I first discovered Tabe Tomo when I went to the Tasting Collective event. It was such an awesome experience, with so many delicious and high quality food, we just had to go back. And, we knew a couple who would totally appreciate their food too, so we decided to make it a fun double date. As they do not take reservation currently, we got there shortly after they opened to ensure we will get a table.
Our friends were running a bit late, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed some pre-dinner drinks. My hubby went with Sapporo Black ($9). The can was quite large, great deal for $9 in my opinion. A staff poured it to the chilled mug, I love it when they chill beer mugs…!
I decided to go with one of their “cup sake” items, Amabuki Junmai Ginro, Strawberry Cup Sake ($10). I loved the glass cup that had NYC skyline design on it! It was very nice with a bit of sweetness, velvety and smooth with dry finish. As we both are a member of Tasting Collective, we actually got one drinks each for free. If you are interested in joining this great dining club, Tasting Collective, you can use this link to get a discounted annual rate of $115 (over 30% off the normal $165/year): https://tastingcollective.com/?invite_code=JUN4346
Once our friends arrived, we got a booth table and went to town! We ordered enough food for the fun feast! They were as excited for the food as we were, I love my food-loving friends!
We ordered a couple of small plates, Otsukemono ($5) and Gyoza ($7). Otsukemono is an assortment of homemade Japanese pickles, and they were quite refreshing with nice crunchy texture. Gyoza was pan-fried, perfectly made, so comforting and packed with flavor.
We absolutely adored their exceptional Tsukemen, but we also wanted to try something new. So, we decided to order one Tsukemen, and one donburi. We went with Salmon Donburi ($15), which has salmon and ikura (salmon roe) over warm rice. And it was soooo good! We love salmon and ikura, so this was fantastic. The salmon was fresh, high quality and just melt in your mouth. The ikura had perfect salty-flavor, and the popping sensation is amazing as always. We totally enjoyed it!
Then our beloved Tsukemen… We ordered Tonkotsu Chasu Tsukemen ($18) which is a traditional tsukemen with seasoned soft boiled egg, slices of chasu and vegetables. We also added Negi, or Japanese Scallion to the tsukemen for additional $3.
Our friends ordered one tsukemen each, and they were overjoyed with excitement! After one bite, one of our friend said, and I quote, “Just leave me in a dark room with these bowls…” We all had a big laugh (with a small concern) with that! His wife said she doesn’t want to know what will be going on in that dark room… LOL! We also told them about the hot stone, and he said “there will be nothing left to reheat, because they are gonna go so quick, there will be nothing left to reheat!” We did make him slow down a bit so that we can all enjoy the fun event called the Hot Stone Sizzle (I just made that up). It was so fun to watch the hot stone gently lowered into the broth while making sizzles, smoke, and bubbles. What a great way to reheat the broth!
So, did we enjoyed it? You can see the photo and be the judge… Oh yeah, it was GREAT! This is when I am glad that I don’t live nearby this restaurant… Or else we will be visiting them all the time! Our waist likes and wallet will not approve…
The staffs here were as lovely as before, very welcoming, accommodating, and friendly. Such a warm and relaxing atmosphere. About the time we were leaving, they had many people waiting for tables. Glad to see they are gaining much popularity! They certainly have our vote. You want to try some authentic, delicious, and interesting Japanese food, give them a try!
TabeTomo – 131 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009