Author and Photographer: Bryce Shufro

When my friends and I arrived at Momotaro, I jumped out of our Uber and ran up the doors so eagerly that I forgot to grab my phone from the car. An anticlimactic start to the evening, but we were quickly shown to our seats by the hostess and placed in the middle of their gorgeous dining room. The inside was very wood centric, with a mixture of Japanese and Western architecture. As I looked around, I noticed the Sorabon lights cascading down from the ceiling, the busy central sushi bar without an open seat covered in dark navy subway tiles, and the list of drinks behind the bar inspired by vintage brokerage boards. Everything in Momotaro is very intentional. I felt like I was in an upscale sushi bar with a modern twist. The menu is very similar to the ambiance, as the chefs take typical Japanese ingredients and sushi dishes and elevate them in some new and inventive way.

Appetizers

We decided to go light on the appetizers and only opted for a small miso soup and the Maguro. The miso soup was nothing special, but the thick slices of bluefin from the maguro dish melted away as soon as they entered my mouth. The puffed buckwheat provided strong textural diversity, and the garlic shoyu cut through some of the fattiness from the fish. While it was a little different from your typical tuna appetizer, I have definitely eaten something similar before. Nonetheless, it was delicious.

Nigiri

As far as nigiri, we opted for the Aburi Beni Toro (salmon belly topped with miso) and the dish that made my night (and changed my life), the Kumamoto Beef Hotate (beef topped with raw scallop and fried shiso). The salmon belly was tender and delicious, with the miso sauce offering a nice contrast and adding a little sourness and umami to the dish. As for the beef and scallop nigiri, the meat was luxuriously fatty and decadent and paired well with the gentle fishiness of the raw scallop. The earthiness of the crunchy shiso rounded out the whole dish. The masterpiece was gone in one bite, and we had to order another round for the table. I also should mention that the sushi rice was some of the best I have ever had, perfectly cooked and seasoned well with vinegar.

Rolls

For rolls, we ordered the Karai Tuna and their namesake, Momomaki. The Karai Tuna was just tuna with spicy gochujang and a little fat from the sesame oil; it was delicious but didn’t live up to my expectations after the nigiri. To be honest, it felt like a glorified spicy tuna roll, and it did not have anything that made it super unique. The Momomaki was spicy octopus inside, topped with lean tuna and a pickled daikon cube. I think this was the first time I had octopus in a roll, and I loved it. Although the flavor of the tuna was lost behind the octopus and its accompanying spicy mayo sauce, the dish was delicious, and the tartness from the pickled daikon left a bright and fresh aftertaste in my mouth. Overall, I would order the Salmon nigiri and the Momomaki again, but if I were to have one dish before I die, the Kumamoto nigiri is the one I would choose.

Entrees

For the sake of variety, we decided to get some cooked food as well. For entrees, we opted for the bone in lamb chop and grilled tuna. The lamb chop was juicy and perfectly charred, and the miso marinade provided fattiness for an otherwise lean piece of meat. I am not a huge fan of cooked tuna, but the dish was still tasty; the tuna was cooked all the way through and was very tender and juicy. However, I thought the flavors were a little dull, as it was only seasoned with salt, pepper, and burnt sesame seeds. While I enjoyed both dishes, I would want to venture out and try more of Momotaro’s entrees upon a second visit.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an inventive sushi restaurant with a breathtaking interior and an expansive drink menu, Momotaro is your place. Each roll was delicious, and the chef’s creativity really comes through in the nigiri portion of the menu. However, their menu is long and would be much easier to navigate with a friend who has been there before. That way you can ensure that you get the best of your experience (and your money $$$$).