Tag: japanese

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restaurant

Sushi Nakazawa

This is my third time going to Sushi Nakazawa so that shows how much I love this place. Now that NYC has opened up indoor dining, I immediately booked a reservation for this restaurant. The following is the first set of nigiris that were all tender and delicious.

I also got the 3 types of uni:

Japan, California, and Maine Uni

My favorite is.. all of them. I can never say no to uni and none of them have that typical chemical taste you get when you buy from the grocery store. I know I know, you can’t compare grocery store uni with this.

Here is the rest of the nigiri omakase set:

To finish the night, there was tofu creme brulee and the classic egg custard:

How would I describe the whole experience? Definitely worth going back to as another special occasion! Is it worth the bar experience versus the dining experience? That, I am not too sure. I enjoy watching the sushi chefs making the food and I always sit at the bar every time I come. Since I’ve never sat at the dining room, I can’t really comment. If you enjoy watching your food being made, it’s worth the extra 20 dollars!

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restaurant

Izakaya NoMad

mochi wrapped in bacon - izakaya nomad

jp pepper
beef tongue

Feel like having a variety of foods grilled for you Japanese style? This is the place to be if you are around the NoMad/Flatiron area. Definitely get the mochi wrapped in smoked bacon (for that difference in texture) and beef tongue. I know, I know, beef tongue sounds gross but it’s good. Just think of it as regular beef and your stomach will thank your brain.

Hint: Bring a friend so you can share more different types of dishes!

izakaya NoMad
13 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

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restaurant

Cha-An Teahouse

Unagi Kabayaki - Cha-An

This place ended up being a great second choice to Boise Tea Parlor when it’s closed for a private party (boo!). You can get your craving of tea, have a decently priced lunch, and indulge on the desserts at Cha-An.

Lunch Set:

Now I am on the search for 7 grain rice to make on my own since the one that comes with the lunch set is so delicious.

Individual Desserts:

Closer look at the Chef Dessert Sampler:

from Chef Sampler
from Chef Sampler
from Chef Sampler

The desserts are not overly sweet and the chef sampler allows you try many different things. If I have to pick a favorite? Anything with mochi is a good choice. But only if you like mochi!

Cha-an Teahouse
230 East 9th St. 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10003

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restaurant

Jun-Men Ramen

chicken bun - jun-men ramen
Kara-Age, lettuce, jalapeno-mayo

Fried sweet potatoes, maple bourbon butter, umami mayo
Kara-Age, lettuce, jalapeno-mayo
Uni, roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, fried shallots, scallion, parmesan cheese
Uni, roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, fried shallots, scallion, parmesan cheese

Short and sweet: sweet potatoes fries is definitely a must order. The syrupy maple butter with the mayo on the side makes a great sweet tooth appetizer.

Tip: If you get the chicken buns, order the sauce on the side. It gets everywhere and it would just be a lot easier to eat if you dip each bite instead.

Jun-Men Ramen
249 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

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restaurant

Ootoya Chelsea

buta aspara - ootoya chelsea
Asparagus wrapped in a Slice of Pork Belly

pineapple juice + draft beer
Mini Homemade Soba Noodle with Pickled Plum Sauce and Grated Radish on top served with Ootoya Original Sauce
Asparagus wrapped in a Slice of Pork Belly
assorted Blue Fin Tuna, Amberjack, Scallops, Scottish Salmon, Simmered Shrimp and Salmon Roe served atop of Sushi Rice
vegetables and pork
comes with steamed egg, pickled vegetables, and miso soup
pumpkin and sweet potato ice cream, root chips, matcha mochi, whipped cream

Tip: Go for the ‘mini’ version of the soba and dinner sets if you want to try everything.

My two favorite things: the asparagus wrapped pork belly and the pumpkin and sweet potato ice cream. Wrapping asparagus in anything meat related will get me to eat it. Otherwise, I would never order asparagus by itself.

Why was the ice cream a favorite? There was a small potato in the parfait!! And it worked! Imagine eating a really sweet cold boiled potato with your ice cream. I kid you not, it was so good!

OOTOYA Chelsea
8 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011

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restaurant

Sakagura

Gyu Miso Nikomi - Sakagura
Shredded Beef Back Ribs Stewed in Miso Topped with Grated Daikon Radish

Fresh Tuna Sashimi Served with Fermented Soy Beans
Soft Boiled Egg Topped with Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe in Cold Soup
Grilled Japanese Squid Brushed with Garlic Soy Sauce
Shredded Beef Back Ribs Stewed in Miso Topped with Grated Daikon Radish
Matcha filling

This place is across from Sushi Yasuda and located in the basement of a building. My favorites are the soft boiled egg with seach urchin, beef back ribs, and the black sesame creme brulee! If this is your first time here, definitely try the hot foods first.

Sakagura
211 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017

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restaurant

Totto Ramen (51st Street)

Uni Don - Totto Ramen
uni on top of rice with various vegetables

these straight homemade noodles are cooked al dente style in a whole chicken and premium soy sauce based soup topped with scallion, onion, char siu pork, and a nori.
uni on top of rice with various vegetables
pork, lettuc, mayo, and bun

I came to this Totto ramen a little before 2pm on a weekday and there was plenty of seating. I ordered the pork bun, uni don, and chicken ramen. The pork bun was pretty good but a tad bit more mayo than I liked. The uni don was delicious! The uni was melt in your mouth soft and whatever sauce they put in the rice really complimented the dish. The chicken ramen was very creamy and fulfilling, but the best part was the noodles. Love the al dente noodles!

Would definitely come back again for the uni don and the pork bun. For lunch, the uni don was half off!

Totto Ramen (Yelp)
464 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

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restaurant

Mu Ramen

spicy miso - Mu Ramen
red miso and pork based soup, topped with scallion, ground bpork, menma, corn, sesame and chili oil

making U&I at Mu Ramen
uni, spicy maguro, ikura, sushi rice, sesame, roasted nori, real wasabi
deep fried chicken wings stuffed with foie and brioche
shallots, garlic, white wine, cilantro, butter, with Mu dipping sauce
scallion pancake, smoked trout, tobiko, shaved bonito, syrup
red miso and pork based soup, topped with scallion, ground bpork, menma, corn, sesame and chili oil
oxtail and bone marrow based soup, brisket, half sour pickle, menma, cabbage
You can see them making ramen and appetizers if you sit at the bar!
The lights are a nice touch!

Since they just opened, I would suggest getting a reservation. Otherwise, you would be waiting for a long time! Mu Ramen only accept same day reservations and the phone line opens at 3pm: 917.868.8903.

Mu Ramen
1209 Jackson Ave, Long Island City. NY 11101

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restaurant

Edo

Chirashi - Edo

Edo
68 Easton Ave New Brunswick, NJ 08901

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restaurant

Lucky Cat

Cha shu Pork Buns - Lucky Cat

This place is actually a ramen place but I felt peckish so I got a couple of appetizers and dessert instead! The spicy tuna taco was good and having the rice on the bottom mellowed out the spicy. The pork buns was juicy and had a lovely contrast in texture between the crunchy cucumber and melt in your mouth pork. As for the taiyaki dessert, it was *okay*. I liked it simply because it reminds me of my childhood. The green tea ice cream wasn’t too sweet which was a great compliment of the red bean cream inside the pastry.

Lucky Cat
232 E 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022