Nari "Nayori" C.'s Profile

I've been wanting to come here ever since it opened up.  I believe it opened in the summer?  This is the first Japanese retail butcher shop that has opened in NYC, so I was very excited when I stepped in here to find such variety of Washugyu cuts.  

Washugyu tenderloin, NY strip loin, rib eye, short rib, sirloin butt, flap meat, gyutan (cow's tongue), liver... ETC!~~!!!  They even had dry-aged which was still hanging and will be ready in 2 weeks (11/21/09).  I am very excited to try that...

The guy there was also super friendly and super helpful, patiently answering every question I had while giving me insight about the place.  They've been in the Kobe business for quite some time now (6 years), acting as distributors to all the restaurants in New York that serve Washugyu.  This is their first retail store, as they wanted to provide Washugyu to all New Yorkers.  How thoughtful of them eh?

I wasn't really prepared to buy a very expensive cut of meat, so I decided to go with the flap meat (14.99/lb), according to the guy it's the belly portion similar to the flank steak.  Yeah, it was one of the cheapest cuts there but hey.. when I cooked it at home (simple salt and pepper) it was UBER delicious with melt in your mouth tenderness.  He sliced it up for me and also gave me a huge chunk of fat (looked like an eraser) and told me to oil the grill with this.  He was pretty firm on not using any other type of oil (so serious..).  

I kept the leftover chunk of fat.. I used it to stir-fry veggies and make fried rice.  YUMMILICIOUS :)

My new favorite store.................

I feel a bit disgusted writing the 1070th review on Shake Shack.  Kind of like the disgusted feeling I had when waiting in line for an hour and a half on a random Sunday afternoon.  

In line, I kept whining and complaining, not being able to understand why EVERY time I come here, there's a huge frikkn line.  I mean, in the end, it's still just a burger right?  

It may be because I had to wait a long time in line, and the anticipation packed on.  It could be because I was starving by the time I took a bite of this burger.  It may also be because I was really just in the mood for a juicy burger.  Whatever the case was... the hype is right my friends, it is a DAMN good burger.

Okay, i'm thinking about it now.. and i want one again. sh*t, does this mean i have to wait an hour in line again???  It's okay.. it's worth it :)

This is definitely more of an experience than the enjoyment of food.  It's just so much fun to see and feel a culture in this way.  Standing in front of Otafuku, i felt as if i was in Osaka (where Takoyaki was first made).

Honestly, i'm not a huge fan of takoyaki and okonomiyaki.  I always thought it was too sweet and had a weird soft texture to it.  When I tried Otafuku's takoyaki, i thought it wasn't too bad.  It wasn't overly sweet and the skin was a bit crispy, with a soft creamy inside filled with yummy pieces of octopus.  

It was definitely an experience, even though we had to wait 30 minutes to get our takoyaki!  The place was swarming with people.  

And you have to give it to them, they've been open for 10 years according to the guy who was working there.  I would say that's before the whole crazy foodie era (and the Japanese food craze).  And they are still very busy and probably will be open for the next 30 years!!

Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Love the atmosphere of this hole-in-the wall ramen joint.  It's always exciting to sit at a bar (the only seats available) and have the ramen chef actually serve you.  

I had the half fried rice with seafood (shrimps n scallops), which was pleasantly delicious.  It wasn't too oily and had a clean after taste, exactly what fried rice at a ramen place should be like.  

For the ramen, I chose the Shio ramen, which had a very clean flavor as well.  It wasn't too oily (like other ramen joints..aka Ippudo), and i would say the flavor was quite nice.  However, i wish they gave me more pork slices (i think i had ONE slice in there..booo).  And, after a while.. the ramen just started to get a little boring.  

I also had the luxury of trying the Shoyu ramen, which had a deeper flavor, but was also a bit boring.  I felt like they just used the broth of shio and added soy sauce to it (which they most likely did).  I don't blame them for this technique but just saying it can get quite 'blah'!

We had to order a pickled dish from the appetizer section, of course being korean, i needed that little umph.  We didn't want to go with kimchi because that would probably overpower the ramen and kill the flavor, so we went with the takuwan (radish pickle).  I would say this was a ripoff, they give you about 5 slices- and this should just be included as a side dish with the ramen.  But of course, that's just my opinion....

Overall, it was still a good experience, as which most ramen experiences are for me. :)  I probably wouldn't come back here until I tried allllll the ramen places in the city.

The first time I came here was 2 years ago, and it was packed with all Japanese people.  I revisited a couple times after that, and slowly they started to be replaced by the non-japs.  For some reason, I always like going to izakayas that are filled with Japanese people, it makes it seem more authentic (but of course this is all in my crazy lil head).  

The food I would say is a bit mediocre.  There's nothing really special about it, except that it is really CHEAP.  Everything about the menu is pretty similar to yakitori taisho.

wasabi octopus (worse then yokocho)
braised pork belly (not bad- uber fatty)
broiled mackerel (a staple item I order at every izakaya)
fried squid legs (got soggy after 5 minutes)
katsu-curry ($8.50 for a HUGEEE portion.. but the curry was lumpy and thick.. not smooth at all)

However, $1.50 for sapporo/kirin draft or $8/pitcher is an awesome deal.  A huge bottle of delicious Junmai 720mL for $30- not bad.  

Yes the chairs are really uncomfty (my ass felt really weird in it), and yes the menu is really hard to read (unpleasant to my eye), and yes the waiter is a little odd.... but hey, all that food and drinks for 2 people for $40/person? I'm sold!

Oh yea, can't forget about the cotton candy machine at the end (although it was really hard for me to make it, being so short and all).  I LOVE COTTON CANDY!

Gosta come here after a long night of drinking.  This is the place where you want to recap the whole night (or still be drunk).  This is the place where you go if you do not want to have a hangover the next morning.  

Even when you aren't drunk, this is a great place for just a casual fast dinner.  The food is really really awesome.  I'm Korean, i know good Korean food when I have it.  

The thing that you have to remember though, is this isn't a typical Korean restaurant.  They specialize in 'sulung tang'  which is a beef brisket soup.  The flavor comes from the beef bones.  When you order this, remember to add salt, scallions, and lots of KIMCHI!!!  (Yes, directly in the soup)  Ahhhh so delicious.  The broth has so much yummy beef flavor...

But this isn't the only thing that's awesome at this restaurant.  The bibimbap is probably the best bibimbap ever. (besides my grandma's)  It's not so traditional though, and the gochujang (red chili paste) has an actual sweet flavor to it.   Also, the bossam and soondae are the other two items to order off the menu.  Both of these are sort of an appetizer to share with everyone else.

Another thing, I know traditional K-restaurants give a lot of different banchan (side dishes), and Gamiok doesn't do that.  The reason is that with sulungtang, you don't need all those side dishes.  The point is that there is so much flavor in that dish alone, you don't need anything else but REALLY REALLY good quality kimchi.  This place has it, the best kimchi in town.  

Maybe you have to get used to it, or let it grow on you.  Lot of non-korean people I take here thinks the food is very bland and boring.  Just need to appreciate the natural flavor of really good quality slow cooked beef soup, accompanied by the best kimchi you will ever have.

Is this place still opened?  I heard a rumor they closed down for a while because of health inspection issues...

Anywho, I used to come here in college ALL the time (this is before I moved out of my 'comfort' zone).  I'm going to say, the food isn't actually THAT great but it's just such a fun atmosphere to be in.   You can go with a HUGE group of people (I usually always come here with at least 8), and just start pointing at anything on the menu.  

You definitely have to go with the HUGE bottle of nigori (i think 1.5L).  They do over charge you like crazy though.. i think $60.  I once went to mitsuwa and saw the same bottle of nigori for $9.99.  But what do you expect from a crazy busy japanese restaurant in EV?  

Okay, but you must order the Spicy tuna in a bowl, the Kimchi fried rice, and wasabi squid.  

Oh, and one other thing.. if you're one of those crazy clean freaks that is always concerned with how hygienic a restaurant is, this is not the place.  Once, I saw a little mousy run out of the kitchen.  And the kitchen staff chasing after little runt.  Me and my friend just laughed.

Roast Duck w/ Chinese broccoli...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

oily, salty, and delish *heart*

I'm just going to start off by saying.. i have a huge obsession with shabu-shabu.   Okay, i'm not sure how to put this but, 'korean' shabu-shabu.  

I studied abroad 3 years ago in South Korea, and that's actually when I first had shabu-shabu (at a restaurant).  And wow, I was in love.  I kid you not- I think I ate it 3 times a week for 2 months.  I was utterly in AWE of this stuff.  And the craziest thing was, I never got sick of it.  

So, I travel back to the States and am instantly depressed because I couldn't have this amazing thing anymore.  Naturally, I ventured out for the different types of shabu-shabu I could find here.  I tried various types of shabu-shabu- hot pot, pho 32, Shabu-tatsu etc...

I know ShabuShabu is really a Japanese thing, so I thought that shabu-tatsu would be the best.  I mean, maybe even better than the one in Korea.  Honestly, I was soooooo disappointed.  Seriously...what!??!?! @.@  

The thing is, yea it does have a clean taste.  Uhm... a little TOO CLEAN.  The broth is just water.  Water with a piece of dashi in it.  Seriously, do they think this is going to flavor anything?  (sorry i'm not trying to bash, but i was just really sad)  But basically, you are dipping all your meats and veggies into a big pot of water.  The only flavor you really get is from the 2 sauces they provide.   Sesame and Ponzu.  I know Japanese people love ponzu and everything.. but these 2 sauces weren't enough.  Actually, I started to get sick of them.

I know I sound like a crazy Korean girl but.. I ordered kimchi and added that to the pot.  We were the only ones to have a odd-colored broth.  (My friend Mina was quite embarassed about this, but I insisted we needed flavor..which she agreed on)  

I don't know if it's traditional to have a bland broth, but the one's I had in the past used Vegetable broth, or something with flavor.  Sigh:::  

I mean, I still ate the whole thing.  The one thing that is really awesome was the quality of the meat.  I had the prime rib-eye special, the meat itself was absolutely delish (which is why I gave this place 2 stars). Oh yea and, i waited 1.5 hours on a Saturday night.

Overall, disappointed and still looking for the best Shabu-shabu in town.  Any suggestions? Please message me!

4.5 stars.

Ramblings:
- Don't mind the crowds, or that you have to sit next to random strangers (same table)
- 30 minute wait @ 2PM on saturday
- Order the crab and pork dumplings.
- Poke a hole in the dumpling with your chopstick, slurp the soup out, dollop hot sauce and citrus soy, chug the rest.
- Drink a pot of hot tea.
- Order the pork dumplings (to compare with the crab&pork) and eat it the same way as the first.
- Pay your bill (note: gratuity included)
- Grab your stuff, go to the next block to Big Wong's for some duck.
- Google how to make the soup dumplings.. or how they get the soup part inside the skin!? (SOOO cool how they do it. http://www.epicurious....)
- Come back in 3 days.

My ideal soup dumplings.  Totally hit the spot.