SADLY, ROBATAYA NY IS NOW CLOSED.
I’ve been to izakayas, habachis, sushi bars, ramen noodle shops, shabu shabu restaurants, and the Japanese Pavilion at EPCOT. I love Japanese food. And it’s amazing to me how many different options there are within one cusine.
The owners of Sakagura, one of my favorite gourmet izakayas (a Japanese gastropub) in the city recently opened Robataya NY in the Japanese-food heavy East Village. I’ve learned that a robatayaki is a grill restaurant where instead of diners sitting around a bar, they gather in front of the chefs and the food, which is laid out in a beautifully and rustic manner. Eager diners point to the vegetable or meat they’re yearning for and then the chefs use wooden paddles to scoop it up, grill it, and then serve it to the guest. Japanese chefs love showing off, don’t they?
When we got to Robataya NY, it was rather late and the bar was pretty crowded. We should have waited for a spot because that’s where all the fun happens. But we were hungry and chose to sit in the dining room behind a curtain, away from the spectacle.
I guess the fact that we missed out on the actual robata experience is fitting because the list item that brought us here is not a grilled item at all. It’s the Kamameshi, which is a rice dish that is cooked and served in an earthenware pot. The waiter told us it takes 30 minutes to prepare (I think he overestimated), so we ordered some other small dishes as well. Everything was good, but a bit overpriced in my eyes. We had some nicely grilled eggplant and mushrooms, a tasty tofu dish, and (my favorite Japanese dish to pronounce) chawanmushi.
When the kamameshi arrived, the server tossed the rice, the salmon flakes, and the ikura (salmon roe) around the pot to mix it all together and to continue to slow cook the rice. See, we didn’t need to sit at the grill to get our money’s worth after all.
When the waitress left us to our dinner, it didn’t take long for me to dig in. The kamameshi was a bit reminiscent of Korean bibimbap, but alot less spicy and without as many ingredients. The dish was very simple and light. It was a bit on the bland side, but I loved the textures of the flaky salmon pieces, the explosive roe, and the rich fluffy rice.
This felt like a great late night snack (in a very warm and unique environment). It wasn’t too heavy, it was rather filling, and I don’t think it added too much to my cholesterol level. I think I found a (semi) healthy alternative to all that late night pork belly and chicken skin you find at your local izakaya.
Would Robataya NY’s Kamameshi with Salmon and Ikura make my Top 100 of the year? This is definitely something I would eat again and again because of its simplicity and textures, but I can’t imagine it being something I will continue to think about and yearn for, so it gets a 6 out of 10.
