Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
There are ways to experience the food at hip restaurants without dropping a boatload of money. One is to come at lunch, another is to have the food as takeout (no need to leave a 20% tip), and the other is to skip a main course all together.
I did all of these for a variety of reasons when I visited the hip Japanese izakaya Nonono one weekday afternoon. And I had both a filling bowl of noodles and a delightful bite of one of their famous yakitori skewers with a surprising dramatic sauce spread on top.
Most yakitori I have experienced are usually just a cut of meat (or vegetables) simply grilled on a wooden stick. The skewers at Nonono are a bit more inventive than that.
Sure, they have meatball, chicken breast, gizzard, beef heart, and other simply seasoned meats available. You can even get a set of a few sticks to try. But I was intrigued by the special sticks like a Cilantro Lime Chicken Thigh and the Yuzukoshi Nori that I tried.
Juicy, smoky chicken thighs were grilled as expected, but slicked with a dark black sauce made from nori (dried seaweed) and yuzukosho, which is a paste created from chili peppers and the Japanese citrus yuzu.
It really made the chicken pop with even more flavor than the expected smoky fattiness. There was a sweet and citrusy richness followed by a salty spiciness that made for a well rounded yakitori.
And all that for a measly $4 and change! Price: $4.50
| NONONO |
| 116 Madison Avenue (at West 30th Street), Nomad (646) 707-3227 |
| nonononyc.com |
