This is a picture of the bar area in the restaurant.
The location itself was kind of difficult to find, but after we got inside, what a gem! I always appreciate authentic--or at least, authentic-looking--decor. Another restaurant that comes to mind is Izakaya Masa, also in the Hillcrest area. I say authentic-looking because I've never been to Japan and have no way of knowing whether or not this is what Japanese bars or restaurants actually look like and I don't want to be presumptuous. Not pictured but on the right hand side of the frame is a flat screen TV conveniently playing Japanese anime in case a) you're on an awkward first date b) you've lived with your dinner date for so long, sometimes you've talked about all that can be talked about for the day.
This is the beginning of Sake House Yu Me Ya's menu. You can see the rest of their menu here.
Spicy Tuna Carpaccio, Avocado on Wonton Skin
Our server, Mai, told us that, like most other sake houses or izakayas, Sake House Yu Me Ya was known for their tapas plates. She told us that the spicy tuna carpaccio was one of the most popular cold tapas items so we chose to start with that. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. When I picture carpaccio, I picture thinly sliced meat, whereas this was just finely chopped tuna. Also, the spicy tuna wasn't spicy at all. Now that I think about it, it actually wasn't particularly flavorful either. The portions were very small, and as one of the most expensive items in the cold tapas section at 8.95, this was a classic case of food sounding a lot better than it tasted.
Takoyaki Octopus Ball
The second dish that we tried was the takoyaki. Takoyaki is famous street food from Osaka, Japan and is composed of a fried mashed potato and octopus mixture, topped with bonito flakes, seaweed flakes, and mayonnaise. Although it tasted similar to the takoyaki I've had at other Japanese restaurants, this dish was much better than our first. Ordering a hot tapas dish was a nice contrast to a cold tapas dish. I know the takoyaki balls were obscured by its toppings in the photo, but underneath all that bonito flake goodness were 4 takoyaki balls.
Broiled Black Cod with Kyoto Miso Flavor
Although the black cod was on the hot tapas list, I chose it to be my entree. Brian chose the super ramen, but I forgot to take a picture of it. The cod was well-cooked and the miso really came through on this dish. The only complaint that I had was that it was a little bit small, but for a tapas dish and for Japanese food, it's to be expected.
Mushroom Salad with House Dressing
I was still a little bit hungry after finishing the cod and had about half my bowl of rice left, so I asked Mai for another recommendation. I knew that I wanted something light, so I asked her which of the salads were the best and she suggested the mushroom salad. She told me that the salad had oyster mushrooms sauteed in a garlic and onion sauce served on top of a bed of mixed greens. This dish was really satisfying. The portions were big enough to fill me up and the sauce was very addicting. The only complaint that I had with this dish was that the mushrooms were very salty, and would have done better with more mixed greens to even out the saltiness.
Mai was a really great server and took the time to ask us about ourselves (probably because there was only one other party in the restaurant). Her service was friendly and very prompt, and many of her recommendations were very good. I only wish that Brian had tried their sake here; they have a pretty extensive list and she seemed to know a lot about sake.
I really wanted to love Sake House Yu Me Ya and while it was good, it was a little pricey, and there are better and cheaper izakayas out there. We might come back because I did enjoy the mushroom salad and Brian claims this is the best ramen he's ever had. We also might go to the Encinitas location as well, because apparently, its the original location and it has better ratings on yelp. LivingSocial voucher well spent.
Sake House Yu Me Ya
3882 4th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
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