Matsugen (Closed)

Yes, Matsugen has closed – permanently as far as we know – but I enjoyed this last meal of sorts, so I’m posting it for you to enjoy vicariously in case you weren’t able to get there before it closed.  Interested in seeing what Jean Georges will put there next…

I visited Matsugen once when it first opened, and I worked downtown.  I marked it as good, but a bit out of the way for me and I would unlikely return.  Well, Matsugen remained out of the way for me, as I quit my job to return to school, and I am rarely, if ever, in TriBeCa.  But about a month ago, I was informed it would be closing within the week, and I realized I had business to attend to a brisk walk away, so I decided to go for lunch after I’d taken care of said business.   

One of the things that had changed since I went almost 3 years ago was the addition of a three course lunch prix fixe, $26. 

This includes fried soba noodles, a nice little snack to munch on as I waited for my food to come out. 

In my first visit to Matsugen for lunch, I’d happily ordered the yuzu jelly and uni appetizer, though it’d cost us $24.  On this lunch visit, though it was clearly listed on the lunch menu posted outside the door as being part of the lunch prix fixe, when I got inside, it wasn’t on the printed menu.  When I asked, the host said “Oh, maybe you saw it on the dinner menu?” – no, sir, it was on the lunch menu, but I shrugged and instead of arguing, just added it to my meal for $9.  Obviously, this was quite a smaller portion than what I’d received at $24… which was a good thing, because there was no way I could eat the big portion we’d had last time. 

In any case, though the aesthetics continue to be bothersome with such a dish, I found this thoroughly enjoyable.  The citrusy zing from the yuzu jelly complemented the salty creaminess of the uni perfectly.  And though last time I lamented the lack of textural contrast, I found this time no issue with that (though had I, a sprinkling of fried soba would surely clear that up!).  Yum.  I will certainly miss this dish greatly. 

I also chose to add, for $5, a yuzu cherry soda (housemade).  Unfortunately, though the color was so promising and the flavor combination wonderful to imagine, this fell flat, without much cherry or yuzu showing up to the party.  Pleasant enough to drink, just not much of what I’d ordered it to taste – yuzu and cherry.  Ah well. 

Part of the prix fixe was an appetizer sampler.  Yes, that’s an appetizer sampler – pretty big, right?

First up: a sushi trio, with a spicy tuna, California (with real crab), and a salmon avocado piece each.  Fresh, light tasting, without the spicy tuna being too spicy, all of it very light and fresh.  Yum. 

Yuba sashimi was the next little plate – tofu with a bit of skin.  If you like tofu, awesome; it was good, but I’m not like omg tofu yay! so it was just good. 

Spring mix with some standard veggies, and a sesame dressing: again, very light.  I didn’t feel at all like I was eating too much to enjoy the main course. 

The fourth and final plate in the appetizer sampler was tempura, unlike what you might expect.  Light, airy, non-greasy, with two shrimp and an assortment of veggies that were all very yummy.  I think it was sweet potato, okra (yes, I was surprised, but I could be wrong – there was a veggie that took me off guard, though).   

My main course – choice of hot or cold soba, and though I like hot soba plenty, the cold soba choice was spicy sesame inaka soba.  Inaka soba is not widely available in New York City, so I went for that one: inaka soba is made with the husk incorporated to create a coarser strand with a nice, hefty chew to the noodles.  Though described as spicy sesame, there wasn’t enough spice in the dish to make me uncomfortable (I’m rather a wuss when it comes to spiciness)… The topping boasted chicken, greens. 

But what blew me away, absolutely robbed my consciousness as my eyes rolled backwards in my head… the texture of each noodle was amazing.  I like soba, but when I make it at home or even when I eat it at restaurants, I’m forever looking for it to be just a bit more al dente, a little less cooked, a little chewier… well, this was what I’ve been looking for.  Perfect.  Chewy, with just the right amount of heft to each strand.  Yes, the ground chicken, the spicy sesame, they did their part in making this dish transcendent, but the star of the bowl was definitely the soba.  Oh goodness, that soba… and now I will spend the rest of my life searching to duplicate the experience.  Sigh. 

The third and final course was vanilla custard. 

I actually didn’t finish this.  The texture of the custard was good, but the syrup topping was slightly bitter – a slight burnt taste to it, honestly, which I couldn’t get into and decided to just let the meal end on a positive note instead of stuffing my face to discomfort. 

Mmm… and my total?  $26 prix fixe + $9 uni appetizer + $5 soda = $40, which tax & tip took me to $55.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely. 

Unfortunately, as Matsugen is now closed, there’s no reason for me to post my normal “Yvo says” or “recommended/not” – it is what it is.  I was a little disappointed in the end that I discovered the perfect soba, just as Matsugen was closing… but I was grateful that I had the chance to go not once, but twice during its life, and that I learned what I want from my soba.  I will definitely seek inaka soba whenever I can… and if you have a lead for me, please let me know!  I already checked my favorite soba restaurants. 

Thanks, and as always, happy eating! 

PS By the way – I realized I didn’t make it clear in the rest of the post. I overheard at the restaurant that the reason Matsugen is closing is because the chef’s work visa expires and instead of renewing it, he’d like to return to Japan. I don’t blame him one bit, though I wonder how things have changed for him in the time since Matsugen closed, what with the earthquake, tsunamis, radiation… it is really a scary, sad time for Japan. I hope he is well.