Izakaya Gazen is a lovely little Japanese eatery located in Moilili behind Market City Shopping Center. There might be a bit of confusion with their name, I’ve only known them as Izakaya Gazen but I also see Gazen Bar and Grill floating around. I’m not a fan of the other name, so we’ll just call this place Gazen. They’re known for their homemade tofu which I have tried and loved. Unfortunately, I will not be sharing those pictures at this time since I didn’t get them this time. We had a nice little Christmas dinner here. Thank you for Open Table so I could make reservations early on. All restaurants should be on Open Table!

Beef Tataki ($8.50) – Delicious dish with a good sauce. Also comes on top of a bed of thinly sliced onions. Perfect combination!Mojito ($7) – I really wanted to try their mango and pineapple mojito but they were out of mango. 🙁 I guess that means I have to return again soon!

Salmon and Ikura “Oyako” Chazuke ($6.80) – Delicious! A bit pricey but I loved the light broth, grilled rice ball and the ikura and salmon combination. I wouldn’t get it again mainly because of the price – you could easily create this at home for much cheaper.

Chicken Breast with Wasabi ($3.80) – This was part of the happy hour menu. It had a very clean and minimalist taste. Great dish to get if you are having a lot of meat dishes.

Nori French Fries with Wasabi Aioli ($5.50) – nice and thick fries fried up perfectly. The fries are seasoned lightly with nori and salt. They go great with the wasabi aioli!

Mochi Isobe ($3.80) – Yum. I love grilled mochi wrapped in nori! Mochi and cheese might sound like a weird combination but it works great! I’ve made my own mochi isobe before and I think I prefer it with muenster cheese. I got these at the Happy Hour price! I believe the Happy Hour starts when they open until about 6:30 pm so get there early!