And the special menu items are a must-try
I recently visited Aqua in the Flatiron District with a friend, and we ended up catching up for hours over an incredible meal.
Wabi Nori is a new-ish standout destination for Japanese cuisine located in the Lower East Side, one of the most bustling culinary neighborhoods in Manhattan. It opened in the fall of 2024 and offers a contemporary yet highly accessible and comforting dining experience. The menu showcases high-quality ingredients and refined execution, melding Japanese tradition with Asian fusion and modernity.
This weekend, we had the chance to celebrate a very special collaboration: the new 2025 NOBU Rare launch combines three art forms: visual, culinary, and beverage.
Putting together a special omakase menu is like putting together a set list for a concert.
In New York City, there’s a plethora of sushi restaurants.
A week before the Oscars, JX held its JX’24 celebration at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, honoring trailblazers in the U.S.-Japan entertainment industry.
Kintsugi Omakase NYC, a sleek chef’s counter-style sushi “atelier” in lower Soho, recently upped their game by bringing on Chef Victor of Sushi Ko. To find out what the buzz was about, we stopped by this week to sample their new menu, which changes with the seasons for the freshest ingredients.
Chef Victor follows the traditional edomae (referencing the style originating from Edo Bay) style of sushi-making, but puts a modern twist on his art. He uses non-traditional, non-Japanese ingredients to flavor some of his dishes, and his close relationship with NYC fishmongers allows him to source the freshest, finest seafood available. The difference is palpable – one bite of Kintsugi’s Hokkaido Ikura (salmon roe) or uni and it’s clear how high-quality the ingredients are.
In addition to technique and ingredient excellence, Kintsugi Omakase stands out by its use of seasonal ingredients. Typical of new Nordic or farm-to-table style restaurants, Kintsugi brings flavors of the month to sushi, where most establishments would stick to the tried-and-true traditions. Since it’s autumn, our dishes featured a green apple puree paired with a smoked Sawara and apple cider, baby corn with crispy fried fish, and other winter seafood delicacies.
When I asked Chef Victor what his favorite season of ingredients was, he told us “fall and winter, because they have the weirdest items.” Weird as they may be, he prepared them to perfection – half the dishes were items I’d never heard of, and I’m a sushi aficionado. Host Ko told us they aim to “take your palate on an adventure you’ve never been on before.” This delectable adventure featured a codfish sperm sac (winter only), crispy fried Amadai (tilefish) with its scales (dubbed by Chef Victor as natural fish and chips), a pickled fish similar to the herring popular in northern Europe, and barracuda.
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In addition to the sushi tasting, each menu option includes a handroll, the best miso soup you’ve ever tried, bruleed tamago, and a dessert (the current one is black sesame and ginger ice cream – a scoop of each). Finishing off the meal with these comforting plates was the perfect way to wind down from the experiential tasting. We also highly recommend the restaurant’s singular cocktail: a yuzu and violet syrup enhanced sake. I’d come back for this item alone; clearly the team at Kintsugi has the expertise to open a successful bar, if they wanted!
Dining at Kinstugi Omakase NYC is an experience that can’t be missed if you’re a foodie in this city. Their 10-person dining room, carefully designed by creative partners Ashe Yeung and Tim Madrid, feels intimate and sophisticated. But definitely not stuffy – Chef Victor’s lighthearted jokes and sarcastic commentary make you instantly comfortable with him, and we enjoyed hearing his descriptions of his craft while watching him expertly assemble each mouthwatering bite. We can’t wait to come back. Book your reservation at Kintsugi here ASAP!
Nestled in the heart of Studio City, California, ‘best kept secret’ Yume Sushi Bar serves up its modern take on traditional Japanese fare, ‘Yume’ (pronounced ‘you-meh’), which means ‘dream’ in Japanese, transports guests to a sensory experience they won’t soon wish to end.
Well-known around the food circuit for its use of exceptionally fresh, premium-grade ingredients, the bright, wood-paneled restaurant delivers on its promise. Yume’s skillful chefs wow guests with a menu featuring innovative dishes from exquisite sushi rolls, sashimi specials, and tempura to crispy rice and kushiyaki, among other signature offerings.
The restaurant also provides guests the opportunity to experience a global sake menu, not to mention other luxurious curations. The Yume Box, which is a steal, comes with the namesake Yume Roll (spicy tuna and mushrooms, topped with avocado and tuna), truffle edamame, four pieces of sushi (chef’s choice), truffle avocado toast, and finally, the garlic albacore roll.
With something for everyone, Yume is the perfect spot for both casual dining and special occasions. Reservations are highly encouraged. Not a seafood fan? The restaurant offers a delicious array of seafood-free items including corn tempura, Tsukune Chicken meatball skewers, and the vegan roll, all of which will send your taste buds soaring just as high as anything else on the menu.
Yume is located at 12254 Ventura Boulevard, just blocks from Laurel Canyon, in Studio City, California. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Be sure to snag a reservation and treat yourself to some truly divine, modern, and authentic Japanese cuisine.
Sushi by Boū is changing the sushi scene across America. With an ever-growing list of locations, Sushi by Boū brings a high-end Omakase experience to the people in a fun, speakeasy environment.
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