Fresh fig with Japanese pear lemon vinegar sauce

I always plan a special dinner out for my guy’s birthday, typically in Manhattan.  He’s crazy about Asian food, particularly Japanese, so when it came time to book this year’s evening out, I polled my Twitter foodie followers for recommendations.  Kyo Ya in the East Village made the short list and I promptly called to reserve a table.

When I called Kyo Ya, the hostess asked which tasting menu I wanted to opt for.  I selected the 10-course menu at $120 and had to secure the reservation with a credit card.  I didn’t mind the credit card guarantee since the place is small and purchases the required fish daily based on client reservations.

To say the restaurant doesn’t do sidewalk advertising is a major understatement.  There are no visible signs outside; the place is located downstairs in what looks like a residential building.  Even with the address in hand and knowing Kyo Ya has a non-descript facade, I still had doubts about it being the correct venue when we arrived.  We asked the hostess if we had the right place and she softly giggled and confirmed that it was, apparently not the first time this question has been posed to her.

We were seated at what I’ll describe as a sushi bar.  My guy was sat on the end, and me facing the chef.  It turns out he had the best seat in the house as he could see not only our chef preparing food, but all the way into the bustling kitchen.  The space is cozy, extremely neat and inviting.  The staff is there to create an experience and is very knowledgeable about the food and preparations.

Grilled lobster, corn with shuto sauce in potato

The sushi / sashimi chef is incredibly talented.  He works with the freshest, purest and rarest fish in Manhattan and it shows.  He’s so proud of the fish varieties being flown in from all parts of the world, that he even offered us a side-by-side comparison of Portland, Maine sea urchin vs. rare Japanese sea urchin.  What a treat!  Here are details of the ten courses we enjoyed:

First course: Zatsuki – stuffed lotus root with fish cake

Second course: Sakizuke – grilled eggplant and Goma tofu with sea urchin sauce

Third course: Oshinogi – seared Hamo pike conger sushi with seasoned cucumber

Fourth course: Owan – snapper mousse ball and mushroom clear soup

Fifth course: Otsukuri – sashimi of the day, seared Bonito PLUS, assorted sashimi and sea urchin

Sixth course: Yakimono – grilled lobster, corn with Shuto sauce in potato simmered Sanma pike mackerel with Arima Sansho

Seventh course: Nimono – steamed Guji sweet snapper and togan squash with Sudachi citrus thick sauce

Eight course: Tomezakana – fresh fig with Japanese pear lemon vinegar sauce

Ninth course: Oshokuji – rice cooked with organic chicken and assorted autumn mushrooms in clay pot Nameko Akadashi soup and pickles

Tenth course: Sweet potato crème brulée with Shio whipped cream honey dew melon sorbet

This isn’t the place for you if you’re looking for a celebrity TV chef or for touristy sushi.  This place is a museum where fish is proudly displayed.  I highly recommend it to serious fish lovers.

Cheers,

Veronique