Kyo Ya: Authentic Japanese Food in Manhattan

So, after being away from my apartment for nearly three weeks, Sunday afternoon, my parents returned me to the city. The voyage was incredibly quick and painless as there was no traffic what so ever! For us, especially dad, driving into the city is not a big deal and in fact, its become a Sunday tradition. This Sunday however, rather than simply drop me off at my apartment, my parents and I decided to make it a special trip, so we stayed in for a bit and dined at one of our all time favorite restaurants: Kyo Ya.

Kyo Ya is truly a gem hidden in the East Village. At first, I was hesitant to tell you all about this place, selfish I know, but it's sort of like one of Manhattan's greatest kept secrets. Then I remembered that a few months ago, it received RAVE reviews from the NY Times, so then I figured, "well, the cat's out of the bag now."
NY Times Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/dining/reviews/kyo-ya-nyc-restaurant-review.html?pagewanted=all

Kyo Ya first opened several years ago, and my family and I have been eager patrons for at least 6 years or so? Maybe a bit longer? We've seen the menus change, as well as the stuff. Luckily, the food has remained stellar...no...beyond stellar...I can only describe it as SCRUMTRELLESCENT. Seriously, this food cannot be described with words its so good. It's also really authentic, flavor wise, which is really important to my family.

Let me back track, the chef, Mr. Sono, has perfected the art of Japanese cooking. His presentation of classic Japanese meals is not only sophisticated, but beautiful. He does not compromise or embellish the flavors, but remains true. When you are at Kyo Ya, it's like eating in Tokyo or Kyoto. I'm serious. You walk through those doors, and you are transported to Japan. Mr. Sono is fearless and always coming up with amazing dishes. He is also really really really nice.

Anyway, if you want to read a proper review, I've posted the NY Times review above. Here, I want to share with you are delicious delicious dinner. Also, I should note, after about one week of food poisoning, this was the first substantial meal I was able to eat! When my family and I go to Kyo-ya, we tend to order a lot of dishes and just share everything.

Amuse (L-R):

- Kimo. This is the liver of a fish, usually monkfish.This is sort of the Japanese equivalent to foie gras, with regards to the decadence and velvety texture. Also, one of my mother's favorite delicacies. 

- Rice Osenbei with Celery Miso: Using some older rice, Chef Sono made little crispy rice crackers, which is topped with a miso made with celery. 

- Abalone: Thinly sliced and slightly cooked abalone.

First Dish: Mackerel "Bo-zushi" 

This is a type of sushi that uses preserved mackerel, that is placed on top of rice and then molded in a box, thus the sort of "boxy" shape. Every other piece is topped with either wasabi or grated ginger. This is a family favorite.  

Second Dish: Selection of Sashimi

Some of the freshest and most delicious sashimi you will eat in Manhattan. Sadly, I thought it best to give my stomach more time to heal, so I had to agonize as I watched my parents enjoy this gorgeous selection of sashimi. 

Third Dish: Junsai

This dish was mostly for my mother, who likes food with a sort of gloppy texture. I know that is not the most appetizing description, but she likes gelatinous textures. Junsai is a type of underwater green that is supposed to be very healthy. This junsai is also served with tomatoes, tororo (grated mountain yam), and uni. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan...

Fourth Dish: Deep Fried Horse Mackerel

This is also a family favorite and something we devoured almost instantly. Horse mackerel are these fishies that are about 2 inches long, maybe? They are fried and served with a thickened soy sauce, salt, or lemon. Your choice. So delicious! 

Fifth Dish: Cold Chawanmushi with Uni (Sea Urchin) "Cappuccino"

Chawanmushi is a steamed savory egg custard and another family favorite. Although I staunchly believe that my mother makes the best chawanmushi, Kyo-Ya's certainly doesn't disappoint. This dish was incredibly intruiging because normally, chawanmushi is served warm, but this was cold. Essentially, the kitchen made the chawanmushi, which was stuffed with plenty of uni and let it cool. Once the chawanmushi was cooled, they mixed egg whites and mountain yams until they got a meringue-like foam. After adding another layer of uni, this foam was then placed on top of the chawanumushi, so as to resemble a cappuccino. The dish is finished with some ground spicy Japanese peppers. How creative is that?! It was totally delicious! 

Sixth Dish: Grilled Eggplant with Dashi Jelly

Grilled eggplant and dashi is a really authentic and typical Japanese dish. The smokey grilled flavor of the eggplant is placed into a bowl filled with dashi, that balances and mellows the smokiness. In this case, the dish was reinvented and rather than a dashi sauce, the dashi was jellied.

Seventh Dish: Shrimp, Kabocha (Pumpkin), and Corn Tempura

Who doesn't like tempura? When I saw this on the menu, I thought, "God, when was the last time I had tempura?" Now that I think about it, it was in Tokyo, back in April. This was so yummy! I am a huge fan of tempura-ed shrimp head, and they were cooked to perfection! Although in America, we dip the tempura in a sauce, in really traditional restaurants, tempura is eaten with salt. I didn't know this until 2009, when in Tokyo, I was taken to the ONLY michelin starred tempura restaurant in the world. 

Eighth Dish: Duck and Vegetable Sukiyaki

Ok, so I know that I said that a lot of these dishes are family favorites, which they are, but of everything we ate, I must confess, sukiyaki is probably one of my ALL TIME favorite Japanese dishes. What ingredients you use and how you eat it varies from family, but the core dish is delicious. Essentially, you have a sizeable pot that is filled with a dashi sauce. This is then heated to a point that it is boiling. Once hot, you place your meat, noodles, vegetables, whatever to cook. It's a really fun family food and it can take hours to eat! In this case, we were given a soft boiled egg, which you were meant to mix with the sukiyaki, in lieu of a sauce. This was hands down the Pièce de résistance of the entire meal. 

WELL DONE KYO YA AND CHEF SONO!

Final Dish: Kamadaki Gohan (Stonepot Rice)

This is a MUST when dining at Kyo-Ya. This is a special rice that you must order at least 40 minutes in advance and changes seasonally. Kamadaki rice is cooked in this special pot and is the best tasting rice you will ever eat. Usually Kyo-Ya offers two types. We had to decided between the black pork and mushroom OR mussels and fresh heart of palms. We chose the latter. 

As you can see, a feast all around. I've learned that since my food poisoining, but stomach has shrunk and I am only able to eat about half of what I used to. By the end of this meal, I was telling my dad that I need to visit the "dejuicing chamber" like Violet in the original Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder. I know that being that stuffed is neither pleasant or healthy, but when we come to Kyo-Ya, the food is so good, that we really struggle in limiting our selections!

Let me conclude this post with this reflection: if you like authentic Japanese food, you must try this restauraunt. Let me warn you though, Kyo-Ya will burn a whole in your pocket, but it's worth every cent!