5/20/15 Saikai (West Village, NY)

Posted on May 21, 2015April 25, 2016 Posted in Food, New York, personalTagged duck, foie gras, food, ginger creme brulee, ikura, Japanese, nyc, Saikai, ume shiso ice cream, uni, uni pasta, west villageLeave a comment

Saikai Dining Bar, a self-proclaimed modern day izakaya. I just came here for the uni.

Uni Toast. Similar to what I’ve had at Salt & Fat (Astoria, NY).

Truffle Chawanmushi – egg custard with uni, ikura, kani and truffle sauce. You can really taste the truffle in this.

Our waiter’s favorite — miso black cod. I loved it but my dining companion thought it was just okay.

Smoked duck breast with foie gras. I loved lifting the glass off to reveal the smoky aroma.

You are to combine the 3 together. The foie gras was not too overwhelming.

Uni pasta. I liked the chewy texture of the Inaniwa udon. However, I still like Basta Pasta’s version better.

The best part of the meal was dessert. I enjoyed both tremendously. Ginger creme brulee and ume shiso ice cream. Ume shiso?! I couldn’t imagine it, so I had to have it.

It was quite interesting… and I still can’t figure out if I loved it or not. I think I did.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal and appreciate the modern twist. But many of the dishes have already been done (i.e. Salt & Fat, Basta Pasta, Dieci, etc) and I feel like I’m still waiting for something truly creative and tasty. I definitely see their potential to grow.

Easy to make reservations via Opentable.

Saikai
24 Greenwich Ave
New York, NY 10011
(646) 838–5599

Japanese lunch in Midtown NYC (Sakagura & Ippodo)

Posted on March 27, 2015 Posted in Food, New York, personalTagged green tea, Ippodo, Japanese, lunch, matcha, midtown, Sakagura, sashimi, soba, tea, tempura, usucha2 Comments

My mom loves everything Japanese. So on my day off, I took her out to eat lunch at Sakagura.

Sakagura
211 E 43rd St
New York, NY 10017
b/t 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave

It certainly adds a sense of mystery having to walk into a mundane office building and directed to stairs that led to the basement.

You walk into this small space that transports you to a street in Japan (or what you would imagine it to be like)

Special of the day (Thursday) $11.50: Bara Chirashi Don / raw fish and dried squash over rice + hot/cold soba

I opted for the “Lunch Tasting Course” $33, which includes:

Sashimi / scallop was my favorite.

Mini cold handmade soba / It tasted so fresh and had a hint of wasabi!

Plus 3 main dishes on a 3 tiered stand.

Tempura (shrimp, white fish and jalapeño)

Grilled miso black cod.

Beef fillet steak.

Everything was tasty and so fresh! My lunch tasting course also included a dessert, and my mom also ordered an additional sorbet:

Lychee sorbet / my mom didn’t care for this because it was too syrupy tasting

Sake panna cotta / I liked my dessert better…

With tax and tips, it came out to $60 for 2 people. Not bad for midtown lunch.

After that, we walked a few blocks to Ippodo. No, NOT Ippudo the ramen place.

Ippodo
125 E 39th St
New York, NY 10016
b/t Park Ave & Lexington Ave

Don’t be fooled by the tables in the back; that’s for the restaurant Kajitsu. Ippodo takes up the front where they serve matcha in front of you for you to take to-go…

They have so many different green teas! I had the light matcha, usucha.

They sell these too.

They have stamp cards which I was very excited about… definitely coming back to try them all!

Bohemian Restaurant (NYC)

Posted on December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 Posted in Food, New YorkTagged Bohemian, Bohemian NYC, branzino, Japanese, New York, nyc, sashimi, secret restaurant, tasting menu, uni croquettes, wagyu, yuzu panna cotta1 Comment

A long hallway next to a Japanese butcher shop begins our adventure tonight.

The restaurant’s allure draws upon having to find out the phone number to call (only by word of mouth), making the reservations (you have to know a previous diner’s full name), and making your way to this — with no sign except the number “57”.

Ringing the doorbell, it feels like you are entering someone’s residential apartment. And that’s how they want you to feel: like going to a friend’s house for dinner.

There are only 6 tables and a few bar seats. No wonder seating is so exclusive and limited.

The three of us went with the $58 tasting menu.

Farmer’s Fresh Vegetables Fondue: the cheese stole the show. The vegetables were just vehicles for the fondue.

Uni Croquette: I’m a big uni fan, so this was exciting to me. Uni on top of a warm, crispy croquette with some creamy mushroom filling. I devoured this in about 3 seconds.

Washu-Beef Short Rib Sashimi: This was one of my favorites of the night. With just a flake of garlic, a dab of wasabi, a drop of the sauce they provided, this dish becomes something that you dream about for days after consuming it.

Pan Roasted Branzino: I loved the roasted vegetables! Brussel sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms, rosemary stalks, and a whole fish.

My favorite of the night: yuzu panna cotta. I’m also a big time yuzu fan, and I loved the little pieces of yuzu zest throughout this dessert.

Bohemian Restaurant
57 Great Jones St, New York 10012
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
ny-info@playearth.jp

Travelogue: Maine Day 4 (hiking & eating)

Posted on October 10, 2014October 10, 2014 Posted in Food, hiking, travelTagged 2 Cats, acadia, bar harbor, food, hiking, Japanese, lobster benedict, maine, Shinbashi, sushi, travelLeave a comment

We start the day off with breakfast in Bar Harbor. 2 Cats, a cute brunch place with bright decor.

I was looking forward to their lobster benedict (above) and lobster omelette (below), but their strawberry butter turned out to be the best thing there.

Inside the omelette were big chunks of lobster meat. The egg was a strange texture though, so I didn’t care much for it. After fueling up, we were ready for another day of hiking.