Revisit: Taka Taka in New York, NY

Taka Taka in New York, NY

Taka Taka characterizes itself as a Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos joint. I guess you understand: this is a Mexican / Japanese fusion restaurant with a very interesting menu, branching out to these two distinct cuisines. It is not our first time there (previous review here) and we were looking for an original place, close to the heart of Tribeca, to celebrate my cousin Sandrine's visit.

dining room at Taka Taka in New York, NY

Another originality of this place is its conveyor belt or kaiten sushi. It is like a fun way to eat: dishes with a number will pass in front of you and you decide to pick them or not. The number refers to the menu on the table set, so it quickly becomes a game. First you will look at what is passing by and then quickly try to know what it is, and then, it will be the reverse: you will be waiting for that number 5 to come. But do not worry: if you really want a roll, you can just ask them and they will make it for you.

menu at Taka Taka in New York, NY

Each plate has a color that corresponds to a price, so be careful: it can be a fun game, a pricey game...

plates at Taka Taka in New York, NY

To start our dinner, we decided to order some mocktails. Sandrine and Jodi got  Kiiro that is tangerine juice, basil and a touch of lime.

Kiiro mocktail at Taka Taka in New York, NY

Kiiro mocktail at Taka Taka in New York, NY

I ordered the Gogo, a mango frappé with macerated blackberries:

Gogo mocktail at Taka Taka in New York, NY

I preferred the Kiiro that was an interesting combination, very refreshing, over the Gogo that was a bit difficult to drink because it was too thick.

So it was time for us to try some of the dishes. We decided to go exclusively with the kaiten sushi and passed on the menu. This is what we got (read: number - outside / filling):

05 - Seaweed / crab, cream cheese, avocado with chipotle:

Crab, cream cheese and avocado rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

15 - Tampico dressing / crab, salmon skin, cucumber, chile serrano and sriracha sauce (this was quite spicy!):

salmon, chile serrano and sriracha rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

17 - Fresh tuna / avocado, cucumber, asparagus with jalapeño dressing:

avocado, cucumber, asparagus rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

19 - Spicy tuna / shrimp, baby spinach, masago and guacamole:

shrimp, baby spinach, guacamole rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

01 - Seaweed / lettuce, avocado, cucumber with tampico dressing:

lettuce, avocado, cucumber rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

07 - Rice and sesame seeds / salmon, cucumber and cream cheese:

salmon, cream cheese, cucumber rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

10 - Shrimp with chile piquin / mango, cucumber, fried plantains and avocado:

mango, cucumber, fried plantains rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

06 - mixed sesame seeds / sweet potato tempura, zucchini, avocado with tempura drops (one of my favorite ones):

sweet potato tempura, zucchini, avocado rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

03 - Cucumber / banana, tomato, asparagus and avocado:

banana, tomato, asparagus and avocado rolls at Taka Taka in New York, NY

We could not get this last one from the conveyor belt as we kept looking and it never came. So, we ordered it and it came fairly quickly, meaning that you are not bound to whatever is created by the Chef.

For dessert, we got the fried ice cream that was fantastic and decadent. Think about it: fried ice cream!

fried ice cream at Taka Taka in New York, NY

This was a fantastic meal and I am glad that we got to get Sandrine discover this place. Next time we go, we will go for their menu as I believe it is where you see the fusion in all its splendor.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Wasabi Sushi and Bento, Times Square, NYC, NY

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

I was recently invited to Wasabi Sushi and Bento, the outpost of a fast casual Japanese grab and go restaurant popular in London that opened in February in Times Square. It is always exciting to try a new place, trying to find what makes them different and stand out. For sure, Japanese cuisine is fairly popular here, between the Japanese restaurants, the non Japanese restaurants serving sushi like Rue 57 or 5 Napkin Burger, the supermarket or deli offering sushi boxes to grab. I admit that I would never order sushi in a burger joint or grab a box made who knows when from a supermarket or deli. 

So let's see what Wasabi Sushi and Bento is! Before talking about food, let's talk about the place. It all started in 2003 in London, when its owner, Mr Kim, a Korean born immigrant, got the idea to  offer high quality Japanese classics for takeout at reasonable prices. He now has opened 36 locations across the UK and is branching out to the US with this first location that is of a nice size, with impressive high ceilings, white walls and floors that are immaculate, the main color standing out being the green from the stools.

In the back is the open kitchen where you can observe the crew preparing some food cooked all day long, making sure that what you eat is fresh.

At Wasabi, you can pick either sushi, salads or hot food (photo below), including soups. 

It is grab and go, that is nothing extraordinary, except for sushi: you can grab individual pieces rather than a sushi set, allowing you to compose your meal at a reasonable price.

So I decided to compose my dinner with a bit of everything:

I grabbed different pieces of sushi:

• hosomaki (thin rolls),
• nigiri (thinly sliced fish over rice),
• Maki (large rolls made with two or more fillings wrapped in rice and nori).

Here is some of what I tried:

Tuna Nigiri:

Salmon Nigiri:

Tamago Nigiri (Japanese omelet):

Crabmeat and cucumber maki:

Inari Nigiri (deep fried tofu):

Tempura Veg maki:

Avocado Hosomaki:

Cucumber Hosomaki:

This was really good, each of the pieces I tried tasted fresh (they are made that day and never served the next day). Little I know that the owner, Mr Kim, is committed to serving sustainably-sourced yellowfin tuna and salmon. 

The last sushi I tried was a first for me: it was the Chicken teriyaki onigiri, a triangle of rice tied in nori and flavored with chicken teriyaki.

I had to follow the instructions to unwrap it:

Et voila!

It was served cold and had some nori inside. Very tasty, it had a slight kick that tickled my throat.

Of course, I also had to try some hot food. First was the grilled teriyaki chicken bento box:

Chicken in a teriyaki sauce on a bed of stir-fried cabbage mix, served with rice, garnished with pickled cucumber, red ginger & sesame seeds:

If you like chicken, this is definitely to try, the meat, although smothered by teriyaki sauce was quite moist.

Next was the Chicken gyoza tanmen, a soup made with super thin rice noodles with lots of fresh vegetables in a delicious house-made broth:

It was a very good soup, made with plenty of veggies like Napa cabbage, bean sprouts, pak choi, carrot, onion or snow pea. But the star of the dish was the gyoza itself that was fantastic!

At the time we went, they did not have any more ramen, that they also serve, because they prepare their broth in advance, cooked for 8 hours, and serve it until there is no more.

Last was something sweet. I chose a Daifuku that is mochi filled with Azuki (sweetened red bean paste):

It was a delicious way to end a great discovery. Wasabi is a great way to get high quality Japanese food in the busy area that is Times Square, allowing its customers to create their own menu at very reasonable prices. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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The Gotham West Market - Part 1/5: Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop

The part of Hell's Kitchen that is on 11th avenue is clearly not the best to satisfy an appetite. Or should I say was not, since the Gotham West Market is definitely changing everything! Some say that this place was created to lure renters to the Gotham West building, but they definitely did not stop there, as people start to know this place. We went on few occasions and, on the week end, it gets crazy crowded and it is difficult to find a spot to sit. 

It is like a food court where you can either sit at the counter of the restaurant or take your food and eat it on one of the tables in the common area(s).

There, you have plenty of choices: Ivan ramen for some delicious Japanese dishes (ramen or donburi), The Cannibal for the carnivores or The Sandwich Shop for...sandwiches.

So, when we went there, we tried quite few restaurants that will be featured in the coming days posts:

Ivan Ramen:

We went to Ivan Ramen couple of time after Jodi's cousin, Jessica, recommended it. The stakes for ramen restaurants are high considering the number of places that are present in the City, some successful, others just average. Adding to that that the owner, Ivan Orkin, is not Japanese, I was definitely curious. His story is fairly interesting: originally from Long Island, he discovered Japanese culture and cuisine at age 15, when working as a dishwasher in...a Japanese restaurant. After majoring in Japanese culture and literature, he lived in Japan and opened a restaurant there, before opening the location at The Gotham West Market, perfecting his soup recipe and testing it on his Japanese wife!

The menu is fairly straight forward, with three non vegetarian ramen and two vegetarian. If soups are not your thing, they also propose rice balls calls donburi with either fish or pork, as well as curry rice with rib-eye. We decided to try their ramen.

Shio Ramen (left) - Vegetarian Shoyu (right)

You first order at the counter, give your name, and, shortly after, they will call back your name giving you your order.

Each time, Jodi went for the Vegetarian Shoyu:

It is composed of enoki mushrooms, arugula, bathed in a soy sauce and vegetable soup. 

The eggs, perfectly cooked, are add-on ($2). 

And the noodles are rye noodles. I admit that I liked it a lot, the broth being very flavorful and the noodles slightly al dente. What I also liked is that it is a pretty simple soup, combining not too many ingredients, but still tasty. 

On my side, I tried the Shio ramen:

The broth is made with sea salt, chicken and dashi broth. It has pork chashu and I added an egg also.

It was so good that I finished it, although I found that the amount of pork was very small and I should have asked for extra pork. The noodles were also rye noodles.

The last ramen I tried was the Roasted Garlic Mazemen :

It is made of chicken and dashi broth, roasted garlic, nori. I ordered it "fully loaded", meaning with extra pork chashu, an egg and roasted tomatoes ($17). 

The broth was a bit thicker and definitely saltier and very garlicky (we probably were protected from vampires for few days). I was so thirsty after eating it! Not sure I would take it again. However, the "fully loaded" formula was great: their pork chashu is delicious and the roasted tomatoes superb.

I really liked Ivan Ramen: it might not be the cheapest, but it is definitely very good.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Ivan Ramen
	* Overall
	★★☆☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	Hell's Kitchen / Japanese
	* Street Address
	600 11th Avenue (Bet. 44th & 45th St), New York, NY 10036
	* Phone
	(212) 582-7942

Ramen Setagaya in the East Village, NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to try Ramen Setagaya, not just because I love ramen and hope to try all the ramen places in the City, but also because it is always packed and I was thinking that there is probably a reason for it.

So we decided to go on a Sunday at the opening time, to make sure we would be the first there. We showed up at 12pm and, as planned, were there first. I should mention that it was the day of the Superbowl and so there were not that many people roaming in the street of New York.

Chef Maejima opened Ramen Setagaya in 2000 in Tokyo and few years ago in New York and Fort Lee (NJ). The restaurant in NYC is not a big place, probably sitting 25 people. with a communal table in the middle. According to them, they serve 300 ramen daily.

Their menu offers ramen with meat or vegetarian, as well as cold noodles called Tsukemen. If you are hungry, they also propose appetizers and side dishes. But if you are a fan of pork buns like me, you will be disappointed because they do not have them on the menu. Not that it is a deal breaker though!

Jodi ordered the vegetarian miso ramen:

It was made with soft tofu, a half salt tasted egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, cabbage, scallion and onion. When it came, it had this incredible smell that was very appetizing. The broth was good, but had a tad too much garlic.

Also, the tofu was just pieces put on top: fried, it would have given more flavor and some texture.

I went for the Shio Chasumen that is Shio ramen with extra pork:

It was composed of BBQ pork, salt tasted egg, bamboo shoot, seaweed, scallion and scallop powder. The broth is made of chicken, pork and vegetables, as well as Khanh Hoa Salt, which is a natural mineral-rich sea salt from Vietnam. I really liked it: not too salty, light and tasty. The photo below shows you how much I liked it...

The noodles between the two ramen were different (they have three different kinds). The one on the left was in the vegetarian ramen and the one on the right the Shio ramen. In the latter, the noodles were of a lighter color, thinner and a bit more al dente.

I enjoyed the ramen at Ramen Setagaya, especially the Shio Ramen: it was flavorful and comforting. I am definitely a fan of ramen and I believe this place is another good alternative to Ippudo: good and cheaper! At the time of this post, know that they only took Amex.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Ramen Setagaya
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	East Village / Japanese / Ramen
	* Street Address
	34 1/2 Saint Marks Pl., New York, NY 10003
	* Phone
	212-387-7959

Nipponista event at Maison O in Soho, NYC, New York

Last Wednesday, I was invited to Nipponista, an event organized by Tabélog US, the largest Japanese restaurant review website and hosted by Isetan, the largest department store in Japan at Maison O in Soho. The purpose is to showcase Japanese fashion, art, food, lifestyle and craftsmanship. 

The dinner, prepared for the occasion by Chef Tadashi Ono, the former executive chef of Matsuri (above) was paired with Mizubasho sake presented by Mr Shoichi Nagai (below), the chairman of Nagai Sake Inc. who made each sake presentation interesting.

He greeted us with a glass of Mizubasho Sparkling Sake:

I never had sparkling sake before and did not even know it existed! 

The evening continued with a presentation by Kanso groceries of dashi and an explanation about umami,  the fifth taste sensation after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. To show us how dashi enhances flavors, they made us taste some miso with water (left) and some miso with dashi (right).

We could definitely taste the difference, the first one being tasteless and the second one being flavorful. They proceeded to explain to us how to make it, using dried bonito:

and Hana-Kombu (kelp):

You let both elements infuse like you would make tea, et voila! 

Then, we had some amuse bouche. The first one was Dashikarikori-kan with black truffle:

And the second one Kumamoto Oysters:

They were served with ponzu ice:

Then, we go a black cod:

It was steamed with sake and served with a dash-kanten gravy. In the bottom was some daikon. This was a great dish: the fish was perfectly cooked, flaky with a delicate taste. 

It was paired with a Mizubashojunmaidai-ginjo premiere sake:

They served it in a silver cup that is suppose to give a smoother taste to the sake. 

In fact, we event tried in a regular sake glass and definitely tasted the difference.

They came a dish that I really wanted to try as soon as I read the menu: a ribeye steak with caramelized onions and a grilled rice ball:

The presentation was beautiful and this dish delicious. First of all, the ribeye was perfectly cooked medium. Then, there was this rice ball that was crunchy on the outside and not dry at all on the inside, pairing perfectly with the steak and even with the caramelized onions that added a nice sweetness to the dish.

With the steak, we had a glass of Mizubasho vintage 2004 sake:

I truly appreciated it with my steak and even ranked this sake my favorite of the evening. I admit that I never thought about drinking sake with a ribeye, going usually for a bold red wine like pinot noir.

Last was dessert. 

It was a dish composed of a coconut panna cotta with a melon compote.

This was very light and refreshing and we could definitely taste that it was made with coconut milk.

The second dessert was a Green Tea tiramisu:

This was also very good: light, it was interesting to see how green tea and coffee pair well together.

As it was a sake tasting, it was served with a dessert sake:

The packaging was beautiful and looked a bit like a perfume bottle in a way.

We had a wonderful time at Maison O, enjoying the evening with our friend Malini, The Restaurant Fairy, and talking with other bloggers, especially Chubby Chinese Girl Eats, Johnny Prime Steaks and The Cake Dealer as well as the organizers and hosts. It is always interesting to discover other cuisines, other flavors

Thanks to Tabélog, Isetan, Nagai Sake, Inc and Maison O for this great event that was covered by NHK TV:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20140213/k10015216531000.html

Enjoy (I did)!

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Ramen Misoya in the East Village, NYC, New York

I will always be amazed by the number of ramen places in New York, serving different types of this delicious soup where slurping is not impolite. I were a kid, I would definitely listen to my Mom if she wanted me to eat this kind of soup, over a vegetable one I had in my childhood. 

Ramen Misoya is located in an area where there are plenty of Ramen places, but trust me, they have no problem getting customers. Or I should say that their only problem is the size of the restaurant.

It has probably 20 seats and, contrary to a lot of restaurants of that sort, the kitchen is in the back, separate from the dining room, so you cannot sit at the counter and observe the Chef do his magic.

We went there on a Saturday night, at 6pm, and it was packed from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. 

The restaurant serves three types of miso:

• Kome miso ramen, that they describe as: "made of rice, the standard miso. Intense flavor with rich aroma".
• Mame miso ramen: "made of beans, dark-colored miso. Among the three miso, it has the sweetest and richest texture". 
• Shiro miso ramen: "Compared to Kome Miso, Shiro Miso is less intense in flavor and sweeter. A light-colored miso".

If you look at the menu, there is no vegetarian option, all the soups being made with at least ground beef. In fact, they have a separate vegetarian menu that they will bring if you ask them. I am not sure though why they do not include the vegetarian options in the regular menu!

Jodi went for the vegetarian Shiro miso ramen:

It was composed of fried tofu, an egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoot, cabbage and noodles.

Mine was the Mame Miso Cha-Shu:

The presentation was very appetizing. It was made of pork cha-shu, a fried shrimp, an egg, ground beef, bean sprouts, cabbage, bamboo shoot and noodles. 

Both ramen were delicious, but I admit that I preferred the Shiso miso one, although it was vegetarian. It was simply because the broth was delicious, sweet, soft and light, very milky. The fact that the tofu was fried was a good idea as it gave a bit of texture and crispiness to the dish.

But, the shrimp and pork were definitely good, the pork having this braised taste that was heaven. Let's not forget the egg: it was so soft that my chopsticks cut through without any effort and the yolk was perfectly runny. And the noodles: they seem to be the same in both bowls. However, mine were more al dente and the color darker, probably because of the dark-colored broth.

Both ramen were delicious and I can't wait to go back to Ramen Misoya. The food was good and the service efficient and courteous. I think Ramen Misoya is another alternative to the priciest and overrated Ippudo!

Enjoy (I did)!


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Lunch at Sushi Damo in NYC, New York

It has been so many years we have not been to Sushi Damo, an elegant Japanese restaurant located Midtown West, right behind the Time Warner Towers. Tough location for sure, being off the beaten path, except if you are staying at the Hudson Hotel...

This place did not change and still has this zen atmosphere.

The menu, crafted by Executive Chef Takashi Okamura, has all the standard Japanese dishes you would find in any restaurant, as well as some interesting creations, such as the braised lamb in apple-soy sauce or the grilled Chilean sea bass in butter reduction.

We started off with some appetizers. The first one was the pork gyoza.

This is, with the shrimp shumai, one of my favorite Japanese appetizers.

They were very good: the outside was crispy and not greasy, and the filling was very tasty.

The second appetizer was Tako Yaki:

It was a baby octopus dumpling topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes. I love octopus and was thrilled to try this dish. Unfortunately, there were just minuscule pieces of octopus in each dumpling, so I tasted more the dumpling that the octopus.

Then, for entrees, Jodi went for the tuna and avocado roll:

I went for the spicy scallop:

I liked the presentation on the blue plates that made the colors pop. The rolls were very good and the fish seemed fresh.

Sushi Damo is a great Japanese restaurant: we had good food and good service there. The only regret is that they do not have a lunch menu like lots of Japanese restaurants do. I will surely go back to try some other dishes.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Inakaya in Times Square, NYC, New York

We found Inakaya by sheer coincidence, walking on the side of The New York Times Building in Times Square. From the outside, we already saw that it was an upscale Japanese restaurant. We tried to go a first time, but it was packed and the wait was way too long. So the second time, we reserved a table.

They sat us at the large counter that oversees the kitchen. 

It was full of Japanese elements that were intriguing and integrated well in the decor, highlighting the fact that this was not a usual place.

After we sat, they brought us some wet towels:

And we ordered some green tea.

While sipping our tea, we noticed that the people on the other side of the counter were carrying some sort of wooden peels, similar to the ones that restaurants use to put and remove pizza from the oven.

A couple of minutes later, we saw one of the staff putting a dish on the peel and reaching out across the counter to a patron, who took it from there. That was quite surprising and amusing!

So, it was time to order. We went for classic dishes:

We started off with Robata-yaki or grilled vegetables. The first one was eggplant:

I love eggplant and, when eating in a Japanese restaurant, we usually order nasu (the Japanese word for eggplant), that is eggplant in miso. This dish was really good: simple, keeping the eggplant be the star, it had a nice but not too pronounced char taste.

As you can see on the above photo, the eggplant was tendered to us from across the counter...

The second dish was grilled mushrooms in foil:

Opening the aluminum foil was like unwrapping a gift.

It was extremely hot and, when we opened the foil, there was a wonderful smell coming out from it. This dish was made of three kinds of mushrooms (like the shimeji mushrooms below), cooked in soy sauce.

It was simply made though very successful, the mushrooms having each a different texture. It was so good that when I told Jodi that we should go back and try other veggies, she mentioned that next time, she would like to have this mushroom dish for herself...

The next dish was the grilled squid.

I loved it and if you love squid, this is definitely a recommendation. The squid was tender with a fantastic char. The sauce in the bottom was made with soy, adding a slight saltiness to it.

After that, we ordered three different rolls:

We picked the spicy scallops:

Tuna and avocado:

Salmon and avocado:

Each of the rolls had sesame seeds for a bit of nuttiness and the avocado was perfect (I hate when the avocado is not ripe). The ingredients tasted fresh and it was pretty good, although it was a quite standard dish. I guess next time, we should shoot for more original ones. Because there will probably be a next time! Yes, we liked this place and will probably be back at some point: good food and interesting way of serving the guests. It is pricier than your average Japanese restaurant, but it is justified by the quality of the ingredients.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Fushimi in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York

In the past weeks, I have been discovering Brooklyn's dining scene and I have to admit that there are quite few gems there! The last one I discovered is Fushimi, a Japanese restaurant located in Bay Ridge, where we were invited for dinner. Fushimi has two meanings: first it is the name of a city in Japan; second, it means "Clear water" in Japanese.

They have three locations: Bay Ridge and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, as well as Staten Island where they serve the same menu, an Asian fusion of Japanese, Korean, Thai, French and American cuisine, crafted by Executive Chef Chul Kee Ko.

Chef Chul Kee Ko has an impressive resume: born in Seoul Korea, his mom owned a popular Japanese restaurant, where Chef Ko helped in the kitchen at age 14. Then he went to the French Culinary Institute, before working for Jean Georges and Buddha Bar in Washington DC. The training in the latter allowed him to spend two months at the Buddha Bar in Paris. 

The restaurant is surprising: from outside, it looks like a club with the blue lights. Then, when you enter, the first room is dominated by the red and blue fluorescent bar, giving a lounge-y feel to the place. But it is not just a bar area, there are tables and booths were people can dine. I counted three more dining room, making this place quite big.

In the main dining room, you can sit at the counter, observing the Chef prepare the food, next to a small seafood display.

In the back is a cellar containing an impressive collection of sake.

I started the evening with a yuzu citron martini:

It was made of yuzu sake, citron (lemon) vodka, PunZone organic liqueur (vodka). It was good with a nice citrus-y taste, but clearly not something I would sip like milk...

The first two dishes were from their New Year's eve menu. It started with Four Senses of Lobster:

They took 1 1/2 lb lobster and prepared it 4 ways.

Tiradito that is similar to a ceviche, where slices of the lobster tail were topped with caviar and a spicy vinaigrette.

Sushi made with the claw meat, some homemade lobster oil, some sea salt, and of course some rice. This was to be eaten with soy sauce and wasabi.

Lobster salad: First was a brush of pesto on which the salad was placed. it was composed of asparagus,  snap peas, cherry tomatoes, crunchy cauliflower (tri-color - I can recall purple, green) and a carrot confit (the carrot is cooked 3 hours at low temperature in olive oil).

The sauce was an orange vinaigrette. The lobster was topped with a Meyer lemon and pineapple jam that gave a nice acidity to the meat.

Special Roll made with different types of lobster meat, rice, avocado and mango, topped with a sweet aioli.

The presentation of the dish was beautiful and the creativity of the Chef being undeniable. It was like a progression of flavors, some the simplest to the more complex flavors. My favorite was the sushi, then the tiradito / ceviche and then the salad, each of them being delicate and elegant. However, I did not like the roll, whether it was the texture or the taste, the lobster being a bit lost.

The second dish was the Black Garlic Magic of Seafood:

Another beautiful dish, very colorful. It was like a tartare of lobster, lump crab meat and seared scallops, topped with black garlic and put together with a creamy aioli that let the seafood shine. It was accompanied with a brunoise of vegetables that added a nice crunch to the dish (carrots, French beans, cauliflower). This was another successful dish. Definitely, the black garlic was intriguing. It is aged for 6 months and has a soft texture and a more subtle taste that definitely did not overpower the dish.

Then came the rack of lamb:

Another fantastic presentation and a great dish! The lamb was seared in 7 spices and brushed with Dijon mustard that created a nice coating. Then it was slow cooked to obtain a meat cooked medium and heavenly juicy. It came with haricot verts and crispy mashed potatoessimply made with yukon potatoes, butter, salt and pepper, a perfect side for the lamb.

After the succulent lamb dish, came the filet mignon:

Chef Ko poured a sauce similar to the one you can find in shabu shabu, made with a port wine reduction, shallots, beef stock and butter. 

It came with a roasted shishito pepper, a pan seared oyster mushroom (did not really like it), panko crusted mash potatoes (delicious and crunchy), a roasted cherry tomato and one of the best sweet potato purées I ever had (there is crème fraîche in it!). But the best part was the filet mignon. I typically never order meat when not in a steakhouse; but, to my surprise, this was very good! The meat was tender, deliciously seared and topped with some kosher salt. Although juicy, it paired perfectly with the sauce that has a nice sweetness. The meat was cooked medium to medium rare, and even Jodi who likes her steak well done loved it!

At that point, I am not sure I could eat more. But then, they brought us some desserts...The first one was a warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream (perfect to cut the sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate).

We cut it in the middle and observed the chocolate oozing from the center. It was fantastic!

Then, we had a trio of crème brûlée:

The flavors were: vanilla.

Green tea

Coffee.

I thought that it was a great idea to offer a crème brûlée tasting and it was the perfect quantity as it was not too big and not too thick. The custards were perfectly set, not too sweet and the caramelized top was very good. My favorite was the vanilla, then coffee, then green tea (that was not bitter by the way).

The last dessert was a panna cotta made with Greek yogurt and topped with a yuzu citrus gelée. 

This was my least favorite dessert: I did not like the texture of the panna cotta and the yuzu citrus gelée taste was too pronounced.

This was definitely an unexpected dinner at Fushimi: the food was fabulous, taste wise and presentation, showcasing the creativity of Chef Ko. This is not your typical Japanese restaurant. However, if you want a more straight forward Japanese dish, they have that also on their menu! Whether you live or not in Bay Ridge, Fushimi is worth the trip...

Enjoy (I did)!

 

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Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Tabélog US event at Jukai, Japanese restaurant Midtown East, NYC, New York

Last week, I went to an event hosted by Tabélog US, the largest Japanese restaurant review website, to celebrate their new design. 

Courtesy of Tabélog

The statistics are new and can give you an idea of the different cuisines the user on Tabélog US experiments. 

 

The event took place at Jukai, a Japanese restaurant located Midtown East. The name of the restaurant comes from the deep forrest in the bottom of Mt Fuji.

Clearly, to find that place, you need the address as it is below street level, like an hidden gem. As this was an event, I cannot describe its atmosphere or service, although the latter was perfect considering the place was full of bloggers trying to take pictures as dishes from Chef and owner Hirofumi Watanabe were served. Know that the dishes you will see below were prepared specifically for this event.

Present at the event were Takehiro Miyajima, CEO of Tabélog Inc. as well as Taku Niida, Assistant Sales Manager New York Branch of Asahi Beer USA, Inc., who sponsored the event.

The beer presented was the Asahi super dry beer that I drank with my meal.

The first plate served to us was an assortment of dishes beautifully put together:

Going from the left to the right, there was:

Squid with sea urchin:

Pickled mushrooms and egg omelette with spinach:

Pickled onion:

Smoked duck:

Iberico ham and persimmon fruit:

This was a perfect mise en bouche! My favorite was the duck that was fantastically smokey. Then the squid with its slightly crunchy texture (it was raw). Also, pairing the persimmon with the Iberico ham was a nice Asian interpretation of the cantaloupe - ham traditional pairing, delicately merging the sweet taste of the fruit to the saltiness of the ham.

The next dish was beef carpaccio:

I believe that the beef was Wagyu, later used in the shabu shabu they proposed. It had a nice marbling and was perfectly seasoned. 

After that, was served one of my favorite dishes of the event: Salmon marinated in sake.

The salmon was grilled, perfectly cooked and moist with a fantastic char taste. It was served with a grilled Shishito pepper that is a green pepper similar to serrano peppers.

After the salmon, came another fish: Spanish Mackerel with ground radish.

It was ok for me, the fish having a quite strong flavor.

Then came something unexpected:

This was a Jumbo Pacific oyster from Washington State. I guess the "jumbo" preceding the name was quite appropriate considering that it was the largest I ever see, the shell being the size of my hand! Just compare it to the slice of lemon to give you an idea! It was a bit of a challenge to eat, especially with chopsticks, but the taste was fabulous and you could definitely taste that it was fresh. I knew jumbo shrimp, now I know jumbo oysters...

To drink with the oyster, I chose a glass of Hanaabi Junmai Daiginjo sake that left, surprisingly a strawberry aftertaste that was sweet and acted like a palate cleanser.

The last dish served was shabu shabu, a Japanese dish where vegetables and beef are cooked in a broth. They first brought the vegetables:

And the Wagyu beef that had a nice marbling:

Then, they started to cooked the vegetables:

When they were ready, they added the beef:

Once the beef and vegetables were cooked, they put them in a bowl and added a sauce made with oil, sesame, balsamic vinegar that added some flavors to the dish. Et voilà!

I liked it, although few pieces of beef were overcooked. It was very flavorful and comforting.

Then it was time for dessert, or shall I say desserts!

 There were three of them. A Crème brûlée that was perfectly made, with a crispy caramelized crust on top and a well set vanilla cream:

A white sesame blanc-mange that was similar to a custard:

This was my favorite dessert: nice texture, light with the sesame taste coming through, it was not too sweet. In fact none of the desserts were.

The last dessert was chocolate truffles:

These were nice and soft, similar to the truffles you would find in France. Although there, people like to put a bit of alcohol and here, at Jukai, I did not taste any alcohol.

It was a great event! Thanks to Tabélog, Asahi and the Jukai team for hosting us!

Enjoy (I did)!



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Please note that this meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Dinner at Aji 53, Japanese restaurant in Brooklyn, New York

I did not know what to expect when I received an invitation from one of the partners of Aji 53, Kevin,  proposing to dine in one of the three restaurants located in Bay Shore (original), Smith Town and Brooklyn. 

Aji means "Taste" and 53 comes from the address of their original location in Bay Shore: 53rd exit and located at number 53. So they made 53 their lucky number. We decided to go to the Brooklyn location for a dinner last Tuesday.

The restaurant in Brooklyn opened last June. Its predecessor was another Japanese restaurant called "Yoshi" that apparently had some issues. When we entered, we immediately saw that it was not a standard Japanese restaurant, but rather a higher version of it. On the right side was the dining room that was split into two parts: one with red booths and the other one with regular seats. 

On the left, the incredible marble bar with its blue lighting, giving a lounge-y feel to the place. 

Then, in the back, the counter where you can sit and watch the Chef prepare sushi and sashimi.

We started off with some drinks, Jodi going for a green tea:

And me, ordering one of their signature cocktails: The Cucumber Cooler:

It was made of Pearl cucumber vodka, Saint Germain, pineapple juice and fresh shredded cucumber.

It was delicious, with a nice cooling effect, but was definitely a dangerous drink, because you could drink that as if it was just some juice...

We started the dinner with appetizers. The first one was Five Way Sashimi:

It was composed of sushi grade tuna in a ponzu sauce:

Striped bass with a Dijon mustard sauce:

Salmon with a truffle sauce (you could definitely smell the truffle when the dish came):

Yellowtail with a Jalapeño and yuzu sauce (that had a nice kick):

Albacore tuna with a ponzu sauce and salmon roe:

First of all, the presentation was fantastic with beautiful colors. The fish were the selection of the day, the Chef shopping on a daily basis at the fish market (closed on Sunday). It was definitely high quality fish, paired with sauces well chosen and not overpowering the fish that remained the star of the dish.

After that, we got the tuna gyoza:

It was made of cooked spicy tuna wrapped in a wonton and deep fried, served with guacamole and an apple sauce. It was an interesting creation, showcasing a fusion that will be present all along the dinner (started anyway in the first course with the jalapeño). I did not really taste the apple sauce, however, the dumpling had a nice crunch and paired perfectly with the guacamole that neutralized in a way the spiciness of the tuna.

The next course was called Ocean River:

 It was raw salmon wrapped around wasabi lobster and avocado, served with a truffle yuzu dressing.

There again, we could smell the truffle and the colors, with a predominent orange, were beautiful. It had a smooth texture and the yuzu added the necessary acidity. However, I was expecting a kick from the wasabi, but it was not the case.

Then came the warm sautéed wild mushroom salad:

The mushroom smell emanating from this dish was incredible and very appetizing. The sauce was simply made of olive oil and truffle purée. There were different kinds of mushrooms, all organic: butternut, shiitake, oyster and beech.

At the same time, they brought us another dish with mushrooms: Kuromame scallop.

It was grilled scallops, served with mushrooms and asparagus, bathed in a delicious black bean miso. The mushrooms and asparagus added a nice texture and there was a nice balance of flavors in this dish that was one of my favorites.

Then came another fusion dish: Beef short ribs.

It is one of their popular dishes. The short rib is marinated in sake overnight, then slow braised for 4 hours before being smothered in a house made BBQ soy sauce. The result, a meat that falls of the bone without the help of a knife.

I liked it, but it was my least favorite, surprising considering that I love short rib and BBQ, The sauce was delicious, not too salty and nicely sweet, but the meat, although tender, had a bit of cartilage.

After that, we tried the rock shrimp tempura:

Rock shrimp are a variety of shrimp that has a hard, spiny shell similar to a lobster. The shell is "hard as a rock", hence the term rock shrimp. This tempura version was crunchy with a nice kick. It was so good, I could not stop eating them!

We then tasted the Chilean Sea Bass, fish that was imported from Japan, marinated in Saikyo miso, then broiled.

It was served on a sweet potato mash. The fish was perfectly cooked, flaky and moist, with a nice caramelization. This was a delicious dish, perfect for fish lovers who only eat cooked fish.

At that point, I started to be really full and Kevin proposed to have some Sake. They have a nice selection there, with tastings graded standard, expert and premium.

Kevin served us the premium tasting:

It was composed, from left to right:

• Sayuri Nigori: Japan's number one selling unfiltered sake. The restaurant describes it as "refreshing aroma, natural sweetness & smooth aftertaste".
• Wakatake Daiginjo: rice milled to 50%. The restaurant describes it as "full body, medium dry and rich, smooth as silk with aromas of pineapple, papaya and roasted nuts".
• Horin Jumai Daiginjo: rice milled to 50%. The restaurant describes it as "delicately fruity nose, well balanced, smooth & clean finish, with a hint of pear".

Not being a connoisseur of Sake, it was great to be able to compare each of them. I sipped the sake for what was unexpectedly coming: a sushi and sashimi sampler!

It looked fantastic and we could not not try this amazing selection! 

It was composed of:

Sushi made of salmon, yellowtail (bon-hamachi) and big eye tuna:

Octopus:

Sashimi made of slices of big eye tuna and yellowtail:

As well as salmon sashimi:

Next to the damon was the fresh wasabi. They serve fresh wasabi because good quality fish deserve good wasabi!

Monster roll (salmon and avocado inside, topped with grilled Alaskan king crab and Louisiana blue crab meat, served with eel and chili sauce:

Okinawa roll (spicy white tuna and blue crab, wrapped with soy bean nori and topped with albacore white tuna and avocado, served with yuzu creme and pineapple chili puree.

The freshness of the fish was again undeniable and the creativity of the rolls sensational, bringing different flavors together perfectly. 

At that point we were really full, but could not resist a dessert...They brought us a home-made mochi ice cream:

One was made of peanut butter and the other one mango. It was the perfect way to finish this incredible meal.

Aji 53 is definitely not your regular Japanese restaurant: it proposes creative dishes, fusion or not, at reasonable prices, made with high quality ingredients. My only regret is that they are not in our neighborhood!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Please note that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

My nephew culinary visit: day 8 / part 2: Hibachi at Ayame in Hoboken, NJ

For his last evening, we brought Valentin to Ayame, a Japanese restaurant in Hoboken that proposes Hibachi. It was for sure for the show, but I admit that their food is delicious. It was a Friday night and the place was packed, full of people enjoying the show of the different Chef's that were serving tables. If you have never eaten in an Hibachi place, the video below will give you a good perspective on how it works!

The Hibachi dinner included a soup:

or a salad, made mainly of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and ginger dressing.

I picked the soup that was very light and had few mushrooms with it. It was a good way to get ready for the main dish. Jodi ordered the tofu hibachi that was served with white rice, noodles and veggies.

Valentin and I ordered the chicken and shrimp combo, served with noodles, veggies and, instead of white or brown rice, we decided to order fried rice.

It was very good and we had plenty of food! At least, the shrimp were not tiny and they served quite a bit of it. 

This was a nice last evening for my nephew and he loved the show of the Chef as well as the food!

Enjoy (I did)!

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My nephew culinary visit: day 5 / part 2: Dinner at Morimoto in NYC, New York

On Tuesday night, we decided to go to Chef Morimoto's eponym restaurant as we really wanted Valentin to try some outstanding Japanese food. I suggested to him not to have sushi or sashimi because he would end up with probably some great seafood, but he would not experience what made Chef Morimoto famous.

I love that place: modern decor with a dining room overlooking the kitchen where you can see the Chefs preparing the scrumptious food.

We were ready for a feast, our chopsticks out for what would be another memorable dinner in this establishment.

We started off with some appetizers that we shared. First was the Yu-burrata, the Chef's version of burrata, served with heirloom tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, with a sauce made with wasabi and sherry vinegar.

The burrata itself was made with tofu skin. It was a fantastic dish: very fresh, the burrata was heavenly creamy and paired perfectly with the acidity of the tomatoes and cherry vinegar.

The second appetizer was the sautéed foie gras & grilled eel:

That was a succulent dish where the smooth texture of the foie gras complemented well the texture of the eel, rendering a nice version of surf & turf. It was served with some Asian pears for sweetness and sake Meyer lemon for acidity.

The third appetizer was the pork gyoza:

You would never think that it was pork gyoza there, but in fact, the six gyoza were under the crispy shell.

It was sitting on a bacon foam (I admit that I barely tasted the bacon), some tomatoes and the shell was nicely cooked and soft. 

Then came the entrees. This time we did not share...Jodi ordered the Ishi Yaki Buri Bop, similar to a Korean Bibimbap, it was yellowtail on rice cooked in a stone bowl.

It came with a raw egg and the waiter mixed the ingredients together. Et voila!

The fish was very good, flavorful and moist. The rice sat and cooked against the very hot bowl until forming a delicious crust.

I suggested Valentin to try the surf & turf that I tried the last time we went.

The fish was Hamachi cut in ribbons, mixed with crushed citrus and avocado, prepared tableside.

The turf side was Wagyu beef, perfectly cooked medium rare, with a nice char on the outside:

The side was herbed potatoes:

On my side, I decided to order the seafood "toban yaki", a sort of fish stew made with lobster, king crab, mussels, clams and diver scallops. The broth was made of red miso, butter and lobster. It was served with rice.

It was a succulent dish, packed in flavors and perfect if you are a seafood lover. The best part was definitely the broth that was fantastic with a nice bold flavor.

Of course, we could not leave without dessert! We first picked the Warm chocolate cake:

It was served with a blood orange-sake sherbet and truffle honey, that was fantastic. The inside of the chocolate cake was deliciously runny and a bit addictive, perfectly paired with the orange sherbet.

The second dessert was the mori-monkey bread, Chef Morimoto's version of monkey bread:

It was made of cookies similar to vanilla wafers, banana cream and chocolate. My favorite though was the banana chocolate chip ice cream, that was very creamy and tasty.

This was a fantastic dinner and for me, Morimoto is by far the best Japanese fine dining restaurant, far beyond Nobu!

Enjoy (I did)!

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My nephew culinary visit: day 3 / part 2: Kambi Ramen House in the East Village, NYC, New York

We decided to bring my nephew Valentin to a ramen place and picked Kambi Ramen; not that we already went there, but I heard they serve good food. Well, Kambi means "perfection" in Japanese, so it was the perfect occasion to see if their were perfect!

The story of this place is interesting: the owner, Shigeto Kamada, a Japanese musician living in NYC, was disappointed with ramen noodles in the City and decided to open his own restaurant, after learning the secrets of cooking these dishes!

When we arrived (a Sunday night at 8:30pm), the place was packed. It is small anyway, but still, it was very crowded, from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. So, we gladly accepted their offer to sit at the bar. It was the perfect spot to see the kitchen, where the cooks were preparing dishes flawlessly, cooking in concert with no need to talk to each other.

They have different kinds of noodles that seemed to be fresh, although pre-packed. 

They propose noodles from thin to thick and you can choose which one you want when you order your ramen.

We decided to start with some appetizers. I admit that I was a bit disappointed that they did not have the pork buns, one of my favorite appetizers in this type of places! So we ordered gyoza, thin dumplings that are either proposed fried or steamed. I prefer fried because I love the char it creates!

We went for the pork gyoza (photo above) and the shrimp gyoza.

Both were delicious: thin shell, perfectly cooked, with one side soft and the other one, deliciously burnt, a bit crunchier. They were both tasty, but my favorite was the shrimp one, probably one of the best I had so far. Why? Because, there was a whole shrimp in it, so you could really taste it!

Then, Valentin and I decided to order the Kambi ramen, made with a pork and chicken broth.

The broth was flavored with soy sauce, probably giving this darker color and fortunately not too salty. It was served with an egg (half - fully cooked), vegetables and some sliced stewed pork that was melting in my mouth. We decided to go with the thin noodles that were perfectly cooked and brought us to a heaven of slurpiness. 

Jodi ordered the Shoyu, that was similar, but the broth base was only pork.

It was good too and the broth was quite similar, maybe with a less strong taste than the other one.

It was very good and we finished full! These ramen dishes were packed in flavors and perfect for this weather!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Umami Shoppu in the West Village, NYC, New York

How could I miss a place like Umami Shoppu located few blocks from Union Square? Cheap and good food is always something I appreciate: you do not need to pay big bucks to eat well and this is another good example of that. I know: I usually finish my blog post with what I think about a place and starts rarely with my opinion. But sometimes, I just feel like it!

It is not a big place, but it can accommodate a nice number of customers. In the back is the sushi bar, where you can observe the Chef preparing sushi and rolls.

We went few times and here are some of the dishes we tried:

Umami pork buns:

There are two of them and I wished they were four! They were heavenly good: the delicious pork was smothered in hoisin sauce, giving some nice sweetness, while the cucumber added some crispiness.

We also tried the Roti pancake:

I love that dish: yes it can be greasy, but it is so good in that curry sauce, that is more Indian / Thai - adopted - than Japanese.

I also tried the fried squid, served with a chili sauce:

It was not greasy, crunchy and the squid was not rubbery. I loved the mix between the saltiness of the fried squid and the sweetness of the chili sauce that was not spicy at all.

Another dish I tried was the yakitory, those Japanese skewers that I discovered at Bambootori.

I decided to try three of them: chicken, beef and pork belly. All of them were fantastic: delicious, with a nice char taste, they were tender and smothered in a sauce made with hoisin, molasses, mirin (sake rice), sake and sesame.

Then, we tried the ramen! They propose four soup bases:

• Tonkotsu (pork bone)
• Miso (soy bean paste)
• Shoyu (soy sauce)
• curry (curry pork bone)

All ramen are made with bamboo shoot, bean sprout, scallions, flavored egg and nori (seaweed).

So I tried their Chasiu ramen (sliced pork):

First of all, they are generous with the amount of pork and, for $9.50, it is a very good deal! The broth, pork bone based (Tonkotsu) was delicious, milky and not salty, with a subtle taste, letting the different components in the bowl shine.

The next two ramen we tried are interesting because they are unusual! The first one was the fried chicken ramen with soy sauce soup base (Shoyu). 

They bring you the soup on one side and the chicken in a separate dish.

You can then either eat them separately or together, as I did, dipping the crispy pieces of chicken in the broth where lettuce was added. It was surprisingly good, except maybe that there was a lot of garlic. 

The other unique ramen was the wonton ramen with shoyu soup base (soy sauce):

This was interesting because wonton are Chinese and not Japanese! In fact, we met with one of the owners who is Chinese and he is the one who got this fantastic idea! Again, they were very generous with the number of wonton!

And trust me: these wonton were very good! Needless to say that Jodi ordered this dish each time we went!!! Concerning the soup, it was delicious: milky and not salty although with soy sauce.

This is definitely a place I will keep in my address book: the food is very good, not expensive and the service courteous and efficient.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Ippudo West Side in NYC, New York

Who doesn't know Ippudo, considered the best ramen place in NYC? Their location in the East Village was our first immersion to the ramen craze that has been shaking the City in the past couple of years. But one Ippudo was not enough! So, they opened a new one Midtown, on 51st between 8th and 9th, bringing some concurrence to Totto Ramen. We decided to go on a Saturday, at the opening, fearing that the place would be packed. It was not the case, but rapidly, a crowd craving for noodles stormed the restaurant. 

The layout is nice: first is the bar, that serves sake as well as draft Japanese beer (look at the handles that look like swords!). 

Then, the main room, in a U shape, that overlooks the kitchen. 

Then the dining room. 

Similar to the flagship restaurant, when you arrive, they will shout in Japanese the number of people in the party and ask everybody to welcome them, followed by cheers. When a dish comes out of the kitchen, they will also shout the name before bringing it to the table. All of this adding a bit of folklore to the restaurant. 

In term of food, Ippudo serves other things than ramen, but it was what we wanted to get. But before, we wanted to try their pork buns:

I discovered them at Momofuku Noodle Bar and I admit that I never miss an occasion to order them! These were really good! The pork was perfectly cooked, moist with the right balance between fat and meat. The bun themselves were soft and a bit sticky, perfect! A nice addition was the lettuce that have some crunch to the dish. Delicious!

Then, came the ramen! I went for the Shiromaru Hakata Classic with nitamago (soft boiled egg) and kakuni (braised pork belly): 

It was made with “Tonkotsu” (pork) broth with Ippudo Westside’s signature Dashi; thin noodles topped with pork loin chashu, sesame kikurage mushrooms, menma ( lactate-fermented bamboo shoots), red pickled ginger, and scallions.

I have to say that the soft boiled egg at Ippudo is fantastic! It was literally melting in my mouth! I definitely recommend it!

I added the braised pork belly, but it was very disappointed. Overcooked for sure. 

In fact, even the pork loin chashu was a bit overcooked and dry, but, thanks to the broth that was delicious, it was passable...By the way, did I mention that Jodi gave me her portion of pork chashu?

Jodi got the Akamaru Modern:

It was made of pork broth; thin noodles topped with Ippudo’s secret “Umami Dama” miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions and garlic oil. 

The broth was delicious, not salty, with a great miso taste, thanks to the miso paste. She also added the fantastic soft boiled egg in her dish.

I admit that I was a bit disappointed by the new location from Ippudo. Maybe because I discovered less pricey and hype ramen places in the city, such as Umami Shoppu, Ramen Takumi or the delicious Hide-Chan Ramen!

Enjoy (I did)!

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East Japanese Restaurant in NYC, New York

I recently had dinner with my coworkers at East Japanese restaurant, a...Japanese (duh!) restaurant located Midtown Manhattan. I was excited to go there try some unusual dishes, far from the regular sushi and sashimi. The place has nothing very particular, besides the karaoke upstairs (!) and its layout that is long...After passing few tables, there is a counter were you can sit to admire the dexterity of the Chefs.

Next to it is the kitchen, and then few tables in the back. 

After ordering some sake (cold), and a cup of green tea, we placed our order. 

We first decided to share some appetizers. We started off with the spicy tuna carpaccio.

It was served with salmon roe, avocado (ripe) and spicy mayo (quite spicy in fact). This was a great appetizer, both presentation wise with all the colors, and taste wise. I think that raw tuna and a ripe avocado pair perfectly, the avocado adding some smoothness and enhancing the taste of the tuna, the samon roe adding some texture.

The second appetizer was broil squid (yaki ika).

The presentation was appetizing for sure!

The squid was tender and had a nice char to it. If you like squid, do not miss this fantastic dish!

The last appetizer was shrimp gyoza. 

I admit hat it was the first time I tried a shrimp gyoza; usually, it is either vegetable or pork. The gyoza were good, not greasy, with a nice shrimp taste.

Then, for the entree, I decided to go with the eel, specifically a dish called "Hitsumabushi” that is from Nagoya, a city in Western Japan:

It was eel over rice with sweet steamed egg cubes (tamago yaki) and edamame.

It came with a bunch of condiments such as wasabi and chopped scallion:

Toasted sesame seeds:

Japanese "oshinko": pickled cucumber, carrots and eggplant.

Shredded shiso mint leaves:

Spinach, enoki mushrooms and edamame:

Shredded nori seaweed:

The way you eat it is by putting a little bit of everything in a small bowl and then add some broth:

It was delicious and full of flavors, between the dense and meaty taste of the eel, the sweetness of the egg cubes, the edamame and the various condiments I put in it, trying each time to make it different!

I also tried the chirashi that is made of various raw fish over rice:

As well as the shabu-shabu, a Japanese dish where you will cook thin slices of meat in boiling water.

This was beef shabu-shabu:

That came with a bunch of veggies:

Et voila!

I had a good time and the food was fantastic! This is definitely a good address to know for Japanese cuisine!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Tabélog bloggers event at SakaMai in NYC, New York

I was recently invited by Tabélog at SakaMai, a sake bar in the Lower East Side, for a meet and greet party with food bloggers that are part of a jury to elect restaurants in New York City in the following categories:

• Best Use of Truffles in a Dish
• Best Overall Plate Display
• Best Happy Hour Location
• Best Steak in NYC
• Best Ramen Noodles

(results to be announced soon!)

Tabélog is the number one Japanese review website with over 50 million users, that is launching a US version: tabelog.us, focussing, at this time, on New York City and expanding in the near future to the rest of the US. The name Tabélog comes from: "Tabe" that means to eat in Japanese and "log" is for blog.

With Kenta Hirai and Malini - Courtesy of The Restaurant Fairy

We spoke a bit with Kenta Hirai, the CEO of Tabélog US, and had a wonderful evening with Malini, The Restaurant Fairy, and her husband Yozo, that I met in previous press events. Of course, most of the discussion was centered around food, probably the only topic where rarely people would fight as opposed to politics and sports!

So what best place for this event than a sake bar? I admit that I did not know there were sake bars in New York. I only have sake (rarely though), when going to a Japanese restaurant and, usually, one would think to grab a beer or a glass of wine, but rarely sake! That is such a mistake! And to make us discover incredible drinks, we were honored by the presence of 2012 world champion mixologist Shingo Gokan.

And they have tons of sake there (by the way, Sakamai means "rice to make sake")! But also a large selection of beer. I decided to try some sake and picked the Fukuju that is a smooth one from a brewery in Hyogo.

I liked it, better that the other cocktail I tried that was made with ingredients like gin and coconut water that was their cocktail of the evening.

Jodi got herself a ginger ale, made from real ginger and not from a can!

As soon as we arrived, we roamed around the place that was quite warm with the exposed bricks and the dark wood. There was the main room:

A back room where they served the food and a small room upstairs, perfect for small gathering:

Nicely and simply decorated:

Then, there was food prepared by Chef Takanori Akiyama and his team! Imagine that Kenta had to try the food the day before, to make sure it would meet the expectations of the bloggers! What a sacrifice!!!

This is a personal message: Kenta, next time, if you need an assistant for this task, let me know!

This is what we had; note that some items are present on the menu, some were prepared for the event:

Carrot puree, dashi gelee and summer truffle:

Dashi is a cooking stock that serves as base for Japanese soups like miso soup. This dish was great: great colors and,as you can see, a large slice of truffle!!! It was the best dish for me: mixing the dashi gelee and the carrot puree made a creamy mixture that had a smooth and sweet taste. Imagine that Jodi does not like carrots and got two servings!

Filet mignon tartare with sea urchin, wasabi mascarpone, crushed poached egg, served with a brioche toast:

That was very creative and a fantastic take on a beef tartare, elevating it for sure. I liked it, although I am not a big fan of beef tartare usually.

Temari Sushi: Tasmanian trout with caviar rouge.

They would not have said that it was trout, I would have thought it was salmon. Normal considering that Tasmanian trout is part of the salmon family! But it has a more subtle taste than salmon.

Croquette made of lobster, lardo Iberico, sansho pepper and served with a potato puree:

I admit that I did not care about the puree, that was quite good! My focus was on the croquette was was superb! Soft and creamy, with the lobster taste coming through at every bite.

Tsukune slider:

It was composed of a chicken meatball, foie gras, caramelized onions, lettuce and harissa aioli. The inside was very good, soft with a nice combination of sweet and salty components, the harissa aioli blending in. 

Secreto Iberico Pork, served with a faro salad and kogashi shoyu (I think it is soy sauce...):

Very good dish with the pork being perfectly grilled and a bit charred.

The last dish was dessert, an interesting one in fact!

It was a strawberry compote served with a mascarpone mousse and a truffled balsamic glaze. It was light with lots of flavors coming from the strawberry compote whose sweetness was balanced with the smoothness of the mascarpone mousse. A great dessert!

We had a great time and good food! Thanks to Tabélog for inviting us and all the best for your launch in the US! And thanks also to SakaMai for a wonderful experience!

Enjoy (I did)! 

ご馳走さまでした (gochisōsama deshita) 

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Another visit to Bambootori in NYC, New York

If you follow this blog, you certainly know that I love Bambootori, a small place located near Union Square that serves fantastic yakitori at an affordable price. My last post about this place was about the few times I went there as well as the video interview of the owners, Hendy, Jonnie and Christophe who are very nice guys, totally passionate about this restaurant adventure. I love Bambootori so much that I even made it the pick of the month for July and August. So it is no surprise that I went back for dinner. 

Ok, I admit that I was disappointed at first by the fact that they do not propose steamed buns as an option for the skewers anymore except if you order a platter of three with possible choices of beef, pork or chicken meatballs. I love these little buns and was ready to order my favorite: pork belly in a bun. So we decided to order the platter and got two pork meatballs and one beef meatballs skewers.

As usual, the presentation is nice, with the meatballs nicely decorated with the spicy mayo. What I really like is the combination of meat, sauce and bun, three layers that pair very well. As usual, the meatballs are soft and moist. 

Then, I ordered two pork belly skewers and one tri-tips.

Perfectly cooked, they were juicy and had this fantastic taste coming from the char created by the grill. 

Then, they offered us some desserts! That is true that I did not talk about desserts in my last post. Not that I did not try them. What happened is that I tried the rice pudding a night when they were short of caramel. It was good, but the photo looked a bit boring and I promised Hendy that I would come back for it another time. Well, I did!

This is my favorite dessert! 

First of all, it looks like a skewer with white meatballs! Then, I love the taste! It is a denser version of the rice pudding, but you still get the same texture for the rice with a delicious hint of coconut. The pairing with the caramel is perfect. 

Then, we got mochi ice cream. Hendy would not have told me it was ice cream, I would have thought they were cookies! 

It was interesting: you definitely can feel the two layers (mochi and ice cream) and need a knife and fork to eat it rather than a spoon, especially when they are in plastic. We got two flavors: black sesame (my favorite) and green tea. They also have chocolate and vanilla. 

The last dessert was the yuzu panacotta: a great take on an Italian dessert!

It was very creamy and refreshing!

The desserts were definitely a good surprise! What I appreciated was that it was not too sweet and the portion enough not to over indulge, but give you the impression the meal is complete. Who would have thought that this place had desserts? Well, trust me: they are as good as the rest, so for sure, the next time I go, I will order one!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Bambootori, Japanese Yakitori in NYC, New York

I discovered Bambootori a month and a half ago, trying to find a place that serves quick and cheap food around Union Square. Bambootori serves yakitori, or Japanese skewered food. I admit that I did not recall having tried yakitori before, although the concept of skewer is not unknown to me: the first time I tried one was in Singapore, beef skewers served with a peanut sauce.

It is a tiny place for sure with few seats. The decor is very zen with its light colors and fun with its mirror full of drawings made by its customers.

At the entrance is where they prepare the food and cook it, using a machine brought back from Asia and a grill.

I met with the owners, Hendy, Christophe and Jonathan who are featured in the video at the end of the post. Hendy explained to me the cooking process with the machine: the skewers are made to order. So, when you order one, they will put it on the machine and it will go around twice, cooking at high temperature and releasing the fat in the tray, making it healthier. 

These two cycles take approximately 8 minutes. Then, then finish the skewer on the grill. Et voila!

What I like about Bambootori is that they have a menu that can accommodate both the carnivores and the vegetarians, offering meat skewers as well as veggie ones. I tried both of course and they were delicious! So, let start with the vegetable skewers! The first time we went, we tried the eggplant (middle), zucchini (left) that were delicious.

If you wonder what the one on the right is, it is the pork belly...This is my favorite of them all! I got it as a skewer, but also in a bun. In fact, you can order any of the meats or veggies in a fantastic soft steamed bun.

Look at this piece of pork belly tempting you!

The last way of eating the skewers is on rice, with pickled onions and seaweed.

There, I tried the asparagus and bacon (a good way to bridge the carnivore and vegetarian in me...), the chicken thigh with scallions and the chicken breast with scallions. It was good and juicy and I love the combination of the chicken and the scallions that in fact enhanced the taste of the chicken pretty well.

Then are the meatballs! There are three types: pork, chicken and beef. 

As explained by Christophe during the interview, the beef meatballs are made with some parts of the pork belly and beef tri-tips that are not served to the customers. If I had to recommend meatballs, it would be the pork ones.

I really like these meatballs: tasty and not dry. The main difficulty is to recognize what is what, but these guys can help you.  

The tri-tips in a bun was also very good, tender, juicy and perfectly cooked.

So, as I explained at the beginning of the post, I met with the owners and started to ask them about the  restaurant. They told me for instance that "one of the main reasons we opened BambooTori is because there was too many similar offerings for lunch crowds in NYC. The common grub like burgers/hotdogs/ salads / sandwiches. We want to bring something completely different and Unique". So I wanted to know from them what was so different and unique and proposed a video interview so they can explain the concept behind Bambootori themselves.
Below is the interview of Hendy, Christophe and Jonathan. I apologize in advance for the clicking sound that was due to the auto-focus of the camera.

I hope you learnt a lot about that place. And if you are looking for an affordable food joint near Union Square, try Bambootori: you will not regret it!

BAMBOOTORI

JAPANESE YAKITORI

106 University Place

btwn 12th and 13th

New York, NY 10003

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!