Gohan AYCE Buffet 海天御宴

"We don’t know a lot of professional poets, but if we did, we would take them to dinner at Gohan. We also don’t know Jared Leto, but that’s another person we’d take to this little Lower East Japanese restaurant. Does anyone know some cool artists who lived in Soho in the 80s? Please extend our invitation to them to eat dinner at Gohan. If our imaginary Gohan dinner party hasn’t painted the picture, we’ll explain it in more concrete terms: this is a peaceful, low-key place serving Japanese food that’s inspired by home cooking. This restaurant is right around the corner from lots of new-ish, hyped-up restaurants like Kiki’s, Mission Chinese, Cervo’s, and Dimes, but it’s kind of the quiet kid in the neighborhood. In terms of food, it’s kind of the quiet kid too: nothing is overly spicy, or overly salty, or overly anything really. While you can eat a few fried things or some noodles, there’s plenty of tofu and sashimi, as well as a general feeling of healthiness permeating the air. It’s not healthiness in the extreme, but you won’t leave here with acid reflux and a sense of existential dread. As you might have guessed by now, it’s a good place to bring a vegetarian. It’s also a good place to bring a friend for a casual weeknight dinner, or an easy meal with someone you’ve been dating for long enough that going out for a meal isn’t a whole thing anymore. Of course, it’d also be a good place to bring Jared Leto, just as soon as he responds to that DM. Food Rundown Fatty Salmon Sashimi This is basically salmon toro, topped with salmon roe. It’s the best thing at this restaurant. Soba Noodle Soup If you’re here on a cold day, this is worth a try. It’s soothing, if not the most flavorful. Zuke Tuna Roll A simple tuna and avocado roll. It’s a kind of rustic, almost amateurish sushi roll, but in a comforting way. Does that make any sense? It’s a totally edible sushi roll. Set Plate With Sides The cornerstone of the menu is the set plate section, where you pick a protein and a few sides, and you get some soup and rice as well. We like the salmon and the steak." - Hillary Reinsberg