Every plate is a small one at Izakaya Zero, but some are more suited to a start than others. And for the best possible beginning there’s the okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style pancake loaded with octopus, pork, cabbage, green onion, ginger and topped with scribbles of citrus aioli and tonkatsu sauce. But it’s the heartier dishes that do best at Izakaya Zero, like the balsamic-teriyaki spare ribs. The plate is shipped out in the tiniest casserole dish, ribs stacked in a neat pile with a little pearl of Japanese mustard hanging on the side. The ribs initially seem like they could pose some logistical problems, but Izakaya Zero cooks away all concern—with just single swipe of a chopstick, the pork slips off the bone. And with the heat of the mustard sucking the sweetness from the balsamic-teriyaki glaze, the dish eats perhaps the best of all, pairing the impossibly tender pork with the most balanced flavors.

IZAKAYA ZERO 412 WALNUT AVE | HUNTINGTON BEACH 92648 | IZAKAYAZERO.COM | 714.960.1278 | OPEN SUN-THURS 5:30-10:30PM | FRI-SAT 5:30-11PM | FOOD FOR TWO $25-40 | FULL BAR

Tags: dinner, Huntington Beach, izakaya zero, japanese