Midtown Lunch

My commute forces me to walk through the craziness of Broadway Bites. Sure, I could walk around the tents along Sixth Avenue, but sometimes I like to look to see if there’s anything worthwhile. Recently, I noticed a newer stall among the usual overpriced tacos and fancy macarons.

I had never seen Hai Street Kitchen before. Turns out this is a company based in Philly (where the rolls are cheaper) and this is their first venture with Urban Space. Since the lines weren’t too long and there was something to eat at $10 or under, I decided to bite.

Their specialty are “sushi burritos,” which screamed gimmick to me. I’m sure the company would love this to be the next Cronut, but the truth is the hybrid is not that imaginative. They can call it whatever they like, but these are not really sushi burritos. They’re just very large sushi rolls. There’s nothing too groundbreaking happening here.

Of course, to stay even remotely within the $10 budget I had to settle for the veggie option or the chicken katsu. That was a no brainer. The rolls featuring fish were between $11-$12.

The wrap came with a thin layer of nicely fried chicken cutlet and both fresh and pickled veggies all tucked into a nori wrap. I was surprised that there was no sauce to drizzle on top or dip the roll into.

As soon as I took a bite, the filings fell out and into the container. So this ended up being a fork job, which is not how I like to eat my burritos or my sushi for that matter. The flavors were fine but it felt like the rice was a major filler. However, there was a fair share of the other stuff. And I certainly fell full after eating the entire thing.

Would I order here again? Probably not. I could get a burrito or sushi for well under $10. And while this might look fun and innovative, it’s nothing really special. Anyone try any of the other options?

Hai Street Kitchen at Broadway Bites, 33rd and B’way in Greeley Square