oh! taisho/ pommes frittes

We were quickly seated in the back of this hole-in-the-wall extention of Yakitori Taisho, just a few doors down. Upon walking in we were hit with the aroma of barbeque and grilled skewers from the open kitchen in the front, complete with a bar-like set up for those who wish to see their food be made in front of them.

Yakitori is a type of skewered chicken, also a term to describe skewered food in general. To start off, we snacked on a platter of mixed meat skewers: tender chicken, juicy beef meatballs, chewy chicken gizzards, crispy chicken skin, and pork belly (which was slightly tough and lacked flavor) assembled over a bed of raw, dressed cabbage. For the most part all the meats were seasoned and cooked well, and were really filling.


I had been craving Kimichi noodles for weeks and couldn't have been more excited when the Kimichee Yakiudon arrived at the table shortly after our mini-feast of yakitori. Thinly sliced pork belly added a nice richness and fattiness to the tangy spicy kimichi dish.


I think my strong aversion to chicken terriyaki stemmed from elementary school lunches, when the special would often read "chicken terriyaki", quickly dubbed mystery meat by many of my peers. On top of that, chicken breast(typically used for c.t.) is my least favorite cut of meat and Terriyaki is my least favorite sauce. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, which sported grilled chicken thighs and wasn't smothered in that thick sweet poisin, but tossed in a light savory (only slightly sweet) sauce.


To finish off we ordered a Matcha Brulee. Matcha is finely-milled green tea; its aftertaste reminds me of seaweed, as unappetizing as that sounds. Nonetheless it has an addictive flavor. Despite the waiter's suggestion to "order this dish at one of the many other restaurants on the block" (no joke) we enjoyed the dessert, which wasn't too sweet nor heavy.

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Up a few blocks and around the corner stands another hole-in-the-wall of an eatery that specializes in fries. Pommes Frittes serves thick-cut belgian fries and one chooses from its large selection of dipping sauces. We picked the organic black truffle mayo(left), pesto mayo(center), and one of its most popular sauces- sweet mango chutney(right). The pungent black truffle, cheesy pesto, and sweet creamy mango sauces made eating fries fun again, although we all agreed nothing beats hot crispy fries with a big bowl of vanilla soft serve. We must have come at an odd time cause the fries were slightly soggy and burnt on several ends.


Oh! Taisho 9 St. Marks Pl
Pommes Frittes 123 Second Ave.