Was it possible for Dainobu to have restaurant level fried oysters ($4.99) served a in plastic container that were actually good? YES, a very big YES. These were surprisingly delicious and perfectly fried. It came with a packet of tartar sauce but all you really need is a little squirt of lemon juice and ponzu sauce.

While the outside was nice and crispy, the inside was soft, gooey and tasted fresh. Give me a bowl of steamy rice and I’m all set.

Another thing I spotted at Dainobu were couple boxes of spider rolls (score!) but sadly the price per box has gone up since 2009 (from $5.49 to $8.99).   The box came with 5 pieces of spider roll and admittedly they were on the larger size. The rolls were okay. The rice felt a little gummy and definitely wasn’t fresh rice but the pieces of soft shell crab still had bits of crunchiness to them.

While the spider roll was a little disappointing, the mixed pickled squash and cucumber rolls were not. These were simple, light and the tanginess of the pickled cucumber was a good balance after eating so much fried seafood.

Even though most of their hot food items aren’t very successful, the fried oysters prove that there are still a few jems to be had at Dainobu.

Dainobu, 129 E 47th St (btw. Lex+3rd) (212) 755-7380

This was actually not too bad. It was mostly cubes of tofu with a little bit of ground beef and a sprinkle of scallions. It could’ve used a splash of soy sauce because there wasn’t much flavor in it but at least there was a nice kick from the spicy tofu. Though obviously nowhere near the spiciness of mabo tofu from a straight up Sichuan restaurant. I can see this dish being much better if it was saltier and spicier but I think I’ll just stick with their bento boxes. Also if you’re not a fan of rice they do have a mapo tofu ramen.

Dainobu, 129 E 47th St (btw. Lex+3rd) (212) 755-7380

It was probably my fault for going to lunch around 2:30pm because by the time I got there I didn’t see any spider rolls (actually there weren’t many boxes of sushi left). So plan b it was but I wasn’t too sure what plan b was. I was first tempted by mixing and matching different small items (a plum and cucumber roll, a rice ball and a croquet) but that quickly fell through when I spotted the bento boxes. The worker had just placed few fresh bento boxes which meant no need to reheat (yes I’m quite lazy about reheating my food but really who wants to eat hot pickled vegetables?)

I settled on the grilled mackerel with multigrain rice ($7.99) and I was pretty happy with my choice. The great thing about bento boxes is that you get a little bites of many items. This bento box came with 2 types of pickled vegetables, 2 siu mai, and a tamago. Oh and the 2 generous sized pieces of mackerel were great. It tasted fresh, not overcooked and the meat kind of flaked off nicely. And I liked that it came with multigrain rice, making me feel a little bit healthy. Another plus, the piece of lemon wasn’t the usual dried up thing you get from take-out places. A squirt of lemon juice brightened up the already tasty pieces of fish.

Now if only they can improve on their hot food options then Dainobu may just become my go-to lunch spot.

Dainobu, 129 E 47th St (btw. Lex+3rd) (212) 755-7380

Curry Rice… she said it was “just decent. Not good, not bad. Just rice with curry out of a box.” In other words, their curry won’t be replacing Yagura or Go Go Curry anytime soon.

Udon and more is after the jump…

Her friend had the Udon and said it was just plain and ordinary. (The photos look good anyway!)

This all seemed to be confirmed in the comments by heWho:

“I got the hot curry from the back of the store on my first visit and was underwhelmed. It doesn’t hold a candle to Yagura in my opinion. I went again today but with a co-worker. He got a rice ball that he wasn’t impressed with… not much filling, just a lot of rice. Still, the sushi is dirt cheap, so as long as they keep turning their stock over, it’s OK in my book!”

But not everything is a failure… apparently the spicy tuna rice balls are raw tuna! (Very exciting, since most places serve a cooked tuna fish kind of filling in their rice balls.) From LHT: “mmm mmm spicy tuna rice ball – and YES it is raw tuna, nicely spiced and well packed with filling. Not sure if I hit a freak accident or if it’s the motherload of all riceballs!”

I still stand behind their soft shelled crab sushi! Keep the reports coming… and if you take photos of any of your lunches, email them to zach@midtownlunch.com or post them to the ML Flickr Photo Pool

Related:
First Look (And Taste) at Dainobu Japanese Deli

Dainobu, the new Japanese bento place/grocery store on 47th btw. Lex+3rd, quietly opened a few weeks ago and it looks like they are going to be some serious competition for Cafe Zest (on the same block).

Taking a page from the Yagura playbook, Dainobu is half grocery store (with all kinds of wet and dry Japanese ingredients) and half lunch spot.

In the front they have pre-packaged sushi, bento boxes, rice balls, and more.

In the way back they have soups and curry, and plan on adding more hot prepared foods.

I wasn’t necessarily planning on eating anything until I spotted something pretty amazing…

A soft shelled crab sushi roll for $5.50!?! You know how I feel about soft shelled crab, and this is about as cheap as it gets for a roll that will run you close to $10 at some sushi restaurants. Putting aside the soft shelled crab (which was pretty good), the rice was surprisingly well made for pre-packaged sushi. Still not as good as fresh made sushi, but for the pre-packaged take-away stuff, Dainobu might be my new goto place. And the price is definitely right.

There was one misstep though… I got all excited when I saw one of the rice balls labeled “raw salmon”, thinking that finally somebody had made a rice ball with raw fish (they’re almost always made with cooked salmon or tuna). Unfortunately they forgot one important word… eggs. It was raw salmon eggs- which I don’t mind, in theory, but it was still kind of disappointing.

Either way, it was a fine first effort and I will definitely be returning to Dainobu.

Dainobu, 129 E 47th St (btw. Lex+3rd)

Speaking of Japanese bento places, Dainobu, the Japanese grocery store on 47th btw. Lex+3rd, is hoping to open for business on December 22nd.  Seeing how close they are to Cafe Zest, they plan on distinguishing themselves from Zest & Zaiya by offering more hot food, served fresh, and a whole grocery section. They will probably end up being be most similar to Yagura, one of the other Japanese places that makes up the “trinity” on 41st btw. Mad+5th.

If you are into seeing construction in action, that shot is after the jump… 

My guess… it will be open in January of next year.

Cafe Zest (on 47th btw. Lex+3rd), the semi-upscale Japanese bento place from the owners of Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) is about to get some competition. A few doors down, the space that used to be a Burger King now has signs for “Dainobu” a Japanese Grocery/Bento/Sushi/Deli coming soon from Japan. Their website is no help at all, but I’m always up for more Japanese fun in Midtown! I’ll keep an eye on the progress…