After all the over-indulging of the holidays, January is typically a slow month for restaurants. Couple that with the prevalence of Omicron right now, and business is definitely on the wane at the moment.

So, when friends and I dined outside on a recent Monday night at the neighborhood gem, Sumika Grill in downtown Los Altos, we had the entire outdoor dining area to ourselves, as about two other small parties opted to dine inside instead.

With squat space heaters and wine barrels acting as dividers between the outdoor dining space and the parking lot, we were plenty comfortable, too.

Sumika Grill is the sister restaurant to Orenchi in Santa Clara and Redwood City. While the latter specializes in excellent ramen, the former is all about yakitori.

When you sit outside, with your table a mere couple of steps from the restaurant’s front door, you might miss the theatrics of watching a chef turn and flip skewers over a blazing grill.

But the food arrives at the table plenty hot and still every bit as delicious. Moreover, your clothes don’t end up smelling like smoke when you leave.

Be sure to ask if there are any special cuts that day, which aren’t listed on the regular menu. That night, there was chicken liver as a special. Even if you don’t think you like liver, the grilled version will win you over with its crusty exterior and smooth interior that tastes minerally and iron-y.

You can never go wrong with momo with green onion ($3.80 per skewer), small pieces of juicy chicken thigh, its smokiness offset by the sweetness of the onion. Tsukune meatballs ($3.80) are another winner, tender and flavorful.

The kawa (chicken skin; $3.80 per skewer) gets charred and pretty crisp with a slight chewiness to it. The sori (premium thigh with balsamic sauce; $4 per skewer) was a surprise. The vinegar added just a touch of wine-y sweetness to the smoky meat, taking it up a notch.

A grilled rice ball ($6.25) arrived deeply golden and crunchy on the outside, giving way to sticky soft grains inside. Sweet-tangy-salty slivers of pickled eggplant came alongside as a nice complement.

There are also plenty of non-grilled dishes to savor, including the house Sumika salad, which can be ordered in a half size ($7.50, plenty for one person) or a full size ($14). The latter is an Everest of shredded cabbage, mizuna, slivers of chicken breast, thin coins of baby corn, cherry tomatoes, and a hail of thread-thin fried won ton strips, all in a light peanut oil dressing. It’s enough for four to share, and provides a nice bright, crunchy contrast to the rest of the meal.

The cha shu pork potato salad ($9.95) is quite creamy with a subtle piquant kick of Japanese mustard in the dressing to meld with the sweetness of the bits of barbecued pork.

The karaage ($12.50) brings six small, deeply golden pieces of seasoned chicken, fried to a substantial crunch. One of our dining companions is a huge fan of the Se-Nankotsu Karaage ($9.50). It’s the back cartilage of the chicken, which when battered and fried gets super crunchy. There’s little meat on it, though. So, it’s really all about the enjoyment of the texture. The accompanying garlic sauce is potent tasting, and so good that you might find yourself dipping other skewered food into it.

There’s no sushi here, but there is sashimi. The slices of salmon ($19) and hamachi ($17) will definitely satisfy that raw fish-craving.

Sumika makes all its own desserts, even the ice creams, which is commendable. The ice creams are $3 each and come in their own neat paper cups, so if you don’t finish it, you could take it home with you if you live nearby. The yuzu one, with its floral tartness, is a perfect palate cleanser.

I fell hard for the frozen custard pudding ($6.25), which is like flan that’s been frozen, and cut into cubes that are served in a bowl with whipped cream and strawberries. The custard gets denser, but is still smooth and creamy. Like creme brulee, some of the sides of the cubes sport a wickedly good burnt caramel top complete with that requisite sugary crackle-crunch. It’s such a genius dessert for a restaurant to make because it keeps far longer than flan or creme brulee, too.

As you gear up to frequent restaurants again, Sumika in Los Altos definitely deserves to be on your radar.