[NYC - Midtown] Izakaya MEW - Omusoba, Kimchi Cream Udon, and Sushi

I can't believe I haven't written about Izakaya MEW yet! Stay tuned for tons of posts sometime in the near future.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Midtown, near Bryant Park. I kind of actually prefer it to most of the restaurants in Ktown. It's an izakaya, but they do not force you to order drinks and every time I have eaten there, there have been families with children.

The menu is pretty extensive. There's anything from grilled items to sushi to ramen and beyond.

One day, I will learn how to make Agedashi Tofu myself, but until that day comes, I will order it whenever I see it on the menu. The tofu here is pretty soft and is cut quite large. This photo is pretty zoomed in, but the pieces are pretty hefty. If you look at your typical block of tofu from the grocery, I'd say this is about half of the tofu block. The broth is delicious and the fried/breading part of the tofu is pretty light. It's a good choice, but it's not my favorite in the city, but I do order it every time.

This is the MEW Special Roll. This is a spicy salmon and avocado roll that has seared salmon on the top. My friend really wanted to try it and it's one of the best sellers at Izakaya MEW.

I know that a lot of people come here for the sushi, but I don't really find it to be super standout in my mind. It is pretty inexpensive for the area, but it just isn't my style, personally. I just found that it had a lot of sauce on top, but my friend loved it. It's a personal preference thing.

This is Kimchi Cream Udon. I usually get this, too. If my family and friends saw this on the menu, they would definitely not think this would be my first choice since I don't really eat kimchi because of the nitrates and I don't really eat cream because of the dairy, but this is definitely a treat yourself meal for me.

The flavors together are all so delicious and meld together to create something completely new. It is salty, creamy, somewhat sour, and somewhat sweet. It also has a nice mellow and savory flavor from the shrimp. Udon is the perfect noodle type of this dish because of the nice chewy texture it provides as a vehicle of flavor.

Last, but not least, is the Omu Soba. This is a super dupe thin egg crepe that is filled with fried soba noodles, vegetables, and pork. This is what I actually crave from Izakaya MEW (there's another dish I'll introduce to you soon that is a close second). I'm a noodles person, so this is my #1 choice. Even though I don't typically like eggs, the egg crepe is so darn thin that it makes it okay. The omelette is topped with bonito flakes, brown sauce, and some Japanese mayonnaise.

Most of the items are under $20 each and there are options for pescatarians. I don't want to make any claims about vegetarian options because I am not entirely sure if there is fish sauce in some of the non-meat items.

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