Kyotofu: Japanese Tofu Dessert
Kyotofu
705 9th Ave
(Btw 48th & 49th St)
New York, NY
(212) 974-6012
Have you ever thought that tofu can ever be a dessert? Well I did, but I didn’t know there was more than one way of doing it! The only tofu dessert that I’ve seen is Chinese tofu, or Tofu Flower, look that up in google, which I see being sold on the streets of Chinatown. Tofu flower is essentially steamed tofu served with black melted sugar. It’s quite a tame sugary treat. But anyways, I believe the same concept of making tofu is used here at Kyotofu, but I had to investigate to find out for myself.
A little bit of history, Kyotofu opened last November and there has been a lot of rave reviews, especially by New York mag, which is my bible of restaurant reviews. Located in the trendy neighborhood in the Hell’s Kitchen district, Kyotofu fits perfectly well here, which you will see. A pair of two recently graduated students are the entrepreneurs of this lovely dessert boutique, and their youthful style are reflected within the restaurant.
After months of stalling to take my trip to the neighborhood, I finally made reservations during Japanese restaurant week and decided to take my group of closest friends with me. And btw, I believe you can only make reservations if you have a party of 4 or more and you cannot be more than 10 mins late because then your reservation will be given away due to the small capacity of the restaurant.
As I arrived with my team of 6 at 9:30pm on Friday, I told guy standing in a casual suit that I had a reservation and he told me to give him 10 mins because the people at the table was getting ready to leave. So as I was waiting, I noticed that that was a bunch of barstools sitting in front of the restaurant, as you can see with the above picture. People were already having delicious treats, like this gorgeous parfait! I’ve always had great experience with a Japanese parfait and two pocky sticks in it. Ahh nice. The people here looked very trendy and it looked like the place to go socialize with a friend or go out ona date. But anyways, during the wait, the room between the door and the kitchen grew incredibly small because more people came to wait. Me and my gang were packed in so tight that we grew uncomfortable and impatient. Believe me, regardless of reservations, you’ll have to wait because this place is really really small. At least we were entertained as we were waiting because the female Japanese chef was making desserts right in front of our eyes! She was pouring this black substance, we thought it was chocolate, but it was too thin to be chocolate and later saw her put it over a muffin. Mm…interesting. But yeah, after that we were all set to go. Woo!!
If you haven’t seen the picture of the inside of Kyotofu on the NY mag website, then you can see it now, but not as wide and detailed like theirs are. 
The theme of the restaurant is pure and clean — white on the outside and white on the inside. Since bright white isn’t all that sexy, there are fluorescent light bulbs and candles all around which produces this night golden look. I like it.
For drinks, Amy ordered:
Harajuku Martini whole lychee/green apple puree/shochu
Amy, correct me if I’m wrong since I’m no expert on alcohol, but yeah I had a little sip and it was very strong with a hint of sweetness. I believe this drink costs $12. And then my boyfriend ordered Soju, which I’m even going to put a picture up because it looks like ice water with a slice of lemon hanging on the edge of the cup. That soju was incredible strong and bitter. Yuck, I’m just not a fan of soju.
Alright on with the desserts!
First came the Toasted Walnut Tahitian Vanilla Parfait, that contains maple soy mascarpone mousse and caramel apricot sauce, and some pomegranate for decoration, which Judy and Queenie ordered:
Price: $8
Sorry I didn’t get a better shot at the toasted almond part, but nonetheless, it looks good. When I swiped a taste of this delicious treat, I thought it was ice cream. It truly tastes like vanilla ice cream, but it was missing something that makes it vanilla — it was the soy and mascarpone mousse. My goodness, you do not realize how delicious this treat is! Very very delicious! I absolutely loved it.
Next came Chi’s treat:
Warm Chestnut Mochi Chocolate Cake green tea-anko cream, fig yokan
Price: $10
I took a bite into this and it tastes like the best muffin I have ever had! Oh gosh, it was nice and soft, sweet, and there’s a surprise in the middle. Take a guess on what’s inside? I really like this, but it’s a little overpriced, but it tastes pretty good. I enjoyed this.
Next, my boyfriend’s treat:
Black Sesame Sweet Tofu (Tofu Flower), with hoji-cha tea syrup, white sesame tuille, goji berry
Price: $8
Wow, when I saw this I thought to myself, how artistic the presentation is. Growing up with the Tofu dessert in chinatown, it was just poured into a plastic container with the syrup and that was it. This, this is nice! You see it right? And how does it compare with the chinese version? Well, this is much more richer — you can literally taste the pureness of the tofu. Very clean and pure. That’s what I tasted, and don’t forget to pour some of that syrup on it. This syrup is much stronger than I one I had in chinatown, and my god, it tastes very very smooth and delicious. It’s not too different, but it’s not too similar too. I loved this.
Kyotofu Kaisaki Prix Nfixe zensai, dessert sampler, petitis fours
Price: $15
And here comes my first course:
I believe this is the zensai, which basically is a sample of the black sesame black tofu. I prefer having this sample because it looks cuter without me having to have so much tofu. If you like a variety, I suggest the sampler. It’s simply the best. And the rest of the pictures that I’m going to show you are samples of what my friends had.
Second course:
Top left clockwise, toasted walnut vanilla parfait, warm chestnut chocolate cake, peanut butter dipping, and lastly ginger infused Japanese rice okayu (rice pudding).
Green tea chocolate, sample of cookie gift box
I’m not a green tea lover, but after a bite of this, it actually did not taste bad. In fact, it was quite sweet, which was why I liked this. I actually wanted the cookie box to go, but then again I was so full and I wasn’t going to save it for the next day because I wanted it fresh. And because it’s $23 for this cookie box. Check their website, you’ll get a good picture of it.
And lastly, Amy ordered another cocktail since she’s such a cocktail-thirsty kinda gal:
Doki Doki Saketini melon puree/junmai sake/champagne
Again I could be wrong because I couldn’t remember what she ordered, but I believe this is the one. One sip, and it was already so strong and bitter in my mouth. Even though it looks incredibly fruity, it packs a powerful punch.
Overall it was a fabulous dining experience. The desserts came out really quickly and it tasted as good as it looks! And the waitress was very friendly to us. She took my boyfriend not to confuse the soju with water because it could get him very drunk which was funny. Then later on she came by and asked if one of us was a blogger, and of course I said yes, and then she said that she lost a bet. This bet was between her and the man who I thought was a waiter, Mike, but turns out to be the co-owner of this restaurant. Haha was my face red. After we paid, I asked for a picture with her and Mike.
Yeah, it turns out that this girl is also one of the co-owners as well instead of the waitress. Ah, it was one fun night. But yes, this is the first time that I’ve ever encountered seeing an owner at any restaurant. Plus they were friendly, professional, and speedy. Like I said to them, I will recommend all my friends to come here because this is such a unique place to come to. The dessert might be a little more than what you would expect, but it’s well worth it. See and taste this place at least once! I promise you that you will not regret it.
Alright, time for the NYC Health Inspection results of this place:
KYOTOFU
705 9 AVENUE, MANHATTAN 10019
212-974-6012
Current violation points: 7 – PASSED
Inspection Date: 10/24/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to food borne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) Mechanical dishwasher not operated as per manufacturer’s specifications (time/temperature/chemical concentration); machine defective.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
Ninja New York
Ninja New York
25 Hudson St
btw Duane and Reade St
New York, NY
(212) 274-8500
Reservations: Definitely, so the people can make the proper arrangements for you and your party.
For some of you who don’t know, Ninja is a themed restaurant with of course your ninjas in a ninja-like setting. This was one of softrice recommended places to go to and I thought it was the perfect place for me to take my boyfriend for his birthday since he loves ninjas. Let me stress that even through it is a theme restaurant, you shouldn’t take the quality of the food less seriously than it’s other similar counter parts, like, Mars 2112. And of course it might not be the best japanese food as well because it’s a theme restaurant.
Ninja is hidden in lower manhattan, a few blocks away from City Hall. The reason why I probably didn’t see this restaurant is because Ninja does not have fancy flags with its logo waving around and from far away, it looks like another apartment, to me anyways. The lamp gave it away because it has their initials and the paperwork on display behind the glass are their menus. Not bad.
Once you step pass that door, you’ll be in a dimly lit room that looks like a cave cause the walls are rocky, and there’s one woman standing behind a computer that will look you up on their reservation list. That is it for the whole room, including an elevator. When I went there it was pretty quiet, but later on more people started to come in, mostly the older adult crowd – early 30s and up. Anyhoos, my bf and I were the first to go in, and the lady pressed up to the second floor. Based on what I heard from my friends who went, I was on alert mode! I held onto my bf’s hand and he stepped out first where a ninja yelled a quick, “HIYA!” Scared the sheit out of me. Then afterwards, we had to climb down the stairs in complete darkness, where I almost fell down the stairs if it weren’t for my boyfriend.
My flash is pretty dam powerful don’t you think? And when we got to the end of it, another ninja popped out and said the same thing. Whoa, nearly had a heart attack, haha. We decided to check our coats there since they did it which was nice, but that part wasn’t even part of the restaurant. There’s was more to go an I was already out of breath from all that flinching. Man…I am so paranoid. When we stepped into the restaurant, wow, it looked like a little hidden Japanese town. Luckily there were no more ninjas to scare us, it really depends on which ninja is free, so we were guided by one ninja to take us to our table.
The people here really encourage you to take pictures here. They actually like it, so I’m already giving them points for that, haha. On the left is my little “private” booth to sit in. And yes, you do sit on chairs and use tables to eat off of.
My super nice ninja/waitress because she’s willing to pose for me. Extra points again. That scroll is my menu!
All your different menus combined into one scroll. Cute.
Ahh what a pretty little area to sit in. We can see others eating in their own booth, but it was far away enough that I can’t hear their conversation which is perfect.
Drink for the night:
Toh sweet champagne with one lychee
Price: $12
Verdict: I decided to go with champagne because it was good for the occasion. It’s probably not I would get next time because it’s just regular champagne with one lychee in it, but it was alright. Very sweet.
Recommended: No, unless you’re celebrating something.
Dawen doesn’t like alcohol so he chose Coke instead, but they didn’t have that – only Pepsi which is even better. Haha. There are no free refills here and it costs $5 for a cup of soda.
Cold Appetizer
Tamate Bako* treasure box, us prime beef tartar topped with boiled egg yolk and white, served with minced shallot, tomato, chive and caper on the top
Price: $14
This is the ninja that served me my box.
Verdict: I will probably never order a cold dish again. It is my fault for not knowing that the meat is completely raw! Uggh, I thought it was tomato because I was under dim lighting and it tastes weird to me. This is only because my mind is not opened to raw foods. But even then, I don’t think anyone should eat raw meat like this. Well, at least my appendix will start to work on this.
Recommended: Definitely not. You’re better off with something else. It’s a cool concept, but it’s not that tasty. Maybe if it’s just with the tomatoes. But otherwise, yeesh.
Sushi Rolls
Summer Roll shrimp tempura and avocado wrapped with saffron rice and rice paper, served with sesame sauce
Price: $12
Verdict: Holy crap, this is the best summer roll I have ever, ever tasted before. I’ve had viet and thai ones, but this japanese one, oh my god, it’s so good. This is very soft and seasoned to perfection. Unlike the other rolls, this roll is not wrapped like a burrito and it is more tasty than the others.
Recommended: I highly recommend it, especially if you’re not a fan of raw sushi.
Korean BBQ Roll grilled beef and pickled daikon kimchi wrapped in rice and sesame
Price: $12
Verdict: This roll isn’t that special, but it was still a treat to me because I was starving. It’s essentially just meat wrapped up with rice and seaweed. But I do like this because the roll is big and it is packed with rice, just the way I like it.
Recommended: Sure! But for you hardcore sushi lovers, you might want to avoid it.
This is how it looks like when you’re being served with more than one sushi roll. I thought the presentation is very cute.
Main Course
Sukiyaki Ninja Pan fried sliced Wagyu Beef seasoned with Sukiyaki Sauce, Grilled Tokyo Negi (scallion), Pan fried Tofu Lightly deep fried Half steamed Whole Egg wrapped with Pate Filo
Price: $35
I had to order this with rice because I just can’t eat a chunk of meat at a japanese restaurant without my rice. That and I felt that I got so little because I was starving.
Japanese Rice: $5
It comes in a very cute orb, haha whoa.
Anyways to continue, the wagyu beef is very tender and sweet — even sweeter if you dip it more with the sauce it comes with. The waiter told me to cut the egg right down the center so that that egg yolk will come spilling down the center onto the meat. Well I didn’t have such luck, and probably I didn’t want it to be like that, but here’s how it looks like:
I’m impressed on how they make the egg, very interesting.
Verdict: The wagyu beef is definitely good. Everything else doesn’t taste anything special, but I would get it just with the beef.
Recommended: Yes, also get a bowl of rice to eat with it. It definitely fills you up without eating more.
Ninja T-bone Steak us prime t-bone steak prepared in your choice of garlic, wasabi or teriyaki sauce served with fried and marinated cucumber, bell pepper and eggplant
Price: $35
Garlic was chosen for this one:
Verdict: This medium slab of meat is jam-packed with flavor. It tastes especially good when it’s hot because then it’ll lose flavor and it’ll become hard when it’s cold. The potatoes are great, feels like I’m eating it with butter, but then again it’s my favorite vegetable. This steak looks bigger than the one softrice had at STK and I really liked it.
Recommended: Keep in mind that you’re at a japanese restaurant, so you might as well try something else. There’s nothing wrong with this steak, but I think you might get more for your money with something else.
Magic Trick
After your main course, you’ll have a magic that will pop into your room to show you some cheesy magic tricks. I guess I was slightly buzzed from my champagne that everything and anything entertained me. The first trick was with playing cards, where you pick a card and your card will automatically appear on the first deck. I see him hiding a card on his curve palm. Haha kinda lame.
The second trick was with rings and him using a light blue rope to magically get the rope to be untied. Eh….
And the last trick was with two different dollar bills. I held one $10 bill and he held the other $1 bill. he told me to hold his wrist and then magically both my bills where in my hands. Which was cute. Dawen watched the whole thing so he knows how it works. We ended up tipping him $10 because he was standing there for a while looking at us like we’re supposed to tip him. I guess that’s what his bills of money in his pockets are from!
Dessert
Bon Sai tiramisu with a twisted sugar
Price: $12
Verdict: This tiramisu is very bitter. You have to poke your spoon all the way to the bottom of the bowl to get to the creamy part. Even then it was still nasty. The branches are alright, tasted like crossants, but it was nothing special. Nice presentation, sub par taste.
Recommended: No
Rating: 4.5/5
Food: 0.85
Decor/Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Speed: 1
Price: 0.70
Now how clean is this restaurant? Well NYC Dept of Hygiene says this:
NINJA RESTAURANT
25 HUDSON STREET, MANHATTAN 10013
212-274-8500
Current violation points: 23
Inspection Date: 10/18/2006
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
1) Milk or milk product undated, improperly dated or expired.
2) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used
or stored.
3) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
4) Hot food not held at or above 140°F.
Now you know!
P.S. Don’t forget to ask for several keychains if you want it!
Water Lounge
Water Lounge
54 Spring St
(btw Spring & Mulberry St)
(212) 965-9838
Price: Moderate ($$$)
Reservations: Highly recommended, unless you’re just going to hang out in the bar/lounge area. When you call for reservations, ask for Hanna, I think she’ll be the one talking anyways. I had to make the reservation online because no one was picking up at the lounge and it worked for me. You can give that a shot.
Located right outside of soho’s shopping neighborhood and right across from the Gatsby Bar, this trendy little hotspot fits perfectly well to its stylish counterpart a few blocks away. And it’s zagat rated, like every other place in town. I don’t even know how reliable zagat is now. They probably pay a fee to get the zagat rated sign. Anyways, let me continue.
Oh that sign says happy hour until 8pm. Beers are $3, sakes $4, $5 for selected mixed drinks, and $15 for all the beer and sakes you wanna drink. Not bad huh? There’s a nice bar. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of it because my kids were flashing nonstop that night, so I was embarassed for all of us. But let me show you what I can.
That’s the wall in front of the bar. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of the bar, but the wall was worth taking. It looks incredible.
The lounge is not all that big. Actually it is a combination of bar/lounge/restaurant. Let me tell you, the pictures on the website was totally misleading. I thought it was a huge lounge with a nice waterfall on the wall, somewhere in the middle of the lounge, and private rooms. This lounge has no private rooms, and in fact is just a very long space with the bar in the front, lounge in the middle, and restaurant in the back. The picture above with our very own softrice is the lounge area. That’s it. Just a couple of leather couches and tanks of fishes embedded in the wall which I thought was pretty dam cool. The point is, pictures can be very deceiving.
This is the back where the restaurant part there. There’s a sushi bar with chinese people working there, and you know how I feel about that, and that so-called waterfall that I saw on the website. Yeah enough said, it’s not all that impressive so expect that.
Nonetheless, I didn’t anticipate the food to be great when I stepped into the lounge. I figure since it’s a lounge/bar, they’ll probably only have snack foods, nothing special and I’m right.
Okay let’s start off with drinks:
Cocktails
Phoenix
Price: $10
Verdict: This drink is not worth $10 even if it came in a tall glass and the paper of the straw was curled pretty in an amazing fashion. This beverage has a hint of apricot, mango, and orange and of course vodka, which tastes pretty sweet.
Recommended: Yes, it is a decadent drink and it has the colors of the phoenix. Very nice. Although this gave me a killer buzz because I drank on an empty stomach.
Shanghai
Price: $10
Verdict: This definitely is not worth $10 and it tastes like spiked ginger ale. That’s all I can say.
Recommended: No.
Too bad the rest of the crew didn’t try a beautiful cocktail. Instead one had green tea, mainly miss eggrolls, who complained that it wasn’t bitter enough, and another two with soda. Bah, we didn’t come here for soda, pfft! =P
Appetizers:
Crab cake alaskan crab meat served with chef special sauce
Price: $7.95
Verdict: This doesn’t taste too bad because it’s very crispy so the taste is lost in the process. I thought the special sauce taste horrible, very tangy like bbq sauce so I did without it. It wasn’t too bad, but definitely not worth the $7.95. This kinda taste like the filet o fish from McDonalds, but not quite. Man it was hard to eat without a knife. They should have given me one instead of me drilling into this thing.
Recommended: No, this isn’t great for drinking because it’s not bite size. This doesn’t taste anything special. Junk food, that’s all it is.
Crispy Calamari w/spicy mayo
Price: $5.95
Doesn’t this looks like cheese doodles? It looks very cute and delish, buttt….
Verdict: The spiciness of the mayo overpowered the calamari. I felt like I was eating the mayo except with a hard texture that squid has.
Recommended: Seafood and alcohol does not mix. Don’t press your luck on this. But for $6, you can if you want, just that it’s not anything spectacular.
Gyoza japanese fried dumplings
Price: $3.95
Verdict: I think the dumplings were fried a little too much, but nonetheless it was alright. This doesn’t taste anything special, but it’s great to go with when drinking.
Recommended: Yes
California Roll & Tuna Roll
Price: $3.95 & $4.95
Verdict: I wish the chef puts more rice onto the rolls. I wasn’t impressed with either rolls, but the Cali roll goes very well for drinks.
Recommended: When you’re drinking, this is a good choice. If not, don’t bother.
House Salad w/ginger dressing
Price: $3.95
Verdict: I personally did not have this salad, but my friend Kim did and she cleaned up the plate. I’ve had a house salad like this in the past before in another jap place and it wasn’t too good to me. Who knows.
Recommended: No, unless you really love japanese salads. For that price, you should get rolls instead.
Kani Tobiko Salad crab stick mixed with spicy mayo, crunch, scallion, tobiko
Price $5.95
Verdict: Vicky tried this and cleaned up her plate. She’s quite the picky eater and she has managed to clean it up. That has to be a good sign?
Recommended: Yes. For the price, why not?
Entrees
Chicken Katsu
Price: $5.95
Verdict: This chicken katsu did not taste any different from the ones I’ve had in the other restaurants. The sauce was very strong, as expected and I didn’t like it.
Recommended: Unless you really love chicken cutlet, get it. Otherwise, don’t.
Chicken Teriyaki
Price: $5.95
Verdict: I did not like this one bit. The chicken is dried and tasteless, the sauce tastes like bbq sauce, which I’m not a fan of. Not appetizing at all. It looks nice, but it doesn’t taste all that great. I should have had the chicken fried.
Recommended: No.
Ribeye Steak chargrilled ribeye steak loin served with steamed asian greens
Price: $17.95
Verdict: This isn’t the best steak I have ever had that’s for sure. Dawen seems to be okay with it, but I think it’s a waste of money.
Recommended: No
Soho White Flamed Roll
Spicy salmon w/peanuts wrapped with white tuna
Price: $11.50
Verdict: So softrice tells me that this roll can’t keep it together because everything slides out. Hm…I’m guessing that’s not a good sign?
Recommended: No.
So guys there you have it. The lounge is a great place to chat among with your friends, drink, and really have fun. Don’t expect a giant place or good quality food. It’s not too entirely bad. The service was great, the food’s kinda subpar, but it was still a delightful experience.
Recommended? Yes, try it out. I will probably come back here for drinks. =)
