Without ever having been to Ichiza or Raku I can’t say where Kyara fits in the hierarchy of Las Vegas izakayas. But, I can tell you that I’m a fan. Not only is the food delicious, but the layout of the restaurant is inviting yet intimate, with it’s small, separate dining areas surrounding its open kitchen. The look of the place is that of a modern japanese motif without being heavyhanded and over-adorned with unnecessary flair.
But, what you really want to hear about is the food, right? Here are the hits and misses that we ordered:
HITS:
+ Maguro carpaccio ($7.50) – brilliant, brightly colored tuna, thinly sliced. Wonderful flavors. So good we had a second order. Loved the garlic chips atop each slice of fish.
+ Albacore with jalapeno ($7.50) – delicious, fresh. Another dish we had to order seconds of.
+ Veggie spring rolls ($2.50) – light, crispy, not the largest spring rolls, but delicious nonetheless
+ Veggie tempura mix ($4.50)
+ Cheese tempura ($6.50) – three slices of fairly mild cheeses (mozzarella, havarti, brie) accompanied by a fig jam. I liked it but it’s a difficult dish to share if you want to split each piece of cheese.
+ Maguro yukke ($6.50) – The spicy tuna was wonderfully fresh and was accompanied by some cabbage on the side that was dressed with a spicy sauce.
+ Beef tataki ($9.50) – Thin, tender slices of lightly seared beef with a side cup of ponzu sauce. It was a great combination of savory and sweet flavors.
+ Roppongi roll – spicy tuna, shrimp, green onions, with tuna on top and mayo and tataki sauce. I’ve had this before at Kyara’s sister restaurant, Naked Fish, and this half order tasted better than I remember. It’s a great looking roll that tastes even better than it looks.
Misses:
– Spicy tuna dip with rice crackers ($5) – not my favorite. I wasn’t a fan of the paste-like texture of the tuna and it had little heat to it.
– Pork belly ($2.20) – 3 per skewer. They were ok, but after having the pork belly at Sushi House Goyemon a couple days earlier I was disappointed. The biggest turnoff was the tiny bits of cartilage in two of the pieces of pork.
– Mackerel – the presentation and execution of the dish was beautiful, but personally, I’m not a fan of this fish. This was my first (and last) time trying it. The oiliness and strong fish odor were a huge turnoff and the fishy taste of it made it tough to swallow.
I thought everything was reasonably priced. Expect to pay anywhere from $20-40 per person depending on how hungry you are. And, they have some good wines by the glass for around $5. That’s tough to beat in this town. Good food + good prices = I’ll be back often.
4 Stars
6555 S Jones Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89118
(702) 434-8856
