There is something about speakeasy that is so sexy and attractive…maybe it is the secrecy, or the mysteriousness of it, or just a simple joy of discovering a hidden gem. We enjoyed our dinner at an izakaya-style speakeasy in Philly called Royal Izayaka (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/royal-izakaya/). Then, we found another pretty cool speakeasy, also izakaya-style. Who knew there were so many Japanese-influenced restaurants in Philly!
At the entrance, they had kind of living-room-lounge space with a bookshelf on the wall. I didn’t see any host/hostess station at the entrance, then we realized it is located in the back. It was quite busy with the Happy Hour crowds, there were still some people who were waiting for an open seat.
They had a big bar to the left of the entrance, and then low, lounge sofa/chairs across from the bar. I heard their Happy Hour offerings are pretty awesome, and I see that it is true with their popularity. But, we were here for the secret izakaya scene… So we walked over to the hostess station at the back.
I saw an exit door behind the hostess station, and it seems like that is the door we need to go through to get to the speakeasy. Even though we had a reservation, we were told to wait…and they don’t really have a “waiting” space around the hostess section, so it was kind of annoying… After about 10 minutes or so, we finally got to see what was hiding beyond the exit door. Well, it was a long, dark, mysterious staircase…felt like going down into a cave of some sort…
After successfully going down into the darkness, the first area that appeared in front of our eyes were a sushi counter. It was a rather small space, we walked pass the customers sitting at the counter, then into another area, a few steps down.
Here, it really felt like we were in a cave, where we might encounter a vampire or Count Dracula… The space between the sushi counter and the dining area was really cool lounge space with lots of candles, emphasizing on the particular mood. Few more steps down from the lounge, they had a nice little bar, beautifully illuminated in the dimmed light.
Then the main dining area. I did brighten up the photos, but you can see how dimmed the area is, and the dark, sexy, relaxing atmosphere. Ok, maybe not so much “sexy” in the dining room, since there was no candle around here… Regardless, it was very relaxing, and not too loud, since they don’t cramp the space with too many tables.
Another thing that helped withe noise level was that they had the dining area separated into two rooms. The divider can be closed if needed (for a private party of something I assume) by pulling an over-sized sliding barn door. Cool! The other room seemed more lively, they had more tables, lighting, and naturally, more customers. I liked the quieter space that we got.
We started our evening with a couple of cocktails. They had a really nice cocktail menu, interesting and enticing, we had a hard time choosing which one to order. We went with Jungle Bird Slip ($12) and The Pocket Knot ($11).
The Jungle Bird Slip ($12) is made with tequila, strawberry cordial, campari, lime, and mezcal. I had a beautiful red color from the strawberry cordial, and yes, the flavor of strawberry was really nice too. It was not too sweet but elegantly done. High quality, strong, great flavor.
The Pocket Knot ($11) is made with scotch, lemongrass, tea, honey, ginger, and yuzu. This one was quite awesome! A perfect combination of honey and ginger, it like a sweet nectar… Oh yeah baby! It was topped with a candied ginger, which made this drink extra awesome. It was delicious, much more so than I expected it to be.
As for food, the Happy Hour menu is NOT available here in the cave, only upstairs around the bar. But, we were ok with that. Their food menu was fun, they had many izakaya-inspired items, robatayaki items, some sushi items, etc., etc… I am sure everyone can find something that will catch their eye. As their menu is mostly served izakaya-style, they are small plates. We ordered a few items, and the first one that arrived was the sushi. We ordered Spicy Scallop Roll ($9). It had a bits of scallops marinated in spicy sauce and tempura crunch on top.
Underneath it, they had more of the same scallop with avocado in the roll. It was not very spicy, I wanted a bit more heat… It was high quality though, fresh and interesting roll.
Next one was Enoki Bacon ($4). It had three of them on a skewer, and only one skewer per order. So, based on personal experience and preference, the $4 price tag can be considered really good or a bit pricey. We paid $8 for two skewers. I think it was quite reasonably priced.
It was small but juicy and delicious. Each bite was a delight. And I liked how they used two bamboo skewers for each one. It made it more stable and easier to eat. I think it was well worth the price, in my opinion.
Then we had Tempura Cheese Curd ($8) with yum yum sauce and cilantro. I was imagining some kind of mozzarella stick type of item, so I was surprised when a plate with four little balls came to out table.
It was sitting on top of the yum yum sauce, which also gave stability to the balls. The sauce had a little kick to it which was nice. After a bite, I say it was like a mozzarella stick, but more like “mozzarella ball” because of the shape. It was creamy but firm, comforting and tasty. We enjoyed the fun little item.
The one I was curious about was Nikuman Lazy Bun ($9) with chicken, curry, and ginger. Again, what arrived to our table was different from what I imagined them to be. With the order, four medium-sized buns came, and they looked simple yet nicely presented.
It also came with a special chili sauce to put on, based on preferences. Each bun is maybe a bit smaller than medium size, had beautiful golden-amber face. It was easy to pick it up with chopsticks, as they were not fragile or too soft.
In the inside, it had ground chicken with good curry flavor packed in it. The moment I bit into it, the aroma and the flavor of curry flooded out, it was really nice! I first tried it without the chili sauce, and then added a few drops of chili sauce. I liked it with and without chili. It was juicy and tasty, the bun was fluffy and a bit doughy, very good!
At this point, it was time to get more cocktails. Even though I really liked The Pocket Knot, I decided to order something different. This time, we ordered Monkeys Fist ($11) and The Savoy Knot ($12).
The Savoy Knot ($12) is made with bourbon, lemon shrub, honey, and egg white. It had more egg white than expected, but since we like egg white on cocktails, we were ok with that. The cocktail had some kind of punch to it, definitely not a sleepy drink. Even thought it was creamy and mellow, it was also lively and exciting. It tasted a bit like Linmoncello that graduated from elite university.
Monkeys fist ($11) is made with sake, coconut, pineapple syrup, lime and chili. It was very coconut-y and sweet, fun and tropical. It was high quality and I liked the big portion size. But then, I realized it was packed with ice cubes, so the amount of liquid in there was kind of small… It was tasty and high quality, didn’t taste any chili in there though.
The last savory dish we ordered was Duck Fried Rice ($27), made with duck breast and duck leg confit. This dish was the special menu of the evening. It came in a large cast iron pot. We didn’t know it was going to be this big, but with the price tag compared to other food, it makes total sense. It had rice on the bottom and a good amount of duck on top.
It had nice crispy rice from being cooked in the cast iron. The rice was actually sushi rice, had sweetness to it, which was enhanced even more with sweet eel sauce. It had small bits of pickled veggies for crunchy texture. The duck was juicy, tender and tasty. It went great with sweet sushi rice and sauce. Well balanced with the acidic flavor of the pickled veggie. Duck confit pieces were incorporated with the rice, so I got duck piece with almost every bite. Really nice dish, we enjoyed it for sure!
After the lovely dinner, it was time for desserts…! We ordered two desserts, the first one was Chocolate Matcha Bar ($10), made with Pot de Crème, plum, and white chocolate. It had very good dark chocolate flavor, definitely an adult dessert. It had creamy matcha cream on top, decorated with plums. I enjoyed the nice tart flavor against the sweet flavor. Very chocolate-y with good, real matcha flavor. It was rich and satisfying.
The second choice of dessert was Coconut Mousse ($9), made with black sesame, pineapple, and rice pearls. The rice pearls were fun with popping sensation in the mouth. The mousse was very creamy and melt in your mouth… Even thought it was creamy, it was also fluffy and light. Sesame was used on the bottom, and also as a thin chip on the top. I didn’t know black sesame goes with coconut, but it totally did, and it was awesome!
The uni-sex bathroom is located next to the cave-designed area between the sushi bar and the main dining area. Just look for the black door, I don’t think there was any kind of sign on the door… If there was, well, it is too dark to see it.
The first thing that appears is a huge washing area with interesting decoration and furniture/fixtures. It felt like I was in a very old submarine or some kind of vessel… Everything in here is quite dark, everything is either black or very dark brown.
That includes the bathroom stalls and toilets. Yup, all black or similar in color… I tried to lighten up these photos, but there is a limit to what my phone camera can do… Just watch your step! otherwise, it was clean, not too small, and yes, definitely interesting…in a way…
Another interesting thing I found in the stall was a magnifying mirror. I guess this is the only way ladies and gentlemen can freshen up their looks in the dark. The stall door? Yes, black to dark brown. It had a hook on the door for your coat or bag, always useful.
The service here was great. Every time we emptied a plate, one of the staffs walking by picked it up immediately. Very efficient! Between few of the different dishes, they also changed our serving plates without us asking for it. It is nice to be able to enjoy food that is completely different, such as fish and meat, without contaminating them by putting them on the same plate. And, the clean plates they brought to us was nice and warm, to keep the food warm! So nice! Our waitress Danielle was awesome, friendly, polite, professional and gave great recommendations. Explained menu in detail and took care of us really well. A manager (?) came by to ask if we were enjoying the meal during our dinner, which was also a nice touch. We had a great dinner here, delicious high quality food and drinks, and the price was very affordable! A perfect way to end our trip to Philly. I would definitely go back again the next time we are in Philly!
Double Knot – 120 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107