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robataya: a veggie grilling bonanza
while i feel like i know my sushi and maybe even a little about the ramen arena, when it comes to other kinds of japanese cuisine i am pretty much a novice (that’s why that trip to japan is so very high on my list). looking to branch out, some friends and i recently visited robataya, a newish japanese spot with a focus on grilling which had opened in the late fall, and is owned by the same people who run one of my favorite noodle bars sobaya. fortunately, my friends have a lot more japanese food behind them, so i let them lead the way and do most of the ordering. robataya has a pretty huge menu, but if i were to make any general recommendations it would be to try out a lot of the tofu dishes (all excellent), get lots of grilled vegetables, and then you might want to be more careful on the grilled meats which seemed a little more run-of-the-mill in quality.
in terms of highlights, the goma tofu agedashi (pictured above), was a bowl of soy-flavored broth filled with ethereally light and silky tofu chunks, like the best miso soup ever. another huge hit were the yuba gyoza which were lightly fried tofu dumplings stuffed with chicken and shiso. on the veggie front, robataya’s okra was my favorite thing. so fresh and crisp, it didn’t have the kind of mooshiness (is that even a word) that i typically associate with okra, and which i don’t really like, but this stuff, i could eat all day long. the mushroom dishes we got (including the enoki and eryngi) were also good.
less successful dishes included the nagaimo (yam with seaweed) and the shishitsu. neither were thrilling though the the chawan mushi, the steamed egg custard was smooth andcreamy with chunks of chicken andshrimp. on the meat front, i’m not going to recommend anything. the new zealand lamb was perfectly fine as was the duck, but we could go elsewhere for that. on a return visit, i would try out some of their grilled fish which seem to be more of a specialty.
we ended our luxuriously long, and well served (a waiter was always graciously nearby) with a green tea pudding like dessert which had this amazing glistening red fruit (maybe a mini plum — see above) but the flavor, for me at least was an acquired taste i have yet to find. robataya was not that busy when we went (though it was the middle of a brutally cold week). it is a big space, and in future, i would definitely sit up front at the counter and near the grill area which seemed a bit more lively and fun though apparently loud. our visit also reminded me that i need to check out some competitors especially sakagura so i can be ready for that japanese visit someday. robataya, 231 east 9th street between 2nd and 3rd avenues, manhattan, new york, .
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I’m getting hungry!