B-dama--Oakland (Japanese cuisine)

For an izakaya experience in downtown Oakland, B-Dama offers casual but elegant food to pair with their selection of sake and beer. Located at 907 Washington Street, B-Dama is open for lunch and dinner. They share a dining space with several other businesses, so it can be a bit busy, but the food is definitely worth the crowd.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://www.asbdama.com/



Organic Tofu + Seaweed Salad. A firm tofu with a very nice crumble that tastes handmade. The seaweed is fresh and just salty enough and the drizzle of white sesame dressing and daikon sprouts brings this dish together very well.

Ginger Pork. Sauteed pork loin with a sweet and savory ginger teriyaki sauce. The thin slices of pork were fully cooked but not dry. The ginger flavor was very prominent. Excellent for a ginger lover.

Tsukune Don. A Japanese style chicken "burger" with rice, a fresh side salad and a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg. The chicken patty was so savory and moist and went very well with the egg and rice.

Fish Lunch Set. Another option for lunch is a "lunch set" which includes rice, tempura, miso soup, pickles, a side salad and a protein. This one included fried fish and it was perfectly flaky. All the other components were also very tasty.

Chicken Karaage. Juicy, meaty pieces of Japanese-style deep fried organic, free-range chicken. So succulent and served with a curry powder that amped up the flavor. A fantastic dish.

B-dama has become one of my favorite spots for lunch. Everything is consistent, fresh, very tasty and nicely presented. If in the area, a visit will not be regretted.