Craig LaBan says Sakeya, the Japanese restaurant that’s opened in the cursed Academy House, is off to a good start. We admit we kind of dismissed the place after encountering this paper sign out front shortly after they opened. But now we have to reconsider as the Craigster dropped this on us:

My favorite starter, though, was the okonomiyaki, a comforting, savory pancake that’s made the leap from Japanese home food to one of the trendier items at Asian-themed kitchens around town. Studded with seafood, veggies, and two-tone streaks of sweet dark sauce and Japanese mayo, it arrives at Sakeya inside a cute ceramic crock – a satisfying pre-theater nibble that also tastes like a good omen.

Craig LaBan discovers not all of East Passyunk is Italian and that Izumi provides a great new sushi destination for the neighborhood.

The sushi kitchen is clearly Izumi’s strength, with a focus on standards presented with attention to detail, quality, and value rather than anything especially innovative. And sushi chef Agus Lukito, an Indonesian-born chef trained at Teikoku and most recently at Mikado, does an excellent job.

His fish is superbly fresh, cut with precision, and wrapped around good rice – toothsomely firm and nicely seasoned with kombu-flavored vinegar. This is on full display in the platters, which, at 32 pieces for $50 (and half as many for $25), is a solid quality-value. It featured some less common additions – the sea-savory tang of horse mackerel, the tender snap of rouge-tipped surf clam, sweet white albacore, and a nearly translucent, delicate fluke – to the usual tuna-salmon-yellowtail mainstays.

Izumi [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Izumi [Official Site]

“That’s why I’m turning Japanese.” And this week there’s plenty of help. Tonight, Japan’s Hitachino Nest will be featured at Jose Pistola’s. There will be some rarely seen Hitachino beers on draft as well as brewer, Mikio Kiuchi. [Meal Ticket]

Thursday night, Morimoto is hosting a Beer dinner with a specially designed 5-course dinner with pairings from Rogue Ales, including several from the Morimoto Signature Series. Dinner is $75 per person.

Check out the full menu after the jump and maybe you’ll be turning Japanese too.

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Michael Schulson’s Izakaya at the Borgata gets a ringing endorsement from Craig LaBan.

With its casually stylish ambience and ambitious small-plate take on Japanese pub fare, this is a departure from traditional casino fine-dining. And, judging from the stunning parade of dishes, from the crispy nori-rice cracker topped with spicy tuna to the silky kabocha cheesecake, Izakaya is also a smashing debut for a familiar name we’re likely to be hearing more from.

Three Bells – Excellent

Izakaya [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Izakaya [Official Site]

Adam Erace visits Izakaya in the Borgata and finds Michael Schulson’s take on a Japanese pub to be a sure winner.

Izakaya [Philadelphia Weekly]
Izakaya [Official Site]

Bumblefish, an Asian fast food business started in Virginia opened its fourth location and first in the Philadelphia area at 12 S 10th Street on Monday.

The menu includes over 50 items most of which are waiting in their self-service section. If they don’t have you want they’ll whip it up right away. Their soft spring rolls are their signature dish on a menu that includes veggie, cooked and raw sections. Prices top out at $9.59 for the Smoked Salmon Deluxe of smoked salmon and four pieces of sushi.

Bumblefish [Official Site]

Craig LaBan visits Misso, owned by Bruce Kim who many should know from his stint at Sushikazu in Blue Bell. He’s back now in Center City and is looking to make an impact on our rapidly growing Japanese restaurant scene.

But judging from three lovely meals, I’d say they’re catching on quickly (they’re even planning outdoor seats soon). The reasonably priced menu is hardly unusual, but Kim’s kitchen executes both the familiar dishes and his signature creations with a precision, quality of ingredients and consistency that so many others lack.

Kim’s more creative rolls – many of which he mastered at Sushikazu – are worth seeking out, like the pristine slice of tuna draped over a ball of crunchy rice topped with a dab of minced spicy tuna and a jalapeño chip. And the Area 51, which adds the crunch and sweetness of kiwi to lemony yellowtail.

Two Bells – Very Good

Misso [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Dine Out Japan has begun. Receive 20% off at participating restaurants tonight through Friday, April 18th.

This week The Bite focuses on the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival and it’s eating and drinking options from tonight’s Sake Fest to the week long Dine Out Japan.

The Bite: Sampling Japan [Metro Philadelphia]

Bruce Kim brings his suburban Sushikazu-brand sushi to Center City under the name Misso at 1326 Spruce Street and it beats many of Philadelphia’s often middling sushi options.

But the pièce de résistance, the masterwork — the reason to visit, even — is the tuna ball. An orb of pink, fleshy, finely chopped tuna tartare obscures hidden bits of crisped flour, minced scallion and a judiciously applied smidgen of a spicy sauce (though sometimes the sushi chef uses wasabi). It’s rolled in vibrant orange masago and dusted with green flakes of shiso, each ball offering a spectrum of textures and flavors — crisp, soft, spicy, briny, vaguely oniony.

An order includes five balls (at Sushikazu you’d get six, but we can forgive this oversight) placed over a spaghetti-like tangle of daikon that absorbs the masago glow. Its naked presence, when the tuna is gone, will likely have you going for another round.

Misso Accomplished [City Paper]
Misso Sushi [Official Site]