Enka Japanese Izakaya — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

Went without a reservation on a week night for dinner. Was seated immediately although the restaurant did look packed with customers. Ordered quite a number of grilled and fried food. Majority were overtly salted. 5hrs later, I woke up super thirsty from the attack/effects of salt/ MSG of the food. Now, 8 hrs later, I’m still feeling it. The fried food items were extremely salty so that the taste of the food was completely overpowered by the saltiness. The grilled food was however better. My friend had the grilled Hamachi which I think could have grilled more as it lacks the taste of the charcoal grilled food. I had initially ordered the beef tongue steak but had to switch it out for the grilled squid as it tasted off; almost like it had gone bad. The grilled squid was very tasty and juicy, well grilled and served pipping hot…if only all the other dishes were executed as well as the grilled squid. The chazuke took a long time to be prepared and the soup/broth in the pot was cleared away even before I had finished the rice. No complimentary tea was provided which all other Japanese izakaya I’ve been to in the Bay Area provides. There were only 2 servers for the entire restaurant, so apparently they seem a little overwhelmed and thus there was no service to speak of. Definitely not impressed by the overall/entire experience. I might return for the grilled squid but thought since all the other food item did not turn out well…maybe I just got lucky with that particular dish. Anyway, still feeling the aftermath of the salt/MSG after 8 hrs, which is very unpleasant. The salt completely overwhelmed the taste of the food. Usually the salt that were presented with dishes in restaurants are special/unique but I suspect this restaurant uses regular table salt and truly the amount on each dishes are ridiculously...

Okay let's first start off with the food itself, delicious. The quality of the food was super fresh and you could tell the quality of the fish used was top grade. Also the items that were grilled were made to order. So when they came to your table, you could definitely taste that beautiful char that it got from the grill. The mushroom was one of my favorite skewers because it was very light but the type of mushroom you use was very meaty, lol. Also the glaze that came with the chicken skewer was phenomenal I got the recommendation from my waitress to get the house sauce for it and it was not a disappointment. The cucumber salad even though it was mainly cucumbers, the way it was marinated and the sauce that it was in was a perfect combination of sweet and salty. It went really well with the trio of sashimi because I liked the extra crunch after had taken a bite of the fish. The panna cotta itself was very light and it was a perfect end to the meal because it didn't make me feel overly full. I would highly recommend spending the extra dollar for the hazelnut garnish.

Lastly, The ambiance of the restaurant is very low key. You feel like you're in a very intimate place because the lighting is a little low and they have some soft music playing that really sets the mood.

Regarding the value of the food, yes the sashimi was a bit on the higher price end. It was so worth it though. Again the taste the quality in the cuts were perfect. And the rest of the food especially if you want a little bit more of that warmth from a meal the skewers are amazing.

Highly recommend and would go back the next time I am...

Wow cute Izakaya to visit and get decent Japanese food!!!🤤 you have to try this place if you love Japan but can’t visit there often.

I came here first time for dinner on a Sunday. Luckily we got seats right away! Couldn’t tell from the exterior but once I stepped in I fell in love with the interior design! It’s warm and welcoming. It’s not a huge restaurant but I think the tables are arranged perfectly so ppl don’t have to seat too tight and enough place to order many things haha.

I have to say this even my friend laughed at me for ordering double portions….Edamame is the best I have ever tried! Even in Japan I don’t order them that much but I’m pretty sure I gonna order at least two times here as they have 3 flavors? Appetizers are all super good! I normally only order 1 or skip for appetizer at all because I never found a place serve the right Japanese appetizers (other places too many western Japanese appetizers you know lol). Sashimi are not thin cuts yeah! Fresh and yum. Skewer and grilled plates are all very good too. Must order at this place for sure.

I came back another time before I left this city for lunch. Omg it’s like travel to Japan for a lunch time! Just simple: good price with good food, who can say no to it? 😬

Sadly I’m not from this area, but definitely gonna visit this place everytime I come back! Thank you for making my trip better with the food! Hope you guys can...