Sakagura: All the Elements of a Great Night Part 2
Hello! I assume you're here because you read Part 1 of our Sakagura review. If not, you can check out our first review here. This is a continuation of our last review because there is just too much good food we want to share with you! With that, let's get down to business.
Thanks for reading! Comment below if you have any questions or end up trying this place.
Address: 211 E 43rd St. New York, NY 10017
Recommended:
Maguro Tartar: Chopped Tuna with Flying Fish Roe and Steeped in Yuzu and Caviar
Gindara Yuan Yaki: Grilled Fillets of Cod Fish Steeped in Sweet Soy Sauce
Gyutan Yawaraka Ni: Beef Tongue Stewed in a Miso Served with Slices of Daikon Radish, Taro Potato, Spinach, and Shiitake Mushrooms
Jidori Shioyaki: Grilled Organic Free Range Chicken Served with Sea Salt and "Yuzu" Citrus Pepper
Fluke Carpaccio: Thinly Sliced Fluke Sashimi Drizzled with Olive Oil Topped with Plum Paste, Salmon Roe, and Shiso Leaf
Ebi Shinjo: Deep Fried Shrimp Balls Covered with Sliced Almonds
Buta Kakuni: Sakagura Special Stewed Diced Pork
Sanshoku Nasu Dengaku: Grilled Japanese Eggplants Served with Three Kinds of Miso
Coffee Jello: Coffee Gelatin with Vanilla Ice Cream
Hannya Ume Sake Sorbet Served with Ume Sake Jello.
Pear Millefeuille with Earl Gray Ice Cream
Above, you will notice the majestic Maguro Tartar a.k.a. Chopped Tuna with Flying Fish Roe and Steeped in Yuzu and Caviar. Look at this piece of outstanding artistry! It's got this whole ying-yang thing going on with the orange and black caviar. Besides being visually attractive, it also tastes exceptionally good. The tuna is soft in texture and flavorful. My one qualm is that I wish I could taste more of the yuzu.
Next up is the legendary Jidori Shioyaki. This is my go-to dish when I come to Sakagura. It's so simple but SO GOOD. The chicken is noticeably good quality but what really gets me is the yuzukosho (yuzu pepper). Add a dab of yuzukosho to everything! Put it on your chicken. Put it on your fish. Put it on your best friend. The options are limitless!
Yuzukosho is a spicy Japanese citrus paste. It's highly concentrated with the flavor of chili peppers, citrus, and salt. It goes amazingly well with anything grilled. This, along with a touch of lemon juice, will send your taste buds into a frenzy of jubilation. What an absolute flavor bomb!
Speaking of flavor bombs, get the Buta Kukuni if you're a fan of fatty-licious pork. This is a Sakagura's specialty. They seem to slow cook a huge chunk of pork belly for a few hours (most likely 4-6 hours) before serving. This softens the collagen until it becomes rich gelatin-like substance. This gives the meat a load of flavor and a silky texture. In short, one bite will detonate a series of explosive, juicy flavors in your mouth leaving you slightly incapacitated (in a good way, of course).
Lastly, we got the Coffee Jello dessert with Vanilla Ice Cream. This is my childhood! Back home in the Philippines, I always get this Coffee Jello dessert at UCC. It's so refreshing! It's like an affogato but jello. Try it!
By the way, we got the Tatsuriki Sake. Apparently, it means "Dragon Power" or something like that. I don't know much about sake and I can usually tell if it's a good or bad sake. But, I don't really have enough experience to tell how good a "good" sake is. I do know that this sake is good because I liked the taste. And, it has a badass name. So.. why not?