Tempura Matsui - best tempura experience so far

Tempura Matsui is a probably the only fancy tempura restaurant that I know in NYC (one michelin star). It opened in late 2015 and received good review from NY Times. Luckily for us, they offered an offer in Gilt City which I believed is a very good deal.

We got the Matsui dinner which cost $200 per person (original price). The deal costed us $199 for 2 person.

Having gone to Tempura Kondo in Tokyo, I was surprised to be greeted by young chefs. I later learned that the head chef has passed away.

First up is the seasonal starter - fluke with vegetables, corn and flava bean.

Next is the sashimi assortment of the day- fatty tuna on shiso leaves, amberjack and (??).

What's interesting about the setup is that you can be creative with your food. Top left, you can see that there are two kinds of salt- miso salt and german rock salt. Top right is a lemon squeezer where you can add lemon to your tempura. 

The large bowl at the bottom left is the tempura dipping sauce where you can dunk grated daikon (right bowl) on it to give the dipping sauce more body. For each meal, the chef will provide recommendation on how you should season the tempura. For example, pair one of the salt with/without lemon, or to just use the dipping sauce. I had fun trying other kinds of combination to each dish.

The two salts.

The german rock salt comes from the big rock behind the counter.

So, what do you get in this course? Obviously, you will get the prawn and prawn heads.

Asparagus

Don't remember what these are..

Scallops. You can see that the chef cooked it right as it's still rare inside.

Lotus root.

Eggplants wrapped in eel.

Pumpkin.

Corn fritters.

White fish.

I asked the chef what they do with all of the leftover crumbs. I believed he said that it's either used in some dishes or they eat it with staffs/family.

The next three dishes are add-ons (outside the dinner course). Shiitake mushroom.

Squid.

Uni. This could have been presented better though.

As a cleanser is the somen noodle with fresh vegetables.

Steamed egg custard & foie gras topped with crab sauce. This is very good. It's soft and flavorful.

For the rice course, you can opt for either ten-don or ten-cha.

Below is ten-cha, tempura rice bowl topped with tea.

Below is ten-don, rice with tempura on top.

Lastly is the refreshment. If I recall correctly, it's yuzu ice cream with matcha.

So what's the final verdict? Compared with the two tempura places that I tried before in Japan (Tempura Kondo- two michelin star and Tempura tsunahachi), I'll rate this the highest. First, it's fun to be explore different flavor profile by combining the tempura with different seasoning. Second, non-tempura courses (e.g., egg custard and sashimi) are better options than what was offered in Tempura Kondo. You can read more about my experience with Tempura Kondo in here. 

The only downside is that this tempura course (original price) is more expensive than Tempura Kondo. Will probably have to wait for deal to eat at here again.

La Sirene

La Sirene is a small French restaurant located at Tribeca that have garnered more than 1k Yelp reviews. I first came to know about this restaurant when my friend wanted to try it out all the way from Singapore. It wasn't too memorable for me but it left a very good impression with my friend that he insisted to try it again (twice in the same week) before he went back to Singapore. I decided to try again as Groupon was offering a deal $65 for $49 (more detail below).

Anyway after much contemplation, we decided to get the same popular dishes that we tried before and oh boy, it was much better this time.

Escargots à la BourguignoneRoasted Escargots  - $13.95

(1/2 dozen in the Shell) with Butter and Garlic sauce

Although I don't remember my past experience, the thought of eating escargots was mouth watering enough to tempt us in ordering it again. Indeed, it was a very enjoyable meal. After we were done, seeing that we still want to keep the plate because of the sauce (yes it was buttery good), the waiter offered us some breads which we gladly accepted. We completely wiped out the plate!

Tournedos Rossini $36.

Seared Filet Mignon Topped With Foie Gras (Pate Style), Shallots, Port and Red Wine Truffles Sauce. 

Long story short, the filet mignon was ok. It wasn't memorable. It was lukewarm either because (1) I took too long for pictures or (2) cause I saw they completed the dishes before we were done with the escargot (not sure if they attempt to keep it warm while waiting). On another note, the foie gras was really good. I preferred to eat it separately in order to maximize its flavor profile.

The restaurant provided this complimentary dish when entree was ordered- a set of 4 vegetables for every two person. Can't complain for free dish.

Kassulet Toulousain de la Maison $32.50

The menu describe the dish as follow: "Cassoulet Toulouse’s Style (Cannellini Beans, Carrots, Tomato, Garlic Duck Confit, Slab Bacon and Pork Sausage all Braised with Noble Duck fat, White Stock and Foie Gras Jus) This is a Very Rich Dish which was served for Warriors to defend their Village! Don’t take it if you can’t bear it."

Interesting caption to describe the dish. I do call myself food warrior, so I must try this dish again. Yes, it was indeed a rich dish cause of all the fat (oh glorious fat!). The dish consisted mainly of beans (70%) so you might have excessive bad gas (aka fart) once you are done. I was a little disappointed with the portion of the bacon as there were probably 2~3 slabs. It wasn't too sinfully fatty as what I hoped, which left me wanting more. The duck confit and sausage was nicely cooked and the crustiness of the top layer made the meal enjoyable, much better than my previous experience. We didn't finish the meal and brought it home. It seemed to taste much better the next day.

Final cost of the meal is $85 (tax + tips included), a saving of $16. Next time, we might want to try the $35 three course prefix meal (only in certain time period and for non-signature dishes).

Note about Groupon deal: The reservation process through Groupon was a little annoying as the restaurant decided to end the promotion earlier (we weren't informed) and they canceled most of our February reservations without reason. After talking with the owner, we managed to secure our reservation at the end of January. Else, we need to request Groupon for a refund.

#french #duck #bacon #foiegras #beans #nyc #manhattan #cuisine #filetmignon #tribeca 

Marea - 2 Michelin Stars

Marea is a two Michelin stars restaurant located near columbus circle. Tasting menu for lunch has a better value as it costs $80 each for five course. However, since there are several mention of popular dishes (fusilli and ricci) that are not part of the tasting menu, we decided to get the two course menu at $47 each and ordered a separate appetizer for $18.

Overall, experience is 3.8. Some dishes live up to their reputation but some do not.

POLIPO (grilled octopus, smoked potatoes, pickled red onion, radish, chilies, tonnato)

Best dish of the day. Octopus is flavorful and tender. Even the vegetable tasted good.

ASTICE (nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant, basil)

There is an additional $7 price tag on top of the two course menu. It is fresh but not memorable.

Ricci (Sea Urchin, lardo, sea salt) $18

Many people raved about this dish. It's only offered during dinner but we managed to order it during lunch. I have high expectation about this dish but alas, I think it is overhyped. Yes, the sea urchin is fresh and not pungent but I don't see how the lard helped to alleviate the sea urchin. Overall, it tasted like a sea urchin on top of a toasted bread. Not memorable.

It may also cause stomach ache.

Home made pistachio and olive bread. 

You can see the olive in this picture. Pretty good.

FUSILLI (durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow)

This is another popular dish in the restaurant which offers a generous portion of octopus and bone marrow. We both enjoyed the meal very much. Octopus is of the same quality as the appetizer, but bone marrow could be more enjoyable if the it is more rendered or roasted. So far, most memorable bone marrow is from +Minetta Tavern.

Our table overlooking the dining room.

#FoodAndDrink #restaurant #nyc #manhattan #food #foodie #michelinstarrestaurant #michelinguide #MichelinStar #FineDining #MichelinGuide 

Kyo Ya

Kyo Ya is one of NYC restaurants that offers kaiseki menu (9, 10 or 11 course). I came with high expectation as it received many good reviews from both food critics and review sites. Kyo Ya distinguishes itself from most restaurants as it is 'hidden'–located below street level and does not put any restaurant sign (hidden similar to Zenkichi), even their restrooms are hidden. They also do not advertise itself in internet–no restaurant website or post menu online (their menu changes occasionally).

We opted for 10 course which is the most popular and priced at $120. From what I understand, the  primary difference with the 9 course is the addition of the sashimi course (a must try), while the 11 course has the addition of a variety of appetizer, grilled dish and sashimi course.

Overall, there are 3 memorable courses while others are decent. Therefore, I gave it a 3.5/5 rating. Perhaps I need to try the ala carte menu as I noticed that many of the Japanese patrons did not order the kaiseki courses.

Our 10 course kaiseki menu was already placed when we arrived at our chef table. You need to reserve in advance for Kaiseki.

Below are series of ala carte menu that I took for future references.

 Even though I am six feet tall, I can't see much of what the chef was doing. However, you will have better chance if you asked for the chef table's corner.

Two restrooms are hidden in the wall. Many patrons walked all the way to the back and found themselves looking at the kitchen.

They allowed you to smell their tea choices before you ordered

First course- Hokkaido Sanma Arimani with crispy rice puff

It reminded me of a fancier version of a canned dish. Flavor is good but not memorable.

Second course: spaghetti squash carbonara with smoked shrimp and pine nuts

One of the course highlights. The waitress sprinkled fish roes on top of the dish and on a side for me to try separately. The smoke amplified the flavor.

 Third course: Maki sushi tempura

Made of tuna and snapper. Since it's lightly fried, it had a crunchy texture. After consuming them, my throat was a little dry and has an acidic aftertaste (perhaps from vinegar). Decent enough.

 Fourth course: Tetsubin mushi

Iron pot soup with hamo pike eel, matsutake and onion. 

Each item are cooked and seasoned separately before added to the broth.

The iron pot was initially covered with the lid. The waitress then gave us a small serving bowl so that we can pour the soup into, and a slice of lemon. This meal is comforting and definitely helped warm ourselves from the cold weather. My advice is not to put too much lemon.

 

Fifth course: Fresh Oyster of the day (Hood canal)

Looked so inducing that I didn't take too much pictures. The oyster is indeed fresh and enjoyable.

Part of the fifth course: sashimi of the day

Never would I expect that I will have the best sashimi experience in this restaurant. I would attribute it to the fact that apart from the fresh sashimi, I had fun eating those leaves and flower that I thought was for decorative purpose. Even the white layer was edible (daikon) which we only learned at the end of the course when the chef told us about it. 

Top right was scallop from Nantucket which was very soft and sweet. Bottom right was the octopus from Hokkaido which we added a sprinkle of seaweed salt (if i remember correctly) based on the chef's recommendation. It was a little chewy and I might have put too much salt on it. The chef also recommended to pluck and scattered the salty fingers leaves (between octopus and scallop) which were very suprising as they were juicy. Also in the pictures are saba mackarel from Boston, shimaji from Japan and shisho green flowers (very flavorful) and oyster leaves. We basically wiped out everything, leaving nothing except the ice.

This is seasonal uni from Maine. The serving was pretty generous and they gave several nori for us to roll it with the uni.

Sixth course: Amadi tile fish tsubu miso yaki

The fish was cured with miso yaki before it was grilled. Flavor was there although the fish was a little overcooked and dry. The two round balls are satoimo potato enclosed with mochi skin, which are enjoyable. 

Seventh course: Dried persimmon, fresh persimmon and ebishinjo agedashi

Before eating, we broke apart the shaved daikon to thicken the broth. Most enjoyable items were the dried persimmon (left fried stuff) and the shrimp ball which was full of flavor.

Eight course: umi somen, oroshi hosui pear with dashi vinegar (not shown)

 The palate cleanser before the rice dish. Decent dish

Ninth course: maitake mushroom and Jidori kamadaki rice

First presented in the pot

The waitress first opened the pot to show us the inside before they took it away on the side.

Red miso soup and watermelon pickle as accompaniment.  

The rice was served in a smaller bowl. It was pretty mild in flavor and seasoning. We had the waitress packed the remaining dish to go. It was wrapped nicely in some type of leaves.

Random ala carte dishes that other ordered

Oh boy, so tempting

Last course: red bean and green tea bavarois cake and hojicha ice cream

Then the dessert course arrived with the waitress and chef singing happy birthday. Funny thing was there was another girl celebrating birthday right beside us. 

Both desserts were great and was another highlight of the course.

The green tea cake reminded me of the one we had in Takahachi bakery.

The ice cream was flavorful of green tea. It was better than the Brushstroke's green tea pudding.

After the end of the course, the waitress gave a small bottle of salad dressing as birthday gift, which was a nice gesture