EN Japanese Brasserie

Alas, it’s that time again when the senses in our bodies are awakened while our bank accounts can take a breather. For our first experience of Restaurant Week, we chose EN Japanese in the West Village. The tantalizing and traditional menu whispered sweet little words in my ear, “come and experience”.

As we entered the unassuming glass doorway, we were presented with high ceilings and an open kitchen that would make even the savviest of chefs shy away. Though it seemed a bit cluttered with a variety of serving dishes piled high, it actually added character to the atmosphere. There was a hum of quiet chatter from the already seated guests. Some were there for business, others for a birthday, or just enjoying good food with good company. We were the latter.

It didn’t take very long for us to put our orders in. The restaurant week menu was short and sweet. Like every good restaurant or bad restaurant (with a higher count and probability), there will be items on the menu that you may not like. The EN house salad of yuba, mizuna & walnuts was our item. Note to self, do not assume that all salads use lettuce as the base. I like watercress as much as the next person just not in it’s rawest form. In case you’re as uneducated in culinary terms as we are, yuba is tofu skin. Tofu is… look it up. We concluded that the salad would d0 better in a soup. Can I have a pot of hot water with this salad please?

The other appetizer, the Chef’s Sashimi Selection was good. I would like to say delightful but I save words like this for Morimoto (hmmm). The presentation for the six adequate-sized slices of sashimi was quite pretty. The salmon, tuna, and yellowtail tasted fresh but I like my fish to melt in my mouth. These didn’t but they certainly were not chewy. A slice of fish paired with a couple of strands of the shredded radish dipped sparingly into the wasabi-powered soy sauce makes the perfect bite.

As we fumbled with our chopstick holders, as everyone does, attempting to fold it into the perfect shape, our entrees came. For me, the Kakuni (Braised Berkshire Pork Belly in Sansho Miso) stole the show over the Saikyo Miso Grilled Black Cod. Looking at the pictures below, I’m sure most of you will side with me. The pork belly was braised to perfection.Everything that encompassed this dish was bursting with flavor. There wasn’t one moment where I was searching for salt or pepper. Each bite melted in my mouth. The black cod was tasty. It was completely infused with mirin (rice wine), sake and miso. The flavor was definitely up to par but it was a little tough. I like my fish flaky, light and moist. It was served as two generous fillets with a pinch of minced radish on the side. The entrees were served with a bowl of wild mushroom rice and miso soup. The rice was a little dry and not very flavorful but it makes a good pair with the sauce of the pork belly

Now on to my most favorite segment of the meal: the DESSERT. Although, maybe not for this instance. It was a single scoop of ice cream with what seemed to be crunchy rice crispies mixed in. We couldn’t determine what flavor it was. Was it red bean, cocoa, eh…? We were inevitably disappointed.

When the check came, we felt inclined to complete the “How was your experience?” card. Our overall rating was a 3.75 out of 5. The service was nice and prompt. The atmosphere was spacious and great for good conversation. Will I return? Yes, can’t knock a place until you’ve had something off the regular menu. Plus the sake shots and dishes the table next to us ordered stirred our curiosity and craving.