[Tustin] [Japanese] Honda-Ya

Honda-Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 832-0081

Dr. P's friends Timmy and Cat wanted to come down to OC to visit us last Friday night.  It was around 9pm, and I immediately thought of Honda-Ya.  The boys could have beer, and us girls could eat some yummy Japanese small dishes.



We tried to call ahead to see if they take reservation.  Nope.  It's first come first serve.  We got there around 9:30pm, and there were so many people waiting outside.  They finally called our name after about 30 minutes.




This place was super busy!  They had Halloween decorations inside the restaurant.


Sapporo Beer ($5.50/each)

As soon as we sat down, the boys ordered some Sapporo Beer.


Cucumber

There was a small plate of Cucumber on the table.  The cucumber was slightly salted and sprinkled with Shichimi.  It was crunchy and refreshing.


Yellowtail with Jalapeno ($6.95)

Yellowtail with Jalapeno was on their daily special menu.  When Dr. P saw two of his favorite food, yellowtail and jalapeno, he turned into a spoiled brat and kept on saying "I want it I want it I want it I want it".  The yellowtail was so soft.  It just melt in my mouth.  The jalapeno and cherry tomato added more flavor to it.


Salmon Tataki ($6.95)

Salmon Tataki was also on their daily special menu.  The salmon was seared on the outside, and still raw on the inside.  A slice of avocado was wrapped inside the salmon, with cherry tomato on the top.  It was another yummy dish.


Marinated Yellowtail Cheek ($6.95)

Another item from the special menu, Marinated Yellowtail Cheek.  The fish was marinated in a sweet mirin sauce.  The meat was soft and tasty.  Dr. P loved this dish.  I wanted to pour the sauce over some rice, if we had any rice.


Takoyaki ($4.50)
Dumpling made of batter with octopus inside

Everybody loved the Takoyaki.  It was so delicious!


Cheese Age ($4.50)
Deep fried cheddar cheese with jalapeno in wonton skins

Cheese Age was like little fried cheese dumpling.  I like the gooey cheddar cheese with a little spicy jalapeno.  This was the perfect "beer" food.


Nasu Miso ($4.95)
Stir fried Japanese eggplant with sweet miso sauce

Nasu Miso, or miso eggplants, was recommended by our waitress.  I really like the texture and the flavor of this dish.  Too bad our pregnant friend Cat couldn't eat any eggplant.  I didn't know Philippinos have this tradition that preganat women cannot eat eggplant.


Shoyu Ramen ($6.95)
Egg flour noodles with with grilled pork slices and vegetable.  Soy sauce flavor.

Cat ordered Shoyu Ramen.  I didn't try it, but it looked great.


Chicken Zusui ($5.95)
Egg and rice porridge with chicken

Chicken Zusui was my favorite item of the night.  The warm soup with egg was super tasty.  The porridge was very filling, too.  I would definitely order this again next time.


Pickles

The porridge came with a little plate of pickles.  I like the red one a lot, but I have no idea what it was.


Green Tea Ice Cream ($1.95)

We finished the late night meal with Green Tea Ice Cream.



We ordered quite a bit of food  It was only about $50, and four of us got really full.  But 3 bottles of beer was about $20.  So food is cheap, and alcohol is expensive.  Dr. P kept on saying "I love this place" afterward.  I have a feeling we'll be back soon....

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