{Cheap Eats} Shabu-Shabu 70 vs Matsu II Sushi

If we didn't have champagne tastes on a beer budget, we would dine at Sushi Yasuda every time we had a sushi craving.  Instead, we try out affordable sushi places in NYC.  We had heard good reviews about two casual sushi places on the Upper East Side:  Shabu-Shabu 70 and Matsu II Sushi.  So we checked out both of their lunch specials and at the end of our meals, found ourselves a couple new cheap sushi spots.

Shabu-Shabu 70 was quiet during our late weekday lunch.  Despite the avocado green walls and mostly empty tables, we enjoyed a pretty good meal with attentive service.  Before our meal, we were given hot towels to wash our hands (which was a nice touch).  We decided to share a sushi rolls and sashimi combos.  Our combos included both soup and salad.  We enjoyed them both and were pleasantly surprised that the salad came with real mixed greens 

Matsu was a more casual spot that offered a longer and later lunch special (from 11am to 4pm).  Because of its proximity to numerous people who work in the medical field, the restaurant had plenty of tables filled and take-out orders made.  Along with our combos, we had a choice of either soup or salad - which were fine (no different than other sushi places).

Sashimi included tuna, snapper, salmon, yellowtail, and fin.

Shabu-Shabu 70 offered a $12.50 sashimi lunch combo.  We loved the buttery tuna, silky salmon, and overall fresh sashimi.  For sashimi, Shabu-Shabu was the clear winner.

Sashimi plate included shrimp, striped bass, salmon, tuna, red snapper, crab, and mackerel.

Matsu's sashimi combo was cheaper ($10.95) and offered more variety.  The fish was good, but not as good as Shabu-Shabu's.  My husband did enjoy the striped bass and mackerel that was offered here.

At Shabu-Shabu 70, we chose the Alaska roll (salmon and avocado), salmon roll, and eel avocado roll as part of our Sushi Roll combo ($14.50).  Again, the fish here was very fresh and we preferred these rolls over the ones we had at Matsu.

However, Matsu's 3-roll sushi combo was much cheaper at $9.95.  We ordered pretty much the same rolls as the ones we had at Shabu-Shabu 70 (though here, we only had the option of eel cucumber).  They were good and had nice, big pieces of fish.

Between the two restaurants, we would definitely return to Shabu-Shabu 70 if we had a sashimi craving.  All of the food we had there was better than Matsu's.  However, Matsu's roll combo was almost $5 cheaper than Shabu-Shabu's. And though we preferred Shabu-Shabu's rolls, we didn't think it was significantly better.  So if we had a sushi roll craving, we would likely go to Matsu.  Either way, if we're on the Upper East Side, we know we have a couple of cheap sushi options.

Sushi Yasuda - Fixed Price Lunch

Many of our friends have stated that Sushi Yasuda is the best place to go in NYC for sushi and sashimi.  However, like with most high-end sushi places, the bill can end up running a few hundred dollars.  Luckily, Sushi Yasuda offers a few fixed price lunch options ($19.50-$24.50) that don't break the bank.

The best seats in the house have the be at the sushi bar (which can be requested when you make your reservation).  Even from our corner table, we could see the fast knife skills of the sushi chefs.  If we were going to order the "omakase" (i.e. letting the chef give us whatever he wanted), we would definitely sit at the bar.

We had the choice of ara jiru, ushio, or a small salad with our Fixed Price lunch.  After going through the menu to figure out what these options were, we opted for the Shinshu miso with fish bone stock (ara jiru, bottom photos) and clear fish broth (ushio, top photos).  If you like the taste of fish, you'll enjoy the light fish broth.  The miso soup was warm and familiar.

We both opted for the Sushi and Sashimi Combination lunch ($22.50, or $24.50 with dessert).  Unfortunately, we couldn't choose our sashimi pieces.  We were given tuna (sweet and buttery), striped bass (very mild in flavor), and our favorite of the three, Spanish mackerel (thick, soft and melted in our mouths). 

We did have the option to choose our sushi and roll (from an abbreviated menu).  My husband opted for a Tuna roll and sushi pieces of Tuna, Fluke, Sea Trout, and Squid.  Though everything was fresh, his favorite piece was the squid because it was salty and flavorful.

I chose the White King Salmon roll and sushi pieces of Yellowtail, Salmon, Sea Scallop, and Freshwater Eel.  The best sushi piece I ever had was the sea scallop - it was fresh, sweet, and had a hint of the ocean.  I also enjoyed the rich, fatty freshwater eel.  My husband and I both enjoyed the White King salmon roll because it was a nice change from regular salmon and had a rich, creamy, delicate taste.  To us, the sushi rice (the best I've ever eaten) shines as brightly as the fresh seafood.  It had a subtly sweet taste, with a soft and sticky texture.

To end the meal, I opted for the Green Tea mochi ice cream.  Lightly dusted with powdered green tea, the dessert was simple and I liked the home-made ice cream.  Though nothing out of the ordinary, I thought its clean and cool taste was the perfect way to end our meal (and it was only $2).

Overall, we thought that the fixed price lunch was a great introduction to Sushi Yasuda.  We had a few extraordinary pieces at an affordable price.  The next time we would supplement our meal with a couple of unique pieces from the regular menu as well.

Sushi Yasuda is located at 204 E 43rd St (btwn 2nd and 3rd Aves) in NYC.  The fixed price lunch is available Mon-Fri and reservations are recommended.

{Dining Out} Eating Out for a Cause: Helping Japan

"Disaster Relief for Japan" sushi roll from Sushi Samba 7 (photo courtesy of Sushi Samba)

For the first few days this week, you may have noticed that my blog was pretty quiet.  We had been watching the events in Japan and our mood was sombre.  The stories of the people affected touched us deeply and we wanted to do all we could to help.  The easiest way for us to help was by donating money to the American Red Cross (you can click on the ad on the right that will take you to the Red Cross donation page.  Also, if you have a website or blog and would like to donate ad space to the Red Cross, click here).

Since we like to dine out, we also compiled a list of restaurants who are offering to donate proceeds or a portion of sales to Japan relief organizations:   

Sushi Samba (locations in NYC, Chicago, Miami, and Las Vegas) will be offering a special Disaster Relief for Japan roll ($12) until the end of March.  All of the proceeds from sales of this special sushi roll will be donated to the American Red Cross.  Here in NYC, both locations (Sushi Samba 7 and Sushi Samba Park) are offering a special sushi roll made with kani, eel, tamago, cucumber (the special rolls differ nationwide).

Nobu (Nobu Next Door, Nobu, Nobu 57) will be donating $50 from every $150 Omakase (Chef's Tasting menu) sold to a relief organization helping those in need.

Terroir wine bar (Tribeca, East Village locations) will be serving a special Yoshi Fried Chicken plate ($6) with all proceeds donated to Japanese relief.  Named after a line cook at Hearth and his favorite family meal, the YFC is boneless chicken thighs marinated in garlic, ginger, and soy, covered in cornstarch, and fried to a crispy bite.

Megu (UN Plaza, Tribeca locations) will be donating 5% of its beverage sales from now through March 20th to the Japanese Red Cross.

SHO will donate 10% of its sake sales from now through March 23rd to the Japanese Red Cross.

Toqueville and 15 East will donate 5% of beverage sales from now through March 22nd to the Japanese Red Cross.