NR — Restaurant in New York

NR — the second bar from Shigefumi Kabashima, owner of West Harlem’s popular ROKC — inspired by 19th century Japan, where cocktails come in unique, antique drinking vessels.

NR doesn't seem too worried about letting its new neighbors know that it exists. The only notice outside is a small, cryptic "NR Open" sign on the dark wooden front door. There are marble and wooden tables, blue fringe lamps, paintings, raw brick, random wallpaper, and two long banquettes. The dining area is divided in half, so it seems more intimate than former Seamstress

There’s a cumin and dill mezcal-based drink that comes with yogurt, strawberry jam, and lemon, as well as a gin cocktail accompanied by a house-made pistachio cream, clementine, and Campari.

NR's food menu is concise; includes vegetable ramen and pork buns, fried chicken and a very creative (should I say exotic) mussel dish! "Mussel + Beer + Cotton Candy," which sounds ridiculous but really works, a warm beer-based broth poured over a dozen or so plump, tender mollusks, melting the sugary puff of candy on top, a yuzu zest providing a nice counterpoint to all the yeast and brine.

Kaarage, or Japanese fried chicken, is impressively large, with four fat, juicy pieces falling out of their crisp-fried skins. The accompanying crock of matcha salt is a thoughtful touch.

Two types of ramen round things off. There's a Vegetable version with noodles, mushrooms, corn, seaweed and scallions, and the Kyoto, starring pork belly, egg, spicy bamboo shoots, and garlic and chili oils in a rich soy, chicken, and fish broth.

We also tried an Egg Sandwich paired with a crock of clarified butter for dipping (so yummy!)

It’s definitely a great addition to the area, a new neighborhood go-to, a place to catch up with friends over drinks, and, maybe especially, a date spot.

Food –

*KARAAGE: JAPANESE FRIED CHICKENS WITH MATCHA SALT

*JAPANESE EGG TRUFFLE SANDWICH: JAPANESE EGG SANDWICH WITH TRUFFLE OIL, PARSLEY AND WARM BUTTER ON THE SIDE

*MUSSEL + BEER + COTTON CANDY: BEER STEAMED MUSSEL WITH SOY SAUCE, GARLIC, YUZU PEEL, BUTTER, RED PEPPER, COTTON CANDY

*KYOTO: SOY SAUCE FLAVORED CHICKEN AND FISH BASED BROTH, TOPPED WITH PORK BELLY, GARLIC OIL, SOFT BOILED SEASONED EGG, SPICY BAMBOO SHOOT, SCALLION

What’s...

The ambiance is nice and warm, with the lighting be on the dimmer side. Area is spacious but tables are a bit small, especially when you have 3-4 people sharing one table square worth of space. Drinks were decorative, unique, and cute in design, definitely picture-worthy! They were strong and pretty flavorful, but nothing too memorable taste-wise. Servers were nice and friendly.

For appetizers we had the deviled eggs with uni, the truffle egg sando, and the eggplant. Our favorite has to be the deviled egg for all the ingredients paired perfectly together and enhanced one another in terms of sweetness and freshness! The truffle egg sando was very mild in truffle flavor and definitely reminded me of egg sandos in Japan, but would be nicer if the truffle was a bit more intense. The eggplant was savory and paired nicely with the pomegranate, so definitely interesting to try; plus it's aesthetically pleasing!

For entree we got the wagyu bone marrow soup less ramen, the sea urchin salmon roe ramen, and the lamb soup curry. The wagyu dish was definitely rich and savory, but will get you incredibly full if you're not planning to share. It's worth trying once but no need to try more than that, at least it is for me. The wagyu was a very thin slice, so when shared you barely taste it unfortunately. The sea urchin salmon roe was on the fresher side and not as heavy/rich as the wagyu one. Very refreshing indeed but same as the other, great to try at least once, but no craving for more than that. The lamb soup curry was my least favorite, perhaps because I had Sapporo Soup Curry before which is where soup curry originated from and thus, I have high standards so please keep that in mind when considering. I found the flavor to be too bland and a bit too watery for my liking. The lamb was too lean and the lack of vegetable definitely didn't help enhance its flavors. I would recommend skipping the lamb curry and perhaps trying some of the other ramen dishes.

Overall it was a decent experience, but nothing too memorable for me asides from the deviled eggs! Also, they no longer have the skull cocktail so just keep that in mind if you're coming just for that :p

Thank you for reading and...

Blatantly racist, rude, and discriminatory — the worst dining experience I’ve had in New York City.

I came with my service dog, who is well trained and helps me with medical needs. At every other restaurant in the city, staff have always been respectful and understanding. Here, the staff were rude from the moment they saw her. Instead of showing any patience, they acted ignorant and dismissive. One staff member even told me that dogs cannot be next to or touch any furniture, in a very harsh and inappropriate tone. I immediately placed her on the floor and followed what they asked, but the way they spoke to me was extremely disrespectful.

Throughout the meal the server came over again and again to remind us about the time limit, even while we were in the middle of a serious conversation. It felt like they were pushing us out. When we left, there were many empty tables, so the constant interruptions were unnecessary. It left me feeling that the treatment was racist, since I cannot find any other explanation for why we were singled out like this.

The final insult came when the check arrived. The staff once again “warned” me about the service dog, saying I should remember the rules and that they were being nice this time. I had already followed their instructions the entire evening, so being lectured again was insulting and humiliating.

As a patient, as a service dog owner, and as a paying customer, I felt disrespected and discriminated against. I am writing this review not because I want anything from this restaurant, but because I want other customers to know the truth. The management should take this seriously and train their staff on basic manners, respect, and service dog rights. Racist and discriminatory behavior like this is...