Musha Izakaya


Musha

A couple of weeks ago, Son and I decided we were in the mood for Japanese… but not sushi. (I know, blasphemy! Really, people. I eat many foods aside from sushi.) A quick search on Yelp found a cute little Japanese Izakaya called Musha.


Spicy Tuna Dip

The first dish that came out was the Spicy Tuna Dip. I had heard great things about the spicy tuna dip accompanied by rice crackers, but it failed to impress. The rice crackers were large and difficult to eat, and made the whole dish seem dry. I wouldn’t get this again if I revisited Musha.


Cheese Tofu

The Cheese Tofu, on the other hand, was amazing. One of my favorite dishes of the night. Silky smooth tofu was mixed with some sort of cheese – perhaps a cream cheese, or something similar? Crackers and slices of bread come on the side – definitely go for the crackers. The bread… not so good. But the crackers, topped with a scoop of the cheese tofu and drizzled with a bit of honey… I could eat this all day. Indulgent, and my hips would not thank me if I did, but man this dip was good! My only complaint would be about the pink peppercorns sprinkled on top of the dip. They added an unpleasant sharpness to the otherwise amazing dip.


Scallop Dynamite

And then, the Scallop Dynamite. These were… amazing. If you’ve been a reader of the blog for a bit, you’ll know that I love scallops. These were incredibly fresh (probably sushi-grade) scallops, topped with a rich, spicy dynamite sauce. Of all the dishes we tried that evening, this was Son’s favorite. He even used this sauce to dip several of the other foods in.


Kabocha Croquettes

The Kabocha (pumpkin) Croquettes may seem like a somewhat odd dish, until you try them. These hot, fried triangles of pumpkin puree covered in panko crumbs are perfect for a cold wintery night. The sauce that came with it was slightly spicy, but incredibly addictive. Sadly, there wasn’t quite enough sauce, although I blame that on Son – he was using it quite liberally. (Just kidding, Son!)


Kakuni Pork Belly

The last dish of the night was the Kakuni Pork Belly. The pork was amazing melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It reminded me of the chashu in the Kakuni Paitan Ramen we had in Hawaii. The potato and egg that came with it… nothing special. I just wish there had been more of the pork belly to go around.

Overall, it was a nice meal. The place can get very crowded (luckily we went on a Monday, before the dinner rush) and the tables are very close together – so don’t expect a private romantic meal unless you go for one of the private rooms in the back. However, it was worth it. The entire meal came out to only about $50, including tax and tip (we both got water).

7 thoughts on “Musha Izakaya”

  1. Friar -

    ARghh!!

    Your meal reviews drive me NUTS! I”m jealous!

    Because over here, you have to drive at least 150 miles before you get something resembling a scallop shell!)

    Sigh. It’s pretty much Club Sandwiches, Chicken Fingers, Chicken Wings, Pizza and Lasagna.

    Friar’s last blog post… These Things Friar Knows to Be True

  2. Nate -

    Very pretty pictures. I like the kabocha croquettes. Do you think it was wasabi in the sauce that made it spicy, or just Dijon mustard?

  3. matt wright -

    Amazing photos, and fabulous looking food! The scallops sound great – I too love them, eat them almost every week I think.

    There is never, never enough pork belly.

  4. Sadao -

    Looking at the pictures, the meal must have been presented by an excellent chef. I would definitely spend $50 for something like this.

  5. Allison -

    Friar – I think this is a sign that you and Brett and his family should road trip out to California and visit me. I’ll take you to all sorts of yummy restaurants! 😀

    Nate – Nah, it was more of a chipotle-ish ranch-type sauce. Very addictive.

    Matt – Aww gee, coming from you that’s a huge complement! We’ve always strove to have our pictures look as great as yours always do. 🙂 Yes, I agree, there is never enough pork belly. That is one thing that I must learn to cook myself.

    Sadao – It was a very enjoyable meal, and the price was fantastic!

  6. Carole -

    Mmmmmm….looks absolutely delicious! I’ve never tasted Japanese food but it sounds & looks temptingly good 🙂

    Hope you have a lovely birthday meal!

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