Address: | 58 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-707-8702 |
Site: | iserestaurant.com |
Rating: | 4.3 |
Working: | 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM |
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Dianna Chou
Food - Chanpon - very good and filling - my default and I usually have some leftover - medium noodles, thin pieces of pork meat, fish cake and squid rings, shrimp, cabbage, scallion, bean sprout, shitake mushroom, carrots, snow peas - Tan Tan Ramen - a bit spicy for me, but had a good flavor. - pork belly - not bad - Eggplant with bonito flakes - good, esp with some of the sauce from the pork belly dish - Grilled Chicken - served in iron pot with a broccoli and carrot on the side - tender, light flavors - Grilled tile fish in miso glaze - very tasty; about 5 oz serving; not too oily - Mackeral with salt - nicely grilled; flavor is a bit on the saltier side, there a few small bones but theyre edible - Sauteed Veggies with pork - fairly large portion for an app, works well for a meal if you get it with a skewer or fish on the side; its a mix of chopped cabbage, thin slices of shiitake, bell peppers, and bean sprouts, it has some thin slices of pork as well; its not too salty or oily which is nice - Chicken curry katsu - very good and filling. The curry sauce has some meat in it already and then it is served over sliced katsu and rice. Served with a bit of pickled radish. - Slightly picked cucumber - thick cut cucumbers, very slightly pickled salt flavor. Nice and crunchy. Only about 10 pieces in a serving - Agedashi tofu - good - Pork Belly buns - okay Went: many times
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A Private User
Low price, centrally located and, for Midtown, OPEN FOR SUNDAY DINNER? This place had to TRY to make me not like it. And it failed. Three of us ordered three different noodle bowls. One raved about her Miso Ramen; the other stopped talking during his Won Ton Ramen, loaded with extras (corn and fried egg) off the varied menu of additions that just makes the combinations almost infinite. I had so much seafood in my noodles that I dont think I even got to the noodles before I asked to have 3/4 of the dish packed to take home; the other two couldnt get anywhere near finished either. Dont miss the curry rice -- a mega-inexpensive but mega-ample side dish when ordered alongside the soup; a vast entree in itself when ordered a la carte. I dont think a single party there at the time went without a plate of this on the table. Being an Italian American I can say that eating in an Italian restaurant on a Sunday populated by Brooklyn Italians, I know the food has to be better than passable. Likewise, when I see any ethnicity patronizing an establishment boasting their native cuisine, Im lulled into a rarely-false sense of security. Japanese diners seemed to be the most pleased of all my fellow guests. Dont miss this.
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Clemens Wan
I used to eat Menkui-tei at the East village location, and I absolutely loved it because it was the perfect place to slurp down noodles between class. When I was a poor college student, I would treat myself with a nice sit-down meal before cramming for more exams. Now that Ive expanded my ramen palette and actually lived in Japan where I was spoiled with fresh ramen daily, I think this place is slightly under par. My par, however, is rather high and snobby, so you can take my advice with a grain of salt. When compared to other places, I found the ramen to be tender, but fairly ordinary. The broth isnt too salty, but doesnt have the rich boldness that Ive come to enjoy at Totto or Ippudo. It wasnt terrible where Id return the order and ask for my money back, and its certainly still much better than anything I would be able to make, but its also not close to the best out there. In terms of atmosphere, I love how they hire Japanese-speaking waiters/waitresses and their overall demeanor. Its also relatively inexpensive for ramen in the 56th and 6th street area, so I could find myself coming here again if I were in the area and had that ramen craving.
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Dawn Lim
Fresh Food Starts with Fresh Ingredients Everything here taste so good. They taste fresh. And that, I think is the first step in good food. We ordered a number of thing. First, the skewers - chicken and chicken skin. Chicken was juicy and the chicken skin is crispy and soft. It would have been better a little crispier but the taste was enjoyable. Second dish, gyoza - that was good too. For a long time I felt Id been served supermarket gyoza when I ordered them, this time, they actually tasted authentic (even if they were from the supermarket). Third, Saba Shio Yaki. Wow. It was so succulent. Fourth, Spicy Miso Ramen - tasty thick soup with nice chewy noodles. We would prefer slightly thinner broth but again, this was very enjoyable. Next, the Gyu Don. This was sooooo good. Super delicious! The beef was tender. The onions was well sautéed and melted in the mouth. The pearl rice retained its texture even with the sauce. Such a good meal.
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Janet Jin
I really have no complaints about my experience here. I did come on the evening of labor day so it was less busy than usual, but my sense is that the ambiance here is lively while still allowing for good conversation. The tables are well-spaced and theres plenty of seating. The staff were just wonderful. Everyone was very attentive and the food arrived in mere minutes. The gyoza were fantastic, the seaweed salad good but nothing special, and my ramen was amazing and flavorful. I ordered the spicy ramen, and the broth was creamy and the noodles firm. Clearly this place knows authentic Japanese cuisine. Its also probably one of the most reasonably priced places youll find in midtown, at about $9-10 a bowl for ramen. Overall I highly recommend.
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Athena Chang
It was a storming night that pushed us to come to Ise since it was near where we were when it started pouring. To be honest, I have no faith in restaurants in Wall Street area but Ise is a pleasant surprise. First of all, almost all the wait staff here is Japanese. That makes me feel happy about the place already. Unfortunately, we got here so late that we got only 5 minutes before the kitchen closed. We had to make some rushed decisions but luckily all the dishes turned out fabulous. I got the dragon roll and it was really fresh and the rice was cooked just right. The portion is great too. The price is a little high but for the quality of sushi, I am OK with it. The service is attentive although they were about to close in half an hour.
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Alice Chiu
I have relied on this place for consistently good ramen during my years in New York . Because its relatively low key (as compared to other big name ramen shops in the city ) I can pop in here whenever I crave for some simple ramen noodle and fried rice, and leave very very satisfied. Usually I get Dan Dan noodle and fried rice... But I tried their summer special cold ramen noodle during my latest visit - its quite good and refreshing! The noodle was extra chewy - not sure if the ice has anything to do with it - but yum! Service is always pretty friendly and price is reasonable for midtown. I recommend this place for a quick meal.
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A Private User
Delicious ramen. It is generally super busy during lunch so its best to try to eat an early or late lunch here to avoid waiting for a table. During dinner, however, it is always easy to get a table. Everything I have tried has been tasty: gyoza, fried rice, mabo don, and almost all of the ramen broths. Of the broths, I have really enjoyed both the shio and shoyu but think that while their tonkotsu is good, it is not as good as others I have tried. My only complaint is that the mabo ramen is not available during lunch, only dinner. It is my favorite!