Izakaya patrons take over Halu’s old spot

Like many fans of the Inner Richmond’s beloved Halu, Daniel and Richard Cheng were sad to hear the tiny izakaya filled with rock memorabilia would close for good at the end of 2021.

They happened to have 20 years of restaurant experience between them, Richard as a chef and Daniel in the front of house. So, they decided to take over Halu and open their own yakitori spot in homage to the restaurant.

Moku Yakitori-Ya opened at 312 Eighth Ave., just off Clement Street, in late December.

“We decided we wanted to continue their legacy and provide a nice Japanese pub for the Inner Richmond area,” Richard Cheng said. “Filling in Halu’s shoes, it’s a big step.”

They’re serving a similar but smaller menu of grilled, skewered meats, seafood and vegetables, including skirt steak marinated in koji, buttered king oyster mushrooms and cheese-filled rice cakes. There’s other yakitori like baconwrapped mochi seasoned with a garlic-cilantro tare, the base of the Japanese sauce made from chicken bones boiled over several days. They use all parts of the chicken: the heart, thigh, gizzard and skin all get crisped on the grill.

All the proteins are cooked over lava rocks, which the brothers said help keep the temperature hot and consistent and turn out juicy meat.

Beyond yakitori, there are some small dishes, like sake-steamed clams served in fresh dashi and buttery ramen noodles topped with fish roe. For other dishes, Richard Cheng is pulling from his experience at Bay Area sushi restaurants including Oma San Francisco Station. A small amount of fresh sashimi will be flown in from Japan twice a week. When the restaurant’s liquor license clears in a few weeks, Moku will serve classic and craft Japanese beers, sake and soju.

The Chengs kept the inside of the restaurant mostly the same, though the framed Grateful Dead posters and guitars no longer decorate the walls. Moku is open for indoor dining only, from 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.