Affordable Japanese Food at Sun Cafe Restaurant
Sun Cafe
67 Reade Street
Btw Church and Broadway – City Hall Downtown Area)
New York, NY
(212) 608-3822
Reservations: Not required
$10 minimum for delivery
Sun Cafe is tucked away in the outskirts of City Hall where for many years I did not know existed. I have worked and gone to school in my undergraduate days in this neighborhood and not once noticed that there was a Japanese restaurant, let alone an affordable and peaceful Japanese restaurant. The only reason why I am aware of this restaurant is because of my brother. He and his friends came to this restaurant one day for a friend’s party and told me that for $15 that you spend, you get unlimited sake. He also said that if I’m not a fan of that, the prices are very affordable; for example soda is just $1 and where can you get that in restaurants these days. To make up for the times of not being aware of this restaurant, I decided to come to this restaurant with my friend Sally to see if my brother is right! Plus, times are tough; I have to get more bang for my buck for sure!
Sun Cafe Japanese Restaurant
Interior of Sun Cafe
Let me apologize now for my blurry pictures. I didn’t bring my DSLR camera because it’s hard to carry that around everywhere, so the next best thing is my old and clunky Canon point and shoot. I like pictures without flash because it captures the actual moment as it is supposed to be.
When Sally and I arrived to this restaurant at 6:00pm on a Wednesday night, there were only 8 people in the back and it was for someone’s birthday. I can understand why the restaurant is almost empty because Reade Street is not a busy street. Perhaps during lunch time, but at night time it get very quiet.
Let’s get on to the dinner portion of this post as I am sure you are dying to see what Sally and I have eaten!
Spicy Popcorn Shrimp - $6.00
This is popcorn shrimp! How delicious it looks right? The only time that I have had popcorn shrimp was at Popeyes or KFC, and it was completely deep fried. I expected this appetizer to look like that, but this was beyond my expectations! The shrimp tastes like Chinese Fried Shrimp with Caramelized Walnuts. If you have tried it, the texture tastes like mayo, condense milk, and honey. I loved it. Unfortunately it wasn’t spicy enough, but nonetheless it is a very good starter!
Miso Soup
This soup and white rice comes with my Smoky Salmon entree. The miso soup tastes like generic miso anywhere else, but it was good to have because it was a cold day.
Smoky Salmon w/Broccoli - $13.00
This salmon would have been a little bit better if it was a little more undercooked. This is a hard piece of fish to eat; but I understand that since it’s smoked, the texture can get tougher. This isn’t bad to eat, but next time I would make sure that the chef undercook it just by a little, that way the eating experience is a lot hearty.
Sweet Potato Tempura Roll & Twin Shrimp Roll - $10.00
Sally decided to go for two rolls which is mentioned above. I have never had sweet potato tempura roll before and it was quite delicious. You would think the combination between sweet potato and rice is a weird combination, but it’s actually a delightful fusion between the two. The texture is soft, a little crunchy and chewy which is what I like. Plus the extra hint of sweetness from the sweet potato just hits the spot. I really liked it.
The twin shrimp roll is personally not my favorite. Doesn’t mean that it tastes bad, I just personally do not like it because it’s dry but it’s good comfort food. The mango and the avocado strip is supposed to diffuse the dryness, but even then that’s not my cup of tea. I think it would tastes better if it was spicy salmon or tuna instead of the shrimp, but the waitress would not accommodate any changes in the menu.
Lychee Sorbet
The Lychee Sorbet is delicious! It may not look like much, but there are chunks of lychee in it which gave the sorbet more texture, which I personally love. The sorbet is not too sweet as it is just right to me.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Sun Cafe. It did get a little more packed in the evening which is great. I wish they would be a little more accommodating with customizing sushi rolls, but otherwise the food is not bad for the price that you are paying.
Until next time,
<3 FCG
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We need to go back and have some raw fish and green tea ice cream! Props go to Kevin for finding this place! We should consult with him every time we go out to eat.