Kasadela

The hiatus has been broken...and it's Kasadela's fault. Though the review I'm about to share with you about this restaurant is surely going to prove that it is all positive! It was yet another dear friend's birthday this past weekend so it was surely in order to look for a new restaurant to try. Only this time, the recession had caught up on most of us and therefore were secretly looking for a cheaper restaurant than the norm we would go to. Using my powerful fingers, I typed away menupages.com and was out on the search of a lifetime...finding a restaurant is a daunting task especially when you don't really know if the restaurant is going to be a hit or a miss...Do these restaurant goers share the same taste buds as you etc..? So anyway, I looked at the menu, prices looked decent, checked google maps, looked decent and the best part of it all was that it was right around the corner from the place we were going to be to PARTAYYY!! And what great way to start the night with Japanese Tapas and Sake from a proper Sake House?

Anyways, I booked the table for 3 at 10:30 and sent out the emails about the dinner rendez-vous! As I strolled in at 1030 (yes ON TIME) it was bopping!! Everyone was super nice and recommended me a unique plum sake as I waited for my friends who were all LATE!! Having 30 mins to check the menu, I took the liberty to order for the table which turned out to be a bigger party than just the 3 of us.

We started off with the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spice Sauce (below on your left). As yummy as it sounds, it tasted even better. It was served with some mixed greens that were douced in a ponzou dressing that cut the heaviness with its clean flavors!




Subsequently, this mouth-watering dish had arrived...Beef Tataki with Green Apple and Watercress. Seared tenderloin beef served cold w/ spicy ponzu sauce. (Note to self: need to learn how to cook with ponzu--it is soo YUMMY). We all devoured it in seconds... The Squid and Scallion Pancake and the Grilled Chicken w/ spicy den miso on a bed of yuzu soy marinated vegetables were equally yummy. Initially when we ordered the Grilled Chicken, I figured that it would be a healthy dish but when you taste it, you can taste full of flavor and juicy from the fat. So far every dish that was coming out of this restaurant's kitchen was hitting every spot of our taste buds. But the dish that took the icing on our cakes was the Tebasaki, Japanese style chicken wings (on your left). It was crispy, sweet, salty, spicy and most importantly bursting flavors of garlic. If you ever go on a date, do not order this if you plan to kiss your date later on. But if you can convince your date to share this dish, it is worth it for every penny and more!!

So all in all, Kasadella was an absolutely amazing find!! So for those of you who can't pour all you bags of change at Nobu, fear no more! Because the biggest surprise of it all is that former chef of Nobu, Yujen Pan has opened this izakaya, in definition means "a simple tavern where customers eat and drink at small expense in a cheerful atmosphere." which it is to the T!!! So for those of you who are in NEW YORK CITY, do not miss out on this restaurant!!! Coz we surely are going to go back!





Photo Credits: www.officiallynana.com and Jui