Review: Abandon years of social conditioning at Izakaya

Think everything Japanese must have a quality of order and reservedness about it? Think again. Izakaya combines the Japanese passion for fine food with that country’s penchant for crazy subcultures. Think of it as fine dining-meets-cosplay. It’s unapologetically fun. And it works.

The host’s greeting wafts at you down this long corridor leading to the entrance, a sort of physical manifestation to prepare you for what awaits inside. Liberal use of phrases like “sushi-lize for the sake of it”, “control your tempura” and “the food here is eel-y good” is a clear indication that they don’t take themselves too seriously, and that you can relax and let your hair down — whatever colour it is. Here, one of the most bubbly restaurant personalities you’re likely to come across sports a head of luminous green hair and goes by the name of Wasabi Girl.

As you could have guessed, the clue to what she does is in her name. Need some more of that pungent condiment? Just shout her name and she comes skipping over. Yes, diners are encouraged to shout. In public. In a restaurant. If you need help undoing years of socialisation, Sake Man comes to the rescue. No prizes for guessing his role.

Hint of smokiness

With its colourful interiors and characters, funky beats and laid-back atmosphere, this is about as edgy as dining out in Dubai gets. Not that it’s a gimmick; equal attention is paid to the food.

Idfan Meirza, the hotel’s Japanese Speciality Chef, starts us off on a tiny king crab taco that combines the sweet-succulent delicacy with a piece of avocado and salmon roe in a crispy shell. Salty, sweet and with a hint of smokiness, it does well to counter Sake Man’s wickedness. This is followed by rock shrimp treated tempura-style and covered in a sweet-spicy-creamy mayo sauce through which the citrussy flavour of yuzu manages to shine.

The fatty tuna shipped in from Osaka stands out for its silky softness and rich flavour in sashimi form, its simplicity sitting comfortably on the plate with a spicy tuna roll, sweet and smokey barbecue eel and another yellowtail sashimi for balance.

A tasty touchstone

Then comes the dish by which Japanese restaurants are invariably judged — black cod. The restaurant creates its signature by serving it on a leaf of houba yaki, or Japanese magnolia, and glazing the perfectly cooked, almost translucent fish with a den miso sauce. A zesty mountain berry completes the dish.

The same respect is afforded the wagyu loin cut into strips, though a more conservative hand is needed with the salt.

We end in traditional fashion with mochi — strawberry and green fig. Understated? Not quite. But then not much is here. That’s a good thing.

Izakaya, JW Marriott Marquis; 04 414 3000; Marriott.com