Inakaya

[raji]

Some initial reactions...

1. Horribly overpriced - all vegetable skewers are $7 and up. Goma-dressing salad $11. The only people broker than NYers are Japanese!

2. There's already a robatayaki in NYC, Aburiya Kinnosuke, so stop saying you're the only one

3. It's a place for tourists in Japan - ROPPONGI is the only district you'll find abundant foreigners, so not a surprise that it winds up near Times Square here, but I give it a few months before it retools as an izakaya....

That said I'm down to check it out if someone else is paying, otherwise I can do much better at Aburiya

[LPShanet]

Some initial reactions...

1. Horribly overpriced - all vegetable skewers are $7 and up. Goma-dressing salad $11. The only people broker than NYers are Japanese!

2. There's already a robatayaki in NYC, Aburiya Kinnosuke, so stop saying you're the only one

3. It's a place for tourists in Japan - ROPPONGI is the only district you'll find abundant foreigners, so not a surprise that it winds up near Times Square here, but I give it a few months before it retools as an izakaya....

That said I'm down to check it out if someone else is paying, otherwise I can do much better at Aburiya

←

I had the same impressions. Add to that the amount of emphasis being placed on the "show" of the meal, and I worry that it's Robata meets (or is it meats?) Benihana/Ninja. I'll wait till I hear something positive, and until then, you'll find me at Kinnosuke, Totto, and others.

[raji]

Honestly for $13 you can watch Japanese people yell militaristic orders to eachother at Ippudo. A robatayaki is supposed to be simple, country-style preparations of hyper-fresh ingredients. Imagine a small seaside Japanese fishing village where fish are plucked still writhing out of the sea, plopped on a stick and charred up in a salt crust over a red-hot charcoal. Even Inakaya's name is supposed to evoke this - "inaka" means countryside in Japan. If you want to call someone a country bumkin in Japan you call them an "inakaimo", a country potato. Blech I hate when stuff gets all bastardized in translation

[Sneakeater]

Honestly for $13 you can watch Japanese people yell militaristic orders to eachother at Ippudo.

←

Fuck, you can rent Toro! Toro! Toro!

[raji]

Sneak I'll go with you as long as you allow me to order their most expensive bottle of shochu

[Sneakeater]

Allow you? Raji, I'd encourage you!

[dabestspooner]

I dont know whats more of a let down, the menu and prices or the tiny overpriced "flagship" Muji next to it.

I wouldnt be surprised if Inakaya is owned by Muji, both scream poor management and poor business decision making.

[raji]

I'm pretty sure it's not - but you're right, the only difference being that Mujirushi in Japan is where you go to buy cheap, well-designed Chinese made goods - a Japanese version of "No-Ad" (mujirushi ryohin means no brand but quality goods), and then they come here via the MOMA store and find people are willing to pay $20 for a plastic spatula in an interesting shape. When I go to Japan I stock up on Muji. Meanwhile the Inakaya here is a copy of the premise in Japan. The poor decision-making on both being tone-deafness

[raji]

I walked by here on Sunday hoping for a teishoku (set) lunch. Virtually all restaurants in Japan offer this and most in Midtown east offer it to cater to the Japanese business crowd. Shouldn't expect that on weekends but would be nice on weekdays, would be a way for them to introduce themselves, I doubt they'll try it.