The Izakaya NYC

I generally don't like Izakaya food that much but they're doing it excellently here. I got the chef's chosen menu for two. Had to get a double order of the addictive cabbage because it's so good. Also added a supplement of sashimi scallops the quality was excellent and you get like eight slices it's crazy. Also got an order of agadashi tofu it was one of my favorites I've had in the city so comforting texturally masterful. And perfect flavor. The grilled meat was excellent the sauce was perfect sticky sweet umami. Again nothing is too overpowering or improperly balance. Every flavor and tongue sensation has its place. Really like the chicken I usually don't even like fried chicken but they're chicken was so delectable. I think the only thing I would recommend is asked for another little wedge of lemon because it tastes so good with a citrus punch. Mushroom rice I definitely like better than the crab rice, I think it's a little bit lighter and that umami flavor that they developed with the mushrooms is so good. Rice texture is amazing. It's almost like al dente, so it's not like a mushy fried rice it's really Delicious and again texturely pleasing. I was so pleased Really loved the portion sizes of everything. It was a great meal for two but you could still add on. I really like this place and I definitely wanna come back, it's pretty casual but not like rundown by any means. Good for a date but also good to go with friends or family or even alone. Very multipurpose and just delicious food.

The service staff was attentive and timely without being overbearing or too friendly. Very well balanced! On the other hand, the menu is a bit unbalanced, offering mostly fried and rich foods. That being said, we enjoyed most of what we ordered, except for the deep fried miso eggplant. They do a great job at frying lightly, as demonstrated by the delicately thin batter that coated the agedashi tofu and the chicken nanban. Both dishes were perfect: lightly fried exteriors, silky/juicy interiors, excellent broth/sauce. I especially loved the bonito flakes that topped the tofu. The salmon sashimi was also very nice. It was one of the few non-fried dishes on the menu, so I’m glad it worked out. Unfortunately, the deep fried miso eggplant was a miss. Firstly, a large amount of red miso was simply slathered over the surface, and it was overwhelmingly salty. In my opinion the miso should be a thin, liquified finishing glaze, usually some combination of miso, cooking sake and sugar to balance the salty and sweet. Secondly, I believe they used an Italian eggplant instead of a Japanese or Chinese eggplant, which resulted in a hard skin and tougher interior. When the smaller Asian eggplants are used for this dish, the skin sort of melts away in your mouth, as does the inside. Other than the eggplant, this Izakaya was a very nice experience. The service is understated in the best way and the portions are small, allowing us to try a few different flavor palettes without becoming too full. The interior decor is not my taste, but decor falls low on the totem pole for my evaluation of a restaurant, so I’d still come back here when I’m in the mood for fried Japanese comfort food.

Overall experience was a bit lacking but the food was pretty good. Fried chicken was a generous portion and really enjoyed the ramen, very original taste. Unfortunately, the restaurant was freezing it seemed like the heat wasn't working at all. And our server wasn't very knowledgeable. Didn't have a clue about any of the wines or sake but gave us tastings so we could try ourselves. Seemed like it was his first few shifts but did make an effort. Might visit again if I were in the neighborhood but many other places I'd prefer to try first.

The space is small and narrow with just benches and stools to sit on - par for the course given the area. Service was attentive and friendly. Food came out quickly. Overall, the food was underwhelming. We shared the omelet, Japanese eggplant with miso, chicken nanban, clams with ramen, and the salmon with mushrooms. We also had the grapefruit and calpico sours for drinks. There wasn’t any stand out dish in terms of flavor or execution. I think there are far better Izakayas in NYC given the price point.

We walked up to the restaurant and I honestly thought It was run down. The neon light outside was off, their door was graffitied up (not in an artistic way), and there was no one inside. When we stepped inside we thought maybe it was under construction, no, the interior was just that unappealing. No it wasn’t plain in a cozy, simple way. Only interior design was printed out paper images of a menu item and I was sat next to an exposed radiator. Luckily my date was a good sport and we decided to give the place the benefit of the doubt, maybe the food was amazing. It was not. Paired with the lack of ambiance was their very overpriced food items and unpleasant cocktails. Small portioned beef sukiyaki, udon that didn’t leave an impression, and chicken nanban that was soaking wet for some reason. Sadly disappointed. I hope a review like this pushes the restaurant to be better, or at least look better. The servers were great though and whoever was on the aux had great taste in music.