EN Japanese Brasserie

JAPAN 🇯🇵

A few visuals from a recent splurge at EN Japanese Brasserie in the West Village.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan
435 Hudson Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Berber Street Food

MAURITANIA 🇲🇷

Without a ton of experience in Northern and Western Africa, one is likely to think of the Sahara Desert when you imagine Berber culture and people. Morocco and Algeria have the most, but traveling through the region finds that there is a spread east as far as Egypt and south down through Mali and Niger to Burkina Faso.

This spread of culture and people is part of the theme of Berber Street Food, a tiny new spot in the West Village run by a chef originally from Mauritania but interested in the foods of all its neighbors. Sometimes these dishes are related to and/or inspired by Berber peoples, but sometimes they take further steps to places like Nigeria or the Caribbean. It is almost a small thesis on how all this food has expanded and grown through centuries of movement and forced displacement. In one visit it is impossible to explore it all, although it makes me think of an expanding array of chefs that are proud to show off not just their own foods to our city, but those of their entire continent. It is an inspiring and exciting time in New York City.

A decorative bowl of scotch bonnet peppers, ubiquitous in West Africa.

On one wall, a photo collage of many African countries seen through the eyes of the chef looks over the space and offers a glimpse back to where much of this inspiration comes from. Her country of Mauritania is there, but many others share equal footing. They are all there on the menu as well, with Moroccan tagines, Senegalese jollof, Nigerian meat skewers, and North African shawarma.

Most interesting to me on the first visit was obviously the Berber feast ($24, below), four hour roasted leg of lamb that is served with couscous, grilled peppers and gourds, a sweet onion gravy, and three spices that bring various levels of heat.

The foods served defy the fast casual counter order setup of the place, as does the concern of Chef Tandia who works the front of the operation and makes sure everyone that sits down has exactly what they want.

While I was seated during the lunch rush, every other customer came in for her Afro-fusion express bowls or sandwiches, which make for quick $10 meals. I heard oohs and aahs while others ate them nearby and do not doubt their deliciousness, but somehow the more traditional foods of the "House Specialties" menu are probably the main attractions from this talented chef.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

35 Carmine Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Menkoi Sato

JAPAN 🇯🇵

The quality and abundance of ramen in New York City seemingly is still on an upward trajectory, searching for its peak. A new shop in the West Village has opened advertising the specialty noodles from Hokkaido, Japan's most northerly island prefecture. About 50 years ago the newest style of ramen, miso, was invented in its capital city of Sapporo. Hokkaido can have some brutally cold and snowy winters, making the rich oily meat and miso broth perfect for warming all the freezing bodies. You often will find more additional ingredients or toppings in these bowls like corn or butter, making it even heartier.

The other trait of a Hokkaido-style ramen is slightly thicker, usually curly and chewy noodles, which this shop actually imports from Japan for use here. This seems to be a spectacular decision, as these are clear stars of this show.

The red soybean paste known as akamiso flavors the broth along with chicken stock. One thick cut of chashu is placed on top of the other ingredients. Without spice, the broth is a deep brown, but for $1 extra you can have the spicy miso ramen ($16, below) which delivers a bright glowing red and a medium level of spice to the bowl.

The broths here are lush and especially with the miso you will find it hard to get a spoon that does not contain bits of meat, vegetables, or other goodies hidden below the surface.

The spicy shoyu ramen ($16, below), does not look much different from a bird's eye view but takes its flavors mostly from a more subtle soy sauce base rather than miso.

If you are coming here alone or only have the ability to try one, we recommend that the Sapporo specialty miso ramen be the choice, as might be obvious.

Dining here is most likely communal as long as other people are around. Groups of two or four will be placed together at tables with short unmoveable barstools. The entire space is looked over by the friendly beast below blowing some warmth over the names of famous places in Sapporo.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

7 Cornelia Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Jonty Jacobs

SOUTH AFRICA 🇿🇦

Over three years ago, a small shop popped up on Christopher Street in the West Village with the bright, multi-color flag of South Africa. While they have scaled back their operation somewhat, Jonty Jacobs is still the place to go in New York City for the nation's very distinct style of biltong, a dried and cured meat that puts commercial North American beef jerky to shame.

Named partially after the owner's favorite butcher as a child and presumably rhyming with "jaunty," it somehow is a good description for the fun shop that also sells packaged and canned goods from South Africa for homesick expats.

The biltong ($40/lb, above and below) is sold in four different forms, both fatty and lean pieces can be both wet or dry. A 1/4 pound $10 bag like the one shown is just about the right size for a hefty snack. Unless you have a machine at home to do the slicing, have it cut up in the shop with theirs. If you want to "give it a little kick," accept the offer a sprinkle of peri-peri powder.

The beef cannot be eaten extremely fast, as it all has a good chew to it. The first note you will experience is vinegar, which is the main ingredient of the marinade. This is an extremely appealing complement to the natural beefiness.

Apparently the facility they make everything is down south, and they get fresh shipments weekly. The beef is all domestic, but the style is all South African, you won't find anything like it.

They stopped selling fresh meat pies and pastries, but you can still find some of these frozen if you are in the mood to bring some more treats home.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

114 Christopher Street

Finnish Christmas Fair

FINLAND

Of all the Scandinavian holiday fairs in the city, this one is definitely the least blond of the group. Owing to its location on busy Christopher Street, on any given Saturday that this fair falls on, it tends to attract a large amount of passersby inside its small cafeteria. The brunching masses take a break from their eggs benedict to the promises of rice porridge and glögi within. Finns are probably not as naturally blond as their neighbors either, and would be the first to point out that they do not belong to Scandinavia.

As with all their regional cousins though, the people that run the show here are smiling and happy to explain all the exotic foods to anyone wandering in for the first time. The aforementioned glögi ($3, not pictured) is unfortunately alcohol-free, as the limits of a church operation are always prevalent in this country. They do a good job with it though, it is pleasing on a chilly day regardless.

With the fair technically upstairs, I find the cafeteria on the first floor the most exciting. A few tables are covered with various trays of food, lots of cookies and pastries for sale. This year even saw the introduction of open-faced sandwiches, something I had not seen in the past at this event. They must have caught on to the Danes and Norwegians and the fact that they were pulling in so much cash at those events. Here though prices are very reasonable, you can get a sandwich with coffee or tea for $5.

New to me were the Karelian pies ($3, below), eaten throughout Finland and neighboring Estonia, which Finns actually share much more in common with than Scandinavian countries. The crust is made from rye bread and this is the taste most prevalent. The rice, butter, and egg filling is not flavorful enough to add much except texture.

The reason I come back here most years though is for the delicious rice pudding ($3, below). Riisipuuro is a milk-based porridge and here comes with a choice of two toppings, a mixed fruit and the more traditional prune and raisin you see below.

WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

St. John's Lutheran Church

83 Christopher Street

Ramen Ya

JAPAN

Late last year before traveling I stopped once into relative newcomer Ramen Ya on West 4th Street to taste a couple bowls of their namesake dish, especially the house special shio black ($12, below), made dark by a black garlic oil. This is a good version of tonkotsu although not a game changing bowl.

We also tried the shoyu spicy ($13, below) version of the tonkotsu as well and at least I was pleasantly surprised by what the $1 upgrade for spicy did for the broth. Each ramen here can be upgraded in a similar manner.

If you are not a fan of tonkotsu ramen, each flavor can also be substituted with a chicken broth as well. And of course, never disappointing is a nice plate of gyoza (below), here made with slightly thicker skins than usual but nicely fried up and moist.

It is not the easiest thing to do to get a bowl of affordable and good ramen here in the west part of the village, so Ramen Ya has this fact going for it for sure. The space is pretty sparse and not the most comforting, but it does the job acceptably of filling your belly with goodness.

181 West 4th Street

WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

US

Moustache

LEBANON

A lot of times my friends will ask me for recommendations in the West Village, and more often than not I shrug and admit it's really not my territory. Spotted Pig? Yeah, but it's off the top of the charts of my preferred price range. Corner Bistro? Sure... but not exactly international. The only truly international experience I venture for is Myers of Keswick, which is far from a restaurant.

It is definitely no secret, but I had yet to try Moustache's West Village location until recently, but found it a good, cheap-ish location. A group of people can definitely go enjoy an array of dishes for under $20 each.

The pizzas are tasty, but it should be noted to stay away from the dull seafood pitza, which also happens to be the most expensive at $12. The lahambajin ($9) is ground lamb with onion, tomato, parsley and spices and probably is the most essential of the group.

Of course any Middle Eastern meal would be lacking something without a sprinkling of appetizers. The babaganough and hummus ($5/each, below) excel from the pack.

The service is a bit pushy as the place tends to fill up by 7.30 or so and a crowd waits on the sidewalk for tables. The small dining room doesn't seemed especially claustrophobic though, with high ceilings and minimal decor. Order a hot mint tea ($2) and enjoy the view back into the kitchen as your meal is prepared and brought out.

WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

90 Bedford Street

Corner Bistro

USA 🇺🇸

Frankly, I'm amazed that a place like Corner Bistro still exists. It is no surprise that it has a popular following (sometimes lined up down the block), because it is a simple, casual place to relax in a neighborhood that is normally not simple or casual.

The joint has not become too complacent and changed the reason it is what it is. It still has cheap burgers, and it still has cheap beer. That glass of McSorley's might not come close to being an actual pint, but it's only $2.50. The old worn woods seem like they were around for decades.

The men that hang around in here during lunch and the afternoon are the type of conversationalists that enjoy a quiet music-free bar to drink and chat, a place that seems dark even when the sun is shining brightly outside. It's a place they can hide from their offices, or maybe their wives.

The Bistro burger ($6.75, above) is the most expensive burger on the menu, and right at the top of the board. Once constructed it is much taller than it is wide, a thick 8 ounce burger with a slice of American, tomato, lettuce, onion, and bacon. The bacon is plentiful enough to nibble from before you start, and does most of the work once you do begin, as the meat is a little lifeless. I'm pretty sure they don't marinate or season the ground beef here, and they will always cook it a little longer then you asked for.

At night the place is always swarmed with hungry revelers, something I have until this point avoided. If I were in walking distance though, I would probably be here for lunch every other week or so. It just feels right.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

331 West 4th Street

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Myers of Keswick

ENGLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

As I gazed into the refrigerated display case with no idea of what to order from the many savory pastries, a friendly voice called out from behind the counter, an offer of help. I had mentally narrowed my selection down to two choices that both happened to be pork pies, and after asking his opinion on each I ended up ordering both.

Myers of Keswick seems very specialized for English people that have made a home here in New York, but probably gets a few strays each day like me. On one side of the shop, a shelf has many packaged goods that are probably not available in abundance on this side of the pond. The other side had the case I mentioned earlier and some raw meats.

Instructed to eat at room temperature, I brought both of my snacks home and figured I should sit down and enjoy them rather than eating on the run like I might do with a slice of pizza or beef patty. The first I ate was the pork & stilton topped pie ($2.50, left). It took a few bites, but I really started to enjoy it by halfway, in all its dense porky goodness.

The second pie was the wensleydale ($3.25, right), made of the same pork filling, but this time topped with a homemade apple sauce and wensleydale cheese. I liked the combination of salty and sweet, the consistencies matching well despite what your mind might say.

After eating the last bite, I could only think about how I wished I had saved it for the morning.

Also available is what they call the "best pork pie in the world." This guy will set you back $3.75, and the one I tried was still a bit frozen when served to me at 10:30 in the morning. This would have been much better taken home and popped in the over for a bit.

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WEST VILLAGE Manhattan

634 Hudson Street

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World NYC is and always has been free. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better and you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World NYC is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

You can Venmo me @JAREDCOHEE or click here to send PayPal donation, no account is necessary. Thank you!