Going off the radar is a welcome breath of fresh air in the hustle and bustle of New York City. The restaurant Kyo Ya is the place to do just that.
Located on East 7th Street and 1st Avenue, Kyo Ya has no signage outside besides a carved wooden "Open" sign. The entrance is below street level, down a short staircase, and surrounded by an iron gate. Reservations are not available with OpenTable, only by phone. The restaurant has no website and its menu is seasonal and constantly changing.
Once seated in the elegantly appointed wood dining room, you are treated to a truly unique dining experience. I happen to be a fan of the simplicity of Japanese food. From fresh cuts of raw seafood to the savory dishes, the care and attention of the cuisine is in its preparation and simplicity. Kyo Ya definitely showcases this attention to detail in the careful selection of ingredients and the composition of each dish.
With assistance from our server, we ordered a wide selection of dishes and enjoyed them izakaya style.
One of the most memorable parts of Kyo Ya is its tea service. They do offer an extensive sake and beer selection, but I went with tea to accompany my meal. The waitress provides a selection of labeled teas to smell. Once you have chosen a tea, the waitress brews the tea in a separate pot at your table. Throughout the evening, the waitress continually pours and brews more tea throughout the meal.
The first cold appetizer was refreshing and unique. Their homemade tofu had an earthy quality with a fuller texture than the usually smooth texture of store-bought tofu. The tofu had a strong soybean flavor and was complemented with some chilled uni and tapioca starch to make a slightly sweet broth.
Our second appetizer was gorgeous. All of the ingredients, from the sweet shrimp to the different mushrooms, were incredibly fresh. Similar to how Amaebi sushi (sweet shrimp) is served in traditional sushi restaurants, the head is deep-fried and served on the side.
Our first entree was a buttery black cod presented on a stone plate with several different palette cleansers that went from salty, to sour, and then to sweet. As shown here, I was consistently impressed how each dish was carefully and beautifully presented in imported handmade Japanese pottery. The dishes and utensils were also replaced every course, with special utensils and share plates for each course. While I am usually upset that restaurants do this, the intention here is deliberate and important, as each dish is consumed in its intended form with no ingredients from other dishes contaminating the simple flavors.
The standout dish of the night was the "famous" sweet potato tempura. As the dish literally has "famous" in its name, I had high expectations. The sweet potato was boiled twice, fried with tempura batter, and served over a bed of fried greens. The potato was delicate, sweet, and flavorful, with a wonderful crunch from the tempura. It was served with a light soy sauce and Mongolian salt on the side.
Another speciality of Kyo Ya is its "pressed sushi". This preparation is different in several ways. First, most of the raw fish is marinated whereas most nigri and sushi is served plain. Second, the sushi rice is prepared by adding shiso, two kinds of ginger, scallion, fried kelp and sesame seeds, which is different from the traditional vinegar and sugar sushi rice is normally seasoned with. Lastly, the fish is placed on top of the sushi rice instead of being rolled with nori. The flavors were distinct and tasted quite different than any salmon roll I have ever had, especially the flavored sushi rice.
Probably one of my all-time favorite things to eat is pork belly. Slow-cooked at Kyo Ya, this was melt-in-your-mouth wonderful. It was served with snow pea, a light sweet glaze, and spicy mustard.
Our last course was uni and yam kamadaki rice dish served in a traditional clay pot. The uni was a special type of sea urchin that was more firm so it could stand the cooking process.
When you next find yourself in New York City, I would highly recommend getting away from it all at Kyo Ya.