Isakaya- Japanese Tapas

There is a new trend n LA called Izakaya (Japanese pub food) which has supposedly been around Japan forever. It’s the concept of Japanese happy hour where beer, sho-zu (Korean version of Sake), and 'tapas' are served. I read about this and was interested in going. The restaurant I found lies in Little Tokyo, downtown LA which in itself is an adventure. Sushi in LA is amazing, only because when I moved here I hated raw fish, now crave it. I am the not expert but definitely can distinguish the difference between day old and fresh stuff. The scene at the place is clean and there were tons of ‘locals’ (Japanese folk). I’ll take my Mom when she visits as she is the one to please for sushi. I enjoyed the shiso wrapped minced sardines and also the Toro….just like butter. How about the Yellowtail collar? To my fellow chefs, I believe when they filet the fish, instead of chopping off the head and some, they carefully cut around the neck and save the meat around those bones….hence ‘collar’. The tofu stew was interesting but not a highlight. I’d go back for straight up fresh fish, Spanish Mackerel, Yellowtail, and of course Toro, comparing right up to Morimoto in Philadelphia!