Japanese/ Sushi – Page 5

O Ya NYC- first look, plate by plate

The famed, much appraised Boston restaurant just opened a new out post in NYC last month (June 5th). Adjacent to the Park South Hotel, if you weren’t paying attention, you would walk right pass it. Although it is a Park South Hotel restaurant, it operates completely separately. The door to O Ya is right next to the Park South Hotel entrance. Hidden behind some brunches and a little wood wall divider. It is like a hidden oasis, a very zen place. Through the door, is a large, long dinning room. Huge long wood sushi counter, and cozy booths on the side. It is warm, quiet, and elegant.
We have heard a lot about O Ya. It was named one of the most exceptional omakase menu by Eater in 2012. It’s Chef- owner Tim Cushman is an acclaimed chef whom has many awards under his belt, including being named Best Chef in Northeast region by James Beard Foundation in 2012. we have high expectation but yet don’t know what to expect.
The menu here is basically just a wine list. The price tags of sake are quite reasonable. For the moment there are no a la carte, just 2 sets of omakase. 18 courses for $185; 24 courses for $245. It is pricy, no doubt about it. But we know it would be a splurge and we were told that the 24 courses would include all of the 18 courses, plus several more seasonal dishes. More sushi!!! Of course we chose the later. And here it is , plate by plate.

KUMAMOTO OYSTER – ponzu watermelon pearls, cucumber mignonette
served in a steam cage. It is meant to slurp all in one. Ponzu and watermelon were equally sweet and sour. Paired very nicely with the oyster.

HAMACHI – banana pepper
hamachi was lightly torched. Topped with garnish. Hamachi was already put together with sushi rice when it was torched. There were a little burn on the rice. Hamachi was not sweet as I expected. Rice was a little mushy as well.

OCEAN TROUT– tomato confit, smoked salt, onion aioli
smoked salt smell very good. Tomato and aioli compliment the trout very well. A little creamy. Very interesting.

LEGS AND EGGS
– tiny Maine lobster, ossetra caviar, tomalley aioli

WARM EEL
– thai basil, kabayaki, fresh Kyoto sansho

HOUSEMADE FINGERLING POTATO CHIP
– black winter truffle

KAMASU
– oven roasted tomato, yuzu

WILD SPOT PRAWN
– ramp butter, yuzu tobiko, preserved meyer lemon

LEEK BLOSSOM OMELETTE
– turkey egg, dashi sauce, wagyu schmaltz
notice that this is omelette not tomago.

FRIED KUMAMOTO OYSTER
– yuzu kosho aioli, squid link bubbles

BLUEFIN TORO
– fresh wasabi, green onion

FOIE SPOON
– miso, preserved California meyer lemon
this is very interesting. Rich, light, salty, lemony, and sweet… not all at the same time, but it unveiled layer by layer in my mouth.

SHIMA AJI & HOKKAIDO SEA URCHIN
– aji amarillo vinaigrette, nigella

KINMEDAI
– white soy, myoga, lemon oil

KANPACHI
– vietnamese mignonette, fried shallots, thai basil

YUZU CURED ARCTIC CHAR
– cumin aioli, cilantro
Steam cage again. This time it was uncover after the cage was brought to us. Open the lid, and smoke starts coming out. Whatever they use to smoke the char, the aroma it gives out is “breathtaking”. And there are two pieces per each person.

TORO TARTAR
– winter black truffle

SUZUKI SEA BASS
– spicy cucumber, avocado, cilantro blossoms

SIP
– tomato shiso kombu water
almost tea like… i like this a lot

SHISO TEMPURA WITH GRILLED LOBSTER

GRILLED CHANTERELLE & SHITAKE MUSHROOM
– rosemary garlic oil, sesame froth

SEARED WAGYU AS PETIT STRIP LOIN

FOIE GRAS

SUMMER BERRIES & SOBA

ASSORTED PASTRIES

I guess I was having my third piece when I realized this is not my regular traditional sushi joint. It is… innovative. This is more Gari than Yasuda or 15 East. O Ya is using western technique to prepare the ingredient and put on top sushi rice as sushi. There were quiet a few aioli, form and sauce. While each piece are surprisingly good, I cannot compare to my other sushi experience.
Most of the fish pieces are not as tasty as other places with similar price tag. The rice is a little mushy, and the balance of vinegar in the rice needs improvement. The nori lacks that crunch, they were simply there to help holding up the piece. And the sequence, was a little all over the place. We have eel as the 5th piece, and Kinmeda after uni!?! And there were some, I might say a little over the top. The Toro tartar with the black truffle, as cute as it is. For tasting purpose, I can totally do without the truffle. The potato chip with truffle, I think I enjoy looking at it more.
While the staffs are extremely friendly and attentive, it lacks that chef- customer connection I would get from 15 East, yasuda, Ichimura. Therefore table service are just the same as sushi counter experience. This is more like set menu/ tasting menu than omakase.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoyed the meal, just not what I expected. Yes, fishes might not be as good, but with their preparation, the combination and flavor profile they created using dressing, aioli and garnish makes up the difference. Sushi here is extravagant. Each piece is stunningly beautiful. Each one is served in a different plate. ever plate is a little piece of art. Obviously they put in a lot of thoughts into plating. While this doesn’t satisfy my sushi craving/ addiction, it is a very surprisingly good meal. And it exceeded my expectation. I can understand why O Ya is so well loved. It is new, creative, and innovative.
It’s different, but different can be good. We would definitely come back, but next time I would not put my sushi thinking cap on.
(July, 2015)

Farewell, Chef Masato

It’s July already, which means Chef Masato has already left New York for Bangkok. Here is our last meal from Chef Masato at 15 East.
Chef, we miss you already!!

Mu Ramen- hit & miss

Manga and anime is considered a culture in Japan. They are not only for kids, but also for adult. And I grow up with them. I should say heavily educated by them. No, I’m not talking about Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Gundam or even Dragon ball Z. Although those are the better known series with Americans, they are not the best quality. Some of those content are, what I would consider, not appropriate for children. All those battles, war, fighting, whatever the original intention was, kids only absorb violence. The kind I’m referring to are more “soft-hearted”. A little more context, somewhat more meaningful, and more inspiring. One particular series I rushed home from school for was “Mister Ajikko” by Daisuke Tersawa. The story is about a young culinary prodigy- Ajiyoshi Youichi, his passion for cooking and his path to becoming a great chef. The series often feature culinary competitions between this young boy and other well established chefs. Rumor has it that this manga series is the inspiration behind the wildly popular “Iron Chef”, which itself inspired other cooking competition reality shows.
It would be a different style/ type of culinary in each episode, Italian, French, European, Chinese, and of course, traditional Japanese. I remember how Youichi travelled everywhere in search for the best bamboo stick for Yakitori. There was an episode about how to make the best dumpling. It’s ridiculous that one person can master all different kinds of culinary, but at least it portrayed a glimpse of the hard work of any chef and their dedication to their art. For example, there were several episode entails how to make a good bowl of ramen. The ingredients and time that was put in to making a good broth; the temperature of the water when cooking the noodle; most importantly the art of making ramen. Most ramen chefs, I mean “real” ramen chefs spend their lifetime refining the technique. These anime leave a distinctive impression in my mind. And I have the upmost respect for a good bowl of ramen.

The NYC ramen scene is very crowded, and still rapidly growing. And the one place that claimed all top critics’ list currently is Mu Ramen. I have to admitted, we have been putting off Mu ramen. Mu ramen does not take reservation, and I heard there’s quite a wait. With some planning, we arrived at Mu ramen at 5:15p on a weekday. Doors open at 5:30 and there’s already a line. There are 16 seats with 8 bar stools, Mu ramen is a cozy spot. Open kitchen pair with noodle bar; long commute table, with a “rock” garden dividing the two sides. Look carefully, the rocks are talking to you.
mu03

There are a couple new item on the menu. “Peel N Eat” shrimp and a cold noodle “Hiysahi Mu”, and we also ordered the very “instantiated” Tebasaki Gyoza (chicken wing with foie gras), and Tonkotsu. And of course, U & I….

mu07 Peel & Eat
No “Mu”ssels tonight, but there are shrimps. Shrimp came in a “Chinese take-out box” with head on. The spicy cocktail sauce is very good. Not too sweet and packs a kick. However, shrimps are tasty enough by themselves and no sauce is needed. May be they can think about serving yuca fries with the sauce? I’d totally order it. Shrimps were tasty and fresh enough. But I felt that it was undercooked a little bit because the shell did not come off easily. Nevertheless, it was very good.

mu10
Tebasaki Gyoza (14)-deep fried chicken wings stuffed with foie and brioche
Chicken wings however….. was only hype and no smile. Over-coated and very greasy.😒

mu08 U&I (24) – uni, spicy maguro, ikura, rice, sesame roasted nori
This is a Chirashi but not a Chirashi. It has all the ingredient of a chirashi but not with sushi rice, just regular rice…. Think Korean style. Everything was very fresh. The bowl could be a little bigger but it’s a still a deal.

mu12 TONKOTSU 2.0 (15)- “tonkotsu” pork based soup topped with chashu pork jowl, kikurage, menma, and scallions
The traditional Tonkotsu— ramen was perfectly cooked, even after the ramen have been sitting for a while. The chewiness is still there. And it should be that way. Noodle’s body should be able to maintain throughout the time to consume the whole bowl. Broth is rich, and deep. With drips of black sesame oil, it added aroma, the broth seems a bit greasy. The Pork is way too fat though. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good slab of pork belly. But the pale white fat just give me a mouth of grease.

mu13 Hiysahi Mu(R)
While the Tonkotsu is a bit oily, the cold noodle is the perfect counterbalance for us. And a great ending note of the night. Cold noodle is a blessing in Summer time, and this one is awesome. Its clean and fresh with a bit of sweetness. My only wish for it is maybe add some fresh wasabi to spice it up, and slice the “ham” thinner?! Noodle is the right texture but overall very happy with this.

While the two most hyped items seem to be a miss for us, the two brand new items were a hit. Is it worth the trip? Maybe. With the waiting time, if it is 2 hours? Maybe not. But I didn’t have to wait. So get there early if you are going. (June, 2015)

PS. My apologies for the subpar quality pictures….

Kappo Masa – $$_$$

I haven’t been to Masa, nor have I been to any of his five restaurants. Simply for one reason… they are freaking expensive!!!
No, I am not rich. And no, I haven’t hit the lotto… yet. But here we are at the framed chef Masayoshi Takayama’s latest venue- Kappo Masa.
Located in the basement of Gagosian Gallery. Kappo Masa is co-owned by Masa and Gagosian. Two very powerful men in their respective world.
So here is the equation: $$$$ x $$$$ = $(infinity)
Yes, it is still cheaper than Masa. Still, the price is petty up there. Just take a glance at the cocktail menu. Nothing listed less than $20, and the top priced one — $28!!! @_@
The tasting menu here is $350!!! Second most expensive in NYC. (Masa is $450)
So why are we here? I meant, how could we afford it? We wouldn’t just order a Toro with scallion roll ($42) and walked out right? Can we?
Thanks to the “Summer pre-theater 3 course pre-fixed menu” ($49/p), we are sitting in this fancy gallery room, on the yellow leather booth, sipping my $20 drink.

Drinks are great. But we felt that the presentation could be dressed up a lot better.
Ringo Shoga(R) (20)
It was salty, sweet and sour. Not all at the same time but kind of peel off layer by layer. Very interesting.
Jalapeno Ja(L) (20)
Oh Jala-pe-no! Definitely packs a kick. It is spicy, but hiding behind the jalapeno, there’s a nice fresh cucumber.

This pre-fixed menu is not advertised anywhere, I originally saw it on a post on social media, searched all over the web for it’s menu, but couldn’t find it anywhere. So I called. The nice lady over the phone confirmed for me that they are offering the pre-fixe all through summer, Mon- Fri, 6p-7p only. She even said it’s good idea to post the pre-fixe menu on the web.
As our waiter set down our cocktails, I asked him about the pre-fixe, and he responded that Kappo Masa never have a pre-fixe. “We only offer a tasting menu and a la carte” he said. WHAT?!? I asked and was confirmed. We didn’t settle easily… so I asked again. This time, our conversations were overheard by another staff, and he promptly corrected the other guy, and returned with an insertion page. (Service in general was warm, except for that one guy who is clearly not up to speed).
There were a soup and a salad for appetizers, 4 choices of entree, and 3 desserts to choose from.
Russian kale swiss chard lemon grass vinaigrette(16)
It is a good salad. And it is just that.

Nameko mushroom tofu miso soup (12)
Petty standard Miso soup. Nothing special with the miso. So why $12?

Shrimp pasta with bottarga, shrimp or shiso inked surimi pasta (24)
This is listed on the menu as “MASA SURIMI PASTA 100% gluten free pasta made from seafood”. He even got it trademarked. Basically is grounded shrimp meat roll into noodles. The texture is great. But the dish overall seems blend. There is no wow, no distinctive note. Where is the seasoning? The pasta might be interesting, but to me, not all that special. There is a noodle shop in ChinaTown that makes dumplings skin out of grounded fish meat, and those were very tasty little pockets. As a matter of fact, it is a very common thing in Chinese culinary.

Beef sukiyaki(48)
Very ordinary Japanese comfort food. Beef was good, but like any other sukiyaki…. sweet.

Cold Kakiage Soba(28) with yomogi & cherry shrimp
I don’t know what to say about this. ….other than I hate myself for ordering this. I mean, could I have done worst if I order the assorted sushi rolls?

From the main menu, we also ordered the peking duck taco and uni hand roll.
Peking duck with foie gras taco (26)
The crispy skin of the duck is “detached” from the duck meat…? Foie gras is a nice idea, but non-existent. Was it meant to be as sauce? Or was it overcooked and melted away.

Uni Temaki (36)
This was listed as hand rolls. Well, hand rolls they are not. They are miniature seaweed tacos. A nest of thinly cut/shaved cucumber on top of Santa Barbara uni on top of rice. Honesty I think the work is sloppy and lazy. They made a special thing to hold the “rolls” in, so they don’t have to roll it!?!. Like an open-face sandwich, it’s just one thing on top the other. Sushi rice is far from perfect. Seaweed is not even crisp, and size varies. I mean… Masa… if this is a painting, would you put your name on it?

Grapefruit granite

crème brulee

Peter Wells said “The cost of eating at Kappo Masa is so brutally, illogically, relentlessly high, and so out of proportion to any pleasure you may get, that large numbers start to seem like uninvited and poorly behaved guests at the table.”
We didn’t shell out. Our bill wasn’t crazy expensive, but it’s still cost way more than it is worth. If all these basic dishes are not perfect, it’s hard to believe the more costly/complicated dishes will live up to the name or the price.

Also this not a “sushi bar” type of place. There is a raw fish counter, but no seating in front of it. Of course Masa is not here…… why would he, right? So if we order omakase, are they going to serve us piece by piece, from raw counter walk all the way to the table?? guess we will never find out. (June, 2015)

side-note: As we were heading out, we spotted chef Nakasawa walked in, along with Mr Borgognone whom is wearing a t shirt and shorts. Field trip?