Kissaki Restaurant Week: Bowery

Kissaki, an Omakase restaurant located in New York, was awarded a Michelin Plate in 2021, and I recently had the privilege of dining there during restaurant week with my sister. Right off the bat, the ambiance of the restaurant struck me with its casual elegance and chic bar seating. Going into this lunch reservation, we were aware of the restaurant week deal being an appetizer course, eight nigiri, and a dessert, but we didn’t know the specific dishes and types of fish we’d be enjoying. Not to spoil the surprise, but I left this meal quite literally speechless over how unbelievably delicious, authentic, and unique it was.

The Appetizer Portion

Dashi broth with steamed squash

Tuna tartare with nori sheets

Steamed egg custard with eel, sesame, and chives

The appetizer consisted of a dashi broth with steamed squash pieces, a steamed egg custard with eel, and tuna tartare served with nori sheets. I was confused by the steamed egg custard and a little bit cautious since I typically don’t enjoy eel, but after tasting it I was pleasantly surprised by the eel and went back for seconds. The tuna was incredibly top notch, with finely cut scallions and perfectly crisp nori to form our own hand rolls. The tuna had an essence of umami flavoring laced throughout it and tasted incredibly fresh; the experience of eating this made me feel like I was on a chill Island getaway, not in the snowy New York tundra. Lastly, the dashi was one of the most wonderful flavors I’ve ever tasted, with notes of miso and intense umami flavors, all the while being extremely light.

I had recently prepared homemade dashi broth with my dad at home after watching a Japanese masterclass video, and they noted in the video that the most important part of dashi is keeping it very clear. This dashi hardly had a color and was the clearest I’ve seen, yet still had so much flavor, almost like magic. We paired all of these starters with a glass of sake, which was nine dollars a glass during restaurant week, and the sweet yet subtle sharpness paired nicely alongside these dishes.

The Nigiri Portion

In the order of the picture from left to right, the nigiri selection was toro, sea bream, salmon, hamachi (yellowtail), tuna, halibut, shrimp, and uni (sea urchin). All of the nigiri was pre-brushed with a soy sauce before being served, so we were advised to not dip them in anything and just top with pickled ginger as needed. The salmon and uni were both nigiri choices that I was cautious about since I rarely eat raw salmon and I had never eaten uni before. The salmon was one of my favorite pieces and while the uni was my least favorite, I could appreciate the quality of fish and the authentic role it played in the experience. If you’re someone who dislikes mushy textured foods, you’d probably like the uni the least as well, but I’d still encourage you to try it since it’s an authentic Japanese delicacy and an ingredient that is very important to the chefs who prepare it. My favorite nigiri pieces were the toro, the salmon, the tuna, and the seared halibut piece. All of the pieces had very interesting toppings, and the most surprising one was the hamachi with roasted red peppers. These pieces of fish were buttery and were so smooth to bite through, and they left us with no essence of a fishy flavor.

The Dessert

For dessert we were served a Japanese waffle crisp with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream, eaten as a sandwich. The red bean paste was new to me and was so delicious, and the ice cream offered a smooth coolness that lent a lot to the dish. This was a really fun way to end the meal, with aspects of both authentic Japanese cuisine and some American features as well.

Overall, this was one of the most memorable meals and dining experiences I’ve had in New York City since I moved here. While restaurant week is coming to a close soon, I still highly recommend dining at Kissaki outside of the restaurant week to experience the high quality fish, seamless service, and delicious Japanese dishes that they prepare so beautifully. While expensive, I can assure you it’s completely worth while.