Morimoto: Extreme Taste Forged by An Iron Chef
Hellooo! I’m back and late with my posts… as always. I try to stick to at least two reviews and a guide per month but I might change that soon now that Ngo Your Meal is two years old! I’ll probably do guides less frequently and do more reviews each month. We’ll see.
Anyway, today’s review is on Morimoto. This is one of my favorite lunch spots. I recommend that you only go for lunch. Why? Prices are 3x more affordable. The restaurant is practically empty at this time. And, the lighting and atmosphere is perfect. The restaurant is owned by Masaharu Morimoto, an Iron Chef known for his Japanese fusion. His restaurants, with regard to aesthetics and interior design, are upscale and trendy. Come here to have a quiet, quality meal with friends or your significant other... or me!
OK. Time to talk about the food. First, I want to talk about the Duck Duck Mi (not pictured). Even though I had this banh mi recreation over a year ago, it still blows my mind every time I think about it. This will probably be my favorite dish at Morimoto for the foreseeable future. I need to share this with you. It seems that Morimoto is a part time poet because the description for this sandwich is practically the most romantic thing since my abs. The Duck Duck Mi comes with a 16-hour duck leg confit, duck liver pate, hoisin, and cilantro. I don’t know how someone can see that on a menu and not order it. It’s beautiful.
The meat was perfectly juicy and fatty. It had just enough crisp without being too dry. The duck liver was full of savory flavors, sending me straight to umami heaven. Adding hoisin sauce, a thick, sweet, and salty Chinese five-spice sauce, was a great move as the sauce always goes well with duck. For example, in Chinese culture, hoisin sauce is usually served with Peking duck. Now that I think of it, a hint of lime would have went very well with the sandwich. I can’t stop thinking about it now :(
During this visit, I ordered the Braised Black Cod with Ginger-Soy Reduction. This was very good. It’s probably in my top 5 favorite black cods in New York. FUN FACT: Black cod is both delicious and healthy. It’s packed with healthy omega 3’s and a ton of rich, buttery flavor. The fish goes well with soy- and miso-based marinades/sauces. This lunch set comes with house-polished rice, miso soup, suribachi sesame mixed greens, and assorted seasonal pickles.
My friend ordered the Morimoto dry aged burger. It came with a miso-russian dressing, sake kasu soba ale cheese, soy-ginger shiitakes, house-made nori bun, and soy salt and vinegar Japanese sweet potato chips. Good choice, Dana. Although, I haven't tried this burger myself, I do want to explain sake kasu soba ale cheese. Sake kasu is the leftover yeast by-product from the sake making process. It has a fermented scent and is somewhat sweet in taste. This ingredient is important in the bohemian dining/cooking scene.