Midtown Lunch

Maybe the curse will be lifted? Over the summer I was impressed with the sushi roll deal at Muntin. Muntin had replaced Misso, which had also served sushi. But Muntin didn’t  make it either, and now Makiman is having its go at it.

I decided to forgo the usual bento box, they so often disappoint me. Instead I sampled  around the regular menu, trying some classics and some crazy Makiman innovations.

Our first taste of the fusion-y menu was the tuna nachos; 2 slices of sushi grade tuna over avocado and fried wonton skins, drizzled with spicy sauce. This was really perfect, except for the fact that I wanted to eat 5.  That is not really possible, at $9 a pop.

I had to try the Japanese burrito. Though listed as filled with spicy pork on the menu, the waitress told me I could get it with kalbi. I really liked the taste of this, the marinade of the beef was prominent, and the avocado was a weird twist that worked. But there were too many gristly pieces and it was small for $7.

The fusion continued with the wacky Mamma’s Roll, which was an egg battered, deep fried, beef stuffed sushi roll.  Is this a blasphemous basterdization of what sushi should be? Oh, of course. But it was so delicious, so don’t hate on it.

Maybe non traditional is the way to go, the spider  roll (fried soft shell crab) was fine enough, but the least exciting out of everything I had.

But I was however, very much into the clean flavors of the squid and shiso roll (Ika-Shiso $5). If you’ve never experienced shiso- it is an herb that tastes akin to a subtle combination of basil and mint. It is great in cocktails and apparently perfect for pairing with squid.

I think skipping the bento was a great way to. Try out some of the crazy inventions along with some simple classics and you can’t go wrong. I hope they break the curse!

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Fun, sushi fusion that actually works; specifically deep fried beef rolls and tuna nachos
• Long list of rolls and non sushi entrees and appetizers

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Hard to get a full lunch for under $10

Makiman, 1326 Spruce St (@ Juniper St), 215-546-0180