Ganso Yaki
“The Okonomiyaki (scallion pancake with pork belly) was by far the table's favorite dish.”
“+ Surume Ika (whole grilled squid) – Much larger than I expected, well glazed (not too much) and enjoyed it
+ Lamb – Small, thin slices of tender lamb.”
“Next were two skewers, a chicken tsukune with a quail egg dipping sauce and a duck and scallion.”
Ganso Yaki
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I've been here a few times, I usually come here when the happy hour is still going on ($5 apps), the best way to describe here is a Japanese tapas bar, it's spacious here and every one is nice, I've had the wings, pan fried dumpling, asparagus and a few other dishes, overall it's a good spot
Went here for dinner last night before attending an event at the Barclay Stadium in Brooklyn. I was with my husband, best friend, and lil brother.
Although they seemed really busy we were greeted and seated right away. The restaurant had a very nice ambiance with a good vibe.
I'm sorry I didn't get our waitresses name but we later found out that she was actually a medical doctor who was from South Africa but lived or grew up in London. In any event, I found that out when I inquired about her beautiful accent to one of the other waitresses.
Our waitress was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. She took her time explaining/defining some of the menu item ingredients for us that were in Japanese. It was a real treat to hear her speak with her beautiful accent.
I ordered the grilled salmon with a teriyaki glaze. My dinner came with miso soup and white rice which I substituted with their grain rice. It also had a side of (I can't remember the actual names) I wanna say burdock and also a seaweed of the sort. The miso soup was very tasty as well as the salmon. My only complaint (and I didn't tell them at the time) was that the salmon seemed undercooked in several areas. This worries me a little as I don't eat and am not used to eating raw fish. The grain rice was also very good.
My brother expressed disappointed with his meal but my husband and best friend really liked theirs. My husband had the short rib which I tasted and loved and my best friend had a different salmon dish that she says she really enjoyed.
One thing that was weird to me is the way that the food was brought out at different intervals. The servers just pretty much placed dishes on the table randomly as though they were all appetizers that we were sharing. This combined with the fact that we were already a little confused about what was what because of the Japanese names of the dishes added to the uncertainty of who got what. I finally had to stop one and say, ok… What is this? And who ordered it? Ok, please place it here or there, etc. but once we all had or respective dishes we were happy, lol!
Another important thing that happened that I have to mention is that after we were done at the Barclay Stadium my best friend had to use the rest room. However, there was a long line at the stadium and she didn't want to wait. Earlier that evening we were fortunate to find a parking space right in front of this restaurant. So it occurred to us that we could use the restroom at the restaurant before heading back into Manhattan. When we arrived at the restaurant and explained the situation they were very gracious and allowed us to use their facilities. On our way out some of the servers recognized us as well as our waitress and greeted us in a very friendly demeanor. I would definitely go back to the restaurant if I'm ever in the area again and highly recommend to anyone considering dining there.
Legit yakitori in Brooklyn?!
It's a yakitori/izakaya fusion joint with a heavy emphasis on microbrew beer as well as a decent enough sake selection. They've certainly set the tone for cuisine that propels one to drink and drink. Overall, the food is fairly authentic and well- thought out. We started out with some bay scallop kaki age tempura with a nice tsuyu sauce on the side. I almost never see rustic kakiage dishes in any restauarants I frequent and was glad to see it. It lacked the lightness and crispness of mom's but was very good. The okonomiyaki arrived next, nicely presented in a 6 inch skillet, but found that it too was a bit on the dense and starchy side, and a bit scant on the pork belly. Next were two skewers, a chicken tsukune with a quail egg dipping sauce and a duck and scallion. Both were excellent. We had two grilled rice balls – to close out the meal. All in all, a solid legit Japanese meal. With a draft beer each, our meal for two was about 70 bucks. Not bad.
My only complaint would be that a yakitori place needs more skewers on the menu. Yakitori totto or Tori-shin, they are not. I hope they'll consider adding variety, but I'll definitely return in the future.
The squid was great. But the short rib was not that great. 1st the pieces are huge (not in a good way), 2nd it's just the the short ribs don't expect a side, 3rd the short ribs involved alot of chewing. Let me tell you I got tired of chewing those chunky pieces. You can find a better Japanese spot!
YUM! I came here for "happy hour" dinner with a few friends and we enjoyed a tasty dinner. We ordered all five of the happy hour appetizers (only $5 each) plus four additional plates. I highly recommend doing something similar so you have a chance to sample a bunch of different delicious treats!
The Okonomiyaki (scallion pancake with pork belly) was by far the table's favorite dish. Although, the Gyu-ni (slow-cooked short rib), Classic Yakitori (chicken skewer), Kamo Kushiyaki (duck skewer), and Shishito pepper skewer were very, very close "seconds." The Yaki Shumai (fried pork dumplings) and vegetable tempura are also definitely worth getting. The last two dishes – Tebasaki (chicken wings) and fried chicken – were good, but nothing to be too excited about.
Ganso Yaki/Sushi
NY BK Boerum Hill
8pm Thursday 4th August 2016
Four Stars
Ganso has three-ish locations. The original Ganso is the Ramen shop with a wider selection of noodles. Ganso Yaki and Ganso Sushi are two different restaurants that share a common space. However, all three serve very similar food with plenty of crossover. We decided on Ganso Sushi Bar because it less crowded and much more mellow. The waiter was an absolute delight. He was attentive, enthusiastic, and made some great recommendations. There were way too many menus. There were 2 different sushi menu where only the front section was different but the back page was the same. There was a Yaki menu, Ramen menu, and an Alcohol all on double sided single laminated sheets.
Tiffany had a glass of Shirakawago Nigori ($13). The waiter pour an overflowing glass of this less sweet, slightly grainy texture, a decent alcohol content. I had a Sapporo Pint ($6).
We started with their daily special of House-Made Silken Tofu ($9) served chilled and topped with masago and nori. It had a nice creamy texture and sweetness of soybean paired well with the saltiness of the salmon roe.
The Tako-Su ($9). The octopus was prepared like you would get on a sashimi plate. It was lightly poached, but served chilled with a grated wasabi and cucumber vinaigrette. They use actual wasabi root. It was prefect balance of texture and flavors. The quick spiciness is immediately cut by the freshness of the cucumbers and acidity of the yuzu dressing.
The Botan Ebi ($4 Each). The headless sweet shrimp were worth every cent. This translucent prawn was subtly sweet with touch of saltiness. It had melt-in-your-mouth buttery softness.
The Tomago ($3 Each). The egg was very cold, not fluffy, lack the sweetness that I am used to in this type of sushi.
The Shishito Peppers ($9). They skewer a dozen of these nonspicy peppers and cover them with soy sauce and bonito flakes. They were barely charred, soggy, and were not very tasty. Plus they don't actually have a yakitori grill.
The Sashimi deluxe ($35). The fish was excellent and sushi chefs had great technique. We actually got more than the advertised 11 pieces. There were four thin slices of Bonito which had three textures: light sear, the raw fish, and meat near the blood line. I like it but tiffany wasn't a fan of the iron content. The Salmon was a light orange color cut with prominent white stripes of fat. It was delicious. The Amberjack had a sliver of skin which added greatly to the texture. The Maguro /Blue Fin Tuna was a beautiful maroon red color and tasted amazing. The raw scallops were also very delicious- sweet and lightly briny. I usually do not care for the wasabi paste/horse radish found in most restaurants but at Ganso Sushi it was well done. The paste broke into micro beads of wasabi instead of being a mound of play-doh.
To finish, we had the Yuzu Cheesecake ($8). The ramekin sized cheesecake
was creamy and firm. The Yuzu and candied ginger sauce helped balance the sweet of the cake and the strawberry compote added freshness and a textural difference. There was not any crust. Tiffany says she likes it better that way. I am definitely on the other side of this debate.
Overall, I like this place.
Venue – Nice modern and spacious restaurant.
Food – Pricey, but good. I'm not sure why it got some negative feedback, but I sure enjoyed it and think it's better than the cheap yakitori on St. Marks. It could be a hit or miss depending on what you order though.
+ Gobo Kinpira (julienned seasoned burdock roots) – good
+ Eggplant Special – good
– Tsukune – Thought it was skewers of chicken peices and quail egg, but more like a meatball with raw quail egg mixed into the sauce. Disappointing and not a fan.
+ Surume Ika (whole grilled squid) – Much larger than I expected, well glazed (not too much) and enjoyed it
+ Lamb – Small, thin slices of tender lamb. Loved it and wished there were more.
– Okonomiyaki – I liked the big portion and how it comes in a sizzling pan, but it was drenched in sauce. Way too much sauce for me to enjoy it.
+ Chicken sesame soba – Cold soba with really good sauce and lots of meat.
Service – Amazing
As a big fan of big sister Ganso (ramen shop), I was excited to try Ganso Yaki, more recently opened and serving their own take on Japanese street food. Atmosphere is relaxed and the restaurant is beautiful. Our server was friendly and helpful throughout dinner.
We chose a bottle of saki off the extensive saki list to start. From there, most things on the menu are to be shared so we ordered a few things for the table. The mushroom dish was phenomenon – different types of mushrooms cooked perfectly in butter. Extremely flavorful. This is a must order. The fried oysters were tasty, as well.
Less interesting was the scallop fritter, which was much too doughy and consisted of very little scallop. I would skip this next time as it was essentially a very overpriced scallion pancake. The pancake with pork belly (okonomiyaki) was much better and nice and fluffy, but was covered in too much BBQ sauce and mayo, drowning out the other flavors somewhat.
The whole grilled squid was nice (and presentation was beautiful), as was the salmon with fish roe (although this dish was very salty). Finally, of course I adored the rice balls because rice balls are just the best ever.
All in all, I would be back to try other dishes although some items on the menu are clearly hits while others are misses. We were much too full for dessert and even took home leftovers!