Aku Eats Oahu : a closer look : Ojiya, a closer look

Ojiya, a closer look

Aloha!

9/13/08 - Picked up wifey from work last night and headed out to the new Japanese Izakaya, Ojiya, on Kapiolani Blvd. It sits at the old XOXO Chinese restaurant and shares a parking lot with Quicksilver Surf shop, so before pulling in, take note of signs designating the correct spaces to choose from. They are very limited and fill up fast, so you may have to either park on the street or at the 24 Hour Fitness/Hawaiian Bryan's lot. We, however, were thankful for an open space.

Sushi and izakaya places, like Ojiya, have got to be the most photogenic of all restaurants. I mean, instead of maybe a soup, salad, or other starter and then an entree, you order all kinds of little dishes, each of which pose individually for the camera and hold their own admirably. Tonight was a typical night for wifey and I, ordering eight different items and two orders of sake - which means more to share with you all! And we will see them all in a minute!

Me thinks you'll love the atmosphere of this place, modern like a new-wave izakaya all-the-way and decorated in tones of Japanese but also local, as well. See the local-style honu (turtle) and flower tablecloths, in addition to the hanging leaf-print dividers?

The other major area of the restaurant left out any Hawaiian print and instead chose a sleeker, more minimalist approach, but still with some ornate, rather interesting features - a wood-toned floor contrasting sharply with tile, a bright-blue tank-looking-thing (only with no water!), dim but warm, modern lighting, shoji screens, and bright-red, retro-looking chairs (found on the other side, too).

Waaay cool, is all I can say...

I guess attending the latest Joy of Sake Festival got me really appreciating that celebrated rice wine. If it wasn't so expensive, my alcohol pendulum would possibly risk swinging on over from the beer side. I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon, though, since I only like a good or at least decent-quality sake, which, like anything else, commands a higher price. No worries, brah - it's always good to have something a little more luxurious to look forward to and buss' out on special occasions, like maybe... Weekends?

Our first pour was a reliable favorite, of a good quality but not so expensive - an Otokoyama. I love getting these fancy bottles like you see here, containing ice in an inner compartment to keep the sake nice and chilled without any dilution. The crackled look on our drinking glasses was also classy and appealing, as well.

Our first meal orders were a couple of different gobo (burdock root) dishes. The first was your classic kinpira (sauteed and simmered, usually with a shoyu/mirin base), only with the addition of ground sesame seeds - always nice in giving veggies, or even some meats, an earthy, nutty flavor and aroma.

The second was deep-fried gobo chips, an almost faddish dish popular in Japan and slowly catching on here in the local izakaya world. Ojiya's version was the best I've tasted anywhere. Sliced very thin, it almost does taste like potato chips, especially when it first comes out and everything is still hot and crispy. The more it cools down the less you'll find the slices in a snappy mood, as gobo is quite the dense root vegetable, and will leak a little moisture, causing it to soften a bit. For those looking for a more substantially-sized dish, something izakaya's are definitely not known for, this is your choice. The mound of gobo is piled high and proud, as you can see.

I've had tendon before in Vietnamese pho, and sometimes inadvertently while chewing on a good chicken wing or meaty Chinese stew, but never as a main dish. Tendon is the tough, cartilage-like tissue connecting bone to muscle, so it must be cooked down to a TMJ-saving degree. Even so, the gelatinous, firm, but mushy-at-the-same-time texture doesn't feel particularly pleasant on this local bruddah's palate. The ponzu broth it sits in is what saves it for me, along with the heaping mound of green onion.

Wifey seemed happy, though, except for the fact that she was hoping for a little more broth flavor to seep into the tendon itself. However, that may or may not be because she ordered the ponzu-style tendon instead of the nikomi-style (just means boiling or stewing) tendon. The ponzu was added later, making the sauce stronger and more distinct, but also made for less time for it to soak into the tissue itself. A matter of preference, is all, not quality.

Next we ordered a hirame (halibut), ceviche-style. And that it was, the thin, white strips of fish coming marinated in an olive oil/soy-balsamic mix, and covered with a small mound of daikon oroshi, slivered onions, and super-thin sliced shiso leaf. You may also catch a tiny dollop of tobiko (flying fish eggs) on each far corner of the plate. Very classy.

Also classy was a blanched albacore, coming in a delicate ponzu sauce, along with sliced onions, thin-cut shiso leaf, and the real kicker - fried garlic chips. The salty, crisped slices of garlic were a winner that may not have worked with a completely raw fish, but added so much more flavor and dimension to this partially-cooked product. An absolute must-try here at Ojiya.

Our second sake was one I became familiar with at the Joy of Sake, where I actually have it pictured because it is an award-winner and highly-rated at the festival.

We did make a mistake by ordering this much-celebrated pour after the Otokoyama, as the Okunomatsu was much lighter, dryer, and more refined. In fact, I even thought it was a bit too light for me, preferring the bolder Otokoyama. The situation would probably have been different if we ordered them in opposite sequence.

Wifey had to have at least one dish that I wouldn't touch, at least one thing to gross' me out and perhaps squeeze out a few kicks, all at my personal expense, of course.

It actually looked kinda pretty, but still included a couple of things that I, no matter how many times I've tried, will just never be able to stomach outside of gun-point. Actually, uni (sea urchin), I can handle in small amounts, along with huge mouthfuls of white rice, but never, ever, will I mess with stinky natto, not even a single pellet-sized bean. In fact, neither will the bowl even sit on my side of the table!

The other ingredients were all ok by me, especially the very fresh, very beautiful pieces of maguro ahi. The ground, white, slimy-looking mixture that looks worse than it tastes is yama-imo, or mountain yam, while the dark strips on top are of nori (seaweed) flakes. The tiny, intricate combination of all these ingredients made wifey one happy camper.

Well, if wifey is gonna have one dish all to herself, I thought I'd do the same! Not that she doesn't like a good steak, but for some reason, she didn't feel like eating meat that night. Lucky me!

There were several sizzling platters available, including a chicken, a beef teriyaki, a seafood, and a ribeye steak, which I ended up ordering. It came looking very much American-style, with large, rough-cut onions and bell peppers, then topped with a slice each of lemon and butter, along with two wedge potatoes.

The flavors of ponzu, butter, and seared, fatty meat was oh, my gosh, to die for. Unfortunately, that's not all there is to a good dish, right? It came just a tad shy of being completely well-done despite having ordered it medium, and even though it did look like a ribeye, the toughness of this steak reminded me more of a sirloin. Interestingly, it did not come already sliced, which is something I've grown accustomed to in most izakaya houses or even local pupu menus. It's probably better this way, though, or else it would not have been quite as juicy as it was.

Nevertheless, despite its shortfalls, the flavor and juiciness of the meat was more than enough to keep me happy.

Right at the end of the meal, when your stomach is just about ready to call it quits, but not quite yet, there is... Zosui. The rustic, traditional, country-style Japanese mix of soft rice, dashi broth, mushrooms, egg, and a varying list of other items is like a hot cup of tea to wash everything down. Ojiya's version doesn't quite have as much flavor as others I've tried, but was still enough to do the trick. Zosui at the end of a meal warms the belly, calms the soul, and causes wifey, especially, to sigh with a deeply-contented approval and satisfaction. We all need flashbacks to tastes and flavors of our childhood once in a while, whatever they may be.

Over-all, Ojiya was a fun experience. The food tended to be a mix of different angles that didn't really have any single, over-riding characteristics except for being partially or fully Japanese in origin. Traditional dishes flow well with new-wave offerings, and you'll surely be able to find something up your alley, no matter what your tastes are.

Besides izakaya dishes like soy-simmered, super-fatty pork belly, clams in white wine, and tsukune (flame-grilled chicken meatballs), there are complete meals of unagi, katsu, tempura, curry, udon, soba, and more. The sashimi/sushi section is very basic outside of a few rotating specials, with the safe and ever-plentiful fish-meat choices of ahi, salmon, hamachi, and kanpachi, along with a few other items like ikura, uni, and a few vegetables. No razzle-dazzle, inside-out rolls here.

The atmosphere will always be a plus at Ojiya, the roomy, modernly-designed halls coming most comfortably stylish, perfect for dates and small groups of friends. The servers were all very friendly, courteous, and helpful, all them young Japanese Nationals, including one with the cutest, highest, anime-type squeaky voice I've ever heard in person. In fact, a couple of times I swear I saw her mouth moving but couldn't hear her at all. Wifey did, but I drifted in and out, my almost yakudoshi-age ears beyond the audible range of her frequency.

Anyway... I'm kinda stoked today. My friend Gary invited wifey and I, along with Big Al, Trace and Renee (remember them from Aki-nono?), and a few other friends to a new restaurant he currently works at called Jinroku. It hasn't done any advertising at all, and no one seems to have heard of it, but I drove by the place the other night, almost lost in the maze of small streets in Waikiki, and the place was absolutely pumping! Not sure how it is, but it looks really good. I'll find out tonight, for sure! And then, of course, I'll have the story out a day or three later!

Y'all have a safe and happy weekend! Be cool and Aloha till Jinroku!

Aku

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