EN Japanese Brasserie

Recommends

cathing78

Joined 6 years ago

authentic Japanese, delicious, fresh. This restaurant is the closest I've found to the food I had in Tokyo. Although the interior is very New York, with high ceilings and a loft-like feel, everything else - the presentation, the service, and most of all the cooking - the cooking is straight outta Japan.

Sushi is here but is not the focus - rather try some of the smaller plates, like Crispy Sea Bass, Fresh Tofu (so creamy!), Mochi Croquette, Stone Grilled Beef. Do as they do in Japan, and order a bunch of plates for the table to share. Servers are helpful in navigating the menu, and there are many exotic options for more adventurous eaters as well as the standard Miso Black Cod, etc.

Sake and shochu list is extensive and well-selected.

Presentation is exquisite, and the tableware is lovely, very different.

Overall, a great place to get a little experience of Japan.

Recommends

mner354

Joined 6 years ago

Decent sushi... Small portions. Not the best place. Nothing much really to say about it either. The service was attentive, but it was also a Wednesday night, the decor is nice even with the fake sushi bar in the middle. It accommodates groups well because its never overwhelmingly packed given its location. They allow you to bring sake home, which is good if you wanna spend the big bucks on a nice bottle and not have it go to waste. They also have sparkling sake which I guess isn't always easy to find. Besides that, I don't really have a desire to go back unless you're looking to make a last minute resi on a peak dining hour. Order a lot.

Recommends

englishgirlrebecca

Joined 8 years ago

Food good, service needs to step it up!. I made a reservation, using Open Table, for this restaurant after it was recommended to me by a work colleague. We arrived 20 minutes late for our reservation, even though I had called ahead to let them know we were stuck in traffic, was told that they could only hold the table for 15 minutes, so when we arrived we had to sit at the bar for about 20 minutes, minor gripe! We then were seated, had to wait for menu's then our waitress had to be dragged over by another waitress to take our order, all of which seemed to take a very long and unacceptable amount of time. The food was good, the grilled oysters on their own little bbq was a novel idea and delicious! However, the food was not amazing, have had much better sushi (the sushi roll menu was very limited too) and the fact that the service was so bad prompted me to write this review. Just average I am afraid, they need to get more waiting staff maybe.

Recommends

grejas

Joined 7 years ago

Great service!!. I had my birthday there a few weeks ago and reserved a table for 18. I got there early and the table in the lounge was all ready for us. And let me tell you, the service was impeccable! We had at least 3 servers giving us their full attention and the bartender was giving us free drinks throughout the entire night! The prix fixe menu was a requirement for parties over 12 (which I didn't particularly like but it's understandable) and although the portions were a bit skimpy, the food was delicious overall. Just don't expect to walk out of there feeling full.

Doesn't Recommend

wetwilly

Joined 9 years ago

The tofu is good, but the service is terrible.. My wife and were seated by the MD, then asked to move after we had gotten our first drinks. The reason for moving us made no sense, "these seats are for couples only (???)". But we went along. They apologized, and moved us to a horrible location (next to the service station). Strike 1. They said they would give us a bottle of sake for our troubles. None came. Strike 2. Then, when we asked then if we could be moved to any of the empty tables that we noticed away from the service station and doorway, they told us that those tables were reserved for a party of 8. Which never came. Instead, one table of 3 and one table of 4 sat there later. Strike 3. All of that hassle, and the food was just so-so. And our service was almost non-existent. We had to ask several times for water and another drink. We'd only go back for the tofu.

Recommends

waynes_candi

Joined 7 years ago

looking for serious japanese food? this is it.. the best ganmodoki, the best yaki-takenoko, if you want to know what real dashi tastes like, this is the place. it's trendy and the ambience is very cool...and, the service, impeccable.

Recommends

luna_tick

Joined 7 years ago

Best Japanese Food In The World, But a Bit Pricey.. This Place has the BEST tofu I have ever tasted. And believe me, I know tofu. the bad thing about this place is the PRICE. its a bit too pricey T-T. well, if ya have the money, and youre hungry for japanese food, this is the place for you.

Recommends

sc1019

Joined 7 years ago

Yummy surprise. This place is right next to my apartment, and is the first restaurant I went to in the Village. I was expecting just average Japanese food, nothing out of the ordinary...but I was surprised by food that was extraordinary. I started with the tuna and avocado salad, and the tuna just melted in my mouth. I then went on to have the duck and potato croquette, not knowing what to expect, but I was incredibly satisfied. The portions are small, which is great because you can try more things!

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curious_durian

Joined 8 years ago

Night in town. Me and my boyfriend were in town from SF and I'm originally from Vancouver, so Japanese food/izakaya is no stranger to us. We ordered the signature tasting menu and it was very tasty. We got 9 dishes in total for $100 for 2. The sashimi were very fresh. The pork belly and beef dish were average. The yuba is better than the tofu. The halibut was not as good as the shrimp fritters, but the black cod was awesome. I think my favorite was still the ice-cream. It was the smoothest ice-cream I've had and the flavour (fig) was very unique. I think it was a great value for all the food we had and I highly recommend the tasting menu if you are only visiting and want to try everything.

Recommends

spider66_nz

Joined 7 years ago

Can wait staff be TOO attentive?. The sake Moon Rabbit was EXCELLENT. Fresh tofu and the tofu skin sashimi were both very good. Mizo Black Cod is the same quality but smaller portion than Nobu. Mochi appertizer was also interesting. The salmon rice that we waited for 40 mintues was worth the while. Get the tatami room if you have a group of 8 ($75 extra, have the room for the whole night). However, I have to say the staff are a bit too attentive - they take away dishes from our table the SECOND we finish it and I had a few near miss of chopstick and fork near my eyebrow when they take the plates. Price is ok and we were all quite full for less than $50 per head - you need to balance your order with small dish, big dish and some carbs!