Sushi Lin - On a Dark and Stormy Night...

Sushi Lin

(* and 1/2* out of ****)



The Sushi
The pictures make the sushi look better than it is. The chef's lack polish, the counter looks like your neighborhood sushi joint, there wasn't enough rice on each piece and they had to resort to chicanery to compensate for their lack of skill. There was no wasabi at all in any of these pieces. The chef tried, he lacks experience. Working under an established high end sushi restaurant would probably do him a world of good and elevate his game. His current work is slightly above one who makes California rolls. The best piece is that weird looking one with a grilled tomato on top, it looked pretty cool when I got it and tasted very unique. The uni was great too, top notch no complaints there. Overall the sushi tasted fine, the quality of the fish however is at the bottom rung. Don't expect top notch fish here.

Value ($$$$ out of $$$$)
At $60 bucks for 10 pieces and a roll you can do better in NYC, this was in Brooklyn so I would say its worth $35-$40. I added a Chawanmushi ($9), a piece of Ikura ($5) and Whiskey infused bread pudding. The bread pudding was the star, can always count on satisfying desserts at these types of joints. You get a carafe of hot sake for free if you check in. A spot like this should top out at $50pp and my meal was $92pp. If you do find yourself here, stick to the items under $30.

And That's The Bottom Line...
To summarize, my expectations far exceeded what this restaurant actually is and what they can deliver. Sushi Lin is a neighborhood sushi joint that tries to go upscale but falls flat on their face doing it. However, they try to price themselves a notch below the upscale Omakase meals in NYC but do not offer the decor, service and polish one would expect from an authentic Japanese Sushi joint. Based on the quality of sushi you get here from the Omakase sushi meal, vibe and price, I cannot recommend Sushi Lin and will not return. My opinion is that this meal should have been priced at approximately half of what I paid for me to recommend.

TONCHIN NYC 1.3.18

Smoked Dashi Ramen   

This was pretty interesting, Broth was creamy with a hint of seafood as can be expected due to the fish oil and clams. Egg was spot on. Noodles were wavy which was perfect for this dish.

The Ramen was very good, but the seafood taste isn't something I would go for again. I would try to classic or spicy tan tan next time.

Smoked Matcha? 

Don't remember the name of the drink, may have been the smoked matcha? You will see other diners ordering it, its amazing. Get this!


Overall
The pricing is on the high side for the location (north of Ktown) $$$. The ramen is good, broth is flavorful and noodles slurp worthy. The drinks are what sets this place apart. That and the decor is much nicer than what you would expect from this neighborhood. TONCHIN is a must try for  Ramen fans and I will definitely return out of the convenient location.







Food: 🍜🍜 1/2🍜 (out of 🍜🍜🍜🍜)
Service: 🍜🍜🍜(out of 🍜🍜🍜🍜)
Drinks: 🍸🍸🍸🍸 (Out of 🍸🍸🍸🍸)

Price: $$$ (out of $$$$)

Shake Shack - Fulton Transit Center, NYC 1.7.18

The Burger
The Shake Shack chili cheeseburger gets 🍔 out of 🍔🍔🍔🍔 from me. It’s literally the potato bun, a beef patty (la frieda) and some chili on it; the combo just doesn’t work and doesn’t compliment one another. I think if I got just the burger (typically comes with lettuce and tomato) it would be 🍔🍔.

The Total Package
Overall it was very fresh, but unfortunately the texture and flavors just does not deliver, definitely very disappointed. The shake was solid, could've done without the whip cream. Service at this Shake Shack was good, as in it was quick, I ordered and got my food in about 5 minutes.

Value
At $13.58 for a burger and shake this is definitely on the pricey side when it comes to fast food burgers. I had $5 Shack Back card from a Holiday Promotion they were running along with discounted Shake Shack gift cards so my net cost was much lower than this, I don't think I would pay full price for this meal.

Final Thoughts
I would not order the Chili Cheeseburger again. It was rather underwhelming and you have much better choices on the menu. The chili cheese dog I had on a separate occasion was much better and the flavors and textures compliments one another. My recommendation for shake shack is stick to the Shack burgers, Shack Stack and their in house Draft Beers are pretty solid too.


Food: 🍔 (out of 🍔🍔🍔🍔)
Service: 🍔🍔 (out of 🍔🍔🍔🍔)
Price: $$ (out of $$$$)