Suika

Suika is known for their Japanese tapas, but my friends and I came for their lunch menu and it definitely did not disappoint us. Be prepared to be greeted by the entire staff as you walk in.

Suika means watermelon in Japanese. My friends pointed out that these are the Chinese characters for watermelon too (pronouced sai gwaa in Cantonese).

Between the three of us, we decided to get three of their lunch sets and two lunch side dishes (or tapas on their dinner menu), but we soon realized it was way too much food.

Complimentary Salad

The chef actually asked us if we wanted more salad, which was nice. The service was a tad slow in the beginning. We sat down for ten minutes looking at the menu without anyone coming by, until the chef came out to take our order and get us tea. I should have asked for water (or ordered their fresh ginger ale), because I'm not a huge tea person, and we ended up getting charged $0.60 each and I barely drank mine; a little heads up for new diners. The tea's good though, but I guess I'm too used to free tea at Asian restaurants.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki $6

This was probably the best dish that we ordered. The Tuna Tataki was served with Suika's homemade chili oil, sliced onions, and scallions. It was cooked perfectly and the slices were beautiful. It was a piece of edible art. We would order this again, and again, and again...

Tuna-Avocado $6

Canita loves avocados, so we had to order this. It was just plain tuna and avocado, but they are accompanied by a plum-seaweed paste. It was okay, but I probably won't order this again. The tuna tataki was more flavorful and when put into comparison with this dish, the tataki is a clear winner.

Seafood Bowl $14.80

This is the first of our three lunch sets. The Seafood Bowl has fresh sashimi , ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe), grated okura (okra), and mountain potato on sushi rice. As it set, it comes with miso soup, and some accompaniments (soy, wasabi, mustard greens, and cabbage (I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't ginger)).

The sashimi included shrimp (the heads included!), scallops, salmon, and other fishes that I couldn't remember. You can't see the rice, but there was a lot of it underneath all the seafood. The grated okura and mountain potato gave this dish a mucilaginous texture that I didn't really enjoy (although I think it's intended).

I probably won't get this again as I'm not a big fan of sashimi dons (I prefer sushi).

Beef Short Rib Set $16

The Beef Short Rib Set was my choice, and I was pretty happy with it. The short rib was so tender that it fell apart easily with my chopsticks. The sweet balsamic reduction was very good; sweet and very aromatic. The mashed potatoes were served cold (like a potato salad), but I would have preferred it to be hot.

We thought the portions would be small; I thought the short rib and mashed potatoes would be all I was getting for the $16. Turns out, it also includes a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, and mustard greens. 

I like that they add veggies to their miso soup. There were carrots and lotus roots in mine.

Double Tonkatsu Set $12.80

Our last lunch set. This one featured tonkatsu, a tender deep fried pork loin cutlet that's coated with homemade panko bread crumbs served with two kinds of sauce. The first is grated daikon (upper right in the photo), which is mixed with a bit of soy or ponzu. The other is pretty fun as you have to work for it. They give you a mortar with toasted sesame seeds and a pestle to grind the seeds in which you will mix with the tonkatsu sauce, which is kind of like teriyaki sauce, but it's actually a variant of Worcestershire sauce. It's sweet and tangy, and nutty after you add in the sesame seeds. Shredded cabbage and mustard is also included; be aware that it's almost like wasabi (it's not spicy, but you'll get that burning sensation in your nose). Again, this set comes with miso soup and rice. I saw other tables in the restaurant order this, and I can see why. It's executed well and I feel that it's enough for two (get a lunch side like the tuna tataki, and with the salad and maybe dessert, you'll be satisfied for sure).

Matcha Creme Brulee $4.80

We were about to pay when I remembered to order dessert. I know we ordered a lot, but I had to order this, and I'm glad I did. The Matcha Creme Brulee is a piece of frozen ice cream with a caramelized sugar crust and matcha powder on top, served with a strawberry, whipped cream, and red bean sauce. I love green tea ice cream, so this was perfect. The portion isn't very large, but it's definitely worth trying.

This is the first time that I've been to an izakaya restaurant, and I'm definitely going to try more in the future. Everything was great, and even though I won't get everything I got today again, I will definitely will be back to Suika to try out their dinner menu. As we left, one of the waitresses actually held the door for us and it completely made up for the service in the beginning.