Sautéed Pork with Garlic Shoots

When I find gems of a quirky neighborhood izakaya that fits all my requirements and tastebuds, I try to keep them a secret. All the more so if I am friends with the owners, and would prefer to bring like-minded friends there instead of telling it to all and sundry who might just pick a bone with whatever standards they deem as the bistro/izakaya being unable to meet.  

That night at Kizuna, I knew what I wanted to eat to satisfy a few cravings — steamed white rice and grilled pork jowl. They don't usually do the pork jowl in an overly fatty cut, so I appreciated that. Skipped the goya chanpuru (ゴーヤチャンプルー, bittergourd stir-fry Okinawan style) in favor of more pork in the form of sautéed pork with garlic shoots (ニンニクの芽と豚肉炒め). 

We had a full table that night. The others continued with cocktails, chrysanthemum gin and such. I stuck to my highballs. No sake. I didn't want to mix alcohol. The kitchen also kindly gave us a few slices of pickled daikon to go along with dinner and drinks. 

A thunderstorm had rolled in at dinnertime, just as we were all setting out to head to Potong Pasir. But the rain passed within the hour, and that kept the evening really cool. It made sitting outdoors very bearable. It was a lovely night chatting with friends over delicious food and super decent drinks.