With music, imaginative cocktails, and food that brings the best of Japanese cuisine
Nestled inside Park South Hotel is GG Tokyo, the latest addition to the New York City restaurant scene. Bringing inventive new cocktails, Japanese bites, and live music, GG Tokyo is the perfect place to add to your date night list. The interior merges the sleekness and slender of New York City with the bright lights and playful colors of Tokyo. As soon as you enter, you are met with some of the most whimsical art installations such as the piece titled “sake seas” which is a neon lit art piece that features a mermaid filling a sake cup from a tokkuri vessel.
And the cocktail menu at GG Tokyo brings some of the best Japanese flavors to the drinks. There is everything from a classic shochu drink to cherry blossom infused gin. And if you enjoy a bit of sake, GG Tokyo has a variety of sake from Japan to taste. At our time there, we tried the Golden Monkey which was made with a toki whisky base and takes inspiration from a classic whiskey sour. This drink took the classic whiskey sour and elevated it. With the first sip you are met with a frothy and creamy texture from the egg white that is paired with a sweetness from the banana liqueur that was added in. And another favorite of ours was The Tomadachi which was made with casamigos, ume plum liqueur, agave, butterfly pea flower, and garnished with a furikake rim. This drink reminded us of a paloma style drink, but much better. The ume plum was the carrying note while not overpowering some of the subtler flavors like the butterfly pea flower floral notes. What made this drink one of our favorites was the furikake rim that added a beautiful savory, umami flavor to the drink which helped balanced out some of the fruity sweetness we saw.
For our meal we had the chance to try a few bites which included the GG Roll, the Spicy Gochujang Rice Cakes, and the Okonomi-Yaki. The GG Roll has salmon belly, avocado, and tempura shrimp and this roll was well executed and incredibly flavorful. The rice was cooked perfect and the fish was moist, sweet, and fresh. The tempura shrimp was a great addition where it helped add in a crunchy texture to the dish and added in some wonderful savory notes while still maintaining the shrimp’s natural sweetness.
The Gochujang Rice Cakes were next and as soon as the dish was placed on the table we were met with a fragrant aroma of spice. The exterior of the rice cakes were golden brown and crispy while the interior was warm and pillowy. The gochujang spice was prominent but not overwhelming where the heat slowly builds up with each bite. And the addition of caramelized onions helped bring a nice sweetness to the dish which helps balance out the heat and spice.
And our last dish was the Okonomi-yaki which was fried ramen noodles as the base and topped with bonito flakes, apples, and the classic kupi mayo. The ramen noodles were crisp without being burnt and provided a great vessel to pick everything up with. The mayo was so creamy and paired with the apples led to a perfect bite. And the addition of the bonito flakes added a lasting umami note which kept bringing us back in for more.
Our lasting thoughts of GG Tokyo is that this restaurant brings authentic Japanese flavors to life. As much as we love sushi, we always look out for Japanese spots that have more to offer than a classic roll. And GG Tokyo does just that. Whether you are planning a date or a night out with friends, we recommend considering GG Tokyo for your night out. With food that bursts with flavors and thoughtful cocktails, GG Tokyo will surely be a favorite of yours soon.
