Traditional Yakitori Izakayas

Ottawa, Ontario lacked a premium consistent izakaya location until the debut of Izakaya Shingen location right in Centretown. The brand-new restaurant delivers traditional and contemporary izakaya sharing dishes that represent Japanese cuisine. Shingen serves yaki onigiri, which has been around in Japan for over a millennium. The story behind the dish is that samurais packed them within bamboo leaves during their travels. In modern day, yaki onigiris are portable meals and a staple snack at izakayas.

The restaurant itself eludes a rustic aesthetic with its wooden and cultural decorations. The menu features assorted grilled foods, deep-fried goods, raw fish choices, as well as steamed and simmered options. Some notable menu options include mentaiko udon, which are udon noodles in a creamy spicy cod roe sauce and the dashi chazuke, which is essentially rice bathing in dashi broth, topped with either salmon, octopus or Japanese plum.