NONONO — Restaurant in New York

My friend & I had a reservation for 5:30pm, and when we arrived, at first we were told that we never reserved anything. But then, I spoke with another employee and they confirmed that I did confirm a spot that evening. I'm unsure why there was a confusion, with one employee having my name while the other didn't, but I thought it was important to note as it could've involved an issue with their system.

We were seated upstairs and greeted by a kind waitress who tended to all of our needs, including pouring more water for us when she noticed we were running low. I loved the attentiveness and welcoming aura of the staff.

Oftentimes, I heard them yelling, "Irasshaimase!" which means "Welcome!" in Japanese; this was done every time there was a new guest entering the building. I used to live in Japan, and it was so cool to know I still remembered the language and I was transported back to that time where I felt accepted in a foreign community.

My friend & I ordered a lot of things that day. We had a rainbow roll, salmon tataki, yakitori chicken, and a shio paitan ramen bowl. While some food was really good, there were others than just missed the mark.

The shio paitan was delicious, but also a tad too salty and the onion overpowered much of the chicken flavor I was hoping to get from the protein. I devoured most of the rainbow roll, even though it was to be shared, because my friend didn't like the pesto dressing. She also couldn't stomach the salmon tataki because of the avocado puree that coated the bottom of the fish.

Just because she didn't like it doesn't mean it was bad, because I found it amazing, but I stress these contrasting thoughts because it may be useful for those interested in visiting with picky eaters.

I knew long ago that my friend was picky, but she insisted on a sushi place. However, it might be hard to find a picky eater a dish they'll enjoy here, because a lot of Asian food includes many ingredients that create a unique flavor, and if they're squeamish with sauces, vegetables, or broths, then I'd find another place to eat. Nonono is best suited for guests that are comfortable eating high quality Japanese food, or are at least open to trying new things.

For dessert I tried their Kuro goma, which is a black sesame pannacotta and my friend had the Gateau Chocolat, a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Both were incredible, although the cake was super rich that even a person like me who loves sweets found it to be too powerful to consume all at once. My tip is to drench it with the ice cream to dilute the flavor.

As for the Kuro goma...Oh my goodness, I would return just for that! I was a little scared to try it at first with its grey color that I've never seen for a dessert, but it was the perfect ending to a large dinner. Not too sweet, and not large enough to feel sickly full. Just enough to beg for more- even the tiny biscuit was incredible. As they say in Disney's Beauty & the Beast, "Try the grey stuff. It's delicious!"

I would come here again with a different partner to share food with. Bringing a picky eater wasn't the smartest move, as this is meant for people who can enjoy complex flavors.

I think people visiting from Japan could find a real comfort in stopping by here, as the staff enjoys creating a similar experience that they have cemented back in their country. But, this doesn't push anyone else away from trying out this lovely spot.

I don't have one Asian bone in my body, yet I still love this kind of food. I truly think anyone could if they search for the right things. While I wouldn't say it was a perfect experience, I'm still glad that I tried it out because it opened my world view even more to food that I never thought I could like, including that black sesame panncotta. Seriously, you...

On a Friday night, the restaurant was really busy. Despite not having a reservation, we were seated very quickly and greeted by everyone. The interior design was really warm and modern where my boyfriend and I sat down at a large dining table with 2 other people across from us. (Don’t worry, it was a big table!)

What we ordered: Short Rib Yakitori - $6 (3/5): The short rib comes with 4 meat slices with 2 onions in between. The first bite was a delight where the meat marinated with the sauce was almost a perfect bite. However, the more you eat it, you notice the meat was not as tender and a little under seasoned.

Knee Cartilage Yakitori - $4 (3.5/5): Cartilages are my favorites, so I was very pleased to see this on their menu. Their cartilage were what I wanted in texture: crunchy but tender at the same time. What disappointed me was the seasoning, it was very light.

Napa Kara Pork -$5 (3/5): This was apparently the hype from a lot of the reviews I read. Again, the pork was really tender, not gamey but again under seasoned. Presentation was really nice tho.

Hamachi -$13 (3/5): This dish comes with 6 slices of the fish with bits of oranges on it. I would recommend having a decent amount of sauce on your fish with some oranges in your bite. If you have a good amount of sauce with the orange, you can imagine how good it’ll be if there was more flavor.

Dragon Ball -$16 (2/5): This dish comes in multiples slices of beef with 3 quail eggs. This would have to be the disappointing dish. Similar to the Hamachi, not enough flavor. I had to drench the beef with the sauce and if I eat it with scallions, there’s not much flavor. I wish they have drizzle the sauce on the dish rather than plate it separately. The quail eggs were bland and honestly, for the price worth, I don’t recommend this. (You can probably make this dish better at home with cheaper ingredients and more quantity).

Cod Udon -$13 (4/5): This creamy delicious rich dish surprised me. The texture of the udon was bouncy and soft, coated with a good amount of richness of the cream. The texture of the vegetables was a nice mixture with the udon, though perhaps it’s better to use blanch the cabbage.

Tori Tantan - $17 (3/5): In my opinion, for just ramen with no meat or egg, not worth it for $17. The broth is very creamy and rich, similar to sesame peanut butter noodles (if you’re familiar with the dish) but it was a bit salty. I would say if you do want to order this dish, have another dish to balance the richness and saltiness out.

Basil - $13 (4/5): This cocktail is exactly like the name. It’s a cocktail with basil and strawberries. The drink is very strong on the basil and it balances out with a bit of sweetness from the strawberries. Pretty refreshing.

Overall, Nonono is a very nice restaurant with a nice ambience and great services. Would I come here again? Probably not but it was definitely worth to try a...

For some context for this review, I'm a huge ramen head. I've eaten at every "proper" ramen shop that's ever existed in NYC, dating back to over three decades ago. I was here before tonkotsu ramen became America's favorite ramen style. Whenever I'm in Japan, I eat at least two to four bowls per day. I know what I'm talking about.

I used to love going here for their tori paitanmen. Some months I'd go every week. It was by far the best in New York and on par with the best I've had all over Japan; not to mention super consistent, which can be hard to do. When I wanted to mix it up, the shoyu chintan ramen was also extremely solid - could have used some more niboshi but very good still. The tori paitan tantanmen was very good too.

The lunch special was my favorite in the city. I would take other ramen heads from out of town here just for the tori paitan, and told anyone with a pulse to go check it out.

For some reason they decided to remove these bowls from their menu. I understand that it was more labor intensive to have multiple broths for a small portion of the menu. However, instead of focusing on the thing they're best at, they replaced it with a muddled mess of a ramen program that resembles no regional style I've ever come across. I was literally sitting there trying to figure out the bowl, because it was a mess with no clear flavors.

It just reminds me of shopping mall ramen, to be honest. Not offensive, but definitely not worth going out of your way for. Not to mention that this is NYC and many people don't eat pork, and they don't have that option anymore. Just a baffling business move overall.

Their chawanmushi is really good though, as is the rest of their menu, but I will not be going back until better ramen is put back on the menu.

Photos are from my visits over literal months and years. Final shot is from my final visit when I gave the new bowls a shot and was super disappointed. I gave pretty direct and clear feedback that day and sent an email over. I don't know if they missed it, don't value my opinion, or just don't care, but it's been a few months now with no changes and it's incredibly disappointing. Luckily there are other solid options for tori paitanmen in New York that have popped...