Nobu-ya has a reputation for turning away customers that don’t want to booze it up, and their reputation for being an astoundingly affordable izakaya has been somewhat clouded by the ‘all patrons must drink’ policy enforced by the owner. Fortunately I have no such problem, and I was able to savour Nobu-ya’s food to the fullest. Their menu changes nearly every day, so just like that Forrest Gump quote, you never know what ya gonna get.⠀
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I had their salmon ochazuke (rice in soup, $8++) and a bowl of ton-jiru (miso soup with vegetables & pork in it, $6++) and enjoyed both hearty yet simple soup dishes. The dashi broth in the ochazuke was light yet sufficiently umami and flavoured the rice adequately, but the salmon was grilled for way too long. Fortunately, the ochazuke broth managed to redeem the salmon’s shortcomings somewhat. ⠀
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The ton-jiru was surprisingly sublime, with the deeply savoury miso soup being augmented by the sweetness of the carrots & radishes that had been simmering in the soup. There was a bit of pork in there to make the soup more substantial, and it proved to be an unexpectedly excellent accompaniment to some heavy drinking.⠀
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Homely soup dishes aside, get yourself some kaki fry (deep fried oysters, $10 for 5 pieces) for when the booze munchies hit. It’s crispy, decently deep fried, juicy and pretty toothsome. These fried oysters are decent with beer, and the food is acceptably decent overall, but the highball cocktails here at Nobu-ya are the real legends.