If you ever traveled to Japan and want to feel
nostalgic, there is village of food that will spark that “kid in a candy store”
experience. A Japanese food and drink marketplace with authentic Japanese food
stalls and New York City’s largest Japanese grocery store, tofu market, fish
market and meat market recently opened in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn
and still expanding. Known as Japan Village,
said to be a 20,000 square-foot, it is a totally authentic Japanese
marketplace.
Owners Tony and Takuya
Yoshida, who leased the space in Industry City, had it designed to make us feel
as though we stepped into a traditional Japanese village square as you enter the
doors of 934 3rd Avenue.
Japan Village is divided
into four sections, featuring: Sunrise Market, the Japanese grocery store; 11 food
stalls, and both Kuracihi, a Japanese liquor store located in an adjacent
building along with the near future Wakuwaku, a full scale restaurant.
Sunrise Mart features a
foodie’s paradise of frozen and packaged proteins as well as frozen and fresh
vegetables. Shelves are lined with all the groceries you would need to prepare
your own authentic Japanese meal including drinks and desserts. Go up to the meat market, upcoming fish
market and tofu market and give them your requests.
Trying to take it all in, I did a “walk
through” of Sunrise Mart, promising myself to return with at the least one
insulated bag.
There appeared to be an ample amount of table seating at the food
court. I did, however, go there at about
noon on a weekday. A courtyard is just
outside the door and may well work for those days that the weather permits you
to hang out.
With eleven vendors in the food court area, here are the ones that I
sampled. Obentoyasan has daily-made bentos and made-to-order
onigiri, featuring different Japanese rice. I was most interested in
the miso soup station. You choose a red, white or mixed miso and variety of
toppings such as: scallion, fried or soft bean curd, chicken, pork, and
burdock. Basis soup costs $3 and each
topping is fifty cents more. I went for
the white miso with chicken and tofu.
Miso soup was not salty or made from a packaged mix.
Hachi : Japanese street food,
takoyaki (octopus balls), yakisoba (pan-fried noodles), taiyaki
(fish-shaped sweets filled with red bean), and obanyaki (round cakes with
assorted fillings), of which I indulged in, made with octopus, cabbage, shrimp
and scallop. Hiroshima style prepares
one with cabbage, tempura flakes, dried bonito flakes, red pickled ginger and
yakisoba noodles.
Shokusaido : Japanese appetizers,
including agedashi tofu, hijiki seaweed salad, and salmon
nanbanzuke. The shop serves traditional tempura, and an
assorted mix of Japanese croquettes, fried chicken, fried
mackerel, and french-fries with Japanese dips such
as mentaikomayo. I sampled the hijiki seaweed salad that is simmered
in a sweet soy sauce as well as Kinpira Gobo, a container of braised burdock
root and carrot, in a buttery soy sauce.
Both were addicting-ly delicious.
Café Japon is a bakery with
Japanese bread and cakes crafted on-site, as well as
teas, matcha lattes, and drip coffee. They actually grind the
matcha tea leaves to prepare your tea rather than a product already in powder
form. I indulged in a matcha latte and
did my own ceremony. They sell bread and
pastries that are already packaged or you can choose one from their case. I chose the tiramisu with green tea
topping. So….good. Brought home packaged Green Tea cookie
custard and what is called “melon bread.”
It resembles a pastry shaped into a sort of “melon.” Slightly sweet, crunchy and soft, I chose one
topped with chocolate chips. What? I’m a
chocoholic!
When I return I will pig
out…errr…sample some of the other vendors, such as Gohei, a soba
and udon noodle shop, which has their own sit down counter. You to view the production of the buckwheat
and flour noodles on-site. Nothing like
having the noodles freshly made in front of you. The menu changes, but basically, a base soup
of fish and seaweed broth with either of the noodles, costs $8. Add mountain vegetables and wakame for $2,
washugyu (premium beef) for $3 or gyusuji (beef tendon) for $5.
If you prefer ramen
noodles, there is Ramen Setagaya. Choose
from either the vegan or pork (tonkotsu) bone broth. A classic tonkotsu contains: two pieces of
chashu (pork belly), bamboo shoots, scallions and seaweed at a price of
$12. Homemade pork gyoza (dumplings) are
also sold $5 for five.
Moriya is a rice bowl shop serving gyudon (washugyu
beef bowl), Japanese curry, shogayaki (pork
ginger), oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl), katsu-don (chicken or pork
cutlet with egg bowl), vegetarian rice bowl and more. A plain vegetable curry using either white or
brown rice costs $8.00.
Mika N’ Momo : Japanese juice and
salad bar, featuring fresh vegetables including shiso (a sort of Japanese
basil), mizuna (said to taste a bit like arugula), kabocha (a winter squash),
mitsuba (parsley type vegetable) and komatsuna (a mustard spinach).
Brooklyn Steak & Lobster : Teppanyaki steak and lobster is yet to open. Here is the info given. “The steak cuts will
be wagyu, washugyu, or premium beef, and each steak will be served
with Japanese condiments including ponzu with daikon, soy sauce with fresh
wasabi, and yuzu kosho pepper. The lobster will be served with
various condiments including soy sauce butter and yuzu butter.”
Also coming soon is Wakuwaku
a restaurant that will serve “Japanese tapas, from grilled chicken skewers, to
sashimi, to gyoza dumplings, and additional eats paired with specialty
beverages. The cocktail bar will serve local craft beers and specialty
cocktails.”
Japan Village’s liquor
store, Kuraichi, will exclusively feature alcohol from Japan with a focus on
sake, Japanese whisky and wine.
Japan Village is
accessible by subway and bus. However,
the ferry nyc has a stop at Sunset Park.
It’s a 15 minute trip from Rockaway or along the Brooklyn run from Wall
St to Astoria. You can either walk the
mile after or take a bus. Taking the
car? Parking on the premises is free for two hours if you make a purchase of $50
or more. Have the ticket validated.
Japan Village is open
every day from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM.
For further information go to www.japanvillage.com
No comments:
Post a Comment