely char their barbecue skewers here, but this beef tongue was a little too meaty for my taste. Too thick.

Chicken Cartilage Skewers

Verdict: Loved this one. It was juicy and had that distinct barbecued taste to it. There was a lot more meat to it than cartilage which for me was a plus!

Dobin Mushi Soup

Verdict: Great dish to finish off your meal with! The mushroom broth base is perfect. I love how this soup is in a teapot because it just makes you feel all sophisticated...sort of. Anyways, there's pieces of chicken, enoki and shrimp that tops it all off.

All in all, Icho Izakaya is a great sushi place to go to if you're craving for Japanese in the San Gabriel Valley. However, if you have the time and are willing to bust a mission for sushi, I would definitely venture out to perhaps Little Tokyo.

Love,