SOBOKU — Restaurant in New York

A homey and vibey Japanese restaurant tucked away in Carroll Garden, Brooklyn. Friendly and welcoming service, comfortable seatings, and most importantly affordable price—all apps below $12 and all mains below $20! Seriously I don’t think I can find many spots in NYC that serve Japanese cuisine with this quality at this price point.

＊Kurobuta Katsu Kare* Bf devoured the whole curry rice in 10 minutes and he exaggerated this is plate-licking delicious. The katsu is deep-fried to perfection. It is coated with thin and golden breadcrumbs, while the meat is still tender and juicy. Perfect combo with curry rice.

＊Toryufu Mazemen (summer special) I’m a very simple person: if I see mazemen on the menu, I order it. Their toryufu mazemen is a soupless ramen topped with minced pork, parmesan cheese, sesame cream sauce, truffle oil, corn, scallions, and a poached egg. It is delicious at the first few bites but becomes heavier and stickier after the cheese melts.

＊ Karaage** Guys this app only costed $8 and it came with 6 big pieces! Under the crispy shell it was the tender and flavorful chicken meat. The karaage tasted extra flavorful with the spicy mayo, which also balanced out the greasiness.

＊ Crab Meat Korokke The outside of croquette was so crispy with a thin breading, while the inside was creamy and gooey with a subtle kick of crab meat. The tartar sauce served on the side was so yum that I could literally dip everything with it. It will be nice if they can add chicken nanban on their menu with the tartar sauce!

＊ Salmon Carpaccio** OMG this yuzu soy dressing was FIRE! The sliced raw salmon soaked up the citrusy yet tangy dressing, creating a harmonious fusion of tastes.

＊ Gyu Don Topped with a perfectly cooked onsen egg, the beef and the onion were well marinated. Sadly the rice was part mushy part dry. It would also be better if the beef was thinly sliced and not overcooked. We’ve reflected this problem with our server, so hopefully it will be improved next time :)

＊ Kurobuta Katsu Teishoku* I was impressed by the authentic plating of this tonkatsu set! The pork chop was deep fried in a thin layer of bread crumbs. Don’t forget to dip your pork into the sweet and tangy tonkatsu sauce to complete the dish. Might sound weird lol but my favorite thing from a katsu set is the lettuce tossed with sesame sauce, and of course they did it well.

＊ Lychee Soda, Yuzu Soda

My Recommendations: Salmon Carpaccio, Karaage, Kurobuta Katsu Teishoku

Worth...

I happened to be in Brooklyn the other day, and stumbled across Soboku. Located in South Slope, the restaurant signage was modern and hip. There was a good amount of seats on the inside and by the windows. A bit dark inside but the interior was nicely done. Japanese city pop classics from the 80s like Matsubara Miki’s “Stay With Me” played in the background. Loved it.

Spicy Tuna Taco ($12) I really didn’t know what to expect when I saw this, but had to try this out of curiosity. Four tacos drizzled with spicy mayo and spring onions on the top as garnish came out. The tuna was very fresh and soft. The spicy kick delivered but it didn’t burn my tongue. The fried gyoza skin was a great stand-in for corn tortillas.

Crab Meat Korokke ($10) I consider korokke or croquettes as one of the great fried Japanese foods because of the different textured the food delivers from crunchy to soft, and the wide variety of fillings that can go with it. This time it was creamy crab meat. The korokke was filled with it, endowing savory and sweet flavors. Combined with the tartar sauce, this was a joy to eat.

Ebi Katsu Burger ($20) Katsu burgers are one of my favorite foods. This burger had a shrimp katsu as the patty with copious amounts of shrimp chunks inside. The shredded cabbage added a crunch factor that made each bite a joy to partake. The tartar and sweet/sour sauces gave that extra mile to the burgers. Tater tots was a delicious side that went along great with the burger.

Oyakodon ($16) Oyakodon is often considered a comfort food because it is warm, hearty, and all around delicious. This oyakodon came with lots of chicken chunks, onions, and egg simmered in a broth, then poured over rice. It wasn’t salty at all — perfect for my palate. It provided for a hearty meal!

Highly...

Saw tons of social media influencers promoting Cozy Japanese Cuisine. "under $20." So, I decided to give it a try.

Not very noticeable from the outside.

Inside: Upon entering you'll be right in their kitchen.

It's a small space. I called ahead and said we'd be a party of 6 & they took my reservation. I was not expecting to be placed in a cramped seating area that could barely fit 4 comfortably - I still had high hopes for the food.

Service: Wasn't the best. There was literally one server for a packed restaurant on a weekend. You'd expect at least 2-3 servers & for a restaurant that is trending on social media & whom does their on promotions on IG.

Waitress gave us 4 menus for 6 people. So, a minor inconvenience. When she came back she wasn't the most delightful person to deal with. Just what you want and a rushed attitude. I get it - your busy but that isn't a patrons fault for lack of planning on a busy dinner rush evening.

Food: Decent selection of food. However - 4 items were not available to order and that was disappointing as they were featured items on their social media.

We ordered the ramen, chicken karage rice bowl, hamburger, the takoyaki, and the pork cutlet kare.

The ramen was eh. Nothing special. The broth had no real flavor and the chasu was subpar.

The chicken karaage was fine - could be crunchy-er.

The pork cutlet kare was fine. The pork had too much chewy fat and that was off putting. The curry itself was tasty.

The hamburger was good - I'd definitely get it again but unfortunately the overall experience makes it a no return.

It's unfortunate - yet again - I fell for th social media hype of a restaurant and was let down. There was no cozy Japanese vibe here. Just a wannabe trendy place.

Parking can...