Izy

Izy isn't just an izakaya - but has a similar concept to a tapas sharing menu. Not that I'm complaining since the food here's freaking good. I was so impressed by the food I had at Izy, and declared to my friend that this was the best meal of the year - but my friend pointed out that only 17 days has passed since the start of the year -_-' 

I liked how they kept the one page menu neat, with columns lumping foods with similar cooking methods together, so that it was easier to decide and pick the dishes off the menu (especially since I had the honours of doing it, since my friend was running a bit late). 

 Nama Yasai ($8)

Chilled crispy vegetable sticks with miso and nuts sauce, served on a bed of ice . The nuts sauce was pretty interesting - with a peanut butter like creaminess, yet with the savoury component from the miso. It was really nice dipping and coating each vegetable stick with the sauce. 

Crispy Chicken Karaage ($16)

 I did some last minute research (in the restaurant itself - the wonders of 3/4G), and since Chubby Hubby declared it as the best Karaage in Singapore, I die-die had to eat it. I suppose I'm not a big deep fried foods fan, but this was pretty interesting, with a much lighter fluffier batter compared to the usual karaage chicken that you find in most places. The texture is somewhat closer to the beer-battered fish and chips kind of batter. Coupled with a balsamic mayonnaise sauce, and lots of lettuce and some sliced mushrooms, this was a winning bar snack (especially with some alcohol).

Kajiki Maguro - Grilled swordfish with seaweed sauce ($25)

 The grilled swordfish was another amazing dish - slightly oily and flaky swordfish being perfectly charcoal grilled, and coated with a layer of umami seaweed sauce. It was superb coupled with lots of spring onions  (+/- the lemon).

Lobster and Scallop Porridge

 I was very much impressed by their Lobster and Scallop Porridge ($40 for 2 -4 pax), which had lobster, scallop and oyster cooked with paprika spice. Our initial concerns of the portion being too big were really unfounded, and we easily devoured the warming soup, and proceeded onto another carbs dish.

 Succulent lobster in a thick, lobster bisque-like broth (super gao, super good), with the mild hotness from the paprika. It was incredible and can nearly rival the chicken collagen ramen that I love so much, for the best-after-work-warming-food.  This brings porridge to completely another level.

Uni Cha Soba ($24)

Sea urchin with buckwheat soba noodles with Tonato sea urchin sauce - it was either diminishing returns, or probably because I don't particularly like that fishy/bitter taste from uni (which isn't absolutely fresh?) that I didn't quite like this dish. No doubt it was interesting, but I didn't quite like the sauce.

Blue Cheese and Honey Ice Cream ($10)

Blue cheese ice cream with walnut and honey- cheese fans rejoice. Even if you're not a cheese fan, you might actually like this. It's topped with mascarpone cheese, chopped walnuts and honey. The cheese isn't too overpowering, more like a subtle aftertaste. Super good - I would come here again just for the ice cream.

Chocolate and white miso ($10)

Butter chocolate mousse with white miso cream - I'm not the greatest chocolate fan, so I found this dessert pretty average, but quite interesting. The white miso layer was slightly salty, and went very well with the luscious chocolate mousse. 

The menu, which changes with the chef's mood

The interior reminds me quite a bit of Lola's, just that their bar chairs are much more comfy and you can relax and lean back.

I'd suggest gathering some friends - 2 people with big appetites (so you can sample more) or 4 people with tiny appetites. You'll probably be able to conquer about 5-6 dishes for 2 people, or more if you're hungry (and have a deeper wallet). As you can see from the prices above, it's not cheap so expect to pay about $80 per person (without alcohol), but I am quite sure the dining experience will be worth it.

Izy
27 Club Street (near Senso/the carpark)
Tel 62203327
Mondays to Saturdays 6pm till late