14 NYC Restaurants That Feel Like Japan
"While in the U.S. the word omakase — which translates to “chef’s choice” — has become synonymous with sushi, in Japan one will find myriad omakase menus, from yakitori to tempura. Tempura Matsui hit New York about three years back, and it’s the city’s first omakase tempura restaurant, serving set menus ($40, $60 for lunch; $120, $165, $220 for dinner) that change four times per year. In Japan, what separates good tempura from great tempura is not only the quality of ingredients sourced, but more importantly the batter into which the ingredients are dunked, then fried. Proper tempura batter will coat ingredients like a delicate veil, and a true shokunin (craftsman) will place those fried bites onto a small sheet of folded tempura paper in front of a guest, leaving no oily residue on that paper. Tempura Matsui, designed to look like a temple, offers a version extremely close to what one will encounter at some of Tokyo’s top haunts. Depending on the season, a menu will span from shiso and uni tempura to sweet potato and scallop. Sadly Tempura Matsui’s original chef, after which the place was named, died two years ago, but the restaurant has been able to maintain its Michelin star nonetheless." - Kat Odell
