With its new-kid-on-the-block novelty, the East Village’s newest omakase restaurant Shirokuro has recently gone viral on social media for its unique 2D interior design art — the first of its kind in New York. This casual omakase spot opened one month ago and has already garnered over 25,000 followers on Instagram.
2D cafes have been catching fire in Asian countries, which led co-founders Alex Kim and his partner James Lim to bring the phenomenon to New York.
“All the decor is custom, hand-drawn with paint monitors from top to bottom [by artist Mirim Yoo],” Lim said.
Although the black and white cartoon-like lines create a trippy, some-what dizzying effect, the interior is spacious and quaint, with a quiet but lively ambiance — perfect for a relaxed yet fun meal.
Shirokuro is just as innovative with the food as it is with the design. This can be seen in dishes such as the “diving chicken,” — fried, deboned chicken stuffed with umami gyoza filling, spiced with ginger and scallions and covered with a layer of crackling, crispy skin fresh out of the fryer.
Though the decor is abstract and their specials more inventive, Shirokuro’s sushi goes down the more traditional route, with its head chef having grown up in Japan and worked at New York’s viral Michelin restaurant Sushi Noz. Guests can order a la carte or choose two options of omakase deals, 10 courses for $50 or 15 courses for $90.
The 10-course omakase deal offers miso soup, seven pieces of sushi, a hand roll and dessert. It’s common for many affordable Japanese restaurants to skimp on their miso soup by simply stirring in some miso paste, but Shirokuro’s hearty fish broth, uniformly-cut pieces of tender tofu and slices of paper-thin seaweed were flavorful and authentic.
The sushi lineup features what one would expect — fatty tuna and salmon — all topped above a bed of soy sauce and vinegar soaked rice cooked to soft perfection. The star of the show was the bluefin tuna sushi roll. The crunch of the seaweed wrap goes perfectly with the chewy rice and tuna, complemented by a slight kick of the scallion garnish. The scallop and salmon nigiri were also flavorful yet refreshing, cooling bites for the rising temperatures outside. Although the sizes of the sushi are a bit smaller than many nigiri servings, the care that goes into making each dish as well as affordable prices make up for it.
Serving quality Japanese food without pretension, co-founders Lim and Kim want to ensure “everybody that walks in is welcome, and [they] want to give them the best service and serve them the best food [they] have.” In the future, Shirokuro hopes to open locations in midtown Manhattan, Miami, Florida and California.
Contact Ivanka Sun at [email protected].
