LOCATION: Sunrise Mart (12 E 41st St New York, NY)
ORDER: Ito En Hoji Cha ($1.99), Gyoza ($5.95), Tempura Udon (7.95)
REASON: Sunrise Mart is a Japanese Market where you will find more than just groceries. It is an opportunity to experience a bit of the Japanese culture, where you can grab a quick lunch such as bento box, sushi, onigiri, bread, or a sandwich, and then take a seat at their seating area or take it to go.
I truly enjoyed my hojicha (Roasted Green Tea), and it complemented with the meal very well. If given the option, I will go for the hojicha over regular green tea or matcha anytime. The roasted flavor of the green tea really comes together for me and leaves a nice aftertaste in my mouth. As for the gyoza, it was not what I expected. The flavor of the fried dumpling and the dipping sauce was delicious, however, it was not very appetizing. I assume it was left out for awhile because when I took a bite out of it there was no crunch, it was soft and a bit cold. Fried dumplings should have a nice crunch bottom, and I was disappointed with these. Aside from the flavor, the texture is a key element too! There are microwaves available at the seating area to warm up your food, but I personally do not like microwaves. As for the tempura udon, the broth was at ready-to-eat temperature. The initial bite of the shrimp tempura had a nice crunch. However, as I dug deeper into the bowl, I realized the sweet potato tempura, eggplant tempura, and pumpkin tempura got soggy. The batter had completely fallen off and it became a little more difficult to eat. Nonetheless delicious, but again, there was no crunch.
I was looking for a quick bite to eat because I had a meeting to get to. I stopped by Sunrise Mart to grab some onigiri for a snack later and decided to grab a few bite from their "food court". One of their busiest times is lunch time, and as you can see it is packed. There is traveling and nudging to go through, but, hey, this is New York. We nudge and make our way through sidewalk traffic all the time.
While this place is great for a quick bite, it can get pricey. This would be a once in awhile eat for me since I am living on a college student budget. If it weren't for the soggy vegetable tempura and the cold gyoza, I would have given this meal a higher rating. But don't take my word for it. Go experience it yourself and let me know!
