Brooklyn: Okonomi/Yuji Ramen

I had a big list of food places to hit up before we went to NYC. Yuji Ramen was one of the top ones. Ever since I had their mazemen inside Whole Foods 2 years, ago, I've been dreaming about their food. haha. 

But since then, they have closed up shop inside Whole Foods and opened a brick and mortar establishment called Okonomi in Brooklyn. And luckily, it was only a 15 minute walk from our Airbnb apartment!! 

Okonomi/Yuji Ramen 
150 Ainslie St. 
Brooklyn, NY 11211 
www.okonomibk.com
Price: $$$ 


They have a different setup for lunch vs dinner. During the day they serve a Set Breakfast/Lunch for $15~ There is no physical menu, just what's fresh for that day. So the options are very limited. It's a very traditional Japanese style (they call it "Ichiju Sansai" set meal) with smaller portions, very clean and light eating. Dinner is mostly ramen and mazemen, and a few appetizer options. Also a small menu. Breakfast/Lunch is served Monday - Sunday. Dinner is only Monday - Friday. 

We went on Thursday around 11:30AM. We got the last 2 seats at the bar. It's such an adorable place. Really small... there are 2 tables that seats up to 4. And 4 seats at the bar. Then you look right into the kitchen where the chefs are cooking away. I loved it. Super homey and reminded me of Japan. 

We were served Hot Tea to start. Then the waitress went over the options for the lunch since there wasn't a menu to look over. 

For our entrees we got to choose from their Fish of the Day: Tuna Belly, Blue Fish Collar, and Blue Fish something else... And each dish comes with sides of Bok Choy with Tofu Sauce, Baked Egg, Pickled Vegetables, Miso Soup, and Brown Rice. Then... you can add the Uni with Poached Egg +$6~ 

While we waited, I started chatting with the chefs. I told them I loved Yuji Ramen 2 years ago so I had to check out Okonomi. And they were our first stop! They were super friendly. They also told us about their concept. During the day, they serve the fresh fish they just got, and then start the stock for the ramen broth with the bones and other parts. They want to showcase whatever was the freshest that day and also utilize every part of the fish. I thought that was a great concept. No waste, sustainable, and the menu changes daily! 

I got the Tuna Belly. 

 

 

It's so beautifully plated with the side dishes. So minimalistic and colorful. The belly was cooked perfectly. Lightly salted so I can actually taste the fish. The bok choy with tofu sauce was light and refreshing. And tofu sauce?? Never had that before. I could taste the soy in the tofu! The pickled vegetables added a nice acidity to the whole plate, paired really well with everything. I even ate the carrots! Gasp! :P And lastly, that egg... omg the egg. It was amazinggggggggg!! It was sweet and rich and luxurious. I saved it as my last bite of the entire meal. 

We both got the uni with poached egg. 

 

 

We found out that the lunch that day was the last day for uni. I think there was a shortage or something so they weren't able to get anymore for the forseeable future. Lucky us!! The waitress explained to us what we should do with it. You make a well in the rice, pour the mixture in, and mix it all together. Be careful when mixing because that rice bowl is FULL!! Can't waste a single drop! :P And oh em gee. That mixture is deeeelicious! I'm so glad we were able to experience it. 

He got the Blue Fish Collar. 

 

It was a pretty decent size. Cooked perfectly, super tender. Yummy. I actually liked it better than my tuna belly. 

It was a wonderful lunch. Light but delicious, and we weren't overstuffed, since we had lots of other places to go! The chefs were wonderful as well. Gave us some recommendations for places to check out. And since they were only doing ramen at night... we told them they might just see us again later that day. hehe. 

-------------------- 
... Aaaaand, we Went back to Okonomi for a late dinner. It becomes Yuji Ramen at night. This time my fiance's sister joined us. They don't take reservations so we had to be put on the list and waited. We got there a little before 9PM and we waited for almost 45 minutes. Luckily there's a little bar/cafe around the corner, so we went there to chill. 

Finally it was our turn. I greeted the chef that we met earlier that day. He was very happy to see that we've returned. He came over and gave us a run down of the menu. 

None of us were really that hungry, but while the chef was talking about the sashimi plate, he roped me in. haha. And I'm on vacation, why not?! 

Sashimi Plate (blackfin tuna, boston mackerel, porgy - starting bottom left, clockwise) $24~ 

 

Porgy is a small red snapper. He got me with the blackfin tuna. I've never heard of it. And he said this was the first time they were able to get this fish. So I HAD to try it. haha. It came with 2 condiments: Kosho...kind of a spicy yuzu relish, and fish roe sauce. The sashimi was super fresh. Surprisingly the mackerel was our favorite. Usually mackerel is too fishy, but this wasn't. And Kosho is awesome! I've never had it before. It had a kick to it... almost like wasabi but still different. I've never heard of it until then. Apparently you can buy it in Japanese supermarkets! It was a small sampling of sashimi but I think it was worth it. I got to try fish I've never had and the quality was just top notch. 

We decided to each pick a noodle dish and share.

Bacon and Egg Mazemen (brothless ramen with meat hook bacon, onsen egg, kale, bonito flakes) $15~ Add cheese +$1~ 

I had this one 2 years ago. It's still just as good. The noodles in mazemen are generally thicker and chewier, which I love. I suggest you add the cheese. It's not overpowering, but it adds more flavor and a creaminess to everything. Yum. 

Kaisen Hiyashi Chuka Mazemen (brothless; chilled noodle, squid, boston mackerel, porgy, clam lip, sweet vinegar soy, sesame) $18~ 

This was my choice. And what a good choice it is. :P It's a cold noodle. Kind of like a seafood ramen salad. The sauce is with vinegar/soy/sesame is almost like a dressing. The noodle is perfectly al dente. And there were so much seafood in there. Some were cooked, and some were pieces of sashimi we had in our appetizer. This was everyone's favorite. 

Ankimo Miso Ramen (creamy monkfish liver broth, torched whelk, arugula) $17~ 

 

We wanted to have at least one ramen with broth since they've been cooking it since early that morning. This was highly recommended. And monkfish is pretty unique so I said we should get this one. The broth was amazing, so rich in flavor. You get a hint of the liver but it only enriched the overall flavor. The noodles were thin but cooked perfectly. Fantastic. If it wasn't so late at night, I'd probably have finished the soup as well. But too much sodium at night gives me nightmares. :( 

3 of us shared everything. It was more than enough since we ate all day. Their ramen and mazemen is not to be missed! It's been phenomenal from beginning to end. His sister loved it so much. She said she was definitely going to bring her Japanese friend to try it. And the service was fantastic. At the end of our meal, the chef jokingly said that we shouldn't come back anymore. haha. He was very appreciative of our support but there are so many other places to go! 

I highly HIGHLY recommend Okonomi/Yuji Ramen. We've loved everything we had here. So take a day and make your way into Brooklyn!! You won't regret it. :) 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Japan 2013: Sushi Dai @ Tsukiji Fish Market

I left the best for last on my Tokyo posts. This was my favorite meal of the trip. It was also my favorite last year. 

Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is famous. If you get up early enough, you might be able to get in and see the tuna auctions. By early I mean like 4am! We decided not to try to get into the auctions but we definitely wanted to have the famous sushi breakfast. Last year we got there a little later and went to Daiwa Sushi because it had a shorter line. This time I was ready to go earlier to get into Sushi Dai. This is the most popular place for super fresh sushi in the market. It opens at 5AM so we planned to get there before then. I specifically booked our hotel within walking distance to the market since the subway doesn't run until 5AM. 

We left the hotel at 4:30AM. The walk took about 20 minutes. When we reached the front of the market people were already hard at work. An older gentlemen stopped us and asked us what we were looking for. I told him sushi. He said "to eat?". Me: "yes!" He then gestures to the back of his cart and told us to hop on! How cool!!! He gave us a VIP ride through the market and dropped us off right in front of the restaurant. Probably one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. And super sweet of him to do so. Not only did we get to ride on one of those carts through the market, we also cut about 15 minutes out of our walk time to the restaurant. And it allowed us to get in line sooner! By the time we got there (4:55AM), there was already a decent amount of people waiting. The place wasn't even open yet!! 

It took us almost an hour in line until we were seated. That's crazy! I was starving by then. haha. The sushi place seats about 15 people and there were 3 sushi chefs working away. When we finally got in there, we were sooo excited! We both got the 10 piece set with miso soup for 3,900 Yen~ 

The sushi chefs were in great spirits and had lots of energy. They were able to tell us the English names of each piece we got. 

Here we go! 
Miso soup

 

Bluefin Tuna (belly)

 

Flounder 

Snapper 

Egg. This was on the house. The egg was fluffy and sweet. Super delicious.

Uni. Love me some Uni!!! Sooo fresh, creamy and decadent. 

Horse Mackerel. Never had this before. It was spectacular. And the colors are so beautiful. One of my favorites of the day. 

Surf Clam. Before they serve it, the chefs would hit the top of the clam. So when they set it down, the piece would move like it's alive! 

Bluefin Tuna (meat around the bones). I liked this cut of tuna better. It was more flavorful. :) 

Baby Shrimp. Never had this before either. Tiny pieces of shrimp. Kind of flavorless.... not the best out of the bunch. 

Tuna and Cod Roe Rolls 

Spanish Mackerel 

Sea Eel (Anago). The eel was so tender...melts in your mouth! It's not like any eel you get in the states slathered in that sauce. Good stuff! 

It's been an amazing day and it wasn't even 7AM yet! haha. First we get a special ride to the restaurant, then we get this amazing meal. THEN.. the sushi chef told us we each get to pick a piece from all the ones we just tried and we get another piece of that on the house!!! I dunno if everyone got this but I didn't notice anyone else getting an extra piece. So I'll assume we got special treatment! :D The sprinkles on an already awesome cake. hehe. I chose the Horse Mackerel and the bf chose the Eel. Both just as spectacular as the first piece. 

I DEFINITELY recommend waking up super early to experience this in Tokyo. The best and freshest sushi I've every had in my life. And a fraction of the cost of going to any other upscale sushi place in Japan. :) I miss it so much!! 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~