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Mumon in Garden City, New York

Stats:

Ranking: N/ARead Full Review

Ratings:

  • Food7-8
  • Pricing7
  • Atmosphere8
  • Service8
  • Selection7(Toro??)
  • Value8

The Review

Last night we ventured into Mumon in Garden City. It is located right on Franklin Avenue, where Saks Fifth Avenue used to be. We are immediately taken aback by the size on the restaurant, which is very large. On one side there are long booths separated by see through black dividers on one side, with tables in the middle. The opposite side has a full bar on the right and huge boxed shaped booths in the middle. The decor is very stylish - a mix of classical, traditional Japanese and modern. All booths and tables are adorned with cushions for comfort. There are vast red book cases surrounding the sushi bar, holding glass jars with various ingredients inside. There is soft music playing in the background. We are seated in a long booth by a window by the manager James and our helpful and kind waiter David recommends some drinks.

  • Lychee-tini We start with a Lychee-tini and Hana Fuji Apple Sake. The Lychee-tini is made with vodka, lychee liqueur, sake and lychee juice. It is smooth and strong with a nice nutty undertone. Lychee is a nut that grows in South Asian and is seen as a symbol of love and romance due to its red, heart-shaped shell. The drink is very tasty.

    Hana Fuji Apple Sake The Hana Fuji Apple sake is incredibly light and refreshing. It has a crisps taste from the apples, but is not overly tart and actually sweeter like a nice white wine would be. We enjoy it very much.

  • Hamachi Usuzukuri We are brought our first dish of Hamachi Usuzukuri. The name of this dish literally translates to "thin sliced yellowtail". In this dish the pieces of yellowtail tuna are topped with a slice of jalapeno and a drop of sriracha sauce. It is served in a house ponzu soy sauce. This dish is tasty, yet very spicy. The fish is soft and delicate but the heat of the sriracha and jalapenos together almost mask it completely. If you do not like spicy, this may not be the appetizer for you.

  • Mango Shrimp Spring Rolls Next we get Mango Shrimp Spring Rolls. These are spring rolls filled with shrimp and mango and served with a sweet mustard sauce to dip them in. There are four pieces of spring rolls with this order, 2 cut in half. The rolls are crispy on the outside and the fillings inside are light and subtle. The sauce accompanying the rolls is delicious with a spicy sweet combination. It is a must use as without it the flavor of the rolls is a little bland.

  • Cajun Tuna Cajun Tuna arrives next. The pieces of tuna are deep fried and coated with Cajun seasoning around the edges. It is plated with onions, which taste as if they have been softened in a little red wine vinegar to cut the acid and make them a tad sweet. The tuna has a nice spice, we really taste the pepper, and is very well seasoned. We were a little confused as to why one would need to deep fry it, but the tuna is tender and moist.

  • Ahi Tuna Pokki Next was our favorite appetizer of the evening, Ahi Tuna Pokki. Pokki is a reference to Poke, a Hawaiian word meaning "small piece". This traditional Hawaiian dish is the equivalent of Japanese sashimi and is bite-size pieces of raw fish smothered in seasoning. This dish has diced pieces of tuna seasoned with sesame oil and salt. It is then topped with chunks of mango and jalapenos. This dish is incredibly fresh -- from the tuna to the mango fruit (some even have a trace of skin of them). Both are soft and the mango is super juicy. The flavors of this dish play very well together and it is a must order.

  • Sushi Sashimi Combo We are served the Sushi Sashimi Combo. The dish comes with a chef's selection of sushi and sashimi and one specialty roll. The roll selected for us was the Hawaiian Roll and the sushi and sashimi was fluke, salmon, white tuna, tuna, shrimp, yellowtail and snapper.

  • Main Sashimi Here is a breakdown before we get to the roll.

    Fluke The Fluke is super fresh, delicate and has a light flavor. It is our favorite. It is currently fluke season, they like the warmer water, so this would be a good fish to order when having sashimi.

    Salmon The Salmon is tender and oily.

    Tuna The Tuna has the boldest flavor, but we don't love it.

    Shrimp The Shrimp is very tasty.

    Yellowtail The Yellowtail is thick and oily.

    Snapper The Snapper is a little chewy, but light.

  • Hawaiian Roll The Hawaiian Roll is a special on their menu. It has shrimp tempura inside. It is then topped with spicy tuna, mango and crushed macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts taste most like a hazelnut but not as strong. While the nut originated in Australia, Hawaii is now the largest producer of this nut so the roll is appropriately named. The roll was then drizzled with mango sauce, eel sauce and spicy mayo. The roll is on the sweet side, but has a little bit of a spicy finish. The toppings are generous and thick. The mango is sliced paper thin and between the fruit and the sauce there is a strong mango taste, which we love. The roll is a little saucy and on the heavy side, but very appetizing.

  • Kirin Light We order some more beverages. We try Kirin Light, a Japanese beer with a light amber taste.

  • Plum Saketini We also try Plum Saketini. This drink is a combination of plum wine and sake. It is lusciously rich, with a smooth sweet flavor. It goes down very easily and is very enjoyable.

  • St. Zipang We also sample St. Zipang. This is a mixture of Zipang sparkling sake and St. Germain Elderflower, a French liqueur. The elderflower cordial is made from elderberry, sugar and water. The drink tastes like a dry wine and I expected it to be sweeter. The elderberry gives it a subtle flowery taste.

  • Monkey Tempura We try two other sushi rolls with the first being the Monkey Tempura. It is mushroom, spicy tuna and goat cheese all covered in a tempura batter and fried. Goat cheese comes from the milk of a goat, which compared to milk from a cow is slightly tart. The cheese can simply be made by allowing goat's milk to naturally curdle, though some places add an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. The large slices of the roll are topped with eel sauce, tobiko and chili oil. This roll is seriously big and almost looks like a "sushi potato skin". The roll has a good flavor, the mushroom and cheese pair very well together, and is warm and gooey. It is a little heavy for our likings though, but if that's your style then dig in. It is very creative.

  • Mumon Roll Next is the Mumon Roll. It is lobster tempura, avocado and cucumber inside. It is topped with tobiko and served with a soy mustard vinaigrette. Vinaigrettes, meaning "fancy dressing", are mixtures of three parts olive oil and one part vinegar. This vinaigrette was seasoned with mustard and soy, however it lacked a little flavor as did the roll in general. The roll was very light and a little bland for our palates.

  • Crab Mahi-Mahi We are brought a hot dish from the kitchen. It is Crab Mahi-Mahi. The mahi-mahi is topped with shredded kani salad and served with an assortment of roasted vegetables and rice. The vegetables we are served is a whole head of garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and squash. The squash is served over the fish and the rest are surrounding the fish. The garlic and zucchini are the best of the bunch. Now for the fish, it is amazing. The crab salad is warm, creamy and light. The mahi-mahi is perfectly seasoned and cooked. Mahi-mahi is a type of dolphinfish, not to be confused with the mammal dolphin. It is a light white fish that is low in calories and fat. If you have never tried it, hurry and order this dish.

  • Spicy Tuna Nachos Spicy Tuna Nachos arrive next. 3 to an order, these nachos start with a flat fried wonton that is topped with spicy tuna, cheese, avocado and tobiko. A newer appetizer, these nachos were kind of like small individual pizzas. They were crispy and spicy, but a little saucy and lacked a little something.

  • Salmon Lover's We move back to sushi and order the Salmon Lover's. The roll has salmon and avocado inside. It is topped with seared salmon, house mayo and salmon roe. Salmon Roe, also found on the menu as Ikura, is red/orange in color. It easily bursts when eaten and has a salty tasty. The salmon is super fresh and the seared salmon has a nice flavor to it. The mayo has more of a bright yellow hue and is tastier than plain mayo. The roll is enjoyable.

  • Closer up.

  • Fire Cracker Next came the Fire Cracker. The roll is spicy scallops, kani kama, masago, scallions and tempura flakes inside. It is topped with spicy tuna, tempura flakes and chili oil. Kani kama are long rectangular pieces of imitation crab. The roll starts with a subtle heat and slowly grows to the point of just being bearable. This is like a spicy tuna roll on fire. The scallops are smooth and fresh and the spicy tuna on top is generously thick.

  • Straight on.

  • Red Dragon We continue on a spicy kick and order the Red Dragon. It has kani, cucumber and eel inside. It is topped with spicy tuna, eel sauce and chili oil. Chili oil is usually vegetable oil that has been infused with dried chili peppers. Sometimes other oils and other seasoning like garlic, paprika and other peppers are added. Again the spicy tuna on top is thick like a brick. It is sweeter than the Fire Cracker, but lacks some flavor.

  • El Tropical We finish the night with El Tropical. It is a good roll to close with as it sweet, like dessert would be. The roll has king crab and mango inside. It is topped with sliced avocado and a mango puree sauce. The crab inside is fresh and light, combining well with the juicy fruit. It is a little heavy on the sauce, but we love mango.

  • Straight on.

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