New York City: January 13

INAKAYA Robata Grill & Sushi @ 620 8th Avenue

So I had recently came down to NYC for a job interview and was hired for a web developer position. I wanted to dedicate a couple weeks to look for an apartment before I officially start the new job. As I was wandering around Times Square, I saw this modern looking Japanese restaurant from the corner of my eye; thought..hmmmm…maybe there is yummmy ramen to be found here :) When I walked in, the place had an open dining area with beautiful traditional and modern Japanese decor. Located in the middle of the room was the open sushi bar and grill. The hostess led me to the end of the bar where I sat in front of iced fresh fish and veggies baskets. I was excited to see that the food was served in a different way here. When the chefs were done cooking, they would hand the guests their dishes on a long wooden paddle. Service at Inakaya was superb. They refilled my tea cup 3 – 4 times without me asking and paying was a breeze. They even owned automatic cleaning toliets! Talk about modern! LOL.

I was starving by the time I had placed my order. I ordered three dishes – all of small proportions. The first dish that came out was the grilled sweet potatoes. Hands down, the best texture and taste you can get from just grilling a sweet potato! There was a triangle slab of butter for those who wanted a saltier taste to their potato. After my first bite, I wanted seconds, even before I was done with the first dish.

Inakaya Grilled Sweet Potato

The second dish, also my entree dish, was their shrimp tempura. Charmin Bear T loves sushi (me..let’s say, raw fish is not my favorite). She would love this restaurant because they offer the freshest of ingredients. I ordered the shrimp tempura since it is what I usually get. Each piece of tempura melted in my mouth. The panko covered shrimps were fried to a golden brown of perfection. Each piece was sliced exactly to the same width. There was an indescribable clean, simple texture to this dish.

Inakaya Shrimp Tempura

To top flavors off on my taste buds, I ordered a dish called, “Chawan Mushi” which means means “Tea Cup Steam”. It was especially appealing because like Charmin Bear T, I am a huge fan of eggs – all kinds and all forms. Steamed eggs is so delicate that it reminds me of tofu. The dish had a mixture of chicken, shrimp and veggies steamed with eggs and their special broth. This dish took the longest to cook because the eggs needed time to steam. It was definitely a good choice to end my delicious meal.

Inakaya Egg Custard

– Charmin Bear J

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