I chose what was described in English as “chicken tempura bowl with egg soboro and miso soup,” which anyone can see isn’t exactly an accurate description of this donburi. Looking at the Japanese, I was able to decipher that it’s actually chicken “karaage,” which is marinated fried chicken (completely different batter from tempura), and the Japanese also mentioned that the miso soup included Japanese pumpkin (noms!). The marinated, fried dark meat chicken was extremely juicy and tender. Although the coating was no longer crispy, it so flavorful that I didn’t mind. With just a hint of grease, these were quite the flavor-bomb.

The chicken sat with a small amount of Japanese pickles over egg soboro, which was basically some well-done scrambled eggs, and white rice. Don’t let the abundance of red pepper flakes scattered on top scare you away — they don’t carry much heat. As I mentioned before, the small-sized miso soup that came with the donburi included a handful of small pumpkin chunks — different from the standard tofu cubes you can get anywhere and much appreciated.

Overall, it’s a healthy portion of food that costs only $6.50, which leaves you with almost enough budget left over to grab a cream’wich, if you do decide to enjoy the your lunch in the park and can splurge the extra buck.

Cafe Zaiya, 1073 6th Avenue (btw 40th+41st streets, on the 2nd floor of the Kinokuniya bookstore)

Then a few days later, a few of us in the office decided to get lunch. Not sure where to eat, a coworker suggested Sakagura (43rd St btw 2nd + 3rd). I had heard about this basement sake bar many years ago but in my head sake bars equal small plates of foods, so I never bothered to look at the menu. Most of the items on the lunch menu were way over the ML price range except for the appetizers and the plain (hot and cold) soba noodles ($9). Then I saw it, in the rice bowl section, an oyakodon for $11.50.  It seems like a head to head battle seemed in order.

First thing I noticed about Sakagura was that it was quite roomy. I imagined it to be dark (since it’s in the basement of an office building) with a few seats at the bar and few tables. Sakagura was the total opposite. The bar stretched from one end of the restaurant to the other end and it was very bright. I knew what I wanted to get already but I looked through the menu anyways. I spotted a lunch special where for a buck more you can add a bowl of their plain (hot or cold) soba to any of their rice bowls. I’m already paying $11.50 for a bowl of rice, so why not add a dollar for a bowl of soba?

I felt slightly disappointed when I saw how small the bowl of oyakodon was. I think they (or I hope they did) shrunk it because I got the bowl of soba with the meal. Though that wasn’t much of a comfort. I was hungry, give me a big bowl of rice!

Despite the size of the bowl, this was a bowl of delicious egg and chicken over rice. The egg was runny, light and fluffy. The pieces of chicken (smaller than I expected) were perfectly seasoned and tender. The whole time I was eating it, I couldn’t help but feel comforted. As for the bowl of hot soba, the broth was quite good and tasted clean but the soba noodles themselves were a little bit too soft.  Just ok, but all in all the entire meal was a great winter’s day lunch.

Surprisingly the bowl from Cafe Zaiya felt room temperature-ish, which I thought was a good thing since I did not want to take it back to work to microwave it. The eggs were pretty much cooked to well done and the chunks of chicken were a bit dry as well. Taste wise, it tasted like a standard oyakodon. I wasn’t expecting much especially for something that was intended to be cheap, quick and sitting on the shelf for an unknown amount of time. It did do it’s job at satisfying my craving.

Two very different bowls of oyakodon (price, quality of ingredients, sitdown/on-the-go, freshness) from opposite ends of the dining spectrum. Sakagura, a high end sit down sake bar, served a very delicate and perfectly made bowl of oyakodon. While the egg was still runny (probably the most runny of all oyakodons I’ve had so far), I found the pieces of chicken to be too small. There’s also the fact that the price was over the ML price range. I say, if you’re in the mood for a once-in-a-while fancy lunch, then go splurge a little at Sakagura. All my coworkers enjoyed their lunch very much and I wouldn’t say no if someone suggested going here once more.

As for Cafe Zaiya, I suppose it sort of satisfied my cravings, but next time I’m in the area I’ll probably just go to Yagura.

Cafe Zaiya, 18 E. 41st St. (btw. 5th & Madison) 212-779-0600

Sakagura, 211 E. 43rd St. B1F (btw. 2nd & 3rd) 212-953-7253

The sandwich was good even though it was slightly cold (thanks DOH). The bread was nice and squishy, but the pork was a little bit dry. Thankfully that was solved by a copious amount of delicious curry mayo. For $4.15 this is one of Cafe Zaiya’s biggest and best bargains.

If you don’t know what curry pan is, it’s bread stuffed with veggie and curry sauce and deep fried. Cafe Zaiya’s version ($1.50) was pretty standard. Coated in panko crumbs and deep fried, it had a nice crunchy outer layer with the same sort of squishy bread inside. The amount of filling was just right (carrots and potatoes) but sometimes I wish they made a spicy version. (Can we make that happen!?)

Cafe Zaiya, 18 E. 41st St. (btw. 5th & Madison) 212-779-0600

Great news from Lunch’er @cherryspoon. Cafe Zaiya is back open after yesterday’s run in with the tax man. Crisis averted… take us back Defcon 5.

Reports are pouring in that Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th), winner of best Japanese Fast Food in Midtown 3 years running, has been shuttered for non-payment of taxes.  They’ve had their fair share of trouble over the years, mostly with the DOH, but this sounds pretty serious.  A person who answered the phone at the store said they are hoping to be back open tomorrow, so it doesn’t sound like this is the end of one of our favorite lunch spots in all of Midtown.  Here’s hoping  the problem will be resolved quickly!

Pastry stocked shelves at Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. 5+Mad) are a beautiful sight, but there’s something insidious about the above image… basically, the lack of everything but pastries. On a recent trip to the Japanese eatery, I discovered that all of their pre-made items are now refrigerated. Witness the horror (and a few new sandwiches) after the jump…

Zaiya has shuffled items around before, but the new no tolerance policy has the look of permanence to it, surely the result of their C grade from the DOH. The rice bowls, bentos and Zaiya lunch specials are all now located in various coolers around the establishment. Not to mention the, say it ain’t so…

Onigiri! In my experience, rice balls are never as good when they’re cold. I’ve been worried for a long time about Zaiya buckling to the pressure, and that day has finally come.

Their C from the DOH was still in the window, so I’m going to hold out hope that once a higher grade is posted, they’ll revert back to their old ways.

I was so depressed that I walked out without getting anything, but for those who like a silver lining on their storm clouds. There were a few new sandwiches on display.

There’s a Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich, a Basil Pesto Chicken Sandwich and a Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, all for $3.95. Nothing terribly exciting, but I’m certainly not complaining about new sandwiches at Zaiya.

Cafe Zaiya, 18 E. 41st St. (btw. 5th & Madison) 212-779-0600

Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. 5+Mad) has never really struck me as an “unsanitary” place, yet it always seemed like their practice of storing food out in the open might get the attention of the DOH.  That day may have finally come as the Japanese eatery now has a C hanging in the window. We’ve been afraid for awhile that the DOH would ruin everything we loved about Zaiya, but there was only one major difference I noticed on a recent trip.

The sushi has been moved to the beverage fridge in the rear right hand corner of the store. That fridge looks a bit more enclosed than where the sushi used to be. I heard that the onigiri was refrigerated at one point (a major fear of mine since it’s never as good when it’s refrigerated), but they were back out in the open when I was there. And all the donburi and bento boxes were also still out in the open… thankfully.

It seems that Zaiya has had one inspection since the one that earned them a C and that they were able to sneak back into B territory. Perhaps that letter in the window will be changing soon – unless that requires them to refrigerate the onigiri, in which case I say stick with the C. Totally worth it.

It’s not unusual to walk into Café Zaiya (41st btw. Mad+5th) and see some new item that seems out of step with the rest of their offerings. In fact, at this point, it seems as if all bets are off. But even expecting the unexpected still couldn’t prepare me for the appearance of Taco Rice!? I don’t know exactly what the madmen behind Zaiya were going for with this one, but I’m always game for a Japanese fast food adventure.

Taco rice is a lot like what you’d probably imagine given its plainly descriptive, yet somehow alluring, name. Just say it out loud a few times. Taco rice… taco rice… it’s got a nice ring to it. The dish is a large mound of rice topped with seasoned ground beef, red onions, chopped lettuce and tomatoes with some grated cheese on top of that (natch). And it comes with little servings of salsa and sour cream. All that for $5.99.

Taco Rice presents something of a lunchtime conundrum though. Like all Zaiya items, your chances of getting it “hot” are nonexistent (warm is the best you can hope for). I couldn’t imagine Taco tice being any good without the meat and rice being hot, but the lettuce is already in there and you don’t want to go microwaving lettuce. Well, I fully intended to remove the lettuce, onions and tomatoes before microwaving, but when I got back to the office and took off the lid, that just seemed like a lot more effort than I could handle. So I just microwaved the whole thing, threw in the salsa and sour cream, and mixed it all together. (Sue me.)

And you know what… it was actually pretty good (despite its appearance). It’s not real Mexican food, obviously- more like mom’s taco night served over white rice. In fact, it tastes exactly like they just use store bought taco seasoning on the meat. Still, the whole thing had a very “taco” taste. The lettuce didn’t lose too much of its composure in the microwave, and I think it actually improved the tomatoes. They were much more flavorful than I’d expected from something like this.

The big surprise was just how much Taco Rice filled me up for just $6 (I ate it in the late afternoon, maybe my stomach had assumed we just weren’t eating lunch – like it doesn’t know any better).

Taco Rice is one of Zaiya’s oddest, most out-of-place offerings yet, but like many of their carb-heavy items, it’s tasty, filling and cheap, and has an odd “comfort food” factor that always leaves me satisfied. I wasn’t sure what to think of Taco Rice at first, but now I think it’s another in Zaiya’s long line of solid lunch options.

Cafe Zaiya, 18 East 41st Street (btw. Mad+5th), 212-779-0600

Got this scary letter from Lunch’er Amber yesterday re: one of our favorite Midtown Lunches of all time, Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th):

Was shocked to walk into Zaiya [yesterday] and see almost no food on display. The only thing in the center racks was bread – no bento boxes, no sandwiches, no rice bowls, nothing. Some of the center displays were completely empty. Some of the food was in the fridge cases, though – including hot savory pastries from the bakery side that usually sit on top of the bakery counter. It looked like they had just been put into that case from the oven, because they were wrapped in cellophane and there was steam/condensation trapped in the wrapper (which is pretty much just a horrible crime, since those pastries are not nearly as good if they are cold).

The fridge cases were pretty depleted, a lot of customers were wandering around looking confused and stressed, and every time a worker came out of the kitchen with new food, he was mobbed. This is a new issue – I go there pretty much every week – and I am afraid it’s probably the health dep’t dinging them for not storing food at the proper temperature. Hope they adjust quickly, because it was a real disaster today. I’m very much a fan of the grading system, but this makes me very sad.

It makes us sad too!  Zaiya is one of our favorite lunches of all time, and people have been eating there for years without any issues or complaints.  Not sure what the exactly rules are about keeping food out on shelves like the ones at Zaiya, but it would suck if the DOH ruined the place over some arbitrary rules.  The truth is nothing stays on those shelves very long anyway!

Our man Jeremiah checked it out today, and says that things seem back to normal (the photo above was from lunch today.)  But Zaiya’s last inspection didn’t go so well, and one of the issues listed was the temperature that foods are being kept at.  Hopefully they’ll get it all sorted out without being shut down… that would be a real bummer.

Related:
Attention NYC Restaurants: You’ll All Be Graded on Your Performance From Here On Out!
Ying Du’s Roaster Ruined by the DOH?

So what if you’re walking by the Trini Paki Cart one day (on 43rd and 6th), not knowing what to do for lunch… and you pick up a small chicken biryani. Then you happen to walk by Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. 5+Mad) and see some pastries… and then what if you decided, “Hey, let me put it together.” I know soba sandwiches exist in some Japanese bakeries, but what about Biryani sandwiches? After that thought popped up in my head, it was impossible to keep the beast in the cage. I had to find out if the marriage of Japanese bread + Street food with Trinidadian and Pakistani influence would be delicious.

I settled on a Cod roe roll for two bucks and change. I picked this one because bread smeared with fish eggs is something you probably wouldn’t find in a western-style bakery. That’s just something that would probably scare off decent folks in a red state. The point is, I wanted something very Japanese or at least very special to Japanese bakeries.

As you can see, the inside of the bread is kind of colored like a pale tomato. I got a small chicken biryani from the Trini Paki Cart, and it was $4, so this entire meal was less than $7. Since it’s full of carbs, it’s kind of a great deal. To construct the sandwich, simply pry open the cod roe roll, scoop in some rice, maybe a chunk of potato or chickpeas, and just fill it up until it’s packed like a bastardized Chicago style hot dog.

Once finished with the construction, you take a bite. Mmmm… a little bit fishy from the roe and a little bit spicy from the biryani. After the third bite I thought it would be appropriate to get my head checked. When that ML medical plan ever comes through in 2035, I’ll be sure to do that. Actually I think the flavors play off of each other in a very pleasant way. It was more than satisfactory, and the bites with the potato were downright delicious. This meal is not for the faint of heart, or for anyone sane. But should you decide to give it a try, you’ll either love it or hate me for giving you the idea.

Trini Paki Cart, NW Corner of 43rd and 6th

Cafe Zaiya, 18 E. 41st St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-779-0600