Kokage
“As you enter, there is a flight of stairs that leads to Kajitsu, and an Ippodo tea shop occupies the first third of the ground floor.”
“**What to order: Nama-Fu (grilled mochi), Kamo Nanban Soba (duck noodles), and uni ikura donburi (sea urchin and fish roe over rice).”
“They give hot towels to start and have these little baskets for ladies to put their bags in.”
Kokage
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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What a shame… I really wanted to give Kokage a better rating… The food definitely deserves 5 stars, i had the best beef donburi here… While I love the simplicity of this place, from the menu to the decor everything is very simple but execute in a high level, Unfortunately I cannot give this place more than 3 stars and here is why.
I came here knowing their menu is small and price is expensive, but I am craving uni and I wanted to get their uni donburi. I arrived here at 7pm and there were only one other table besides us and the server informed us that they were out of uni.. What a bummer, its like shouldnt they let people know when they make reservation that they are out of their signature dish?
On to the main course, i ordered the wagyu beef donburi ($35) and my husband got the sukiyaki ($48), at almost $50 they didnt even give him a bowl of rice until we asked. Japanese meal should always come with rice especially for a sukiyaki. While there is no denying that both dishes are extremely delicious, i am a bit offended that $50 dish doesnt come with rice (they ended up charging us $3 for a bowl of rice)..
While I definitely had my best bowl of beef donburi here, and I mean the beef literally melts in your mouth good, i cannot recommend this place to others unless you want to feel rip off after dining here… I have been to a good amount of restaurants and have paid higher price for my meal but I never left with the feeling of being ripped off like how Kokage made us feel….What a shame indeed….
Out of 10, the food is 8, service is 6, and overall experience is 6. The food was undoubtedly very good. Small Japanese portions are perfect for me. We were first seated in kajitsu upstairs rather than kokage- I don't blame them for the confusion as we accidentally made reservations via online (which is available only for Kajitsu- reservations for Kokage must be by phone). We ordered two hoji green teas- the waiter spilt it everywhere and didn't clean up the floor. He did a hasty half-assed job of cleaning up the vast majority that he spilt on the table. He then didn't refill the tea. Not off to an incredible start. We came at 5:30 (my office is only 3 blocks away), were promptly seated and ordered right away. The food is good but I can't say it's a one of a kind place- the service went from bad to better when the waiter changed. The place is really quiet so it's good for dates, unless you're having some painfully long awkward pauses… There's a huge echo, too! The dishes were all pristine and everything tasted great. At $32 per donburi, I thoroughly enjoyed the uni ikura- cheap enough. Since this place is so close to where I work, I'll probably be coming back for more. I just had a sour taste left in my mouth when we left bc of the disappointing beginning to the dinner.
Japanese refinement in its highest regard.
I was craving noodle one Saturday morning, did a quick yelp search and Kokage came up from my bookmark. I've heard raving reviews for its sister restaurant Kajitsu but this was my first (and very lasting) impression of the Kajitsu restaurant group.
Directly to the left of the entrance is a small tea-bar, carrying variation of Ippudo tea. Into the dining room there were able 6-8 dining tables spread out. Very spacious and clean. They even provided a cloth basket to put your handbag in if you don't want to set your belongings on the floor.
The lunch set menu is not particular extensive, but it had a diverse Soba/Udon with topping options that may satisfies all craving (meat, vegetable, seafood)
I ordered the Wagyu hot udon $20. The lunch set came with a mini side of cucumber pickled salad, and 2 pieces of Inari Sushi (tofu skin). Everything was light, fresh and well-presented. For those of you who wants to enjoy a quiet, humble lunch, this is definitely one to check out.
I'm tempted to withhold my review of Kokage, lest this small gem of a restaurant be discovered by the hoards of other city dwellers who go searching for Japanese fare.
Alas, I feel like a Good Samaritan today. Here goes:
Kokage is the new kid on the block, but it is by no means naïve. In fact, the entire experience, starting from the quintessential warm towel, to the light tofu appetizer, to the beautifully handcrafted stoneware, showed a level of consideration and expertise rarely found in Japanese establishments here in the city. Little wonder, as in fact the stoneware are a mix of old works created by master potters over 200 years ago and other modern ceramic potters. They were exquisite, and one could spend time in between courses to examine each for its unique shape or pattern. Really, I could go on and on about these bowls, but I'll let you see them for yourself.
Service wise, I felt like I was doted on, but never intruded upon. Ideal.
The star of the show (belle of the ball? prima donna of the opera? I'm getting carried away…) is of course the Uni Ikura Donburi. All of mankind's worldly delights condensed into a few yellow, creamy, fishy globs. It's titillating and I just can't get enough. Someone restrain me.
So, what would I do if I hit a million dollar jackpot? Well, half of that million should go into my retirement account so I don't end up wandering the streets when I'm 80. As for the other half…by my calculations that's equivalent to approximately 14,286 bowls of Uni Donburi. Now that's a prudent investment strategy.
I came here for lunch on a Saturday around noon. The place was fairly empty and quiet. I'm assuming this is a popular venue for business lunches considering it's location and ambiance, which is probably why it was so empty when I visited.
For food, I got their Kamo Nanban (duck) Soba and Inari Sushi. The soba was certainly one of the best I've had in the city (along with Sobaya's.) I also loved the Inari (tofu skin) sushi and little salad that were served on the side. I also got a glass of the Iced Hojicha (roasted green tea), which was very refreshing and tasty. The service was fast and attentive, but neither intrusive nor overly eager.
I'm withholding one star only because the portion is quite small given the price level. Nonetheless, I can vouch for the superb quality of their food, service and ambiance. Highly recommended!
Food: I only tried the Wagyu Beef Donburi but heard good things about their udons. Wagyu Beef Donburi….heaven in my mouth…melt in your mouth beef….mixed with egg…thinking about it is making me hungry at midnight even after a 7 course meal I just consumed
Ambiance: Restaurant part located behind the store. The front of the store is Ippodo Tea so don't get confused. Just grab yourself a Matcha drink (sweetened!). No outside drinks allowed in Kokage so not sure if Ippodo drinks count. I came here during lunch hours. Pretty low key spot. Chairs and decor fits the Japanese culture. I didn't visit their restrooms so I can't comment on it. Sorry.
Service: You get a warm towel before you eat. Staff was a bit rude when I had to downsize my party but I guess that is understandable. Water was empty a couple of times. Had to give the waiter a hint to refill please. Beware that if you go in a large group, the wait time for food is going to take a lot longer…I really mean A LOT. I literally stared at all the people who came after my group and ate before me. Hungry Mary = Sad Mary.
The Bottom Line: I'll be back. Good lunch spot. Probably won't come back in a group though. I'll try their noodle dishes next time but loved the donburi so maybe I'll stick with that.
Why isnt their ramen on everyone's top ten list?! This vegetarian authentic (not run by Chinese)culinary masterpiece in Murray Hill is completely hidden from the run of the mill bars and divey places in the neighborhood.
Okay, its not cheap, but the quality is superb. The broth of the ramen, and by the way, they only offer one kind, is crazy good! A heap of fresh noodles, a heap of toasted sesames, a heap of sweet corn, what's not to like. The waitress tells us the broth is vegetarian broth with miso and kelp, its really unlike anything I've tried.
i agree with Cissy Z, the dessert is teeny tiny, but my friend says its really traditional tea ceremony portions. So try it once and say you've done it!
Love the minimalist approach at Kokage. My husband and I were able to enjoy a pleasant, quiet meal here. There's no question that the food here is delicious, with the Kamo tapa (roasted Hudson Valley duck breast) being my favorite and the Kajitsu roll being a close second. The roll has breaded portabello mushroom that isn't heavy, but actually pretty delicate. What I wasn't a huge fan of was the fact that at 7:30pm, their uni was no longer available. At 7:30?! This was what my husband was looking forward to the most. He ended up getting the wagyu beef sukiyaki which was tasty, but quite honestly I'm not sure it was worth the $48, especially for the small portion it was.