Japanese BBQ at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Meaning “grilled meat” in Japanese, yakiniku is what can simply be described as Japanese BBQ. Originating from Korean cuisine in Japan, it is simply bite size meat, usually beef, pork or chicken, that is grilled on either a charcoal, gas or electric tabletop. It’s been since a memorable trip in Japan years ago since I had Japanese BBQ, so I was excited to try Yakiniku Toraji. We went on a Friday evening and what was great is that they sat us in a small room, giving us not only privacy, but also far from the tables that were a bit noisy.
Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
They have quite a large menu, but with few vegetarian options that one could have found exciting. I thought that the Yakko ($6) or spicy tofu was bland and not spicy at all. I don’t know if the lack of flavor made me not like the fact that it was served cold, but I would pass on this dish. I preferred the Ninniku ($9) or flash fried garlic that was surprisingly delicious and probably provided me protection against vampires for few weeks. No, in fact it was not too garlicky. The Negitama rice ($9) was quite good, made with chopped scallion and a yolk, perfect to accompany grilled vegetables (Yasai- $12). What I really wanted to try was the meat and opted for the Toraji selection ($68), composed of boneless short rib, outside skirt, rib finger and filet. I chose to have it marinated rather than just salted and casually cooked it on the grill. My favorite was the rib finger, that I never heard of before: it is the meat that you find between the ribs. Fatty, it has a rich flavor. But overall, all the meats were superb: tender and juicy. I was in heaven.
Fried garlic at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Spicy cold tofu at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Ngitama rice at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Vegetables at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Meat at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Grilling meat and veggies at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Dessert was great: it was a green tea ice cream with red bean ($6) that was served with green tea. With its nice presentation, I loved the contrast between the ice cream that was creamy and slightly bitter, and the red bean that was sweet. A must have.
Green tea ice cream with red bean at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Green tea ice cream with red bean at Yakiniku Toraji in New York City
Overall, the meal at Yakiniku Toraji was delicious, although the meat was a bit pricey for the quantity, and is better if you are non-vegetarian in term of choices. This should definitely be on your list if you love or want to try Japanese BBQ.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Yakiniku Toraji - 217 E 43rd, 1F NY10017, New York
