Hachi Yakitori
Tamago Omelet – Ginger
Crispy Chicken Skin
Garlic Edamame
Shiitake Butter – Shiitake Mushroom with butter & soy sauce
Yamaimo Chips – Japanese Mountain Yam Skin fried with Isobe Style
Ikayaki – Spicy Mayo
Juicy Chicken Karaage – Deep Fried Chicken thigh with house special negi sauce
Ground Tsukune
Cheese Chikuwa Tempura – Mozzarella cheese wrapped with fish cake and deep fried with tempura
Pork Belly Tare
Teppan Beef Tongue – Tomatoes and Bean Sprouts
Kurobuta Sausage – Ketchup and Mustard, Salsa
Appetizer Trio – Eggplant Mustard, Tuna with Seaweed and Miso, Arugula Negi
Matcha Panna Cotta – Red Bean
Honey Toast – Vanilla Ice Cream
Located on Jones, in the same plaza as China Mama and Chada Thai, Hachi is a relative newcomer to the growing izakaya scene in Las Vegas’ Chinatown and owned by the team behind acclaimed Ramen Sora it was with two friends and a four year old that dinner was enjoyed this past Saturday, the results a bit mixed but at times more impressive than Raku at a lower pricepoint and far less of a hassle.
Spacious in layout, a center bar welcoming solos and those looking to experience a limited selection of raw fish cut to order, it was at one of the comfortable booths circling the restaurant perimeter that our group was sat and with service always nearby, pleasant, and happy to answer questions it was after a brief description of daily specials that a bakers-dozen items were selected, several ordered in duplicate with the total bill tallying just under $30 per person.
Unfortunately one of those places to which “coursing out” plates is a foreign concept, despite several requests not to overwhelm the table, it was with a relatively limp and flavorless presentation of chilled omelet that the meal kicked off, but following this up almost immediately with two styles of fried crisps both the chicken skins and house-special mountain yam were lightly seasoned and virtually oilless, the first bold bit of flavor presented by garlic soaked edamame that permeated the air in a ten foot radius.
Underwhelming again with buttered mushrooms that were tender enough, though not particularly well displayed beneath too much salt, it was with the whole squid that grilled items began to arrive, the tenderness of the cephalopod’s flesh found beneath snappy initial resistance as a kiss of charred lemon added ‘pop’ with or without the spicy mayo addition.
Surprised by the thickness of fried chicken thigh that was both tender and immensely juicy on a plate of miso sauce imbued with smoke and onions the evening’s most intriguing bite was soon offered by “Cheese Chikuwa Tempura,” the thinly rolled fish layer not dissimilar to the flavor of salt-cod beneath light batter with a gooey mozzarella interior.
Progressing to three items from the low temperature binchotan grill, all ‘Out-Rakuing’ Raku in terms of smoke profile and tenderness with the ground pork Tsukune particularly memorable amongst the group, it was with a bit less enthusiasm that the daily appetizer trio hit out table – the raw tuna well flavored while the rest were mostly throwaways, the daily special beef tongue marred by being overcooked by tableside searing, a Bill Walton quote-in-waiting about “letting the show get in the way of the game.”
Saddening the little fella at the table by informing us that softserve was unavailable it was nonetheless in two desserts that the evening called it an end and although the bittersweet panna cotta with an unexpected red bean core was a bit meager in portion considering the $6 pricetag, the $7.98 Honey Toast more than made up for it as the half-loaf was presented golden, buttery, and crisp yet at the same time still saturated with sweetness.
THREE STARS: Excelling with some items while fumbling and frustrating with others that seemed slipshod in their execution despite otherwise good ingredients and intentions, Hachi is the sort of place where a good meal can be had at a relatively low investment while a more memorable overall experience would be better sought at Raku for those interested in esoterica or Kyara at a similar cost.
RECOMMENDED: Tsukune, Cheese Chikuwa Tempura, Ikayaki, Honey Toasr
AVOID: Appetizer Trio, Tamago.
TIP: 5pm to 2:30am daily, specials listed on the whiteboard at the door.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://hachilv.com
