DISH OF THE WEEK: Tortellini Ozoni at KIMIKA

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

I didn’t even realize I missed fancy restaurant gimmicks until I experienced the joy of one once again at Kimika. When the waiter poured the soup into my bowl tableside, I had a rush of nostalgia and comfort. Nobody had poured a part of my meal table side in over a year. Oh, it’s the little things, isn’t it?

I remember reading about Kimika early on during the pandemic. They were one of the brave restaurants that opened for take-out and delivery during all this madness. Now they seem to have a thriving crowd of diners.

I was glad to see that at a recent brunch visit, because this space inside the Nolitan hotel seems to be an ever revolving door for restaurants that stick around for a few months to a year before something else takes it place. Kimika feels like it will be here for a while.

Kimika comes from the team behind Wayla and the name means “noble” in Japanese. The food is a true fusion between Japanese and Italian cooking. There are fried pizzas, pastas, and even a rice cake lasagna on the menu. It’s all very exciting.

Since I came at brunch, a few of the dinner dishes were unavailable. But I found something that is on both menus and should be ordered by everyone who dines here. Although based on the ingredients, I imagine it is somewhat unique to the early summer season. So hurry up.

The plate of Tortellini Ozoni popped with beautiful contrasting colors and when the broth was poured table side, the aromas were released and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

This pasta is a cross between a traditional Italian soup (tortellini en brodo) and a Japanese New Year mochi soup called ozoni. And it’s brilliant.

The gorgeous plump tortellini are stuffed with shrimp and salty prosciutto. They’d be great on their own but combined with colorful mochi, flecks of chewy fish cakes called naruto, scallions, and spring peas, it’s utter perfection.

And then that broth. It’s called kanto brodo and the server wouldn’t reveal exactly what it was, but it was light, savory, full of umami, and satisfying even on a hot day. It reminded me a bit of a dash type broth.

I can’t get over how good this dish was and how exciting it is to have Kimika in town. And I assure you, it wasn’t only that special touch of pouring the broth table side that convinced me. Price: $25