Last Wednesday I had a meal at Izakaya Ten, a new Japanese small plates restaurant that recently opened on 23rd Street and 10th Ave. It inhabits what was previously the Korean-French restaurant D'or Ahn, which happened to have been one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. I was sad to see it had closed, but intrigued to see what filled it's space.

The interior is almost the same- except it looks much worse. There is a bar up front and tables in the back. But, what was once sleek and modern, now looks worn and thrown together. The lighting was dim, and I was not impressed with the lack of decor or mood the place now had.

I decided to order three small plates from the specials menu. The first was raw octopus marinated in wasabi ($5). The dish was slimey but I enjoyed the kick the wasabi gave it. It was definitely a peculiar dish, and I'm always a fan of exploring and experimenting.

The next dish I tried was the Japanese sausage ($5). The plate came with three sausages and some mustard on the side. The sausages were juicy and tasty. The skin was just slightly crispy. They reminded me of a mix between a hot dog and kielbase. They definitely made for a nice snack.

The last dish I had was the marinated kimchee with pork belly ($8). The dish was very good. The kimchee was perfectly cooked, the pork belly was slightly over cooked, but when I mixed the two, the combination was perfect. Just the right amount of flavor and tenderness.

Izakaya Ten is definitely no D'or Ahn. But, it's a nice little neighborhood spot to get some decent Japanese small plates for a not a lot of money. I'd definitely go back and try other dishes. I'm always a fan of getting the most bang for your buck.

Izakaya Ten

207 10th Avenue (at 23rd Street)

New York, NY 10011