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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Sushi Gen

Sushi Gen is one of my favorite sushi places in Little Tokyo. This place is always packed by 7 PM and the wait becomes an hour long so going right when it opens (at 5:30 PM…) is highly recommended. They also seem to have fresher sashimi available earlier on in the night. 

Good for: Family, Friends...Everyone!
Parking: Street parking or in the Honda Plaza for $3
Service: Friendly (though the guy at the front is a little moody sometimes)
Noise level: Dim chatter
Seating: Indoor
Price: $$$ (for 2, if you're eating a lot of sashimi, your bill can easily rack up to $100+)

Rating: 4/5 

We ate: Uni, Toro, Albacore, Soft Shell Crab

Soft Shell Crab

Verdict: This is amazing. Once you bite into it, you feel like you're swimming through a medley of flavor. I can never share this - always get your own order. Delish.

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