It is an extremely rare occasion that we are out and about at midnight, but we found ourselves in the East Village in need of food last night. My handy-dandy NYC Things to Do Map led us to Sake Bar Decibel, and it was nothing short of magical – like stepping into an izakaya in Tokyo. We were definitely some of the oldest people in the room. It was mostly a young Asian crowd, which made me feel very cool and in the know.

We ordered a carafe of sake, along with an Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza), Ebi Shumai (shrimp dumplings), and a Mentaiko Chazuke (green tea over spicy cod roe rice with savory toppings).  All of the snacks were superb, but we have never tasted anything quite like the mentaiko dish – the bold and spicy flavors and varying textures of each ingredient coming together in each mouthwatering spoonful. We can’t wait to go back and try one of everything.