Sake Bar Hagi @ NYC

Japanese style tapas or also known as an izakaya. I found this place awhile ago, and all the reviews on yelp are great, so I really wanted to try it. I liked how they had takoyaki, my fav. However, after ordering food I was really disappointed. The place was expensive, and unsatisfying. Everything sounded great, but it was unable to follow through.

Avocado Salad

not yummy at all. avocado from nyc not as tasty, and didn't like the citrusy-grainy dressing. also they used lettuce, so meh 

Chicken Skin Skewers

yes i did type that correctly, chicken skin. don't knock it til you try it. might sound gross, but it's crispy and full of flavor. 

Pork Cheek

just so-so. pork cheek is a delicacy, and really tender meet. however the flavor here was lacking, and my mom makes better pork cheek  

Chicken Karage

again just so-so. Ippudo's was better. i didn't like how they put shaved daikon on top, i didn't know what to do about it. also the piece of chicken were huge, i would have liked it more if they made it more into bite-sized pieces 

Takoyaki

another major disappointment. batter was lacking, not enough sauce, the bonito flakes were faux, there wasn't octopus inside, or at least i couldn't tell. i honestly can't find a place that does takoyaki like they used to do it in Japantown in SF 

American Kobe Beef

a waste of kobe beef. too salty, and meet was tender, but that was about it. no wow-factor 

Ramen

definitely cannot compare to Ippudo 

Okonomiyaki

another disappointment. i love okonomiyaki, let me tell you my friend Boo's who is white can make better. i myself can make better, naturally. the okonomiyaki here was like a bigger version of their takoyaki. the okonomiyaki wasn't seared enough, bonito flakes were lacking again, sauce was mediocre, and the ingredients inside were cheap.