Tag Archives: peruvian

Brooklyn, Fusion, Japanese, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Kizuna Nikkei

May 7, 2017 Johnny Prime 1 Comment

NOTE: This joint is now closed.

Kizuna Nikkei serves up some of the most stunningly beautiful and delicious dishes I’ve had in a while. Nikkei cuisine is a form of Japanese and Peruvian fusion that evolved in Peru due to Japanese cultural influence in the region. This was my first time indulging in this kind of food, and it certainly won’t be my last.

My wife and I were invited in for a complimentary tasting of some items on the menu, in hopes that we would help get the word out about this new joint. Owner/Manager Jacob recently changed the focus (and decor) of this restaurant from a steakhouse (Carnem) to Nikkei. I had eaten at Carnem before, and I can say with 100% confidence that this new venture is a much better endeavor when it comes to the food.

So let’s get down to business. We started with the Maguro Nikkei, which is a tartare-like dish consisting of big eye tuna, kyuri, avocado, aji amarillo, tamari and kaiware.

This was really beautiful and fresh. A great way to start the meal.

And I’m going to tell you right now: each dish that came out was more beautiful and more flavorful than the last. So hold onto your asses and get ready for some gorgeous plating.

Next up was the Hamachi Crudo.

Yellowtail, orange, ponzu, aji limo and garlic brunoise make up this bright and crisp dish.

Again, really fresh and flavorful. And gorgeous.

The next item we sampled was called Sake Passion.

This is king salmon, passion fruit, crispy gyoza skin and aguaymanto.

I was mesmerized by the plating, and wowed by the flavors. I love raw salmon treatments, and this one nailed it.

This next dish is almost too beautiful for words.

This was black sea bass with octopus, scallop, shrimp, calamari, fried cassava and ikura (roe) in aji Amarillo sauce.

This sauce had a really good heat, and every component of the dish was cooked to absolute perfection.

I highly recommend this dish when you come here.

Our final course was a braised beef short rib with sweet potato, lotus root, carrots, enoki mushrooms and white asparagus in a garlic, onion, cilantro sauce.

The sauce had an earthy heat to it that penetrated deep into the beef flesh and lingered in your mouth with each delicious bite.

I highly recommend this dish as well, especially if you’re a beef person like me.

The portions here are crafted for a light tasting style dining experience. Order a bunch of things, or share, and you will definitely enjoy every bite. There’s a LOT to try here, and I’m looking forward to going back again soon. I’ve already told my friends that live in the neighborhood about this place. Awesome.

KIZUNA NIKKEI
318 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Product Reviews

Trader Joe’s Snacks

November 6, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

In addition to its jerky products, Trader Joe’s makes some great and wallet-friendly snacks. I’ve chosen to highlight three of them here in one review.

First is the Giant Peruvian Inca Corn.

These are under $2 a bag, and are essentially giant corn nuts that are lightly salted.

They’re light, and fulfilling. Very easy to just keep popping one after another, all night long.

Next is the Baked Jalapeño Cheese Crunchies.

These come regular style too, orange colored, but the jalapeño gives it a mildly spicy kick that’s just a bit nicer overall. These are also under $2 per bag.

The flavor is light, not overly cheesy. There’s utterly no grease, since these are baked instead of fried. Great snack.

Finally, these Roasted Plantain Chips are amazing.

The light dusting of salt on them cuts their natural sweetness. They’re thick cut too, so you feel like you’re eating a kettle cooked potato chip, only much healthier.

These are only about $1 or $1.20 a bag, so get a bunch of them to stock up. Trust me; you’ll go through them like crazy, and they’re way better and cheaper than the plastic tubs that sell for about $8 for a similar amount at Whole Foods.

Flash Deals, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Inti

September 8, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My bargain hunter wife found a sweet deal for 50% off (up to $20 off total) of a local Peruvian food joint called Inti. I had never had Peruvian food before, but always heard good things about their rotisserie chicken and their Chinese fusion dishes. So here’s what we had:

I guess I should first mention the puffed corn kernels and green sauce that are on the table. The kernels are nice and crispy, not too salty. The sauce is amazing. A mix of jalapeño, celery, cilantro, and other goodies. We were shoveling this shit into our mouths, that’s how good it was.

We ordered a couple of potato-based apps. The first one was essentially mashed potatoes with meat and veggies in the middle, then deep fried to a light crispy outside shell. My wife described it as being like Shepherd’s Pie. This was incredible. A definite re-order on the next trip.

The other potato app was a cold dish, with crabmeat and avocado stuffed inside a yellow potato mash. This was also very tasty and refreshing, but I think the other potato app just nudged this out by a bit.

Then the rotisserie chicken came out. This shit was excellent. Our table fell silent as we dug into the juicy, tender and flavorful meat. The skin was coated with such a great, earthy spice mix. Throw a little green sauce on the chicken breast meat to spice it up too. This is a real winner, especially at only $14.

Next was the Peruvian/Chinese fusion beef fried rice. They certainly don’t short you on fillings here: the rice was packed with beef, egg and scallion, and it too had a nice earthy and soy flavor. Guess what? The green sauce went really well on this too.

We also had a nice array of beverages too. Although I didn’t get a pic, my wife had this really great purple corn drink that was sweet like a soda but without any bubbles or fake flavoring. She also had a can of carbonated beverage that was like a strange mix of mountain dew plus bubble gum.