Ippudo Ramen in NYC

Before heading back home, we went to Ippudo to get some Japanese style ramen for lunch. We arrived at around 12:30pm and were told there would be a 20-30 minute wait. We were surprised at the popularity of this upscale ramen place. There is a bar area at this restaurant, with many ramen bowls on the wall as decoration. Also, the bar table is stuffed with dried ramen noodles.

We ordered two different flavors of ramen. One is the白丸元味, which is the original flavor with a mild pork based soup. We ordered an additional side of pork belly in the ramen. Another is the 赤丸かさね味, which is the new style flavor with a kick of red miso. The cha siu was very tender, although not as tender as Santoka's. The noodles were fresh and chewy, cut pretty thin, and cooked just right. We saw that they make the noodles fresh in the basement of the restaurant.

In addition, as the lunch special, we added $3 to get a small bowl of eel rice. We wanted to give it a try since it is pretty cheap. As expected, the quality of the eel rice was just average.

The ramen is comparable to the ones we had in Japan. The only minus of this restaurant is the price, since each order of ramen is about $15. When we walked out, all the chefs shouted to us “Thank you for visiting” in Japanese, which made us felt welcomed.

HOKAT Rating:
88/100

Address:
65 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088
http://www.ippudo.com/ny

Sushi of Gari in NYC

After a long day at the US Open, we were starving!! We drove over to the upper east side on 78th street. We found a nearby parking spot and we headed straight for sushi! We were seated immediately since we had a reservation at 8:30pm. We were very surprised that the restaurant is still extremely packed. So what is this restaurant famous for? They are famous for Omakase, the chef’s choice.

Sure, we will go with two chef’s choice with creative style sushi. Creative style sushi isn’t the traditional style pressed sushi. It is sushi with the chef’s own garnish and sauce pairing. Thus, no soy sauce or wasabi are required. The chef’s choice consists of 3 plates of sushi, with 4 pieces of sushi per plate. Our first plate of sushi arrived timely at our table. They were fatty tuna, sea bass, flounder, and smoked salmon. Each piece was delicious and refreshing. The fatty tuna with ponzu sauce was the best of the bunch. We had a wonderful moment to reflect what we had on our first plate of Omakase while watching the chefs in action through this little kitchen window from our seat.

The second plate of sushi arrived shortly after. On this plate, there was white fish, salmon, hamachi, and seared tuna. The waiter told us that their all-time favorite is the salmon with a piece of slow cooked tomato on top. It is definitely a great combination. The sourness of the tomato matches very well with the rich taste of the salmon. The overall aroma is rich and fulfilling and also provides a distinctive taste. Kudos to the chef who came up with this combination!

Our final plate of chef choice sushi was presented to us on our table. We found the peanut sauce on a piece of yellowtail quite interesting and delicious on this final plate. There was another piece of tuna with some sort of cheese sauce which tasted like Chinese style turnip cake. Yes, we were craving for more, since the chef’s choice was gone too quickly! The quality of the fish is extremely fresh and comparable to the ones we had in Tokyo. The chef did put in a lot of thoughts (trial and error perhaps?) to provide the best taste combination possible.

After the three plates of omakase sushi, we were still craving for more. So, we ordered a sushi regular, one piece of chopped eel sushi , and one piece of foie gras sushi. The chef put a big piece of pan seared foie gras on top of a soft piece of daikon served with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette sauce, delicious!

The waiter mentioned that we should come at an earlier time and possibly during week days to taste more exotic ingredients. We’ll remember that sir! Lastly, did I mention that this is also a Michelin one star restaurant?

HOKAT Rating:
95/100

Address:
402 East 78th Street
New York, NY 10075
(212) 517-5340
http://www.sushiofgari.com/

Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC

As part of the 50th birthday celebration of the Four Seasons Restaurant, they offer a $59 three-course prix-fixe menu. Since this fits into our budget and offers a formal dining experience, we decided to give it a try. Jacket is required at this restaurant, and so we dressed up formally. There is a pool in the middle of the room which is nice to look at. We got seated in side-by-side seats, which felt very cozy. The clientele of the restaurant is over 50 years old on the average. To the wait staff, I bet we looked like youngsters who pretended to be adults. They brought us some crossaints and grape tomatoes to start.

We both ordered the $59 three-course prix-fixe menu because of its great value. For appetizer, I ordered the main lobster and summer corn risotto. The risotto does not have much taste to it and needs more seasoning. Also, there is not much lobster meat in it, but I guess that’s expected of a $59 three-course menu. My husband ordered the crisp shrimp with mustard sauce. This is the better of the two appetizers. It is a Chinese and Indian Fusion dish. The shrimp is crispy and the mustard sauce has a curry taste to it.

For main dish, we ordered the breast of farmhouse duck and braised veal cheeks. The breast of farmhouse duck is a Peking duck wanna-be. The skin of the duck is very crispy but the duck meat is too dry. It is served with cranberry sauce, but there is not enough sauce in this dish. The veal cheeks tasted very tender just like Chinese style beef belly.

Saving the best for last, we ordered the Four Seasons’ famous soufflés for dessert. We ordered the chocolate soufflé and raspberry soufflé. The chocolate soufflé is one of the best that we’ve had. It has some powered sugar on top. The soufflé is so perfectly baked, so soft and fluffy! To add to the richness of the soufflé, the waiter dug a little hole in the soufflé and poured some chocolate sauce and whipped cream into it. The raspberry soufflé has a very refreshing taste to it since its sourness is just right.

Before bringing us the check, the waiter brought us a gigantic cotton candy cake and a small plate of cookies, chocolate, and pastries. The cotton candy cake made us feel like little kids again. The small plate of cookies, chocolate, and pastries present a nice touch to the finish line.

Overall, the appetizers and main dishes are so-so, but the desserts made it a memorable dinner.

HOKAT Rating:
86/100

Address:
99 E 52nd StNew York, NY 10022
(212)754-9494
http://www.fourseasonsrestaurant.com

Santoka Ramen in NYC

During Labor Day weekend, my husband and I went to NYC to watch some live tennis at the US Open event. On our first day driving to NYC, we stopped by the Mitsuwa Japanese Supermarket in New Jersey. There is always a long line of people waiting to order ramen at Santoka. We ordered the special pork toroniku ramen to share. We only ordered one ramen because we bought some sashimi and maki from the Mitsuwa Japanese Supermarket for more variety. The special pork toroniku ramen was special indeed. The slices of fatty pork literally melt in your mouth. We have never had pork that is so tender. The ramen itself is a little too “al dente”. It would have been tastier if the ramen gets cooked for another minute.



HOKAT Rating:
84/100

Address:
595 River Rd
Edgewater, NJ 07020
(201) 941-9113
http://www.mitsuwanj.com/