Je'bon Sushi & Noodle House - East Village, NYC

I'm not sure if you noticed, but there is no official Japantown in NYC. Tourist can find Chinatown as well as Koreatown on the map of NYC but Japantown is nowhere to be found. However, if you were to ask somebody relatively familiar with the city, they would tell you that there IS an unofficial Japantown in NYC. It is located in the East Village, between 2nd and 3rd Ave on St Marks Pl (another name for East 8th St). All you need to do is take the 6 Train to Astor Pl and walk along 8th St towards St Marks Pl. You will find all kinds of yakitori houses, sushi restaurants, Japanese grocery stores and quite a few karaoke bars located along that short stretch.
We heard quite a lot about Je'bon and also read quite a number of positive reviews about this place. When we found out that Groupon was running a '$20 for $40 worth of food and drinks' deal a few months ago, we took advantage of that and bought that Groupon. We finally found some time to head out to the East Village a couple of weeks back to use that Groupon as well as to check out Je'bon. The best way to get to Je'bon is by subway. Just take the 6 Train and get off at Astor Pl. There is also street side parking if you choose to drive but just like any other place in the city, parking is really limited.
We arrived at around 3pm, so the place was pretty empty. I was told that it gets really packed during peak hours. The waiters were really friendly and I was pretty impressed with the fast service. I also liked the decor. Exposed brick walls with simple wooden furniture and rather cool lighting. Very very nice. They also have a special room for private parties downstairs. The menu was mainly Japanese but they also have a small selection of Pan Asian food.
After taking our drinks (green tea is on the house) and food order, our server brought out some complimentary miso soup. Nothing really to shout about but I cannot find anything bad to say about it either. Just your regular miso soup. It was nice though, especially on a chilly day.
For our appetizer, we shared a serving of their famous Smiley Buns ($4). It was so so so yummy! A thick slice of stewed pork belly in soy sauce, a slice of cucumber and leek on a Chinese style steamed bun. It came with a small dish of sweet sauce, somewhat similar to the sauce that is usually served with Peking Duck. I kinda regretted that we only ordered one serving, cos it was so good, one piece each just wasn't enough!! :P
Since it's a sushi place, we had to try one of their rolls. There were so many different types of rolls to choose from and everything looked so good. We finally decided to share a Black Dragon Roll ($10). Crab, avocado, cucumber and masago with yummy eel and sesame seeds on top. Mmmm mmmm mmmmmm, it was really good. A nice balance of different textures and the hint of sweetness in the sauce just adds to the entire dish. Out of everything that we ordered, I believe that this was Kevin's favorite.
For my main, I ordered the Salmon Lover Combo ($18). It consist of 3 pieces of salmon sushi, 5 pieces of salmon sashimi and one salmon avocado roll. I am a huge salmon fan, so this was perfect for me! The fish was really fresh and the meat was really firm. Also, the cut of the salmon was really thick (unlike some other places that serves paper thin salmon on their sushi). I must say that it's been a while since I had such yummy and fresh salmon. Two thumbs up.
Kevin ordered the Je'bon Noodle Broth ($14). Fresh homemade fish noodles, fish noodles fish paste, sea scallops, crab, shrimp, mussel, chicken, mushrooms,vegetables and bamboo shoots in a delicious broth. The seafood was really fresh and they were really generous with the portion too! The fresh homemade fish noodles can be a little bit 'fishy' smelling and might need some getting used to (especially if you have never tried it before) but both Kevin and I loved it. Just sprinkle on some chili powder and slurp away. Very yummy dish too. Overall, we both loved the food at Je'bon. It might be a little on the pricey side but trust me, it's worth every penny spent. We will most definitely return in the near future.

Je'bon Sushi & Noodle House - East Village, NYC
15 St Marks Pl,
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (212) 388 1313
Web: http://www.jebonusa.com/

Best Takoyaki in NYC!!!

After our yummy lunch at Grand Sichuan, I wanted to go check out this Takoyaki shop I have heard so much about. It's called Otafuku and it's supposed to serve really authentic and yummy tasting takoyaki. Many people, including some very well know foodies and food writers have been raving about this place for the longest time. I have always wanted to try it and since we are here in the East Village, I figured today would be the day! :D

Otafuku is just a couple of streets over from Grand Sichuan. When we arrived, we saw quite a number of people just hanging around outside and two people sitting on the bench, eating. I know from the reviews that it's a small shop but I never thought that it was this small! It's just probably half a shop (or even smaller).

When I went in (Kevin stood outside, it was just too packed), I noticed that there was just enough standing room for about four customers, maybe 5 if everybody is packed in and really skinny :P They would take your order and hand you a receipt. Then you will have to go hangout outside til your order is done. Then, they will call out your number and you can go back in to collect your food. The menu is pretty basic. There is Takoyaki (plain - $3, cheese - $4, octopus - $5), Okonomiyaki (choice of pork, beef, shrimp, squid or corn - $8) and Yakisoba ($7). Oh, apart from that, I think you can order some Edamame and Taiyaki (eventhough I didn't see any at the grill) too. If you are not sure of what you want, you can check out their combos. Combo A ($7) gets you 1/2 a Yakisoba and 1 pc Okonomiyaki, Combo B ($9) gets you 6 pcs Takoyaki and 1 pc Okonomiyaki, Combo C ($9) is 6 pcs Takoyaki and 1/2 Yakisoba and Combo D ($6) gets you 6 pcs Takoyaki and Edamame.

So, is the Takoyaki as yummy as everybody says it is? Helllllll yeah! It's soooooooo good, I can eat it everyday! Not only was it yummy, they were also very generous with the sauce and bonito flakes. I had so much bonito flakes that it was flying off in the wind when I came out of the shop :P I can't wait to go back to try their Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki....I bet they are yummy too! So, the next time you are in the East Village, you HAVE to go check out Otafuku. It's really really really good.

Otafuku - East Village
236 East 9th St (between 2nd and 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (212) 353 8503

Grand Sichuan - St Mark's Place

We were in the city last weekend to shop for some stuff, to prepare for our trip back to Malaysia for CNY. Yes, we were in Chinatown but we refrained (with much difficulty) from eating there and decided to try eating in a new neighborhood this time around. We actually headed over to Little Italy, to try out Lombardi's. They are supposed to be the best pizza place in the whole of Manhattan. However, upon reaching, we saw such a huge crowd standing outside, waiting for their tables. There were so many people we couldn't even get in to put our names on the waiting list. I then suggested that we take the train to the East Village and check out St Mark's Place. The whole street is well known for all the tiny Japanese restaurants that line that street.

There were so many Japanese restaurants to choose from, we don't even know where to begin. At last I saw Grand Sichuan. Yes, I know it's not a Japanese restaurant :P However, I have been reading some very good reviews about that place, so we decided to give it a try. It's located just above Red Mango, on the second floor. I guess if you don't look hard enough, you might miss it.

There are quite a few Grand Sichuans located all over the city and also one in Jersey City, NJ. I believe the original Grand Sichuan was opened in 1996 in Chinatown (has since closed down). There are currently four Grand Sichuan branches - on 7th Avenue, 9th Avenue, Jersey City and of course, this branch, on St Mark's Pl.

The interior of the restaurant wasn't that big but it had a nice clean decor. It's split into two levels and we sat on the higher level. I just love the big glass windows. We can just look out at all the interesting people (and trust me, there are A LOT of 'interesting' people in the East Village) walk by, going about doing their own thing.

The menu was pretty large, featuring mostly Sichuan cooking (like doh! Of course Sichuan cooking :P). We decided to share a noodle dish and a rice dish. I know many of you will comment on my choice of noodle dish. No, I didn't order the typical Sichuan style Dan Dan Noodles or Cold Noodles but went with an order of Singapore Mai Fun ($7.95)! Hey, sue me, I was in the mood for some of that :P The portion was really big, more than enough to feed two people. It tasted pretty good. However, it was just a little bit tad spicy for me. Well, I guess it's a Sichuan restaurant, things tend to be spicy?

We also ordered a serving of Sauteed Baby Lamb with Peppers ($12.95). It was served with a serving of white rice. Now, this is good!!! The lamb was so tender, with just the right amount of peppers, garlic slices and some cilantro. Again, it was spiccccyyyy. However, it was a good kind of spicy. The kind that makes you want to continue eating more and more, even though you are sweating and suffering from the spiciness. I would definitely recommend this.

At the end of the meal, we were given some complimentary slices of navel oranges, a fortune cookie and wet towel each. Overall, it was a pretty good lunch. A tad bit more expensive than the typical Chinese restaurant you can find in Chinatown, but the taste and quality of the food makes up for it. If you are a fan of Sichuan cooking, this is the place for you.

Grand Sichuan - St Marks Place
23 Saint Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (212) 529 4800