The search for the world's best dumplings

The strip of St. Marks Place between 3rd and 2nd Avenue has become a little Tokyo, crowded with Izakaya bars and Asian eateries.  Oh! Taisho and its sister bar, Yakitori Taisho three doors down, were two of the first Japanese restaurants on this strip.  Both places have huge menus of Yakitori, Robata, rice balls, Ramen, and sauteed noodle dishes, almost all of which are excellent – the pork belly skewer and the El Hira (skate wing) are must orders, and both places serve huge pitchers of Kirin and Sapporo draft beer. These are pretty much perfect joints to spend an evening hanging out, drinking and sampling a wide range of small plates of food.

Takoyaki at Oh! Taisho

The Dumplings:  Oh! Taisho serves shrimp shumai, gyoza, chikuwa with cheese and takoyaki.  I have been on a takoyaki kick lately. These dumplings have a unique texture; a soft, doughy pancake like outer wrapper within which is nestled a slightly chewy nugget of octopus tentacle.

Takoyaki –  Like delicate kelp fronds waving in warm ocean currents, the strands of slivered bonito that adorn these dumplings should wave and undulate in the convection currents of heat that waft off freshly cooked takoyaki.  Because the shaved bonito flakes used by Oh! Taisho are heavier wide Chow Fun size sheets rather than long slivers, the bonito on the takoyaki served on our recent visit to Oh! Taisho did not wave to use in welcome.  These takoyaki also didn’t come drizzled with tangy Japanese mayo, but instead were served with a side of mayo.  While not hitting all the marks for the perfect plate of takoyaki, they were nevertheless delicious with the sweet tang of the Worcestershire sauce and the brininess of the bonito flakes. Continue reading →