Takahachi, we wish you delivered. On second thought, it’s better that you don’t, otherwise I might never leave my apartment. This little sushi joint trumps others of its kind in the East Village. Anyone thinking of hitting The Sushi Lounge – you know, the yellow spot on the corner of 7th St. and Ave. A that is constantly having ’sales’ on sushi – don’t. That place is disgusting. Walk the couple extra blocks to Takahachi. Trust me, you’ll thank me later. Just be prepared for a quick but worthwhile wait, because as with most quality places in this city, everyone wants a piece. Bonus points to Takahachi for having one waiter whose sole duty is to refill your water glass, providing a nice fresh glass after almost every sip – respect. The food is well rounded, be we suggest to stick with the basics. The fancy rolls don’t come off too well, and we prefer the no frills options.
Food Rundown:
Edamame
Usually, I wouldn’t write this up. It’s a given at any sushi restaurant and generally satisfying. But there’s something addictively awesome about Takahachi’s Edamame. Order it.
Blackened Tuna
For an $8 app, you can’t go wrong. A nice sized helping of blackened seared tuna served with black pepper and mustard sauce. It’s not Nobu style Toro, but it gets the job done, and with a lot less damage to your wallet.
Amazing Sushi
My favorite special on the sushi bar menu. It’s three different kinds of sushi, all with a different spicy sauce on top. Tuna with coriander sauce, yellowtail belly with jalapeno sauce and king salmon and avocado with spicy mayo. If you like spicy, you need to get this.
Kampachi Tsukuri
Another special off the sushi bar appetizer list. This one I’d stay away from. Of all three yellowtail options on the menu, I’d stick with one of the other two (amber jack or belly with jalapeno) which are more of the thinly sliced, melt in your mouth variety. This one was a thicker chunk of fish that took some effort to chew down and also had some skin on it. Not how I like my yellowtail.
Kushiyaki a la carte Skewers
I’ve sampled the majority of these from the karubi beef to the tsukune chicken ball with onion and the one that I keep coming back and ordering is the yakitori chicken with scallion. It’s damn good.
Chilean Sea Bass
This is the dish that sold me on this place the first time I went. I love Chilean Sea Bass and had mixed emotions about ordering it because, at $14, how good could it be? I was really blown away at just how good this was, considering the low price tag. Served with rice and a soup or salad, this entree is just as good if not better than those going for $28-35 at nicer restaurants. They cook it in just enough miso glaze so that you get the taste of miso in every bite, but it’s just not completely overwhelming.
Sushi Deluxe
Their fish is always extremely fresh and, as previously discussed, very well priced. You can eat like a king here and not completely break the bank. A couple of my favorite pieces of sushi here are the king salmon, snow crab, alabacore, fluke and tuna. I usually customize my own sushi deluxe and they are generally cool with it which I appreciate. Again, stick with the basic sushi, sushi rolls and sashimi. It’s all very good. Stay away from the special rolls section of the specials menu. I’ve messed with just about every one of them and there’s not a single one I recommend getting.
