I love bento, especially if it is authentic Japanese bento. When I first noticed this placed called BentOn, I got very curious. But, I really haven’t had the chance to visit one. They call their offering “Japanese Healthy Fast Food” and offer bento box, sushi, donburi, and some pastries and other little snacks.

I finally got to visit the store in Midtown on one weekend for lunch. The staff (lovely Japanese female) told me that shortly before we arrived, a large group of people came and bought out most of their bento boxes!!! So, there was not much selections left… And, it seems like their donburi items are offered during weekdays, not on weekends. Double punch there…

We looked through their limited options, and picked up a few things that still looked really great. Since there is no seating in this location, we decided to take them home. The first item was their Pork Cutlet Curry ($6.43), which comes with a small drink of your choice.

The curry contained the common ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and sautéed onions.  It actually tasted pretty good, very comforting and hit that spot. The cutlet was ok, not the best, but again, pretty good for a “fast food” bento place. And, the price was awesome! You get a nice sized curry with large pork cutlet, AND a drink for less than $7!

For the choice of small drink, they offer coffee, tea, or can of soda. We chose green tea. The staff was kind enough to ask me if we wanted the tea bag in the cup with hot water already, or if we wanted a tea bag separately from the cup. Depending on how far you have to travel, some people don’t want the tea bag to be steeping the tea for too long, as it could become bitter.  Since we were not going to far from there, we asked her to go ahead and put the tea bag in the cup with hot water. It was a green tea from Yamamotoyama, pretty good cup of tea.

So, what else did we buy? We got a couple of rice ball, Ume ($1.75) and Spicy Tuna ($1.95). I feel like the rice balls are becoming the next fad in the city, as I am starting to see more and more gourmet rice balls for steep prices everywhere. It is nice to be able to get a simple, good, old-fashioned rice ball for less than $2.

Ume rice ball had one pickled plum without a pit in it, just the way an old-fashion rice ball would. It was comforting and exactly what we expected it to be. Spicy Tuna had more filling in the rice ball, with cooked tuna (like the ones out of tuna can) marinated in spicy mayo. It was not very spicy, I wish if it was a bit more spicy…but it was tasty and yes, comforting.

 

And, we of course bought a dessert to share. We chose a Chocolate Mochi Doughnut ($2). I was intrigued with the “mochi” part. And, I have a weakness when it comes to Japanese doughnut… If you have ever tried doughnuts from Mister Doughnuts in Japan, you will understand…

This one was not as good as the ones from Mister Doughnuts, but then again, I don’t think anyone is better than Mister Doughnuts… Their doughnut was good though, firm but yet soft, good texture, and I assume it contains mochi flour since they call it the “mochi” doughnut. It increased the richness of the texture, and made it almost plump. For $2, it was a pretty good dessert.

Overall, I was super happy I finally got to visit BentOn. I would definitely go back again when I want something quick, comforting, tasty, and Japanese. They are super affordable, and when you get there before they ran out of their offerings, it is pretty enticing and exciting. I wish if this store was close to my office, then I could go there more often…

BentOn Cafe – 156 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017