When most of us set goals, we keep them in mental lists that keep us up at night. When the Japanese have something to strive for, they reach for a Daruma doll, a wishing talisman shaped like a small, round bearded man. If you want all your hopes to come true, you color in one of his eyes. Then, every time you look at the doll, you’re reminded of what you want.
Japanese restaurant Daruma-Ya – one of the newer additions to the Tribeca scene – was named after the wishing doll, and it’s perhaps thanks to all the Darumas staring down from every rafter, that the soba haunt is launching an ambitious new bar menu.
Wednesday evening, a couple months after its initial opening (on the former site of Greenwich Grill), the folks behind the venture put on an elaborate display of new and old dishes from its izakaya-themed bar menu, as well as tasty morsels from its revered sushi bar downstairs.
The feast began with an array of appetizing cold dishes. Highlights included a Japanese eggplant in soba broth, Washugyu Tataki, thinly sliced beef with a Yuzu Kosho sauce, and the Maguro Tartar, with Bluefin tuna, wasabi, pine nuts and a quail egg, served with buckwheat chips. A side dish of edamame was stellar, too.
Next came an elaborate display of sashimi, with an octopus/plum sauce combo that came all the way from Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji fish market. The sashimi was fresh and melted in the mouth in a way that rivals New York’s top high-end sushi joints.
Next, we tried our personal favorites of the whole evening: fried scallop with rice cracker and sweet corn tempura served with salty, spicy ichimi pepper. The corn tempura is something that will put Daruma-Ya on the map and it’s well worth stopping by for a cocktail or two for the excuse to chow down on it again.
Further favorites included steamed clams with Japanese whiskey and miso black cod that was flaky and delicious. The evening concluded with a plate of perfect sushi, replete with a fatty tuna that melted into the soy sauce it was dipped in.
All was washed down with sake served in bamboo cups and cocktails like the Ume Cooler, made with plum wine, rum, lemon juice and ginger ale.
One of the Daruma-Ya team spoke to me of the concept of omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality, that was at the heart of everything they do. He explained it as knowing when you need a drink of water before you do. This rang true with everything the Tribeca hot-spot had to offer – from the perfect sushi to the addictive tempura. The Daruma dolls must be looking down favorably: there’s no question this place will achieve everything it hopes for.
Twisted Talk: Will you be trying Daruma-Ya’s sweet corn tempura? How about wishing on a Daruma doll? Discuss below!
