I’ll admit, that when I first heard that Sunrise Mart was coming to Midtown, I was excited more for the grocery options than for the lunch items. I’d always loved the selection of hard to find Japanese ingredients at the East Village location and was psyched to have them so close to the office. Jeremiah’s opening report and later Donny’s review of the Oyakodon got my attention, so when I stopped in a couple weeks ago to do a little shopping, I was sure to scope out the rest of the menu.

With all the great Japanese food on the menu, what surprised me was how many interesting sandwiches were available. I decided to take a closer look and sample a few of them. Check them out after the jump.

My eye was drawn immediately to the pork sandwiches – katsu has been a longtime favorite of mine, and the idea of packing it on some nice bread with a cabbage and sauce sounded magnificent. Then I noticed the Philly Lamb Steak sandwich and then the Vietnamese Pork Steak Sandwich:

Packed with pork and some banh mi-ish veggie toppings, I had to try this first.

I won’t claim that this looks much like the photo at the shop, but it certainly tasted good. The carrots and daikon didn’t seem to be pickled, but the vinaigrette added the appropriate amount of tang. The pork looks to have been pounded flat, schnitzel-like, which was good, but ended up getting a little hidden behind the huge lettuce leaf, which sort of got in the way. Still, the other veggies managed to make up for it with a nice mix of flavors.

The sandwiches on the menu are assembled fresh while you wait and served hot on oval brioche rolls.

There are also some pre-made sandwiches filled with yakisoba, among other things. A noodle sandwich sounds a little odd to me, but intriguing. I may have to give it a try one of these days.

I don’t know what I expected from the Philly Lamb Steak. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a Japanese lamb preparation, much less one with cheese, so it was more curiosity that drove me than high expectations. It turns out that it was a great decision.

Thin slices of griddled lamb with peppers and cheese. The most surprising part is that the lamb really tastes like lamb, which doesn’t always appeal to everyone. Personally, I love real lamb like this and wish they could share their source with some of the street meat vendors around town.

In the end, it was the Japanese Pork, which I was so excited about that ended up being the major disappointment. It was all I’d said I wanted: thick fried pork filets, shredded cabbage, sweet katsu sauce. It just wasn’t quite what I wanted. There was a little too much sauce and it was a little too sweet. The pork was thick and fried, but it all seemed a little dry with the caky brioche roll. The cabbage managed not to balance the wetness of the sauce or add a proper crunchiness that the bread took away. It was unfortunate, but in the end, I’d absolutely go for a katsu platter instead. Maybe next time.

The sandwich selection was a nice surprise at Sunrise Mart and I’m certainly going to be back to try some more – or possibly to go get some more of that Philly Lamb Steak. In either case, I’m glad to have realized that there’s more to the options here than the standard Japanese fare.

Sunrise Mart, 12 E. 41st (btw. Madison+5th)

The new Sunrise Mart location (41st btw. Madison+5th) is open, and not only is it a Japanese grocery store, it’s also a fully functioning restaurant. Sunrise is a worthy addition to the Japanese Trinity of Cafe Zaiya, Yagura and Mai Cuisine (I guess now it’s a tetrad or a quadrumvirate). Sunrise’s unique combination of a full store and a full restaurant make it one of a kind (in Midtown). Get a look at what they have to offer after the jump.

The hot food counter (on the right behind the baked good counter) is where most Lunch’ers will want to focus. The chalkboards above offer many options that the men behind the counter will serve up, including donburi curry over rice ($6.50) with a choice of proteins, udon or soba noodles in various preparations ($5.50-6.50), tonjiru (a Japanese miso soup with pork, $5.50) and yakisoba ($6.75) with pork, shrimp or lamb(?!?). There are also bento boxes, salads, bi bim bop stored cold and an assortment of onigiri.

I settled on the pork yakisoba ($6.75) for my lunch. I’d never had yakisoba, so I was pretty excited to try something new. Cabbage, green peppers, carrots, bean sprouts, onions and pork get fried on the flattop. Egg noodles are added followed by a healthy dose of yakisoba sauce (a Japanese variant of Worcestershire). Once that’s all packed into a plastic tray, it’s topped off by aonori (seaweed powder) and katsuobushi (paper-thin strips of dried fish), which curl upon making contact with the moist entrée, momentarily making the dish look alive. A small lump of beni shoga (red pickled ginger) is placed in the corner.

The yakisoba was very good. The pork was fatty and delicious. The noodles were good though I’d have liked them just a touch firmer. The vegetables add a crunchy texture. The yakisoba sauce offers a subtle Worcestershire flavor while the dried fish tack on a bit more saltiness and give the dish an exotic quality. The red pickled ginger is spicier and more ginger-y than what comes with sushi (gari). All in all it wasn’t fantastic but it was a satisfying and filling lunch and it was different enough that I felt like I was broadening my horizons. I’m eager to try out some of Sunrise’s offerings, and that’s where this place really separates itself. There is so much stuff to try here.

I couldn’t resist grabbing a salmon onigiri ($1.49). They’re made a little different than at Zaiya and Mai. They’re more rounded than triangular and chunks of salmon are distributed throughout the whole thing rather than just in the center. Plus the rice and seaweed were a bit more moist than I’m used to. Sunrise isn’t going to replace Zaiya as my go-to onigiri place, but it was still a great way to end my lunch.

In addition to all the items I mentioned above, the bakery counter features pastries, tarts, cakes and some savory items. This is also where you’ll find pre-made sandwiches. The chocolate chip covered melon pan above looked pretty delicious.

As did this colorful raspberry almond cake.

Beyond the service counters is Sunrise’s grocery store, which has a selection to rival places downtown with a whole lot more space. I’ve never seen anything like this in Midtown.

Sushi rolls are in the cooler towards the front. There’s a full selection of iced teas, iced coffees and other drinks here.

There are cold prepared foods against the back wall which might make a nice addition to a lunch here. Just a few I remember are sliced squid, crab meat salad, some sort of mushroom dish and spicy blue crabs, which appear to be fully intact in their little plastic cages.

There are also all the snacks, chips and candy you’d imagine. Big tubs of kim chee. And all sorts of provisions you can take home to cook dinner with.

When you’re done browsing, you can take your purchases upstairs to a pretty sizable seating area with a microwave.

Sunrise is exactly the kind of place that makes me grateful I work in Midtown, and that makes me shake my head whenever I see someone lugging a Subway bag back to their office. If you’re a fan of this kind of lunchtime adventuring, then Sunrise is definitely worth a try. The great thing about the Japanese Trinity is that they all have their own identity that makes them relevant even though they are so close to each other. Sunrise is no different. I think we officially have a Japanese Tetrad on our hands (or some other word that means four of something).

Sunrise Mart, 12 E. 41st (btw. Madison+5th)

Thanks to Luncher “Donny” for this great tip and photo. The Japanese East Village supermarket Sunrise Mart will be opening up a new location in the old Book Off space on 41st btw. Mad+5th- just west of Mai Cuisine and Cafe Zaiya. In other words the famous “Japanese Trinity” on 41st is about to become a foursome. I’ve wandered the aisles of the East Village location many times picking up cool and interesting ingredients to cook with, but I hear there are also some lunch-able snacks there as well. Any Sunrise Mart fans out there? What are we in for?

Find out what’s not on the sign after the jump.

I spoke to someone working inside the restaurant who told me that the food will basically be exactly the same (with some new items), and that people who bring in Chiyoda receipts will get a 10% discount.  Plus there will be an official “Grand Opening” on September 13th (with t-shirts!).

From the looks of the extensive renovations, we’re guessing it’s going to look very different… but besides that, it sounds like not much else will change. Either way, I’m pretty excited to check out the new spot when it opens.

You can check out some PR’ish photos of their food, an idiot’s a beginner’s guide to sushi, plus a look at their very hip looking “customized bento” menu, on their facebook page.

The first Summer item is the Healthy Summer Udon Noodle ($6.99), which has udon, celery, lettuce, carrot, shiso leaf, onion, chicken breast and Japanese radish. Next up is a Beef Shabu Shabu Salad ($5.99) with lettuce, beef, red onion, cherry tomatoes, Chinese radish and soy sauce dressing. And finally there is the Cold Green Tea Soba Noodle with Assorted Tempura ($6.99) features shrimp tempura, assorted vegetable tempura, shiso leaf, seaweed and wasabi.

I tried the soba noodles with tempura because, well, it included shrimp tempura. There are two sizable shrimp and the vegetable tempura was two pieces of carrot, one piece of green pepper and one piece of eggplant. The dish was pretty heavy but I later realized that the soy sauce dressing accounted to a large percentage of that weight.

The big problem with this meal is that the noodles and tempura do not react well to sitting out until someone decides to buy them. I’m not sure how long the one I ended up with had been sitting out, but it was probably a while since both the noodles and tempura were mushy. The tempura all tasted fine, and I’d have happily eaten some more of the shrimp, but if you’re looking for crisp, crunchy tempura, you’re probably not going to find it here (you also probably shouldn’t be looking at Zaiya’s pre-made meals in the first place). I mixed the noodles with the wasabi and seaweed and then dunked them in the dressing, which basically tasted like watered down soy sauce (fine by me). I expected the meal to be reasonably filling due to the presence of noodles, but I was definitely happy I still had room under the $10 limit for a rice ball because without it I’d have been hungry again pretty quick. Like I said, a lot of the weight was due to the dressing.

I think if you get this thing as soon as it comes out, the tempura and noodles probably won’t be as mushy as mine were. But either way, I doubt you’re going to mistake this for something made fresh. If you’re desperate to try something different at Zaiya (and you’ve already had everything else), or you really want a cold lunch that isn’t just a sandwich or salad, the soba noodles might be worth giving a shot. I’m inclined to stick with my many old standbys at Zaiya though, and just grab some green tea ice cream if I need to cool down.

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

What I’m saying is, I could never compile a post like this. It would require too many visits… choosing too many things… making too many decisions. I just don’t have that willpower. I would probably just end up buying one of those little fried chicken sandwiches and a rice ball every single time. Damn you Zaiya! Luckily, Kathy YL Chan, author of the blog A Passion for Food, and our resident Hawaiian food expert, doesn’t have my issues. And she was happy enough to put together this massive look at some of the best things Cafe Zaiya has to offer. Sure it’s nothing groundbreakingly new here on Midtown Lunch… but who would complain about looking at a ton of amazing food porn from one of the best lunch places in Midtown.

Of all the places to eat lunch in Midtown, Café Zaiya is my safe haven. Reliable, cheap, and most importantly, very tasty. Most days I veer straight towards the bakery counter and select two baked goods. That fills you up just about right for less than $5. You’d be hard pressed to find a better deal.

The café is divided into five major sections. The bakery area on the left side of the shop, bento and sandwiches in the middle, a hot food station in the back, a cold food area to the right (sushi, salads, and cold sandwiches) and Bead Papa’s upfront. I find the hot food at Zaiya to be simply passable and nothing more. Same goes for the sushi. Divert your attention to the bakery.

Here you’ll find wonders (most priced under $2) of the sweet and savory sort, either baked, steamed, or deep fried. Below are a few of my favorites.

The yakimochi is perhaps what Café Zaiya is best known for. A crisp, baked exterior, followed by a chewy inside mochi layer, and then a center of azuki bean paste. It’s no single element, but rather the textural combination of all three that make this exciting to eat.

The Sweet Cheese Dome is a fun one- a billowy baked bun stuffed with whipped cream cheese. I like to warm this in the oven toaster at work ’til the outside gets crispy and the innards, all molten and creamy.

The Sakura Yakimochi comes and goes, though I have not spotted it recently. The baked bun (similar to the Sweet Cheese Dome) is filled with a sweetly scented white bean paste.

On days I know I’ll be working late, I like to bring back a few extra Mushipans – sweet steamed cakes. They have a bunch of different flavors, including chocolate and matcha, but the sweet potato is best.

Corn & Tuna sits heavy on your stomach, but it’s worth the once a week indulgence. The soft bun is stuffed with a mayo-dense tuna salad, and then slathered with MORE mayo and a smattering of corn. You’ll need a cleansing mug of hot tea with this.

A slightly lighter route takes you to the Spicy Tuna Bun, with the tuna encased in a shell noticeably harder/crisper than most of the other buns. This too, becomes quickly addicting.

Sometimes I leave for work extra early just so that I can stop in before breakfast. Because only in the morning have I ever been lucky enough to get a warm Curry Pan. And I swear to god, few things are more blissful than hot fried bread stuffed with curry first thing in the morning. Come in the afternoon and the curry pan is room temperature. Nothing wrong with that, but once you have it hot, it’s hard to turn back.

I’ve been able to get the Croquettes warm at lunchtime though, so that is nice. Make sure you ask for the little packet of katsu sauce with the croquette, it makes a huge difference.

If you want to make your meal complete with something fried, savory, and sweet, follow it up with one of Zaiya’s doughnuts. Mochi Doughnut, Twist Doughnut, or the one I often lean to: the An Doughnut. Why have plain doughnuts when you can have them sugar-dusted and stuffed with red bean paste?

On the matter of fried foods, I strongly believe the onion and ground beef stuffed Piroshiki would taste awesome if fried (as it is traditionally done.) Perhaps I will mail in a suggestion letter to Café Zaiya. “Please fry the piroshiki.”

Newest to the bakery counter is a selection of steamed buns in trio of flavours: beef curry, red bean, and pork. The steamed buns are the only bakery section product always served warm, which is just right for those chilly days. I had the beef curry one the other day, and it was a plush warm bun with a fair amount of filling (shredded beef, carrots, and onions), hinging on the sweeter side.

Mapo Tofu Bowl

If the bakery section doesn’t appeal to you, head to the middle and feast on sandwiches, onigiri and rice bowls.

Honey Chicken Sandwich

Chicken Curry Sandwich

After eating my way though nearly every single sandwich, I must say that I prefer the chilled white bread sandwiches (especially the spicy tuna one) over the hot dog and hamburger stuffed sandwiches. I’ll make an occasional exception for the Curry Chicken Sandwich, greasy and overwhelming, though nonetheless satisfying.

Cafe Zaiya’s onigiri don’t stand really stand out from the ones served at the other Japanese delis in this area. As said before, Zaiya’s strength lay with their baked goods.

As you know, at the beginning of the year Zaiya rolled out a $5 lunch special, which after a few visits, turns out to be not that special considering that one can easily compose a solid meal here for under $5. Nonetheless, the $5 meal includes any one of the bentos labeled “Zaiya Meal” and a bottle of water, coffee, or tea. Add on a salad and it becomes $7. Do without the liquid and the price is dropped to $4.25 (plus tax).

“Zaiya Meal” bento options cover a broad range of items. To name a few: Oyako Don, Unagi Rice, and Hamburg Steak.

Ahh… the Hamburg Steak is a funny one. This bento comes with your starch choice of rice or white bread. But no matter which option you choose, both come with a fair helping of spaghetti tucked under the steak.

I tend to lean away from the salad, sushi, and hot foods section. If you come to Zaiya, come for the unusual assortment of pastries. With a steady rotation of new products, it never gets boring. I find that 1 savory pastry + 1 sweet pastry = a most satisfying lunch combination. Though on some days, I’ll have 3 sweet pastries and nothing else for lunch. Whatever suits your mood.

…But if you have room for more sweets at the end of the meal, polish it off with a Beard Papa cream puff strategically placed towards the exit of the cafe. Nothing quite like making your co-workers envious with a custard-filled double choux shell.

Post and photos by Kathy YL Chan

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

It’s been four months since the last new burger place opened in Midtown (crazy, right?) so you knew just by the law of averages we were due.  The winner… Burger 41, which appears to be taking over the Burger King that used to be across from Cafe Zaiya on 41st btw. Mad+5th.  What you see on their very Burger King’ish sign is all I know about this place, and from the look of the inside we’re still a ways away (unless they plan on keeping the Burger King menu, and set up.)

The Burger King graveyard, after the jump…

Got any info?  Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com or post it in the comments below.

Thanks to Feisty Foodie & Cheap Ass Food I was tipped off to this pretty cool thing happening at Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th). For the past week, they have replaced their Beard Papa station with the NYC debut of “New Matsue Kashi” a very beautiful (and delicious) form of Wagashi, Japanese sweets made from mochi, bean paste and fruit. And for those who like to limit their fat intake (present company excluded obviously), they don’t contain any animal fat, making them low in calories and cholesterol.

The wagashi range in price from $1.75 to $3.50 each, and come in different flavors and shapes (including pumpkin, blueberry, mango and chestnut). Similar sweets can be purchased at Minamoto Kitchoan (on 49th btw. 5+6th), but at Cafe Zaiya you can actually watch them being made (and I’m guessing they’re cheaper).

Tomorrow is the last day they will be available at Cafe Zaiya (and they close at 8pm). More photos, after the jump…

I’ve written about the “moderate” Chiyoda Sushi, which serves very creative little Japanese dishes as well as the regular assortment of bento boxes, pre-packaged sushi, and a small selection of rice balls.  It is the most expensive of the three places, and usually not too packed (although they certainly do a healthy business).

Cafe Zaiya, on the other hand, is a mad house.  In the middle in price as well as location on the street, they have a much larger selection of pre-packaged rice balls, bento boxes, and pastries (including Beard Papas!, the cream filled puff pastry).  It’s slightly cheaper than Chiyoda, and there is a larger selection, making it the most popular of the three.

Finally there’s Yagura, the bastard child of 41st Street.  Unmarked (the sign is propped up sideways against the wall inside the door) and with no windows, Yagura is actually a pretty sweet Japanese grocery store, that happens to sell soups and bento boxes out of a window in the front.  It’s not as bustling as Zaiya, or as nice as Chiyoda- but it’s got one thing that they don’t.  The food comes out freshly heated up.

What I got, and the +/- after the jump…

On Tuesday, I was super pissed after walking all the way down to Go Go Curry, just to find it closed.  Craving Katsu with curry sauce, I decided to walk down to 41st, and try the one place in the trinity that I haven’t written about.  Can you guess what I ordered?  Of course you can… Fried Chicken Cutlet w/ Curry ($5.50).

The chicken was crispy, and the curry was tasty (sweet with a very slight kick).  What more could you ask for?  It came with white rice, and pickled ginger (that’s the red stuff).  It’s perfect if you don’t want to pay Chiyoda prices, want to avoid the crowds at Zaiya, and prefer your food to come out warm.

If you’re not into the fried cutlets, they have 6 soup options with Udon or Soba, 5 different rice bowls (donburi), Tempura, Teriyaki, Yakisoba (Stir Fried Noodle Dish), and of course the curry.  The food comes out pretty quick, so I’m sure it’s not made to order- but it’s better than the pre-packaged bento boxes.  The quality of the meat is not going to always be the best, but at prices like this it’s hard to be bothered!

THE + (What people who like this place would say)

• It’s cheap
• It’s quick
• It’s easy
• It’s not pre-packaged

THE – (what people who don’t like this place would say)

• The food quality is a notch lower than Zaiya & Chiyoda
• The place looks dirty

Yagura Japanese Grocery, 24 E 41st St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-679-3777

Some places I like to blather on and on about… and some places are best left to the pics:

More food porn, and the +/- after the jump…

Despite both being pre-packaged to-go Japanese places, Chiyoda and Cafe Zaiya are very different.  First, Cafe Zaiya is more like a bakery, that also has bento boxes, rice balls and assorted sandwiches.  At Chiyoda, the focus is on the savory items.  They have a few desserts- but it is really about your main course.  While Zaiya is made for grabbing something quick and scarfing it down, the food at Chiyoda is much more refined, and you can tell a lot of effort went into making the dishes.  There are also healthier options (unlike Zaiya).

Along with that refinement is a much calmer atmosphere; because of the layout, it’s not nearly as crowded as Zaiya.  The downside is, the seating area is super small- so it’s alot easier if you plan to take things to go.  If you want a real sit down meal, they do have a proper sushi bar in the back.

Between my wife and I we tried a few different things… and everything was really good (for pre-packaged food).  The sushi was better than most- and even though the rice still had that “made this morning” texture, it tasted really good once you got used to it.  The salmon and avocado tartare (seen above) was delicious, and only $3.50.  We also got a few pieces of the vegetable and shrimp tempura patty (2 for $1.75), and the Chicken & Vegetable Onigiri (rice ball)- both of which were excellent.  The rice balls at Chiyoda are more exciting (i.e. Chicken & Vegetable) than the ones at Zaiya so they tend to be more expensive (one actually has raw fish in it… something Zaiya doesn’t do).

All in all the best way to enjoy Chiyoda is to go with someone else so you can share a bunch of different things.  We spent about $20 and had lunch for two (including some sushi)… but there’s a ton more things I still want to try.  Bento boxes, steamed sushi (whatever that is), fried chicken cubes, yakitori, Udon & Soba soups… the fun never stops!  It’s not often I say this… but definitely worth the walk from any part of Midtown.

THE +

• A huge variety of Japanese dishes and snacks
• A slightly more upscale version of Cafe Zaiya
• They have healthier options
• Their rice balls are more exciting than most take out Japanese places (Though Oms/b still has nothing to worry about…)
• It is not nearly as hectic as Cafe Zaiya, so you have time to decide what you want

THE -

• It is a little more expensive… and with two cheaper bento box places on the same street, you may not want to spend the extra money
• There is very little seating in the back, so you may have to take your food to go
• There is no bakery!!!  (Where’s my beard papa???)

Chiyoda Sushi, 16 E. 41st (btw. Mad & 5th), 212-400-8880