"Yumika Parsley—yes that is also her ’80s Japanese band name—opened Chopped Parsley in 2015, after a couple of decades in New York’s music and hospitality scenes. The restaurant is a one-woman operation, serving up fresh, warm onigiri and other simple, homestyle Japanese dishes that have made it a go-to for Hamilton Heights regulars. Open Thursday through Saturday nights, it's the kind of scrappy restaurant you’d hope to find on every New York block, with fairy lights, a curated soundtrack of old-school hip hop, jazz, and funk, and framed stills from Spike Lee films on the wall, along with a little shrine to Prince. photo credit: Sonal Shah video credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Angie Chavez photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Sonal Shah Choose one of four or five little mismatched tables for a low-key date, or better yet a leisurely hang with a bottle of sake (or some Japanese beers), and a steady stream of snacks: slices of vinegar-cured saba, steamed gyoza, some cold noodles, or a piping hot container of kitsune udon. Once the bottle is empty, get a slice of Yumika’s homemade matcha cheesecake. Food Rundown photo credit: Angie Chavez Dumplings You can start your snacking with anything from edamame to Japanese butter rice, but we really like both the shrimp shumai and the soft potato-and-vegetable-filled green gyoza, which come with some yellow mustard. photo credit: Sonal Shah Onigiri Always get at least one order (two large triangles) of onigiri. Yumika makes almost a dozen variations, and they’re all great—big, firm, and warm, held within a crisp sheet of seaweed—but we especially like the salmon and parsley ones. photo credit: Sonal Shah Trout Bento You’ll find this bento under the “Good Stuff” section of the menu, and it's a good order if you want a light but complete meal. (We’re greedy, so we usually get it as a larger snack.) The container includes rice that’s pressed under some seaweed and topped with a piece of fish, pickles, crab stick with spicy sauce, and edamame. photo credit: Sonal Shah Chicken Ramen Served super hot in a takeout container, the broth is nice and spicy—also a little smoky. There’s plenty of soft dark meat and springy noodles too. A very satisfying bowl of soup. photo credit: Angie Chavez Tarako Spaghetti The menu suggests pairing this plate of spaghetti with wine, and we’d go with a glass of whatever white happens to be available. The buttery, chewy noodles are hot with black pepper, clad with tarako, and dotted with chopped parsley, of course. photo credit: Angie Chavez Matcha Cheesecake A simple and rich cheesecake—not too sweet, not too bitter. In the fall, look out for the kabocha cheesecake, and in any season you should add on a little mochi, too." - Sonal Shah
