Kanoyama, a Japanese Michelin-starred restaurant, was our choice to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t expecting to go to the restaurant actually; NYC had just opened the indoor space and I wasn’t sure my husband was aware of it.
I know some people think that Valentine’s Day is a commercial trap and we don’t need to celebrate love on a specific day, I got it. But a) we need to support our restaurants as much as we can – Covid has been brutal for them, and b) it’s a good reminder especially when you are going to celebrate 29 years of marriage soon! Yup!
So, long story short, hearing of the opening of the restaurants, my husband hurried to find a restaurant in Manhattan with availability on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, many of them were still closed, but he managed to find this one: Kanoyama.
The excitement was real, and I thought let’s wear a cute dress, as we had been wearing our coats and hats to eat out recently. Nothing sophisticated but nice and elegant!
To try to keep the patrons and the staff safe, they left the entrance door open; it was freezing outside and cold inside! Needless to say, no one saw my dress as I kept my coat on.
A Plexiglas wall separated the tables and there was enough space between them to respect Covid-19 regulations.
We ordered the Valentine’s menu, which was kaiseki-style, ie. a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. We started with a turnip soup; it was exquisite, and the fried sliver radish daikon brought an interesting flavor to it.
We ordered dry sake to accompany the menu. (I always ask for dry sake.) It was delicious but unfortunately, I don’t remember the name. Oops!
Assorted appetizers followed with oyster, sea urchin, fatty tuna, and sesame tofu with persimmon. The presentation was beautiful, and each little bite was an enchanting discovery.
The appetizers were followed by firefly squids and scallops marinated in yuzu and white miso sauce, presented in a scooped-out pomelo.
I love Japanese savory egg custard. I love the taste and the texture, smooth like silk. This one was with prosciutto and snow crab.
Then we had omakase sushi, which means “leave it up to the chef”. And this is exactly what we did!
From our table, I could see the sushi chefs preparing the sushi, and for those who didn’t order the Valentine’s menu, they had some creative presentations. We had an incredible variety of fish: salmon, toro, trout, jackfish, and scallops… Every single piece was a pleasure, but I have to say the sea urchin was outstanding! We finished with a giant tuna roll to eat by hand.
The dessert was chocolate moelleux with ice cream. It was good, but I would have preferred to have green tea with wagashi to finish with an authentic Japanese touch.
Kanoyama is a casual restaurant, the service team is friendly and efficient, and the food is delightful!
Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York
📞 +12127775266
Price range: $$$
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Sunday: 5:30 – 9:30 pm
