Sao Paulo 🇧🇷 Japanese food | Treasure izakaya with great atmosphere
🏠 Izakaya Omoide Sakaba 🗺️ Rua Luís Góis, 1574 - Mirandópolis, São Paulo - SP, 04043-200 🗺️ A few days ago, I was desperately craving salmon ochazuke 🤤. After asking my friends around, they finally recommended this Japanese izakaya. It truly is a hidden gem! 💎 🍢 Taste The menu appears to be filled with all sorts of fancy dishes, but surprisingly, the prices and food pictures are pretty clear. The main categories include oden, yakitori, various charcoal - grilled dishes, and more 🍢. There’s also “takoyaki”! However, you need to order it separately from a small vendor at the store entrance. It’s not part of the izakaya’s offerings, but they allow you to enjoy it inside. Just remember, it’s an extra charge 💰. A serving of 6 takoyaki balls costs 38 reais, and it’s 35 reais if you pay with Pix. Just tell the vendor your table number, and they’ll bring it right to you once it’s ready. These takoyaki are huge! The inside is soft and a bit gooey, and the bonito flakes on top are dancing 🐙✨. With a generous amount of octopus, they taste absolutely amazing! The most astonishingly delicious dish, in my opinion, is the “charcoal - grilled squid” (Ika no kimo jyouyuyaki). At only 49.5 reais per serving, it’s a steal! The squid is delightfully chewy and springy, making me think it must be fresh 🦑. But the real star is the dipping sauce—it’s out of this world! The waiter pours the sauce right in front of you when serving. Though they don’t explain what it is, I suspect it’s made from squid liver and grated wasabi. The flavor is incredibly complex and rich! Thank goodness for the Japanese restaurants in São Paulo. They feel so much more authentic than those in average cities back in China 👏. The “salmon ochazuke” is also a winner 🍣. The tea flavor isn’t as strong as I’d expected. Instead, it’s more like the “soup - soaked rice” that kids from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai are familiar with. I didn’t really taste the white sesame seeds and bonito flakes, but overall, it’s still super tasty! (Side note: I think it’s perfect as convalescent food! Warm, soupy, and in a small portion, it’s so soothing for the stomach 🤗). The “grilled ox tongue” (Gyutan) is a good deal at just 26 reais per serving, but the portion is quite small, and the ox tongue slices are very thin 🥩. (Side note: The best ox tongue I’ve ever had is from きんぼし. But here, the presentation is top - notch! They even bring a small grill just for those few slices of ox tongue. The taste is okay, not a total miss, definitely worth a try). The “yakitori with green onion and chicken thigh” (Neguima) is recommended by the store as their most popular dish 🍗. It comes with two dipping sauce options: salt and miso. Both are extremely salty! My friend and I were left speechless 😲. We couldn’t figure out why it’s so highly recommended. Maybe it pairs well with drinks? The “yamaitsuki kyabetsu” (sliced cabbage salad) is said to be a classic izakaya side dish 🥬. Its literal translation from Japanese is “addictive cabbage,” and my friend really raved about it. It’s incredibly crispy and refreshing, with a simple seasoning of probably just white sesame seeds, salt, and sesame oil. It’s definitely worth a taste! 💰 Price The average cost per person is 113 reais. #IzakayaOmoideSakaba #SaoPauloFood #JapaneseCuisine #FoodReview #FoodieFind
