Japonais

[Daniel]

Japonais

111 E 18th St

212-260-2020

Went here tonight with my girl. Without reservations we were quickly seated in the upstairs lounge.We ordered a bunch of things off the bar menu.. I started with a Manhattan..

Started with the lamb carpaccio.. This dish was beautiful.. On top were little pieces of toasted garlic.. The sauce a little sweet, but really let the wonderful taste of the lamb come through.. I really liked this dish..

Hamachi:

The hamachi my girl just loved.. It was in a sesame yuzu sauce, with tobiko.. She said the pieces were cut really well.. Looks like it was all belly..

We then had tuna flat bread:

This was good too.. Crispy flat bread, served with ahi tuna, mochi cheese and anchovy sauce.. It was crunchy, crispy and everything went well together.. Great bar food.. Little spicey seasoning on the side.. Always love to get to play a little..

Kitchens tasting:

Chef's Special Tasting: toro tartare, squid with sea urchin sauce and monkfish foie gras wrapped with octopus and hirame.. This was served a beautiful plate.. Everything was top notch..

Toro Tartare.. As good as most high end places.. High quality fish.

This was my favorite of the trio.. Squid in a uni sauce.., It was a simple sauce that really allowed the freshness of the uni to come through.. Served with shiso steams, which I have never had before.. I love the leaves, and thought it was good use from the kitchen to use the stems they must have.. Really enjoyed it..

Monkfish foie gras wrapped with hirame (flounder?) and the other piece of was octopus wrapped around monkfish foie.. I like the texture of the octopus and the flavor of the hirame better.. I also liked the caviar and tobiko that topped the dish..

Wasabi tobiko- This was really average.. My least favorite of the dishes. The tobiko had a weak taste of wasabi and just was really average.

Table next to us gave us a lobster spring roll and a salmon sushi:

Crab claws..

Tasted like fried crab claws..

For a restaurant being opened for a few days, it was running pretty smoothly.. The waitress was very nice.. We ordered things one at a time.. The people next to us ordered everything at once and all there 6 or 7 dishes came together.. There was about a 5 to 10 minute wait for things to come out of the kitchen.. Which is impressive.. And everything was prepared well.. There were many dishes we didnt try that we would like to... The whole sushi menu looked very interesting. The room downstairs seemed really hectic and sceney..(But it was also the first friday opened) I dont like large busy places, but if you like this type of scene, the food is certainly good..

Edited July 22, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[cchen]

So what was your opinion of the food?

[KatieLoeb]

Daniel:

Great pix and thanks for sharing them. Looks very good.

Were the flavors as well balanced and representative of the Japanese aesthetic as they appear to be?

[Pan]

Yeah, truly beautiful food, but how did it taste?

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for sharing your photos. What is the green topping of the piece of sushi in the photo under "Wasabi"? Tonburi or something?

[Daniel]

Hey guys.. I didnt feel like writing last night.. Above I have inserted my reviews..

[BryanZ]

Is mochi "cheese," just broiled mochi cakes?

Also, is this place new? I could've sworn it's been open for a long time. Perhaps I'm confused.

[ulterior epicure]

Hrmm... glad to see that the NYC outlet is promising. My one visit to the original Japonais in Chicago was perhaps one of the most disappointing meals (in terms of sushi) I've had in a while. Personally, my companions and I were much more impressed with their hot foods than the stuff coming from the raw bar.

Take for example a salmon roll - which despite its name, had no identifiable salmon in the roll. On inquiry and further inspection, the salmon had been minced into the rice and rolled in nori... the only evidence of the fish being a sligh pink tinge to the rice. I'm not kidding.

The foie gras (cold) and filet mignon were excellent, as I recall.

I think I blogged about it... let me see if I can pull up the link. [Here it is in all of its cheesy-glory: My Japonais review.]

Regardless, looking forward to reading more about experiences at Japonais NYC.

Edited July 22, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[jesteinf]

Well, hopefully this place stays good. I thought the one in Chicago got off to a great start, but then it became a lot more about the scene then the food. I recently went back and it was just ok. The squid in uni sauce at the Chicago branch tasted like licking the deck of a boat, and not in a good way.

Edited July 22, 2006 by jesteinf (log)

[ulterior epicure]

I thought the one in Chicago got off to a great start, but then it became a lot more about the scene then the food.  I recently went back and it was just ok.

That was certainly my impression around the time I visited...

The squid in uni sauce at the Chicago branch tasted like licking the deck of a boat, and not in a good way.

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Is there a "good way?"

[chefboy24]

this is la revise, llc.

which also owns brasserie ruhlman, la golue, and orsay, interesting enough.

[docsconz]

Also, is this place new?  I could've sworn it's been open for a long time.  Perhaps I'm confused.

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Bryan, you may be thinking of La Maison Japonais, a French-Japanese Fusion restaurant that I used to frequent in the 1980's. I have no idea if it is still around or if not when it may have closed. It was in the same general area though. Another possible point of confusion might be the nearby Japonica, a Japanese restaurant at which I had my first date in 1983 with the woman who became my wife. As of a couple of years ago I know that it was still around and apparently going strong.

[Daniel]

Has anyone been here recently? Or heard how the place is doing?

Edited September 12, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Went there last night to a pretty mediocre time.. The cooked food is definitely the reason to go.. I had a 42 dollar sashimi assortment.. Two piece of otoro, two pieces of baby yellow tail, a raw shrimp, and something else.. Really did not like the way the chef cut the pieces, as they were made really long and angular.. The otoro was almost chewy..

Tasted a cooked tuna dish that was cooked perfectly.. Started with the tuna pizza which is still good.. Also tried a pork bun that had a wonderful winey taste to it..

Service was overbearing and annoying.. They are looking to clear the table and turn it as fast as possible.. They are also looking to pad the bill... We were with a party of 7 so they were already happy with their guaranteed 20 percent.. The only problem was the waiter added on close to a 120 dollars of extra things..

An extra entree, a few extra drinks.. The bill was 620 originally and after deductions it was down to 480 with tip.. Felt pretty pissed about the thing and alerted the manager..

If you must go here because say Nobu is crowded, or Morimotos isnt your speed, and you dont feel like eating sushi that night, you can get a few decent cooked things.. However, if you ask, I can name about 30 other restaurants that are serving a better version of anything you would order here.

But the service isnt good, the room is pretty to look at I guess but, not great to be in.. I might opt for going on a tuesday night or something.. Though, I think I had my last meal here..

Edited April 13, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[weinoo]

Service was overbearing and annoying.. They are looking to clear the table and turn it as fast as possible.. They are also looking to pad the bill... We were with a party of 7 so they were already happy with their guaranteed 20 percent.. The only problem was the waiter added on close to a 120 dollars of extra things..

An extra entree, a few extra drinks.. The bill was 620 originally and after deductions it was down to 480 with tip.. Felt pretty pissed about the thing and alerted the manager..

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This is practically, or actually, a criminal offense - I mean, if you tried to take some wine glasses, they might have you arrested. What did the manager have to say?

[ulterior epicure]

Sounds exactly like the original Japonais in Chicago.

[DutchMuse]

Yikes; this has me worried. I'm moving to Chicago in a couple of weeks and Japonais is a couple of blocks from me. I had hoped it would be a good "to go" place. Maybe if I consider it a neighborhood joint, I'll be ok.

[Daniel]

I was going to ask the manager to remove my 20 percent tip from the bill but, I didnt want to get into it.. I alerted the management and they didnt seem overly concerned or apologetic..

There is a way to handle a situation that doesnt include a comp or a freebie.. It is possible that I just wanted to alert you to a situation for the sake of your business or perhaps my future comfort.. I am not looking for a round of coffee or something, just a heads up that your service sucks and that your waiter is either a theif or a moron..

Edited April 14, 2008 by Daniel (log)

[JWangSDC]

I was going to ask the manager to remove my 20 percent tip from the bill but, I didnt want to get into it.. I alerted the management and they didnt seem overly concerned or apologetic.. 

There is a way to handle a situation that doesnt include a comp or a freebie.. It is possible that I just wanted to alert you to a situation for the sake of your business or perhaps my future comfort.. I am not looking for a round of coffee or something, just a heads up that your service sucks and that your waiter is either a theif or a moron..

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Went here when it first opened. Great place to have a big party, not a great place if you are looking for top quality Japanese food. In my head I have a matrix where Morimoto/Nobu are on one end and Sushi Yasuda/15 East are on the other end...right in the middle is japanais. So it's not as complete of a meal as morimoto or nobu but it's not as polarizing as a top Sushi place and it's worse quality than both.