Today I went to Manpuku at 105 McCaul Street Unit 29-31, which just opened not long ago. They mainly have Rice Dishes and Noodle Dishes, no sushi and sashimi. It is like fast food Japanese restaurant (average food is $4 or $5). They have put some thoughts in the restaurant design. The menu signs have bigger Japanese with small English explanation underneath, which gives the place a lot of character. I felt I was in Japan for a second.
Since we don’t see many restaurants like that in T.O, I decided to try something new. I ordered Ochazuke and Takoyaki.
Pic 1: Ochazuke: A warm bowl of rice in a tea broth topped with nori seaweed and okaki cracker
I really like the brown part of the rice, it is crispy. The tea broth taste subtle but really nice. In the middle of rice ball, there are some canned tuna meat, which add some flavor to the rice. It is an interesting dish to try but it mainly is rice in tea. I prefer my meal has veggie, meat and carbs all together.
Pic 2: Takoyaki: Flour with octopus in the center grilled on hot plate, topped with Takoyaki sauce, Katsuo (dried tuna flakes) and Aonori (green seaweed)
Katsuo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipjack_tuna
6 balls are served in a simple white plate. The plate is really hot. The heat makes the dry tuna flakes move in an interesting way, as if it is dancing. It is a fun fish to try. When you bite into it, the fish flakes and seaweed added very unique flavors. However, I didn’t find a big chunk of octopus in the center. Maybe it has been blended with the flour. With $5 price, I guess I can’t ask too much.
Overall, it is an interesting restaurant, if you are looking for something exotic and authentic. For example, you can order Natto Gohan, which a traditional Japanese food, made from fermented soybeans. From what I heard from friends, I was intimidated to try that dish because the strong texture. Maybe one day…
2 comments:
很不错的美食啊！！
i thought rice in tea broth is rare in T.O
apparently it is very common in Japan
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