Robataya NY

I hopped the train into the city after I's Cafe to meet up with Yvo of The Feisty Foodie and Dessert Zombie for dinner. Per the norm, we grabbed some deliciousdinner and had ice cream for dessert. ^_^

It was easy to agree on where to go for dinner. I had just recently finished reading Nami's review of Robataya on Just One Cookbook and it seemed like the perfect place. Yvo and I tried to call in for reservations, but no one ever picked up the phone during hours and no one ever called us back. We chanced it by walking in on a Wednesday night and there was only a 15-20 minute wait.

We were seated right by the entrance in front of our chefs who sat on pillows in front of hot grills. Watching them prepare, cook, and serve each dish was fascinating.




We all started off with drinks. I ordered an Ice Oolong Tea, Yvo had the Yuzu Honey, and Dessert Zombie had a large Sapporo. We all chose the Robataya Course which ended up being about $72 per person prior to drinks, tax, and tips.


Raw oysters. While I've tried cooked oysters before, this was the first time I had ever tried raw oysters. I'm not sure why I waited so long! Raw oysters are nothing like cooked oysters and I can see myself enjoying many of these in my future.



Nama harumaki. I loved the presentation of this one! These spring rolls, filled with fresh salmon, avocado, cream cheese and rice noodles, were placed on a sweet and tart sauce.


I believe Tuna, Hamachi, and Mackerel sushi. These were amazingly fresh with just a hint of wasabi. There was no need to dip this in soy sauce!



Grilled Shishito and Satsumaimo. This was one of my two favorite dishes! Every single time I saw the chefs preparing and grilling these vegetables, I hoped it was our next course! I absolutely love sweet potatoes, especially Japanese sweet potatoes! I couldn't help but take a picture of the silly vegetable face I had on my plate before it was quickly eaten.


Grilled Shiitake and Shimeji. This was the second of my two favorite dishes! This mushroom dish can make a non-mushroom lover into a mushroom one!! Juicy and flavorful!


Wagyu with dipping sauce. This didn't come out looking very appetizing. It was tender, but a bit bland even with the dipping sauce.



Grilled Ebi. These prawns were bigger than the chef's hand and we were excited to try this. This dish was hard to split as there are only two pieces of each head, body, and tail. I will not divulge any gross details, but this was only acceptable. The meat was a bit tough as though it were overcooked.


Deep Fried Japanese Itoyori. This was our last dish of the night. The fish meat was soft and juicy. We almost fought over the fish cheeks and eyes, but we all managed to share. The universe must have known I was craving fresh fish. I had steamed fish for dinner at Sunny Palace and then fried fish the next day!

Dinner took slightly over an hour and a half to two hours total. We didn't feel rushed, although we did wait a a bit between dishes and service. Our server spoke with us a little as well and it was interesting to discover how fluent his Japanese was since he had lived in Japan for a few years.

Out of all the dishes we had, I'd have to say my top three were the Grilled Shishito and Satsumaimo, Grilled Shiitake and Shimeji, and Deep Fried Japanese Itoyori. Nothing else impressed me as much nor left a lasting tasty memory. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the experience. I would totally recommend Robataya for the experience and food. You'll just have to decide for yourself whether or not the food and service are worth what you pay for.