Shibumi Seattle

[tw-column width="one-half"] Shibumi Seattle Japanese Izakaya restaurant

1222 East Pine Street Seattle, WA 98122

(206) 397-4552 www.shibumiseattle.com [/tw-column] [tw-column width="one-half" position="last"]

Ramen | Izakaya | Yakitori

As a Japanese food lover in Seattle, there is certainly no shortage of restaurants to dine at. From conveyor belt sushi to huge rolls stuffed with more ingredients than your taste buds can comprehend, the sky's the limit with dining choices. However, if your taste for Japanese cuisine sways more in the direction of quality over quantity, Shibumi is a relatively new restaurant located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood that you absolutely must try.

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Shibumi Seattle Japanese Izakaya restaurant

Emphasizing a return to simple "old school" Japanese dining, chef Eric Stapelman is behind Capitol Hill's newest izakaya hot spot that features a bar with an impressive sake selection as well as a ramen bar and menu of appetizers and small plates. While the ramen is reportedly one of the best items, this particular tasting menu had a heavy emphasis on fresh nigiri sushi. Each piece featured ample cuts of quality fish including maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail tuna), and fatty otoro among many more. There are a few rolls on the menu including tekka (tuna), sake (salmon) and negihama, but again the emphasis here is on flavor and simplicity rather than piles of ingredients. The strawberry lemon custard served for dessert was also light and simple yet bursting with flavor.

Must try: fatty otoro nigiri sushi and fried squid, the latter of which is incredibly light and delicate with hardly any oily residue; by far among the best fried squid in town. Also, the ramen is said to be served with an incredible pork broth that takes two and a half days to make from scratch. We didn't have room to sample it, but you can bet I'm making a return trip just to try the ramen!

Shibumi Seattle Japanese Izakaya restaurant