Iron Chef House (Sushi & Japanese Cuisine: Brooklyn’s Best Kept Secret)
Iron Chef House
92 Clark St
(near Henry St, and Pace University’s St George Dorm)
(718) 858-8517
If you think the best Japanese restaurants are in Manhattan, think again. There are exceptions with such restaurants as ‘Masa’, ‘Morimoto’, or ‘Sugiyama’ where they offer top notch sushi for the highest dollar. BUT, if you’re looking for delicious sushi at an unbeatable price, come to Brooklyn. That’s right Brooklyn. Under the brooklyn bridge, there’s an up and coming neighborhood, aka Brooklyn Heights, which is becoming a highly attractive and trendy place.
The reason why I came here was because my mother had come to this place before and she’s an avid sushi lover. She insisted that I had to come here because she believes it is the best sushi that she has ever tasted in Brooklyn, but I have my doubts coming from a woman who’s content with any kind of food, including my home cooking. Haha. She knew some people who worked there and had hookups to a table there on a busy friday night for me, my brother, bf, and of course her. When we finally made it there, I noticed how small it was. It was like the size of a studio, but it looked cozy as hell. All the sushi chefs huddled in the back putting their skills to the test, while we sat right in front of them. Yes that’s how small it is. So expect to wait when you get there even if you make a reservation.
I’m really glad that this place has Japanese sushi chefs making my sushi. I have to admit, I have been to sushi places that has been prepared by non-Japanese chefs and they always lack something. Sometimes I don’t need to see who’s making it and can tell just by looking at the sushi. Like sometimes my sushi rolls aren’t decorative or the chef skimps out on ingredients like rice, fish, or avocado, or they don’t use fresh ingredients. I really hate that. Also, instead of using crab meat, they use fake crab meat which I really don’t like, but apparently it’s acceptable in NYC. Try going to LA’s Japan town. I guarantee they don’t use that fake sheit.
Now check this out:
On your right you have your Monkey Roll, which has shrimp tempura, avocado on top and inside, crab meat and topped off with several different kinds of spicy sauce with sesame. If you’re not a fan of raw sushi, this is the roll for you. The marriage between the soft and creamy avocado with the crunchy shrimp tempura really creates the perfect balance in your mouth. I have never had such a roll before and I am definitely glad that I’ve tasted something so incredible. Excellent.
This house special roll is only $9.95. Look how much they’re giving you!! You really can’t beat that.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
My Rating: 5/5
The other one is the Spicy Yellow Dragon Roll. In it contains tuna, salmon, yellow tail, crab meat, mixed veggies topped with fish flakes, sesame, and a spice sauce. Now I’m not a fan of raw food, but luckily the waitress had it half cooked so it maintained the seafood freshness and it was easy to eat because it’s not as slimy which I loved. I have to admit, this was the best dragon roll I ever had. This roll had a hint of spiciness and it went well with the whole array of textures — smooth, soft, and crunchy.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My Rating: 5/5
The next dish the waitress served to us is the Tuna Tataki. This is half seared tuna topped with sesame, sliced seaweed, and topped with the chef’s special sauce.
Price: $7.50
With a good piece of seafood, you are never supposed to taste the “fishy-ness.” This very moist half pan-seared tuna taste smooth and succulent. As a first time having tuna like this, I am actually very impressed with this dish.
Recommended
My Rating: 5/5
Grilled Rice Ball
Price $4.50
Look how artistically done this rice ball is. The rice is moist, unlike most riceballs, and it is drizzled with soy sauce. The inside of this contains dried shredded pork with the chef’s special sauce to make it moist. You’d be surprised at how one can really fill you up.
Recommended
My Rating: 5/5
Green Seaweed Salad
Price: $4.50
This by far is the best seaweed salad I have ever have. I’m serious. Usually with most seaweed salads you’ll have seaweed that looks like it’s fished right out of the ocean and right onto your plate. Here they cut it into thin slices, mix it in with some thin clear rice noodles, and toss it with some salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. I am quite impressed by this dish and would definitely reorder this when I come back.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My Rating: 5/5
Grilled Spicy Crispy Salmon Salad with spinach, sliced carrots caviar, and spicy wine sauce.
Price: $7.00
This is an impressive looking salad, but I personally didn’t like it only because I don’t like seafood in my salad. But the Salmon is very fresh and flavorful and I would recommend this to those who likes salmon and salad.
My rating: 4/5
Seafood Sauteed Lo Mein Noodles
Price: $14.00
The sauteed lo mein noodles remains very moist and flavorful. With the mix of the sesame seeds and the fish, it’s a delectable delight. I usually never have seafood with lo mein noodles, but surprisingly this is very good to eat. Not bad.
Recommended.
My Rating: 4/5
Grilled Chilean Sea Bass!
Price: $16.00
This has got to be the best sea bass I have ever tasted in my whole entire life. The presentation of the dish is actually the reflection of how delicious it is. The sea bass is seasoned very well with ground pepper, salt, sesame seeds, and parsley bits, and it is grilled to perfection. Words itself cannot describe how incredible this dish is.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My Rating: 5/5
Last but not least,
FRIED ICE CREAM!
(Red bean, vanilla, green tea)
Price: $3.75
Fried ice cream can never go wrong. Of course sometimes chefs might add a little too much flour, but this isn’t the case with this one. After a long hearty meal here, the best way to end the night is with a big cup of fried ice cream. My part had the vanilla and the red bean. We finished every last drop.
I really recommend this place because the price is right and the food is very authentic and flavorful. When you’re in the neighborhood, drop on by and try it out!
Curious on what their health inspection report is? I leave you with this:
IRON CHEF HOUSE
92 CLARK STREET, BROOKLYN 11201
718-858-8517
Current violation points: 17/28
Inspection Date: 02/05/2007
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Lighting inadequate. Fixture not shielded.
3.) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
4.) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
5.) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Clean outer garments, effective hair restraint not worn.
Yakitori Taisho: Japanese Barbeque
Yakitori Taisho
5 ST MARKS PLACE
Manhattan, NY
(212) 228-5086
YAKITORI!!!! This is not your typically Japanese restaurant. No they don’t serve sushi or ramen or any typical japanese food. But they’re totally cool because they are all about sticking meat and all sorts of stuff on their skewers! Mmm, I like cooked food and bbq meat!
If you’ve been down on St Mark Place, you’ve definitely seen this restaurant before. It’s next to the infamous beat up Barney that sells tourist goods and jewelry, and it’s the first Japanese restaurant on the block if you’re heading towards 1st avenue. Usually I’m really deterred from eating at this place because it’s always, 100% of the time packed. Every time I come here, there’s always a line forming outside of the door. Luckily for me and my bf this time, there was no line. At 6pm, wow, I guess people come a little bit later?
Well to my surprise, this place was awfully packed! My god! It is a really small joint here! Btw, be careful when you walk down the steps, you can trip and accidentally fall. Oh no, don’t think I fell. You know, I’m just saying because I saw a woman fall. =P Anyways, the first thing you’ll see when you enter is a couple of single tables for couples and a bar, as you can kinda see with my picture. After that there are a few more bigger tables and that seems to look like that’s it. The waitress asked me if me and my partner wanted to sit at the bar, and of course I said hell no because, #1 I’m claustrophobic, and #2 I wanted my own table and my own space. Apparently, that’s a little hard considering how small this place is!
To my surprise, the waitress offered us a table in the back room. Holy crap, I didn’t think this place can be bigger, but it is. Just pass the bathroom there is a little room inside with a few tables. Wow, hey, at least this is better than to sit at the bar. 
So yeah, there’s probably like 6 tables in there. Believe me, it’s a very tiny room so it’s a tough squeeze.
After settling down from all the chaos out there, I was ready to order. I already had something in mind to eat after viewing a post on this restaurant by blogger feistyfoodie. I knew I wanted the cod fries that they have here. I am a big fan of fries and I was dying to try it and the sauce that comes with it. Mmm. My bf was having a hard time trying to decide what he wanted because there is so much to choose from! Look at the cool menu! I just had to take a picture of this because it’s so graphic!!
Ahh so beautiful. Each page is more colorful than the last. Mm…if these pictures doesn’t make you drool, then I don’t know what will!
Appetizer!
Mentai Potato
french fries with spicy cod roe & mayo sauce, Price: $4.50
My god, honestly, these fries taste better than the Pomme Frites ones around the block! It’s freshly cook and it’s nice and plumped, just the way I love it. My bf thinks it needs a little more salt, but I think it’s perfect. The mayo sauce taste good with the fries for a few dips, but then afterwards it gets disgusting to eat. I love these fries soo soo much! Everyone else in that room ordered this too, so you should go and get these too!! They’re a big hit!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating: 5/5
Entrees
Yakitori Tei
Scallions, shrimp, chicken meat ball, beef, and chicken, Price: $8.50
I never had a chicken meat ball before and had confused it with a crab meatball because of it’s soft texture. Oh let me tell you how each and every skewer taste like — perfectly salted and grilled. My god, the chicken and beef are so juicy and delicious. My boyfriend couldn’t finish this because it is so filling. My goodness, this is really good.
Recommended
Rating: 4/5
Taishodon
chicken meat balls, chicken chunks and beef over rice with kimchee served with miso soup, Price: $6.95
As I said before, the skewers of meats are amazing. It went really well with the kimchi rice, but I wasn’t fond of the ginger that you see on the top right. At first I thought it was carrot, but I was wrong. It’s definitely ginger and I did not like it one bit. But other than that, this is a very good bowl of rice and it’s incredibly filling!
Recommended!
Rating: 4/5
Overall I had an incredible time coming here. I would definitely come back here for the fries! Yumm, definitely!
YAKITORI TAISHO
5 ST MARKS PLACE, MANHATTAN 10003
212-228-5086
Current violation points: 12/28
Inspection Date: 10/24/2006
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
1.) Food contact surface not properly maintained.
2.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
3.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
4.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Menkui-Tei Noodle Restaurant: Japanese Noodle and Ramen
Menkui-Tei
63 Cooper Square
(Btw 7th St & Astor Place)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-4152
You probably have passed this place a million times when you’re walking down to St Mark’s place or down on Cooper Square. I know I’ve been around here a trillion times and never noticed that right on the block where the pizzaria is and the hotel is that there lies on the middle of the block, a ramen shop that screams of a real japanese ramen like you would see in Japan.
It looks pretty small on the outside, but wait until you get inside. I had this preconceived notion that there was going to be a ramen bar, a few tables and that will be it, like how I see it in Japanese anime, like Naruto, lol, and on tv. But whoops, I am wrong. Inside the restaurant, there are tables that you can see by the window, and then there is a short hall leading into the back of the restaurant with more tables! Yeah!
Just know that this place is pretty spacious. If you’ve been to the other Japanese restaurants around the neighborhood, especially on St. Mark’s place, then you know what I mean.
I came by here around 5:30 and it was pretty quiet. By the time it hit 6:00, more and more people started to come, which I’m sure is a very good sign. The restaurant played very mellow Japanese music, which my bf absolutely loves, then followed by Evanescence, which wasn’t that cool. We both preferred it if they stick to mellow Japanese music, that way it makes the dining experience that much more pleasant. Now let’s start with the appetizers!
APPETIZERS!
Edamame, Gyoza, and Mabo Tofu. These are our favorite appetizers and we had to try it at least once to see if it’s better or worse than the others I have tasted. After trying all 3 dishes, if you think they’re nothing out of the ordinary, baby, you’re wrong, except perhaps the edamame. But I’ll tell you why.
Edamame – Lightly salted & boiled soy beans, Price: $3.25
I always say, the saltier the better. Here, they weren’t generous enough with the salt, which made it pretty darn bland. I’ve had edamame better at Gobo, the vegetarian restaurant, than here. But I must say, if you’re a fan of edamame, go for it. You can’t go wrong for the price and you can eat it like you do with peanuts
Not Recommended
Rating: 2/5
Gyoza – Fried pork dumplings (6 pieces), Price: $4.00
My god! These are the best gyozas I have ever had! The pork was nice, tender, and surprisingly juicy! I loved the skin, it wasn’t too thick and doughy and is cooked just right.
Recommended
Rating: 5/5
Mabo Tofu – Sauteed Spicy Ground Pork & Tofu, Price: $6.00
THE BEST MABO TOFU I HAVE EVER HAD! Straight up. The Chinese invented this dish, but the Japanese makes it better. No hatin’, no hatin.’ The tofu is fresh, rich and creamy like the kind of tofu that I had at Kyotofu. If you’ve been to Kyotofu, you’ll know what I mean. And also the good thing about this dish is that it’s not overwhelmingly spicy, like how I had it in the past in Chinese restaurants.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating: 5/5
RAMEN! NOODLES!
Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen – rich pork bone broth & soy sauce flavored noodle soup, Price: $7.50
The pork bone broth needs more salt, but at least it’s not loaded up with MSG. Honestly I’ve had my share of pork bone soups and broth and they’re pretty much bland. This however wasn’t bland and does have flavor, just that to me I didn’t think there was enough salt. The ramen is soft and delicious and it goes very well with the broth. The piece of pork is honestly bland and it was a little tough to chew, but it was alright. The ramen is really about the noodles and its broth.
Recommended
Rating: 4/5
Char- Shu Men – Soy Sauce Flavored Noodle Soup Topped w/ Extra Pcs of Roast Pork, Price: $8.75
After stealing a bite from my bf, the only thing I can say about this is that it is very enjoyable to eat. As you can see, there are the same pieces of pork that you saw with my noodles and some bamboo shoots. I am not a fan of soy sauce soup, but it compliments well with the pork, which is probably why my pork tasted bland and hard. My bf is a hardcore ramen eater and he loved this.
Recommended
Rating: 4/5
There are just so many things to try at this restaurant. I definitely would love to come back here and eat.
Now I leave with you with the NYC Health Inspection report!
MENKUITEI
63 COOPER SQUARE, MANHATTAN 10003
NYC Health Inspection Report
Current violation points: 4/28
Inspection Date: 07/24/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) “Choking first aid” poster not posted.”Alcohol and Pregnancy” Warning sign not posted. “Wash hands” sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
Japonica: Japanese Restaurant & Sushi
Japonica
100 University Pl
(Btw E 12 and E 13th St)
212-243-7752
I honestly have never heard of this restaurant until it was listed as one of the participating restaurants for Japanese restaurant week, which was from March 4th – 10th, even though I pass by it like a million times. But of all the restaurants that I opted to chose, this was the one that I wanted to go because it has rave reviews, despite it’s steep price. If you do your research, you’re going to read that this place has one of the freshest sushis around and that it’s expensive. But for the week, they had a special which I had to take advantage — $29.95 for a Japonica Box that includes a variety of raw fishes, sushis, and rice bowls, and dessert. For that price, how can I go wrong! But yes, getting an impression that it’s like a mid-high scale restaurant, I knew I should at least try it once.
If you’re interested in going, call to make reservations. Now you might read that this place doesn’t take reservations, but they do. Just call to make a regular reservation because they might assume that it’s a special reservation where they put you in their small private traditional Japanese room with pillows on the floor for you knees. That room is a min of $300, so yeah, that’s something for you to know. Reservations help because it gets extremely packed at night, since it’s located 2 blocks away from Union Square, and the restaurant is pretty small — smaller than what I thought because the picture on the website gives me this vision that it’s big.
As I walked into the restaurant around 6:30, the place was already packed. Luckily I made reservations ahead of them because there were a lot of people waiting on line as well. After a few minutes of waiting, our tables were set up for my party of 6, and we were greeted very nicely by the waiters.
Like I said, the place isn’t that big, but it gets packed. There are Japanese waiters all around if you need assistance, which I thought was pretty good since they’re so helpful and efficient.
We sat towards the back, next to the private room, which has a long couch in the back with pillows that had nice floral designs, which was very comfy. And after a few minutes of settling down, the waiter came to ask what we wanted to drink and then got it right away. Very nice hospitality. It made me feel like I was in a Japanese home.
Alright time for food! As I said, I came to take advantage of the special on the Japonica Box, which contains:
JAPONICA BOX – $29.94 (reg. $34)
1) Begin with Miso soup or Edamame.
2) Box entrée:
- Salad, Tempura, and Fried sweet potato and broccoli
- Sashimi assorted(tuna, yellow tail and salmon)
- Spicy tuna crunch roll, Yellow Tail with Jalapeno roll, Hot Alaskan roll
OR
- Eel Don(Eel on Seasoned rice, in bowl) or Alaska-Don(seasoned rice mixed with crispy salmon skin, topped by salmon caviar).
- And choice of chicken Yakitori or beef Negimaki.
3) Finish with a scoop of scoop of sherbet or ice cream.
I opted for the sushi rolls instead of the rice bowls because I heard very good things about the hot Alaskan roll, so I couldn’t wait on that. My friends all had a mix of everything.
Here are the pictures!
I know, I have a million edamame pictures, but I’m so addicted to it. But this one, it’s lacking some more salt, but it’s very rich in soy. But just some more salt would do the trick, to me anyways, since I’ve tried a lot better in the Japanese towns in California.
Yakko-Tofu – $6.00
This fried tofu over soup is a delectable treat that has the combination of saltiness and sweetness. The tofu absorbs some of that soy sauce soup which gives the tofu and extra kick. For the price, it is a little overpriced but it tastes alright.
Here is my box!
I’m usually not too much of a fan of raw fish or raw anything, but my Alaskan roll that has raw salmon, cucumber, and avocado taste really smooth and tasty. I did not detect any strong hints of fishiness, which is always a good thing to me, and even my boyfriend who hates seafood, loved this roll. Excellent, just like how the other reviewers said it. The only thing I wished was better was the presentation of the roll. I know, they’re probably churning out a couple of hundred rolls a day and the chefs are tired, but a little rice would be nice on the rolls, because then it starts falling apart, like the ones I had.
The beef negimaki is best eaten with it’s still hot. After when it cooled down, it was pretty hard and the taste isnt really there any more. In the rolled up negimake is scallions inside, which I usually don’t eat, but I made an exception. It’s not bad, although I wish I could have accompanied it with a bowl of rice.
I did not have the fishes and gave it to my friends, who really enjoyed it. They tell me that it tastes very fresh and that it did not disappoint. I figure all 4 of them couldn’t go wrong since they were all in consensus. But yes, this seems like a good place to go if you love sushi!
Alright the rest of the pictures are a slight variation of what I ordered:
As you can see, the food looks pretty good and I could tell when my friends are having such a good time eating it.
If you’re not a sushi fan, I really do not recommend you to come here because everything is just ridiculously priced and it’s not worth it. My friend ordered udon noodles, and that cost about $20! Very expensive, and that bowl you can really get anywhere else.
And my boyfriend ordered the Sukiyaki – $24:
It has vermicelli on the bottom, and everything else that you see here. It’s actually an unique combination and it tastes pretty good. The beef was nice and tendered since you can see it’s not overcooked, but yes, I’d definitely recommend this.
For dessert, you get a choice of red bean, vanilla, and green bean ice cream. I’m a fan of red bean, so I had that.
The ice cream reminds me of mochi ice cream, which I really liked. I wish there was more of the ice cream, but this was good enough.
As we were leaving, I learn that you can’t joke around with the Japanese, seriously. My friend wanted to see if the pillows were for free. Take a guess at who! She seriously asked the waiter the manager there if she could take it home and they gave her this awkward look, and at this time I interrupted and said, “She’s kidding.” When we left, they mumbled something in Japanese, and I figure, oh man, she shouldn’t have said that! You don’t kid at a mid-scale restaurant like this one!
Overall, it was a good experience. Dress code is casual, atmosphere is great for groups because it does get pretty noisy when it’s crowded, but it’s a tad expensive for my taste. Go here for the sushi at least once. You’ll learn to like it.
HEALTH INSPECTION RESULTS
JAPONICA RESTAURANT
100 UNIVERSITY PLACE, MANHATTAN 10003
212-243-7752
Current violation points: 19 – PASSED
Inspection Date: 11/27/2006
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Toilet facility not maintained and provided with toilet paper, waste receptacle and self-closing door.
3.) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
4.) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
