Domo Alley-Gato Tatsu-Ya — Restaurant in Austin

Ascending the front steps, you find yourselves before a great chasmic divide, the likes of which your fair hostess straddles with all the grace left in an otherwise graceless world. To the left, she says, lies a top Ramen restaurant. To the right, a Japanese fusion joint. “Choose wisely,” hostess say, without influencing you in any way. Listen: don't get forked up; it's a no-brainer. The path to the right leads through a beautiful bamboo woodland, dimly lit by the muted glow of a million paper lanterns affixed to the canopy above. If that weren't enough to guide you, the menu to the right is also fantastically appealing, foretelling the mysterious cuisine that is Japanese curry.

Traversing the woodland foyer, we came upon a spacious clearing in which we found a full bar and a wide variety of sitting places. There were a great many people from many diverse lands in the clearing, however—and yet at once they all looked much the same, largely conformed as they were to the same hipster aesthetic—and they had taken up all of the good sitting places. Our party of three—or rather "company" I should say—resigned itself to a cold, inhospitable dining bar in the back corner, facing a lifeless, colorless wall of wood. No sooner did I fetch Jerry a sitting stool, however, he suddenly dashed away without a word. My dear companion and I watched from afar as he single-handedly secured a newly open booth for us. We settled in then, now warm and contented, ready to read through the menu in all its appetizing glory.

We three agreed upon a veritable banquet of dishes to share and then proceeded to order at the bar. We were subsequently served our meal piecemeal, each of our dishes arriving separately. So came the Beef Curry first, served with white rice, special Japanese pickles, and some lovely potato things, of which there were three, a serendipitous number for our shareful company. The dish was hot, hearty, and somewhat spicy, especially magnificent on a cold night such as this. Next came the Cauliflower Wings, delicious little victuals well-suited to the belovèd delights of dunking and popping. Shortly thereafter, we were given Chicken Wings and Powtatoes, thereby completing our order. The chicken wings were quite spicy, especially with the side sauce, and I was pleased to find the skin of an edible nature, quite unlike the elastic, rubbery skins one sometimes finds on chicken wings. However, even these delicious wings my dear companion could not properly eat. She is a goose who leaves far too much meat on the bone, you see, leaving me to go in after her and suck her bones clean. 'Tis good for me, of course, but I do worry about her fortitude and sanity sometimes. Now, as for the Powtatoes, I daresay thems were the best potato things I've ever had, leastways in a good long while. They were fried good and crispy on the outside but light and fluffy like yucca on the inside, and the sauce they were served with pleased me to no end.

Suffice it to say, all said and done, our company chose wisely indeed by veering right into the Alley-Gato Domo. The aesthetics and the offerings were both marvelous and wonderful beyond our wildest expectations. The Domonians charged us a fair price for the foregoing culinary delights, and, though I wasn't quite full, I was well beyond satisfied. We three shall always remember our time in the Domo, a novel adventure encapsulated now and henceforth evermore in each of our new metal sporks.

Arigato, Domo Alley-Gato. Mucho...

Rating: 3.6/5 [dine in]

This is a cute Japanese outdoor patio spot for summer dining. I heard the food comes from the same kitchen as Ramen Tatsuya, but it didn’t taste the same. The ramen portions were smaller, and overall, the flavors didn’t hit quite as well. Service was good for a busy 4th of July evening.

Tsukemen / Dipping Broth ($16.50): Condensed pork bone dipping broth, yuzu zest, chashu pork, menma, scallions, bonito mayu, ajitama, lime, nori. It was just okay. The broth lacked that depth and umami flavor you'd expect from a dipping ramen and didn’t cling well to the noodles. The soft-boiled egg was good, but overall it felt like there wasn’t enough protein, so we ended up with leftover noodles.

Kizami Sweet & Sour Yodas ($8): Shredded Brussels sprouts, Fuji apples, apricot, bonito, black pepper, garlic, sesame. This sounded interesting so we gave it a try, and it ended up being my favorite item of the night. Refreshing, light, and perfect as a palate cleanser.

Karaage ($8): Japanese-style twice fried chicken with garlic mayo and chili sauce. Unfortunately, this was dry and underwhelming. There wasn’t much batter, and the chicken pieces were small. You really need the chili mayo for flavor and moisture. Honestly, I prefer the frozen Japanese brand over this.

Chashu Rice Bowl ($8): Pork belly, scallion, pickled red ginger. Nice presentation, but the chashu wasn't as flavorful as I would like it to be. Not bad, just not memorable—I've had...

Late post Oct 23’ Domo Alley-Gato Tatsu-Ya – Located in East Austin Domo Alley-Gato Tatsu-Ya was only a 5 min walk from my cousins, with a lot of thought and deliberation they decided finally settled on this place. Arrived on a Sunday afternoon and to my surprise with football season it was a bit quiet, which was good because we were able to take our time looking over the menu. They are a mostly outside venue with limited inside seating and is very dog friendly! They also share the restroom with the ramen spot next door. The atmosphere was that of Japan (peep the pics), very beautiful! Everything (food and drinks) was reasonably priced... We mostly got small plates but if you are hungry get the ramen but only want apps as a meal I would suggest a bowl of Curry/Chashu with Karage/Goyza. The fam and I got; Curry, Chashu, Edamame, Spicy Edamame, Korokkaaayyy, Gyoza, Katsu Slider, Karage and Negi rice bowl.

Curry – Nicely seasoned, no meat Chashu- Delish, basically a porkbelly type adobo Edamame/Spicy Edamame – Both very good but I would get the spicy, better flavor Korokkaayyy – Typical flavor Gyoza – Came out pipping hot, flavorful and juicy! Karage – Can taste the marinade, crispy and addicting Katsu Slider – Yummm but so small for $6 Negi Rice Bowl – OOOOoo this was a flavor bomb, surprisingly enjoyed this dish. Very savory! Shinku punch – Very flavorful and refreshing paired well with...