Gochi - 2006.03.07 -- *****

This is a very late writeup, so excuse the fuzzy details. Gochi is sort of a hidden Izakaya restaurant tucked between the skirts of Sunnyvale and Cupertino. The decor was relaxing, open, lots of tatami seatings, looks true to the style. I was working extra late that night, fraught with work stress, so this dinner was the perfect escape, suitable in all the senses. Though, I had to go back to work after.

Note about the location, we had 3 separate cars and everyone drove around for about 15 minutes phoning each other "did you find it yet", before we found it. Its in a strip mall on Homestead and Blaney, between Sunnyvale-saratoga and Wolfe.

- Fish n chips. A fish salsa with tropical fruits served with crosshatched house-made potato chips. I remember the first time I've ever had potato chips like it happened yesterday, that taste I shall never forget till I die. These chips brought back that memory. Gochi calls itself "fusion tapas", and for once I did not mind the fusion title. Perhaps because they do it well, or perhaps since izakaya is already exotic to me, mixing with other exotic things don't bother me as much as making my "own" kind of food "fusion".

- Sake-Steamed Clams. Very light, clean broth, wonderful aroma.

- Shrimp-Stuffed Lotus Chips. Deepfried with a touch of batter. Light and crispy; the shrimp flavor was able to show through.

- Braised pork innard. This was Momoko's favorite izakaya dish, so we encouraged her to order it. The texture was very tender, sort of veal cheek or beef tongue kind of texture. The taste though was definitely a bit questionable. Momoko said it was not a good rendition.

- Grilled duck breast miso/ginger sauce. I really can't remember if this was really really yummy or the one at Tanto was really really yummy. One was much better than the other. Grrrr!

- Stir-fried Udon with bacon, squid and seaweed. Not at all like a chinese stir-fried noodle, which made it interesting. Lots of seaweed suited me well. Liked it.