I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this was my first visit to Izakya Tomo. Yes, they've been open for 12 years. Yes, they were the first izakaya to open in Edmonton. Yes, I don't leave my house much.
Izakayas are casual establishments, think Japanese bar or pub. It's where salarymen would gather after work, either to celebrate or drown their sorrows (hard to tell sometimes), with plenty of alcohol and small plates of food.
I loved the vibe of the restaurant. It's a touch dark and moody, but a lively chorus of 'irasshaimase' greets you as you walk in. Now I don't drink, so the food has to do all the talking. There's a bit of everything here -- tons of appies, sushi and sashimi, rolls, udon, and rice. The selection can be overwhelming but the menu is like my favourite kind of book -- it has pictures! More restaurants should do this.
Our food came out quite quickly (perks of being the first customers), starting with the assorted 3 kinds sashimi ($29.00). Our plate had salmon, tuna, and squid. All fresh and nicely portioned. Squid usually wouldn't be my first choice for sashimi but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the slightly chewy texture.
We loved the crispy takoyaki ($9.00) which came absolutely smothered in bonito flakes. Crispy, mushy (in the best way), with a chewy nugget of octopus.
For rolls, we tried the crispy spicy tuna roll ($12.00). Essentially a spicy tuna roll, deep fried in tempura batter, and drizzled with spicy mayo. Simple but good. An enjoyable amount of heat. After California rolls, fried sushi was my gateway drug as a kid.
We also got the popular Melanie roll ($20.00), created by and named after one of their servers (who coincidentally served us!). It's a chop chop roll with torched salmon, mayo, and tobiko. They torch it tableside so it's a fun little show. This roll has all of my favourite ingredients so there's no way it could be bad. It's creamy, soft, and smoky. I would order this roll every single time.
Our last dish was the carbonara udon ($14.00). It had lots of bacon, onions, black pepper, cream, egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese. Not a traditional carbonara, but a fun fusion twist on the classic pasta. Super creamy and perfectly slurpable.
More than a decade later, Izakaya Tomo doesn't dissapoint.
Izakaya Tomo
3739 99 ST NW
Edmonton, AB
(780) 440-9152
- CT
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