Hirohisa — Restaurant in New York

Have been wanting to come here for lunch for years, as I first eyed on their Uni Don, the lunch special in this omakases-for-dinner-only place. Upon arrival, the external door is black and the name label is very small. The kinda minimalist feeling you get from a typical Japanese place (like Muji etc).

They opened the door at 12 pm sharp for lunch, and when entered, the evasive dashi aroma greeted me and my fellow friend. There are only 4 tables and some bar seats: no wonder why the reservations are so limited. The open kitchen is just beside the bar, and you get to watch all the preparations take place.

We ordered the Special fish of the day (got as appetizer) and two Uni Don and a Chawanmushi.

The special fish of the day, which name I unfortunately cannot recall, is grilled to perfection. The skin is crispy, and the inside is layered and tender like a cod. I highly suspect it is a sablefish but don’t quote me. The fish was pre-marinated with fermented substance before and was paired with miso for dipping. The fried potatoy ball tasted good too.

The Uni Don came as a set with a savory egg tofu, pickled vegetables, and miso soup.

Miso soup is just miso soup, nothing really special.

They surprised me with the tofu. The egg tofu, when bitten, bursted and melt in the my mouth. It is one of the closest things I had to maybe a solid savory cloud. Interesting it left a lingering taste of almond, despite its savory gravy.

Pickled vegetables has sea grapes and the texture tastes like roe. They are salty and offsets some of the heaviness of the uni.

For the Don, there is so much uni, I cannot believe that I am saying this, but the first bite made my brain fat-frozen for 2 seconds. The Hokkaido uni, varied in colors, tasted uniformly sweet and unami - absolutely no bitterness or fishness. I know this place didn’t skimp on ingredients or preparation. The uni are perfectly aligned on top of the unseasoned chewy sushi rice, with an extra layering of perilla leaves, which took on a surprisingly cumin-like flavor.

The Chawanmushi is a savory jelly custard, but with warmth. Good to pair with the cold Uni Don for some sensational contrast.

When I asked for the check, they offered a cup of soybean tea to each person. I guess this is supposed to help counterbalance the richness of the uni. For the price and the portion, I wouldn’t find a better deal for Uni Don anywhere else in the...

We came for the lunch menu. The quality of the food here is undeniably high — the fish was incredibly fresh, and every dish felt thoughtfully prepared. It’s clear they prioritize sourcing and execution, and for that alone, the restaurant deserves praise.

That said, two parts of the experience left us feeling disappointed.

First, the portion sizes were surprisingly small. I’m usually someone who doesn’t eat very much, and even I only felt about 80–85% full after the meal. My partner, who typically eats more, was still quite hungry afterward and we had to grab snacks later. For the price point and overall presentation, we expected a bit more substance.

Second, the service felt rushed in a way that affected our ability to enjoy the meal. We understand and respect that there’s a 90-minute seating window. We actually finished our meal fairly quickly — around 20 minutes after receiving our food — because we had plans afterward. We then asked for the bill ourselves and signed it right away. I stayed for just a few extra seconds to sip the tea they gave us with the check and check directions on my phone, when a staff member came over and said, “Excuse me, you need to leave,” while motioning to the next guests. It felt abrupt — especially since there was still an empty table available, and it’s only been 50 minutes since we were seated. In contrast, the table next to us (who had been seated earlier) was not being asked to leave. And I had only taken two sips of the tea because it’s literally only been 30 seconds after I signed the bill. It made us feel unfairly singled out.

Adding to that, despite the tight timing, it actually took about 20 minutes for anyone to take our order. We had tried making eye contact and signaling multiple times, but were mostly ignored until someone finally came over. If time is that strict, we would have appreciated a bit more attentiveness early on to make the most of it.

In short: the food is excellent, but the pacing and portioning could use improvement — especially if they want diners to walk away feeling full,...

Hirohisa is one of my new favorite spots for Japanese food. I came for lunch and ordered chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), two pieces of uni (sea urchin), chirashi (sliced sashimi over rice) and their seasonal dessert which was a peach ice cream.

First off, I personally felt that the people working at Hirohisa were genuinely sweet and helpful when it came to explaining various menu items.

In terms of food, the chawanmushi was pretty good. A simplistic, light and delicate egg custard. The chirashi donburi, contained several slices of raw fish with some tasting quite delicious and one or two missing the mark for me (mainly due to the fact that I prefer softer, more tender parts of the fish). I really enjoyed the eggplant side dish that came with the chirashi though.

The peach ice cream was quite light and creamy. A nice little dessert for a summer day but I have certainly had better desserts.

My favorite component of the meal was definitely the uni. I typically do not enjoy eating too much uni because in large quantities, it can be quite rich, creamy and leave you feeling a bit heavy. I was recommended to order 1-2 pieces of uni in that case (nigiri or sashimi). If I hadn’t ordered the chirashi bowl I may have ordered the nigiri. However, I think I made the right choice as it allowed me to simply appreciate the taste of the uni itself. The uni just melted in my mouth and was so delicious. I truly think that Hirohisa showcases why it is so important where the ingredient is being sourced from. In the case of uni, depending on what location it is harvested from, the urchin can taste too creamy or briny. Uni definitely is an acquired taste and can be on the pricier side, being $18 per piece at Hirohisa.

However, if you are splurging in the first place, might as well treat yourself to the very best the establishment...