Tokyo GoGo serves Japanese street food in the Brothers Drake parking lot
Hooray for another clever pairing of food truck and bar! And for more great Japanese street food (Freshstreet fans, take notice!) Tokyo GoGo sets up in the Fifth-and-High parking lot for Brothers Drake Meadery, so you can wait inside at the warm, cozy bar with a mead cocktail while your food's being made. And you can eat it right there at the bar, too, if you'd like.
The deal here is authentic Japanese late-night bar snacks made with Ohio-sourced ingredients. And, in a fun twist, there are also a few sauces inspired by the meads produced by Brothers Drake. I tried a couple of them with my karaage, flash-fried nuggest of incredibly tender chicken thigh. They're served with two sauces--one's sweet like honey, the other slightly spicy.
I also tried the tempura vegetables (a nice variety of veggies were included) and the seaweed salad, a refreshing break from fried. Tokyo GoGo also does hearty noodle soups and dumplings and agedashi tofu, all prepared from scratch by chef Miki Ashino.
My drink pick that night, the Local Vesper, is made with hopped tradiitonal mead and, Oyo Vodka and Watershed Barrel Aged Gin. Strong drinks and fried foods -- yum, such a great combo on cold winter nights.
Here's the full Tokyo GoGo menu:
KOROKKE, $4: fried potato and cheese with tonkatsu mayo sauce
KARAAGE, $6: flash fried chicken thigh with mead-inspired sauces
AGEDASHI TOFU, $5: deep fried tofu served with shiitake and enoki mushroom broth
TEMPURA VEGETABLES, $6: flash fried assorted vegetales
GREEN SEAWEED SALAD, $4: tossed in sesame oil
HIJIKI SALAD, $4: traditional black seaweed salad with fresh vegetables
GYOZA DUMPLINGS, $5: house made with pork or vegetables
JAPANESE NOODLE SOUP, $8: assorted vegetables in broth with udon or soba
INARI, $2: sushi rice with edamame wrapped in tofu pouches
EDAMAME, $3: boiled and salted
Tokyo GoGo
26 E. Fifth Ave., Italian Village
614-401-6476
Hours: 5-close Wednesday-Saturday