Where to Eat - O Chame

So I realized it's been awhile since I wrote up any of my meals about town. I've been really into my baking lately! I looked through my archives and decided to do a write up on a charming Japanese place on 4th Street in Berkeley. I had lunch there months ago with my sister Lauren, her boyfriend Mark, and my brother Chris. We started with a bunch of small appetizers and then went on to individual soups. With all the small bites it felt like Japanese Tapas. We had a great time and a great lunch.

We started with the above Yukon Gold Potato and Snow Crab Croquette. I am a huge fan of any sort of croquette and these were great. They were light and flaky with more crab then potato and breading. I also loved the dusting of sesame seeds on top.

Next we tried the Grilled Fresh Water Eel with Belgium Endive. To be honest I found this plate to be a little unremarkable. There was nothing wrong the dish but it definitely wasn't my highlight.

This next dish was one of my favorites. It was the Seared Yellowtail Sashimi with Braised Leeks and Horseradish Sauce. The fish was really fresh and perfectly seared. The juxtaposition of the sweet leek and tangy horseradish created a perfectly balanced bite.

With Chris joining us it was a given we would try the Braised Karubi Pork Ribs with Ginger and Lemon. These were really tasty. I liked how the sauce wasn't too thick or sweet, which usually turns me off from ribs.

This was my other favorite of the meal - Agedashi Tofu with Hijiki Seaweed. The tofu was deep fried in fish broth and an amazing combination of sweet and salty. I could pour this broth over pretty much anything and enjoy it. The seaweed added some texture to the spongy tofu.

For my soup I had the Udon Noodles in Clear Fish Broth with Simmered Pork Shoulder, Spinach and Takuan. Already a fan of the fish broth here adding noodles, spinach pork shoulder and pickled daikon made me super happy. The pork literally melted in your mouth and the Takuan gave just the right amount of acidity.

All in all it was a great place to go. I also love that it's so close to my favorite store The Gardener. Next time I need to try one of the bento boxes.