Thought NYC had its fill of Japanese chef’s tables? Think again – the city’s latest, Muku, just opened in Tribeca.
Launched under the Kuma Hospitality Group (which counts fellow Tribeca restaurant L’abeille in its numbers), Muku plans to make its mark on the city’s scene with an intimate, tasting-menu only set up. Just 20 guests can dine here a day.
At the helm is Manabu Asanuma, who is poised to celebrate a more simple take on his native cuisine while simultaneously catering to an ever-demanding fine diner.
Chef
Born and raised in Yamagata, Japan, Asanuma studied nihonryori (Japanese cuisine) in Miyagi. After training under some of the country’s most respected chefs – including Koumei Nakamura and Hidenori Iwasaki – Asanuma made the move to NYC, doing stints at respected Japanese restaurants across the city, including Sushi Ichimura which sat on the very same site as what is now Muku.
In line with the traditional concept of kaiseki, Muku’s menu is delivered in a multi-course, tasting-menu style format, but is more formulaic that the ‘I’ll leave it up to you’ style of more common omakase menus. The offering will change, but monthly rather than daily.
Across the menu, Asanuma celebrates goho, which encapsulates the five classic Japanese cooking techniques: raw, grilled, simmered, steamed and fried.
The multi-course menu weaves through sushi, foie gras savory custard, grilled eel with mushroom rice, and egg-drop soup. The hand-made soba noodles, made using buckwheat flour shipped directly from Asanuma’s family farm in Japan, are already marked out as a highlight. For an extra $75, you can add on a wagyu filet mignon course, too.
To accompany, there is a standalone sake list, organized by style, as well as a full selection of fine wines and champagne.
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Interiors
Muku isn’t straying far from the norm in terms of Japanese tasting menu restaurants. Like many of the others in the city, its minimal yet still warm. Ten ochre-yellow stools are arranged around counter-top seating; dark wooden panels line the walls. Art is sparse bar a dramatic 17th-century screen, borrowed from the owner’s family collection.
