Jukai Disaster & Lucky Cat Rescue 🍖

🌟I went to Jukai just for their duck hot pot, but it was a huge disappointment. The whole experience was expensive, the dishes were mediocre, the portions were tiny, and the service was terrible. We had to run to Lucky Cat across the street afterward to get some yakitori just to feel full. 😭 At Jukai, we ordered homemade tofu, a duck hot pot for two, a full portion of grilled beef tongue, a yuzu-flavored slush, and crème brûlée. The best part of the meal was actually the duck hot pot broth, which was thick and flavorful. 🍃 The duck meat itself was pretty bland; at least it didn’t have that gamey duck smell. Compared to wagyu hot pot, I’d still pick wagyu any day. The beef tongue tasted fine, but the portion was super small—I’ve bought bigger beef tongues at the supermarket! 🌟 The tofu was a total letdown—just plain tofu with three different sauces, all of which were pretty bad. The yuzu slush was way too sour to finish. The waiter was always zoning out, hard to find, and he completely forgot about the udon noodles we ordered. Now Jukai charges a service fee, but this level of service doesn’t deserve any extra charge. The average cost per person was $77 for three of us. 🎢 Halfway through the meal, we were already planning our next stop. A friend had been to Lucky Cat across the street and said it was good, so we went there for Japanese fried tofu and two skewers each (the pork cheek meat was amazing!). It filled our stomachs and tasted great. For grilled chicken, though, I’d still recommend Nonono at the same price. They also have a popular Japanese hot pot that we might try next time. We spent $17 each there. 🌊 I won’t share Jukai’s address, but here’s Lucky Cat’s: 📌Lucky Cat: 232 E 53rd St, New York, NY 10022 #NewYork #NYCWeekend #NYCLife #NYCFood 🌟