Cagen Restaurant has opened in the east village, and was just reviewed by the New York Times. Checkout their Menu! In addition, get more flavor for the place, no pun intended, by soaking up this review from a local yelper:
There are two things you need to know about Cagen before we get started:
1) this is the best sushi in nyc. Better than Nakazawa, Tanoshi, Yasuda, ichimura, Kura, and Gari.
2) Cagen is not a sushi restaurant, nor do they have a sushi omakase. What they do have is a most excellent kappo omakase.
Now, this place is off the grid completely. Shockingly, the place seems half empty most of the time, and there are no problems getting a reservation at the bar. I truly hope this changes, not because I want to have issues getting reservations, but I want this place to have the success it truly deserves.
The restaurant is half underground, and has a very zen like feel to it, not dissimilar to Kura. The staff here is super friendly, and we must have been welcomed into the restaurant half a dozen times. Now, on to the omakase.
We started with an amuse of mixed veggies and mushrooms is a super flavorful broth. The mushrooms just soaked up all the deliciousness.
The next plate was some assorted small bites, including panko crusted pork, two fish dishes, poached tomato, and goat cheese with white chocolate and wasabi. Each bite was flavorful, balanced, and light.
From there we moved on to the sashimi plate, consisting of 2 pieces of 5 different types of fish, and served with traditional garnishes (wasabi and soy sauce) and some less traditional (translation: not traditional) such as a jalapeño "wasabi" and a chimichurri sauce made of shizo, jalapeño, soy, wasabi, yuzu, and some other goodies. The fish was fresh and clean, and the chimichurri was really delightful, and complimented all of the fish.
Also worth noting, Toshio-San cuts all of his fish himself, and to order. There is nothing pre-sliced, or prepared by a sous chef, and let me tell you, it is a pure pleasure to watch him work. It is mesmerizing.
From there, we moved on to the soba. You get three differently seasoned portions, but it doesn't really matter; they all get dunked into the magical sauce provided. The noodles are chewy and light and flavorful. You can tell without question they are freshly handmade daily by a man who has honed his craft over the years. I was so obsessed with the sauce, I ended up drinking it on its own when the noodles were gone, which apparently I wasn't supposed to have done. Oops.
The next course, you are asked to mix your noodle sauce (which they happily refilled for me) with cooking water from the noodles with buckwheat gains, scallions, and wasabi to make into a delicious soup. So good.
From there, we had cooked ayu (I think?) fish served 3 ways. First are two grilled fillets, then the fried bones and the fried head, and all accompanied with some blistered peppers. The fish was great, and I loved the salty crunch of the bones and the head.
The last hot course was poached artic char with cherry blossom leaf and grilled veggies or some sort. This was another excellent dish.
Now, we moved onto the sushi course of four pieces: toro sushi, marinated yellowfin tuna sushi served on nori, uni served on nori and a chopped toro hand roll. Best sushi in nyc. Better than all those I listed earlier. The marinated yellowfin was the single best piece I have had anywhere. I was trying to figure it out... Did Toshio-San use truffles in the marinade? Is this some special nori I've never had? No... What I was tasting was that elusive flavor I am always hearing about. Umami. This is umami.
For dessert, we were given lemon sorbet with yuzu oil, mangos, and wasabi. I questioned the wasabi in a dessert, but it paired so perfectly, which more less sums up the whole meal.
Toshio-San truly is a master of finding ways to creat harmonies in the flavors of his food. While not cheap ($310 for 2 omakase a, plus 2 of the $21 sake flights), it by no means cheap, but worth every penny if you ask me. Do yourself a favor and just come eat here already.
Showing posts with label East Village Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Village Restaurants. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday, October 25, 2013
Ugly Kitchen EV Menu Phone Address and Reviews
- 103 1st Ave
- Btwn 6th & 7th St
- (212) 777-6677
Appetizers
| Spicy Pork Buns our signature spicy marinated pork in a soft milk bun with lettuce, house sauce and house brine pickles | 8.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasoned Frites crispy fries dusted with parmesan cheese and served with spicy ketchup | 6.00 | ||
| Fried Shrimp fried shrimp with crisp ginger panko breading and served with remoulade | 7.00 | ||
| Calamari Rings panko crusted squid with a house dipping sauce | 8.00 | ||
| Jumbo Wings choice of sweet apple garlic or classic buffalo sauce | 8.00 | ||
| Brie & Pear Bruschettas imported brie cheese, poached pears, a hint of basil | 6.00 | ||
| Fried Spring Rolls ground beef, pork, shrimp and spices with a sweet and sour sauce | 8.00 | ||
| Ugly Dumplings thin and crispy pastry dough with fresh herb infused cheese and tomatoes with a side of chimichurri | 5.00 | ||
| Spicy Bruschettas tomatoes, olives, onion, chill flakes, garlic mozzarella, basil and olive oil | 6.00 |
Salad $7
| Caprese fresh mozzarella with basil, tomato and citron honey balsamic reduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ugly Grilled Apple organic salad mixed with candied walnuts, goat cheese and grilled apples with soy honey balsamic reduction |
Entree
| Perilla Cream Pasta taglioni pasta with garlic, onions and mushrooms in a sauteed sesame leaf cream sauce sauteed | 13.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizzling Tuna Belly peppered tuna belly marinated in lemon soy sauce grilled to perfection served on a hot sizzling plate w/ tomatoes & onion on the side | 16.00 | ||
| Ugly Grilled Chicken fire grilled tender chicken with a korean fusion marinade served with salad and rice | 14.00 | ||
| Ugly Sizzling Steak porterhouse steak on a hot plate served with ugly kitchen mushroom sauce | 20.00 | ||
| Roasted Pork Belly slow roasted pork belly dry rubbed with aged miso, spices and herbs, served with crisp apple kimchi and braised cabbage topped with a chili-denjang puree | 16.00 | ||
| Roasted Pork Sandwich slow roasted pork, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and remoulade souce in a soft brioche bun serve with a side of fries | 12.00 |
Filipino Specialties
| Ugly Duckling balut "fear fa ctor experience" | 5.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizzling Sisig spicy minced pork belly, liver, pork cheek sauteed in onions and soy sauce served in a sizzling plate w/ egg on top | 13.00 | ||
| Fried Isaw deep fried pork ruffle served in soy sauce & vinegar | 7.00 | ||
| Longsilog sweet pork sausages served with egg & garlic rice | 11.00 | ||
| Fishball deep fried minced fish served with sweet & chili sauce on the side | 7.00 | ||
| Tapsilog filipino steak & egg, garlic beef served with your choice of egg and garlic rice | 11.00 | ||
| Tocilog sweet cured ham served with egg & garlic rice on the side | 11.00 | ||
| Dasilog deep fried boneless milk fish served with egg & garlic rice | 11.00 | ||
| Bistek thinly slice beef marinated in asian soy sauce topped w/ onions, served w/ garlic rice | 13.00 | ||
| Beef Pares slowly braised beef chucks stew on a sweet asian sauce | 13.00 | ||
| Laing sauteed taro leaves cooked in coconut milk | 10.00 | ||
| Lechon Kawali crispy pork belly w/ liver sauce served with garlic rice | 12.00 | ||
| Kalderetang Kambing goat meat stewed in tomato sauce served w/ garlic rice | 13.00 | ||
| Crispy Pata crispy fried pork hock and knuckle (good for 2-3 persons) | 20.00 |
Dessert
| Ice Turon made of thinly sliced bananas and a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in a spring roll wrapper and fried, served with a scooped of ice cream of your choice | 6.00 |
|---|
Cocktail $10
| Cucumber Peach Martini organic cucumber vodka, peach schnapps & peach juice | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lychee Martini vodka, blackcurrants & lychee juice | |||
| Mango Sour Martini rum, mango juice & lime | |||
| Green Tea Martini green tea matcha blended with vodka | |||
| Calamansi Martini vodka, salt & calamansi juice | |||
| Ginger Mint Mojito rum, mint & ginger | |||
| Spicy Mango tequila, jalapeno, mint, ginger & mango | |||
| Buko Pandan rum, midori, coconut water | |||
| Weng Weng filipino version of long island ice tea |
Beers
| Kirin Light japanese light beer | 6.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| San Miguel Pale Pilsen imported pale pilsen beer from philippines | 6.00 | ||
| San Miguel Lights imported light beer from philippines | 6.00 | ||
| San Miguel Red Horse imported blend beer that rock your world | 6.00 | ||
| Stella Artois lager beer brewed in leuven, belgium | 7.00 | ||
| Goose Island wheat ale beer by goose island beer company | 7.00 | ||
| Land Shark lager style beer brewed by margaritaville brewing co. | 7.00 | ||
| Shock Top belgian white beer | 7.00 |
Wine By The Glass
Red Wine
| Juana Del Sol malbec | 8.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| cabernet | 8.00 | ||
| Thomas Henry merlot | 9.00 | ||
| pinot nior | 9.00 |
White Wine
| Beau Pere chardonnay | 9.00 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Duchineri pinot grigio | 9.00 | ||
| Finca La Martina torrontes | 9.00 | ||
| Savvignon Blanc savvignon blanc | 9.00 | ||
| Terrazo prosecco | 8.00 |
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