Picture a dimly lit alley steps away from the hustle and bustle of a typical Tokyo street. Along a row of wooden doors sits a hidden oasis of food and drink where locals congregate and strangers make new friends. A mix of J-pop and Japanese oldies fill the air and ride a smoke scented draft wafting from the kitchen. Small bites of fried goodies and raw seafood, pepper the tables and glimmers and random lights are caught on the edges of cocktail glasses. This is Hanzo Izakaya. Owned and operated by the same team that brought to you Escondites, biirū, La Habanera, Kao Lua, and Gokudo, Hanzo Izakaya is Tokyo at night where wisps of neon lights creep in through noren curtains inviting you into a familiar place for a drink.
Japanese
I’m starting off this review with an apology, and you’ll see why. I’m often asked which are my favourite restaurants in Montreal. I always answer with the same handful of places because obviously, they are my favourites, but I’ve been lying. Ok, not LYING lying, but I haven’t been 100% honest. Not in the sense that I’m naming places that aren’t my favourites, but I haven’t been mentioning all of them. If there’s one “favourite restaurant” I’m always being asked about it’s Japanese.”Hey Jason, it’s obvious that you’re so ridiculously good looking, but more importantly, where’s your favourite Japanese restaurant in the city?” One of my favourites is Kejaki Sushi in Ville Saint-Laurent.
Montreal’s ramen scene has gone from relatively non-existent to booming. There’s no denying that in recent years we’ve been spoiled at the variety of ramen houses available to us. Not only do we now have places to grub on some awesome Japanese soup noodles, but some of these places specialize in regional specific bowls that originate from different parts of Japan. Downtown is ramen-central with five different spots in a three block radius. I recently checked out one of the news places in town for a hot bowl of delicious noodles, Ichifuku Ramen.