Torien NYC – Dec. 7th (amateurish Review):
For starters, the vibe is a very cozy/intimate dinning experience. Immediately felt welcomed by the staff as I walked in. They were also super helpful throughout the meal (e.g, cleaning plates, pouring fresh water, etc etc very attentive to needs)
Structure-wise, the chef for your party greets you and gives an overview of the menu of the day/season (as well as when the next item of ur meal comes out). Never felt too rushed whilst eating as it is self-paced although I think me and my partner breezed a bit thru some of the skewers (Thx for the leftovers if you’re reading this 🫶)
Some highlights of the meal included the Shoulders w/ Mustard, Yukon Brown Butter Potato, Ramen, and the Sorbet. All were very phenomenal imo w/ the Ramen being the most surprising as it’s a very pallet cleansing broth that I’ve never tried before.
While in general it was a very good meal experience that used high quality ingredients/methods of cooking, I felt that some of the menu offerings like the meatball and thigh could be found at any other Yakitori place and had similar quality taste-wise for much cheaper elsewhere. However, I would say that the more unique offerings like the Gizzard and Heart (esp if you never tried before like myself) were great and put my skepticisms to rest.
TLDR:
Was the experience satisfying? Yes.
Was it the best Yakitori experience I’ve had in America? Yes.
Is it worth $500 for 2? Probably not imo but was worth it as first-timers. Solid 8.5/10
If you have any other questions abt the meal feel free to lmk!
by Rem_Xing2584