Small plate Japanese & Korean izakaya dishes.

In this edition of Food Porn, we feature Suika Seattle. This izakaya restaurant serves filling entrees as well as appetizers and a full bar. The menu is a mix of Korean and Japanese bar food, meant to be shared. The atmosphere of the restaurant is cozy, yet sophisticated with 80’s Nintendo game cassettes and a chandelier made of sake bottles.

Smoked Tuna Tataki is a must-order. With housemade chili oil, the fish is fresh and the sauce is addictive. The Sashimi was plated beautifully the fish is very high quality. The Tuna Cheek on the specials menu was cooked perfectly—crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.

The Crispy Side Pork that is braised and served with Suika’s secret spice blend was disappointing. The two times I’ve ordered it, it’s been chewy in a bad way, not melt-in-your-mouth as a braised meat should be. The Lotus Root Kimpira was underwhelming as well; it needed to be sliced thinner and crisped up. The Mapo Rice Cake was also a miss. The mapo was flavorful, but the rice cakes were cut into large pieces and chewier than any I’ve ever had.

They do an interesting rendition of Canadian poutine with their Chinese Poutine served with spicy ground pork sauce (think mapo tofu), mozzarella, chili oil, and cilantro over french fries. Next time, I’d like to try their Oxtail Ramen (because, oxtail).

RECOMMENDATIONS: Make sure to order the Tuna Tataki and Sashimi. If you’re a dessert person, save room for the Matcha Brulee.

 

Photos by Jennifer Liu.

Open Tuesday through Sunday. Lunch on weekdays from 11:30 – 2:00 pm.

Suika Seattle               |                611 E Pine Street, Seattle            |         (206) 747-9595