Taikoubo

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Dinner
Price:  3230 yen (includes sake)
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Sashimi for one, grilled tuna cheek bits with garlic
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: Yes

I'm still cleaning up some of the many little restaurants in Yokosuka and I had the evening to myself last night so I went to Taikoubo which is located pretty close to where I live.  It's right next to Hotaru, which is quite good and a bit more gaijin friendly, so typically I would probably opt for Hotaru, but I gotta try something new now and then.

Mandatory appetizer

Taikoubo is a fish-focused izakaya, with bar and tatami seating.  The chef was mostly preparing sushi and sashimi dishes while I was there, but they do have some other options on the menu.  I was glad for the English menu I was presented with as the Japanese one was full of dense kanji and I wasn't too confident I would come out with something I liked.  I went for a one person serving of sashimi and grilled tuna cheek with garlic.  Also, I saw that had Dassai, a quality sake brand that I've been  meaning to try for some time, so I had to order one of those.

The sashimi was mostly quite good, though the tuna was still frozen which I found a little off putting.  The tuna cheek was excellent however, incredibly tasty like the most tender steak in the world.  And the sake was also quite good.  So over all I'm giving the place a Very Good.