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As promised, Roku Izakaya officially opens tomorrow, October 16, in the former Hunan Garden space at 1819 Market Street (at Pearl, near Octavia). The new spot from Japacurry truck operator Jay Hamada was actually softly open over the weekend, and will be closed tonight, with the grand opening Tuesday. They offer a concise selection of fried options, ramen, rice bowls with green tea, and specialties from Hamada's hometown of Kyushu like chicken nanban, which is fried chicken that's dipped in amazu sauce and served also with tartar sauce — it's apparently really big in Tokyo right now. There are also a pair of items on the menu labeled "Mama's" dishes, including Nikujyaga, a traditional Japanese beef stew with potatoes, onions, and a soy broth. (See most of the menu here and here.)

Obviously, there's beer and sake aplenty, and a six-seat sake bar. And let's not forget: ramen. Roku offers three varieties of tonkotsu (pork) ramen: white (regular tonkotsu), red (spicy), and black (garlic tonkotsu). All come topped with a "flavored" egg, kikurage mushrooms, chashu (tender stewed pork), and negi (Japanese onion).

Roku - 1819 Market Street between Octavia and Laguna - 415-861-6500 - Open Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and until 11 p.m. on weekends.

Earlier: JapaCurry Will Open Brick-and-Mortar Spot Next Door to Sushi Zone