Out to Brunch: Daikaya

Daikaya recently launched brunch with tons of fun small plates.  This is a great place to try with friends on a lazy Sunday.  

Tuna Poke

Initial thoughts:

• Food:  Small plates with a Japanese twist.

• Drinks:  Beverage Director Eddie Kim makes a variety of unique brunch cocktails.
• Service:  Poor.  Later our server apologized for the bad service and explained that they weren't expecting such a crowd.  Hopefully they'll do better the next time.
• Would I go back?  Yes.

The Grilled Avocado is a must-order.  Yum!

Small plates are pretty fun at brunch because you get to try a variety of different dishes.

Hapa Loco Moco:  Fried egg on top of a hamburger.  It was a miss for me, but my hubs liked it.  

Some were hits and others were misses.

This Eggs Chesapeake was my fav.  I'm a sucker for fried crab balls.  It is basically their version of an Eggs Benedict.

Overall, I loved the ambiance and the food is funky and would be fun to try with out-of-town guests.

The Chicken and Waffles has a waffle filled with red bean paste.  I know this is an Asian delight and I tried lots of it in Taiwan, but just not for me.  The fried chicken to go with it was very juicy.

If you're craving traditional brunch food, this isn't the place.  But, if you want to try a unique take on brunch items, you're in luck.

The Sisig was a hit for me.  Sink your teeth into Filipino spicy pork hash with citrus-yuzu topped with a poached egg.

There's plenty of good hangover helper plates.

Arugula salad topped with Burrata, cherry tomatoes and a dashi gelee.  Not Japanese, but I always love Burrata.

Charred Peppers=Delish!

Bloody Mari with GGS shrub, ichimi seasoning, and a nori salt rim.

Daikaya is located at 705 6th Street NW, 20001, close to the Gallery Place Metro station. The izakaya (second floor) takes reservations via Open Table and is open Sunday from 11:30 AM to 3 PM and 5 PM to 10 PM, Monday from 5 PM to 10 PM, Tuesday through Thursday from 5 PM to 11 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 5 PM to 12 Midnight. Private parties and larger groups must be booked through the General Manager Harold Barber at Harold@daikayadc.com. For more information please visit www.daikaya.com or Facebook.com/Daikaya and the telephone number is (202) 589-1600.