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It should be fairly obvious by now that my most frequented restaurant in town is Kobachi. And why not. I live close by, the food is good, there’s so much to choose from on the menu, and the small portions mean I can dabble and order lots of little plates. I came here for my birthday dinner, as I did the year before. Except this year I thought it would be a good idea to make a reservation for it and speak with the chef beforehand on a set menu to eliminate confusion over orders and prices for those who need to watch their dollars. I knew there would be a couple vegetarians – or pescatarians – attending, plus vegetables make the meal healthier and a little less expensive, so I requested Ken-san focus on vegetables and fish, with just a little beef, pork and chicken. It worked out splendidly, and everyone at Kobachi put forth a wonderful meal that was stress-free for all attending. My friends also did me proud by 1. rsvp-ing and actually showing up. And 2. Showing up *on time*! Really, this is Santa Barbara, and when everyone on the rsvp list shows up, on time, it’s a minor miracle. I’m really blessed to have good and cool friends. There were 20 of us, taking over the new expanded space with the murals. The Kobachi staff decorated the space with long tables, birthday table cloths and plates, and sprinkled everything with confetti. FUN! They also provided a gift of a few snacks, a bottle of shochu and oolong tea. It is my favorite drink there and now I could share it with all my friends. Upon arrival, a buffet table had been laid out, with empty bowls containing a slip of paper with the name of the dish written on it. It felt like Christmas, knowing there would be a lot of presents to open shortly, and everyone was excited. I wasn’t able to take photos of everything, being distracted by talking to friends, but Ted Mills got most of the dishes, even if he had to get a photo of a small portion off his own plate. Generally, the portions were approximately like receiving a double order, but there were a few when there was one item per person, such as sushi rolls or oysters. Want to see the feast? Here goes!
First, are some salads. Seaweed salad, a mixed salad of cucumber, tomato and seaweed, and hjjiki – warm black seaweed salad.
Cold fish dishes included a plaste of salmon sashimi with a tangy carpaccio sauce, and tuna in a dark smokey sesame oil sauce. Also, slow cooked vegetables and mushrooms served warm.
Four fillets of aburi saba then made an entrance, and all the fine slices were quickly scooped up and consumed…a lot by me!
Rolls included a seared salmon with avocado and asparagus, a smelt roe roll, and some other roll that I did not eat, or get photos of. There was one grilled beef dish that delighted a few meat eaters, but it was also very filling! We also had grilled eggplant nigiri.
There was one fat oyster for every person attending, and platter of sauteed vegetables. One dish I never quite identified (lower left) was piled with cooked marinated vegetables and I believe it was a sweet-sour chicken. If only I could remember the name, but I’m fairly certain I did not have the opportunity to eat it, or I’d remember more details. There was also a big tofu dish, but this plate was massacred by hungry friends before we could get a photo of it. Oops.
Now, we are happy and drunk. No chance getting a photo of the aji miso yaki. The picture on the plate is rather unappetizing looking, but trust me, it was yummy. These were snapped up in a hurry, I’m not sure I tried any myself!
One more round of sushi, with a piece of shiitake nigiri for everyone and it was time for dessert. My parents showed up partway through the meal with two homemade cakes, and a few more chairs (the restaurant had completely run out!). Their cakes were an almond cake, and an eggwhite pavlova. Yoko, my favorite waitress there, brought a cheesecake! Thank you, Yoko!
After blowing out the candles, we feasted on cake, chattered more, and then it was time to settle up the bill. I’m happy to say the folks at Kobachi got a nice tip. It was a great birthday dinner! Kobachi Izakaya Dining One friend I miss is Cynthia. She moved to New Jersey about a year ago, and we only see each other when she’s visiting town for work or family, or if I make the trek over to see her. For this visit, it was business, and after the convention wrapped up, I took her to Kobachi. Sandrine joined us, too. I ordered the tried-and-true standards.
Top: green seaweed salad, and gindara saikyo yaki – broiled black cod with a sweet miso glaze. The new item of the night was a beef and potato croquette, it was brand new to the menu.
This dish caught me by surprise. It reminded me of cottage pie, with the spiced ground beef and potatoes. This had a similar flavor, but breaded and fried as the croquette. The beef and potato croquette now sells for about $8. It is a substantial item to order and best shared with 3-4 people. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining It was *supposed* to be a late night snack, just 3 dishes or so. But everyone there was so nice and and we ran into friends who came to a group happy hour a couple weeks earlier, and that put us in an everything’s-great mood. PLUS, I told them we were leaving for vacation until after Labor Day. And yummy treats came forth.
Kaki Fry – panko fried oysters and homemade tartar sauce. Then, Aburi sabi, of course.
Chicken tsukune – chicken meatballs with homemade sweet soy. Mmm, delicious. The chicken had a lovely smokey flavor that Ted described as yakitori style and Yoko nodded knowingly.
And once the surprise sashimi came out, the floodgates opened and the kitchen went omakase style. First, they brought an item we’d considered ordering, but didn’t. And now we had it. Crispy curry calamari – crispy fried calamari strips, lightly dusted with curry salt. Then, a custom item (hello!), that was eel on top of a bowl of white rice that had been steamed with a sauce similar to that which comes with the eel. A wonderful comforting dish for late night snacks. Yoko said chef Ken brought in his personal rice cooker to make this dish, so I’m feeling honored to have been able to try it.
The ama ebi prawn made its appearance again, deep fried and served with a little additional sashimi and salmon roe. I nibbled a few legs and feelers, but let Ted have a go at this one as it was brand new for him. Oh so good! Probably the best bon voyage meal I’ve ever had, and completely unexpected. With that, I am off to Burning Man, for a week of trail mix, pringles, beef jerky and soy milk. BYE!! Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining So much for trying to eat at Edomasa this evening. I even had some notes of friends recommendations. Soon, I hope. Soon! Instead, it was a Kobachi evening.
Top row, left: iced green tea, ordered by both Drew and Laura. I had hot green tea. Middle row, left: a plate of BBQ beef ribs. Very tasty, but I was the only person at the table that would eat the gristle and pick the bones clean. It even threw off the waiter, who initially hesitated on clearing the plate as he thought we weren’t finished. Then he saw the gnaw marks. Wasteful Americans! Bottom row, left: Pork kaku-ni, the tender cooked pork belly. Delicious and fatty, we couldn’t finish it and took a piece home.
The surprise of the night was dessert, it came to the table after we’d settled up the bill. Normally it’s a little mochi ice cream, or a little black sesame flan, but today we got some yummy jelly roll and a melt-it-in-your-mouth dessert I can only describe as a chocolate mousse yorkshire pudding. Want more, please! Side note: a recent visitor of Japanese descent translated “kobachi.” It means “small dish.” Makes sense. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining It was a Tuesday, one of the nights I have the most success ordering omakase. And the kitchen obliged. This was also my first night having omakase without Vo. Instead, it was Ted and he was in for a real treat. We started with a small bottle of cold sake, I let the kitchen choose what kind. I’m sure I also ordered some shochu with oolong tea, but it appears I did not get a photo of it. Too busy eating I guess! Omakase #1: we were served individual bowls of a fruit, vegetable and seafood salad, which included red onion, strawberries, fish and shellfish. A generally sweet dish, with a little zip thanks to the onion. Omakase #2: on the menu, this item is called yasai no nimono – vegetables simmered in a fish and soy broth. But I recall the menu dish was all vegetables and the one we ate had pork. I have no complaints at all about the addition.
Omakase #3 (large photo) was a simple shared dish of warm stir-fried Napa cabbage. It was a favorite of the night, from its simplicity and my association of Chinese homecooking. Omakase #4: (lower row) this was a new dish, and I don’t believe it’s on the menu. Tender hamachi (yellowtail) and tofu in sauce. The yellowtail came off in fine shreds when touched gently with our chopsticks. The tofu was smooth and took up the flavors of the sauce nicely. Omakase #5 was the ever-popular sashimi assortment. Kampachi, special hamachi, red snapper, mackerel and a mystery fish. Only the chef knows what that last fish was. Ever-delicious with just a little dab of wasabi and a little sliver of ginger. Omakase #6 carried on the theme of the last dish with more sashimi in a sweet miso sauce. Of course, no wasabi or ginger needed with these additional flavors already on the plate.
Omakase #7 was a treat reminiscent of my tasting menu at Matsugen in Manhattan. Cold soba noodles, mountain yam, quail egg, uni. Great layers of flavors and textures, and a very large portion. Ooof!
Ted enjoyed his soba noodles, as did I, and neither of us were able to finish. Crazy delicious, that is. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining I swear I rationed my stomach space, so that I could grab some late night nibbles with Ted at Kobachi. Most of the time I try to dine here early in the evening, before it gets crowded. But I’ve always wanted to take advantage of the late opening because I often feel that odd magical things happen when sharing little bits of food in the wee hours of the night.
Shochu 1 – Tomino Hazan – a sweet potato shochu. I prefered the Tomino Hazan and Kakushi gura the most. The third tasted very strong of alcohol.
Our first item was a special dish of mackerel and seaweed. The mackerel was grilled and super juicy, topped with a sweet seaweed and finely minced ginger. A great way to start off the meal.
As a first timer, Ted had to try the tsukune renkon shiitake-an – the ground chicken in lotus root, served in a mushroom sauce. The hanpen katsu is also great, and inexpensive dish, I think about $4.50 for the two pieces? Bargain.
Finally, another special dish – a kampachi and tai tempura roll. It was a sushi roll made with two kinds of fish instead of rice. Also stuffed with vegetables, fried in tempura. Delicious, and needed to be eaten quickly before it lost its crispness. We also got the aburi saba, but I didn’t not take a photo of it. Perhaps I thought I take enough photos of it. I don’t remember. As usual, it was one of the favorites of the night. No leftovers of that one, thanks to me. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining Table for three, including a San Francisco foodie who’d been hearing some good things about Kobachi. It was news to me that the restaurant was open on Sundays, but it is, and for limited hours: 5:30-9:30 pm only.
Top row: I ordered the shochu with oolong tea, it’s becoming a standard as my drink. Very refreshing, not too strong. A bit like whiskey tea. The boys got Asahi beer. Middle row: a bowl of tsukune renkon shiitake-an – ground chicken sandwiched between lotus root and fried, served in a dense mushroom sauce. For those uninitiated to Japanese food outside of sushi and teriyaki bowls, I love serving this dish to them. It’s different and delicious. Bottom row: An order of tan shio – grilled beef tongue served with sea salt and sesame oil – is also not for everyone. It is a slightly chewy dish and although the flavors of the smoky, nutty oil, the salt, and the tang of some lemon juice mingle well, the texture is perceived as rubbery. It’s not like ordering, say, lengua from a small taqueria, that is fine tender shreds of tongue. But I’ve ordered this before, and I’d order it again. Update: Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of this, but we also got the agedashi tofu. This photo is by Ted Mills.
And there you have it. Q.E.D. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining It’s a long day, hula hooping in the Summer Solstice parade and dancing at the park afterwards. What better way to wind down the evening by heading to Kobachi with a couple friends, including one who’d never been there before.
The chef did initially send out a small morsel to me and Sue before Ted was able to join us, and I didn’t have my camera, so no photo. But it was simple vegetables in a cream curry sauce. Next was an order of oshinko mori, or assorted Japanese pickles. I’ve always enjoyed these as something to nibble on throughout the meal. Then we shared an order of gindara saikyo yaki – broiled black cod in a sweet miso sauce. This is one of the more expensive items on the menu for a relatively small portion, but it is so delicious it is worth it. Everyone is savor the slivers of cod, they are so soft and juicy, it’s like a sweet pillow of yumminess.
I believe the aburi saba is the undisputed favorite amongst me and my friends. It’s just $8 for many fine slices of seared mackerel, topped with ginger juice, spring onions, sesame and Ahi’s carpaccio sauce. And a popular runner-up is the hamachi kama, or yellowtail collar. Love the two textures of meat. We enjoy this dish more than the salmon kama. If you have a choice, get the yellowtail.
The mame aji nanban is another top pick, but it’s not for everyone. I often forget I am part of a culture that is not used to fish heads and tails included on a serving plate, much less eating them. The portion we were served seemed more fish-heavy than usual, and less vegetables. We didn’t mind at all, we love the fish! And next, the agedashi tofu.
This next dish was one I negotiated with the waiter to make. It’s simply a big bowl of sushi rice topped maguro tuna, and a quail egg. I have no idea how much it cost us, but as you can see, we got a lot of food and between three of us we barely ate it all.
Our last savory dish was fatty tuna belly and avocado is a sweet miso sauce. Everyone at the table was a tuna fan and an avocado fan. We loved it. And finally, a portion of ground black sesame flan to share. We also had two large bottles of beer and my shochu with oolong tea. After tax and tip, it came to about $33 pp. The friend who was new to Kobachi said she’s be back, and she’d bring friends. It’s just what I like hearing. Note: I did not have my camera with me. All photos are by Ted Mills. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining
I know I ate here just the evening before, but this time was with Vo, and we had our hearts set on requesting omakase. And the kitchen obliged! It was happy hour, so I ordered shochu again. The option is either on the rocks, or with oolong tea. Last night was on the rocks, so tonight – with tea. Delicious. I think I like this way best.
Our first item was bluefin tuna, breaded and fried, served with feta cheese. An interesting combination that we both liked. Plus, look at the portion. Just right for two people.
The next item I’d had before, it was a tender stewed pork with vegetables. Mostly carrot, perhaps turnip or daikon, and shiitake mushrooms. If I recall correctly, the waitress once said this was a dish prepared for the staff’s meal at the end of the night. Kinda wish they’d pull up a chair and have a drink with us sometime, eh. It always catches me off guard. Hey, I’ve been to the southeast asian tropics, and the stuff I saw there that moves like that turned out to be leeches. I’m impressed by bonito flakes, but a little wary.
I love, just love the sashimi bowls that come out of the kitchen. There’s usually one standard in there, like a salmon or maguro, but everything else is great sashimi that doesn’t often get ordered by the average diner. This time…uni! My friend recalls the time I would shy away from the uni and commented that I seemed to be converted after I slurped my two fat pieces right up. But let’s get back to those prawns. You do want to see them moving, right? Or maybe you want to hear me gasp and Vo cough. Either way, I got it for you. Wowie wow wow!
The ama ebi prawn heads revisited us, this time fried in a tempura batter. We ate the appendages, sucked on the heads for juicy goodness, and had a go at the roe but didn’t care much for it. A quick peek on the wiki for ama ebi reveals that the female is more prizes for being sweeter. Ok, maybe that sweetness applies to body, not the roe. As always, I want to mention that omakase dining is not something on the menu. When I request it, I have no expectation that I will receive it and I will never be upset if the chef declines it. I only request it when I’m alone, or with one companion, and we do not have special dietary restrictions that would limit the chef’s creativity. We also make the request when we know the kitchen is not overtasked with work, to also allow time for the chef to be creative. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining
Norito was coming through town, and we thought some nibbles at Kobachi would be the way to go. And it’d been a week or more since I’d been there. With four of us, including some picky eaters, it was strictly ordering on the menu.
I don’t call myself a genius. I ordered a drink from the happy hour menu called shochu, and liked it. It was partway through the meal that I figured out shochu was the same as soju, the grain alcohol I’d order at Korean BBQ places. That I also loved. So there you go! By the end of the meal I had the pleasant tinglies. $2 for a 75 ml glass at happy hour, served on the rocks or with tea.
The soba salad came next, it was a very generous portion, and very lightly dressed. I can see this as a great item to share with a friend on a hot summer’s evening. A good amount of wheat noodles and fresh crisp baby greens, avocado and pinenuts. People at the table particularly like the pinenuts in the mix. $7.95.
The hamachi kama, or yellowtail collar, is a perennial favorite. It is always so good for folks who already know how tasty fish cheeks can be. One squeeze of lemon and you are good to go.
Now came the treats. Yoko brought out an unexpected item from the kitchen, custom prepared by the chef. After some questions, we figured it was lightly seared bluefin tuna with a soy vinaigrette and we thoroughly enjoyed in. I’d go so far as to say it was my favorite dish of the evening and I think one other at the table would agree. Past posts: Kobachi Izakaya Dining |
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