12.01.08
Review of Matsugen, Tuesday September 2008
241 Church & Leonard Sts., 212-925-0202
Great for: epicurean indulgence, imaginary journeys to Tokyo, splurging on sake and shochu
My friend SOGIK (he insisted on the appellation) is as into haute cuisine as I am. So we were pretty excited for Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new restaurant. We opted to get the reasonably-priced seven-course omakase ($85) plus two appetizers.
The bakudan, a hobby kit of uni (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe), raw scallops, scallion, poached egg, warm nori (seaweed) and natto (fermented soy beans), was fun and delicious. I am not so much a fan of raw scallops but I really enjoyed the dish as a whole. It’s unique and interesting, even in presentation; there’s a hot stone underneath the nori in a special box. The four giant ebi tempura were truly gargantuan. They might have had a bit too much breading but were a very respectable showing. I liked the dipping sauce and award bonus points for the size and number of the shrimp.
Our omakase began with a small shooter of uni with yuzu gelée on top of homemade tofu. It was subtle with only a hint of salt and I loved it. Considering that I am generally at best indifferent to uni and Jell-o-like substances, this had to be exceptional. Then came wagyu and braised daikon soup with a reduction of yuzu koshi. The delicate beef with lots of fat and tendons was not much fun to eat but the big thick disc of daikon and the very rich and flavorful broth were.
The first sashimi course consisted of two pieces each of red snapper and seared chu toro with slightly spicy yuzu sauce and pepper coating. It was fantastic in every way. The slices were small in area but satisfyingly thick. I was surprised to like the snapper a lot.
The crab salad with creamy carrot dressing was arranged geometrically with a nice amount of each thing. It was ridiculously good with delicate, perfect-sized leaves and lovely crab. If I had dreamed a salad with those ingredients I’m not sure I could have made it any better.
We then had more sashimi of tuna, fluke, salmon and yellowtail. The tuna and salmon were meltingly buttery. The others were also very good though a bit rubbery. I think fluke tends to be a bit chewier anyway, though.
Next was a terrific black cod with miso from the grill. It was so flaky it crumbled on our forks. I was impressed at how perfectly it was cooked – not a hair over or under the ideal time. I’m not sure I’ve had it better anywhere, even at Nobu, although I’d have to go back and do some research. (Unfortunately, funding is currently not available for that.)
I expected a lot from the soba course, knowing that it was Matsugen’s raison d’être. My rin (delicate no husk) soba with kamoseiro duck soup was great. The duck could have used more seasoning but overall I liked it a lot. His seiro (smooth medium husk) kamo nanban duck with scallion was great. The soba were a smooth and sticky wonder. I liked it even more than mine. I never thought I’d be a fan of buckwheat but I have now been converted.
In our dessert course, the Matsugen parfait was tasty – mainly on the merits of the green tea ice cream, not so much the mochi and red bean. My strawberry water with almond tofu was airy and delightful, the perfect palate cleanser.
They have interesting cocktails here. The matcha green tea cocktail with shochu was green like wheatgrass with its flavor, too. I found it cool and refreshing. He had a dry white wine and one box of “ten thousand year” semi-dry Manju sake on our waitress’ recommendation. We then asked her for a bottle recommendation. In retrospect, we probably shouldn’t have given her free rein in choosing for us, as she had been pushing us towards the most expensive items on the menu and the box of sake turned out to be $73. She brought us Golden Dragon (Kokuryu), a junmai daiginjo. It was fantastic, though I’m not sure I can argue that it was $170 fantastic. The drinks menu has six cocktails, lots of sake, shochu and beer, some wine and a page of scotch. There’s a full bar as well.
The service is great. I watched one of the bartenders run after a guy to give him his bag; they were on the ball about everything. Our waitress was chatty but nice, or at least we thought so until we saw the bill. I really liked that no one ever took anything off the table without asking, yet didn’t hover. A perfect level of attention. It’s nice that they kept the lovely clean lines and white décor from 66. There is an extensive couch area, great for preprandial cocktails and meetings. The very long sushi bar invites casual dropping-in. They have the same layout with a rounded separate entrance as of old.
I very much enjoy meals like this – elegant and sophisticated with minimalist presentation and meticulous attention to detail. It’s luxurious in an understated way. I look forward to my next visit (and will keep a closer eye on which bottle we pick).
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $700 (1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine, 1 $73 box of sake, 1 $170 bottle of sake)
Noise level: people can be noisy but the music was at a good level
Chance of walking in: not bad.
