EN Japanese Brasserie

I've been wanting to try this restaurant out for the longest time but never really got the chance. Finally, J and I made reservation to try this out. Why? Because I got another voucher to redeem. I'm on a roll with these vouchers this month!

The restaurant was nice and dim, perfect atmosphere for a couple. The staffs were trained well which provided a superb experience. J and I had the Aozora which is a 7-course tasting meal.

We ordered a drink for ourselves but I totally forgot what the names of each are but they were just on the OK-side.

Freshly-made Scooped Tofu

Their in-house made tofu which is made each 1.5 hours on the hour. It sure was silky and full of soy bean flavor. I really like the sweet and salty sauce that was given to pair with the tofu. Extremely different from the Chinese version where we eat it cold with sweetened syrup.

Appetizer Trio

Seared Tuna with Ponzu Sauce

My favorite of the night. I think J is right, I like anything with ponzu sauce and the tuna was seared perfectly. Mix with all the other herbs and greens with the tuna and it was just amazing.

Brussel Sprouts in broth jelly

So, after this dish I know that I don't like brussel sprouts. It just has a crunchy and weird bitter taste to it. I'll pass.

Oyster

So excited to see I get an oyster! J and I have been going on an oyster frenzy and we just love eating it. Even though it was just one, it was enough to satisfy us.

Sashimi

Very fresh. I love the white soy sauce that was given with it. Extremely light and worked quite well with the sashimi.

Lobster in miso sauce

Disappointments started rolling in now. I thought I was getting half a lobster not just lobster meat. I like to dig and work for my seafood. Plus, the sauce was too overwhelming in this dish. It just doesn't work.

Black Truffle Egg Custard

I like egg custard because they're so soft and light just like tofu but you can taste the creaminess of the egg. But this dish, too much truffle oil. Too much truffle taste, I couldn't even eat half of it.

 Foie Gras and Filet Mignon

Another "no beuno" dish. Why is everything getting so salty? I love how they're cooked. The filet mignon is soft and tender and even the foie gras is lightly seared with a crisp (even though I really don't like foie gras). They drizzle, well more like poured, too much sauce. The sauce was already salty to begin with, it would've been a wiser idea to just lightly season it rather than doused the dish with the sauce.

Spherical Sushi

I thought these balls of sushi are just so darn cute. I like the idea of it being round than the usual presentation of the sushi.

Chestnut Panna Cotta & Sesame Cookie

The dessert was alright. I like the panna cotta but not the chestnut that was squeezed on top. I also enjoyed the cookie also. Oh, and the tea that came after the meal. Definitely refreshing and a great way to end the meal. People say that what happens in the beginning and end is the most memorable but apparently to me that's not the case. I remember everything from the meal, from the enjoyable to the not-so-great dishes.

I would like to come back to order off their A La Carte menu. Going to be looking forward to that.

En Japanese Brasserie
435 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 647-9196