Upon entering Emperor Japanese (96 Bowery St, NYC) I got the feeling of a very homey and even communal experience, in a good way. This place is not ragged or run down like most small mom-and-pop joints I have, for various reasons, landed in. There is a certain hustle and bustle, humming with indecipherable conversations all around.
One menu is handed to each group. Going green? Probably not. I was not bothered by this, however, those that intend on ordering less or not sharing the bill might be, as unconsumed orders are charged extra, per lb. You can always order more though, so take it easy.
Each diner is seated by an electric hot plate which will hold the broth of their choice (see menu) at their desired temperature. Patrons use a slotted ladle to submerge the various raw proteins and vegetables into the flavored broth, to be cooked. The menu is varied from what most people would consider “regular” to “exotic”, from Chicken to Pig Blood.
I had Shrimp (whole, shell on), sliced chicken, sliced beef, fish tofu, fried tofu, chicken dumplings, Bok Choy, Bean Sprouts and Green Tea. To accompany them I chose the spicy Szechuan broth, soy sauce with scallion, Hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce. There is an empty bowl and white rice provided if you choose to drink the broth. Everything was very flavorful except the broth. It was spicy, which should be obvious by the name, but lacked depth, was under seasoned and especially deprived of salt.
The experience is interactive and personalized. I found the price to be reasonable but not cheap and assume they make bank in the winter time. If you are prepared to smell like multiple types of food to please your eyes and belly then I recommend you pay them a visit (easily accessible by MTA: B,D,N,Q,J,Z and M15,M22,M103).
2 responses so far ↓
Harlem Kat // Oct 30th 2012 at 6:53 am
Interesting review, I wonder how pig blood tastes, guess I’ll have to ask someone because I’m not trying it,lol. I found it interesting that you spoke of how they gave one menu to the group and assumed they were not going green, would have been nice if you would have asked so we could have found out. Now I’m curious as to the real reason they give one menu per group. Plus I’m sure the customers could ask for another one if they truly wanted a menu right? Also, would have love to know how to get there by train since you said it was easily accessible by the MTA. This review was short and sweet and really made me hungry
Yessenia Gutierrez-Symby // Dec 13th 2012 at 4:09 pm
I love shrimp, but the pic just makes me not want to like it anymore.
@harlem kat Pig blood doesn’t have a taste unless you eat the spicy pig blood. pig blood is very big in my culture too.
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