Restaurant Review: Sisu Izakaya a solid casual Japanese restaurant
went to sample the food at Sisu Izakaya in Dublin.
Recently I was lucky enough to get a table at Ichigo Ichie in Cork City where, as you have no doubt heard, chef Taka Miyazaki is conjuring extraordinary flavours in the classical Japanese Kaiseki style. That meal was something of a revelatory experience and many of the flavours and textures still linger on weeks later.
Japanese cooking, when done well, is so precise and orderly, so focused, with such intricate flavours and textures that it can leave you breathless. If you are reading this in Cork, I envy you as you have Takashi Miyazaki — Dublin has been less lucky.
What Dublin does have is lots of casual Japanese cooking typified by Sisu Izakaya on Stephen St opposite Luna and Masa Taqueria, both of which I reviewed here positively last year.
An izakaya is the Japanese word for pub (or more correctly “tavern”) and is the kind of place you go after work for a few beers, but instead of a toasted sandwich and a packet of scampi fries you order edamame beans and deep-fried tofu.
I first visited Sisu for a Bento Box lunch which costs a mere €10 for a selection of small courses including miso soup, sushi, tempura, salad, and dumplings.
Everything worked, the miso was light and refreshing with just enough umami to whet the appetite, the sushi was freshly made, the tempura crispy and moreish and the pickled vegetables rounded off the meal perfectly — I’m not sure I can think of a better way to spend a tenner.
The success of the bento box sent me back one evening with the Engineer to try a full meal. The room seemed a little gloomier in the evening, but I later discovered there is a downstairs which is cheerier and is probably the best option.
Sisu does have typical izakaya dishes, but it also has a broad mix of Japanese dishes such as sushi and ramen and is not claiming to be a replica of what you would find in Japan (where if you want ramen you go to a ramen restaurant and for sushi you go to a sushi restaurant). Does this matter? I think not.
First to arrive was a mound of cod tempura (€9) in a light crisp batter — I liked the batter, and the fish was fresh, but the whole could have done with seasoning and the dipping sauce was not up to the job.
Before we had eaten even two pieces of slightly disappointing tempura, the wagyu tataki (€16) seared beef arrived — tender, sweet-savoury and delicious. Approximately three minutes later, all the dishes we ordered were fighting for space, and we realised we had massively over-ordered and should have paced ourselves.
Dragon roll sushi with deep-fried prawn and avocado had good rice and balanced flavours and quickly disappeared — not the best I’ve tasted, but a solid B grade.
Our charming Japanese waiter admitted she had not seen this type of sushi before coming to Ireland, but why would she, given that it was (likely) invented in Vancouver and made famous as a ‘California Roll’ before it spread to Europe?
Yakatori chicken thigh skewers were tasty and tender and glazed with a sweet Yakatori glaze which seemed closer to teriyaki, I thought — a quick Google search later and it seems that the two are similar.
Kimchi beef ramen is unlikely to be traditional, but every town and city in Japan has their own version of ramen, so I expect there is a Korean-run restaurant in Japan (of which there are many) making a kimchi ramen.
The bottom line is that it was tasty and rich with good heft from the stock and a nice kick from the pickled spicy veg.
The drinks menu offers a choice of eight beers (including Kona from Hawaii), sake and plum wine and around 15 wines to cover most tastes (Rioja, Malbec, Picpoul and Grüner Veltliner) — our bottle of French Puy de Dôme Pinot Noir was decently priced for the quality at €29.
Sisu Izakaya is not necessarily the place to bring your homesick Japanese English-language student, but it is a good addition to Dublin’s dining scene and for the lunchtime bento box, it is a must-visit.
The Tab
Dinner for two with a large selection of dishes, including sushi, gyoza, tempura, and ramen, plus a bottle of wine and a beer, cost €115. A bento box lunch costs €10 per person.
Sunday-Wednesday, 12-10pm Thursday-Saturday, 12-11pm
The Verdict:
7/10
7/10
8/10
7/10
8/10
A great lunch spot for a bento box or a bowl of ramen and a solid casual Japanese restaurant in the evening.
