SAIZOU

At SAIZOU, familiar izakaya dishes stand out for their textures. One diner recalled that the fried chicken had a crisp coating that did not feel heavy, and enjoyed it alongside French fries. The menu also includes juicy fried chicken with nanban sauce and fried horse mackerel. Choose the fried chicken to make a meal of fried favourites, or the chicken nanban for a sweet-and-sour flavour as well.

For a salad, consider the Caesar salad with plenty of cheese and a soft-boiled egg. A diner who ordered it found the dressing rich, with the egg blending through, yet said it was a dish they did not tire of. Served alongside fried food, it brings a contrasting flavour to the table.

Small plates such as edamame, kimchi and dashi-rolled omelette with mentaiko make easy accompaniments to drinks. Sashimi is available as the day's selection or in a platter of 5 kinds, making it easy to put together a light snack or a meal to share. To finish, there is ochazuke—rice in tea or broth—with salmon, octopus with wasabi, ume plum or mentaiko, as well as yakisoba with salt sauce. One diner said a mixed rice dish with salmon and ume plum brought together the salmon's savoury flavour and the plum's acidity, making it easy to enjoy after drinks. It offers a useful point of reference when considering how to finish a meal, though it is separate from the mixed rice served with the set menus.

Groups can also choose set menus with all-you-can-drink options. The 3,500-yen course includes 2 hours of drinks, a sashimi platter of 3 kinds, tonpeiyaki and the day's mixed rice. The 5,000-yen course includes 3 hours of drinks, a sashimi platter of 5 kinds, mapo tofu and grilled offal and skirt steak with sauce. These plans are worth considering when you would rather settle on a meal for the group than choose each dish individually.