Megu ("blessing" in Japanese) has two award winning and outstanding locations in New York City. A flagship venue on Thomas street designed by award winning Yasumichi Morita, Megu New York has designed a two tiered 13,000 square foot Megu New York space. All this blends ultra modern design with japanese details, the end result is amazing white porcelain columns made of over 5,000 interlocking rice bowl and sake vases. In the upstairs Kimono lounge, stacked bolts of over 450 rolls of antique kimono fabric covers the walls. The main dining room features a giant temple bell weighing over 800 pounds suspended from the ceiling, as well as a signature Ice Buddha sculpture sitting atop a pool of water that is rebuilt every night to ensure the customers of a spiritual and purifying experience.
Although smaller, the Megu midtown location (8400 square feet) is elegant, intimate and comfortable. The dining room features dramatic oversized swarovski black crystal chandeliers, a magnificent almost three dimensional tiger mural, and japanese flag designs on large white sheets hanging above the center of the restaurant. The main dining room also features a series of lampshade shaped fixtures lit from within and embellished with the owner's family crests. Entering the restaurant from the lst avenue street level,we were greeted by Megu's president and general manager, Koichi Yokoyama, a young, handsome and charming host. He escorted us to a large, luxurious banquet backed by a spectacular floor to ceiling window looking out of the UN,
Dining at Megu's is a year round visual, taste, and a spiritual experience. During the holiday season the restaurant's invitation to dine was an irresistable treat. It is renowned for its amazing presentation of exquisite slices of sashimi and sushi, which are often presented in unique handmade iced igloos. Megu also utilizes a unique japanese cooking style called umibi aburiyaki. This incorporates a grilling technique using bincho-tan, a special charcoal found only near the holy city of Kyoto and is prized for its superior purifying properties..
Megu's voluminous new fall menu and design concepts are a blend of traditional and modern japanese times. Authentic and avante garde japanese ingredients are combined to please every palate.
We began our oriental feast with assorted appetizers including Megu's famous original crispy asparagus made with a crust of spicy rice cracker "okaki" battered and flash fried. It was almost like eating vegatable candy and was a perfect beginning to our feast.
We were then served thinly sliced scallops with wakame seaweed..beautiful to look at and even better to eat...
Foie gras chwanmushi a la rossini, a highly unusual taste treat was brought to our table in small egg shells broken at the top so that a tiny spoon could take out Megu's original egg custard with black truffle- creamy, delicious and another visual and taste treat.
Next came a medley of hot dishes that included delicately sliced four herb crusted premium chicken, unlike anything mother ever made, and incredibly succulent and delicious. A delightful plate of sauteed mushroom medley and Megu's fantastic toasted garlic miso bread developed by megu's chefs for clients who craved a true japanese alternative to a tasty bread basket. The garlic miso bread was made with garlic and parmesan cheese and we requested a number of refills as it was impossible to resist. We also sampled a dish of thinly sliced kobe beef sashimi in an iced igloo along with Maguro tuna carpaccio served with spicy miso sauce
The finale to all this fine dining was the serving of Megu's newest addition to its awesome steak offerings.....Wagyu Satsuma- a steak so tender that it could be cut with a spoon. Tender, and unbelieveably delicious with a Daikon Radish oroshi ponzu sauce. The individual slices of steak sat atop a broiling hot lava stone with the juices flowing from each piece. Megu's 5 star menu reached its pinnacle when this dish arrived. Superb!
To aid in our digestion and provide some theatrical entertainment we were served two types of oriental teas:
A bubbling jasmine rose tea which blooms upon placing a plant in hot water as well as a ginger tangerine tea from south africa.
Beginning the holiday xmas season at one of the worlds greatest venues for modern japanese food was fantastic !
Congratulations to Koichi Yokoyama, and the Megu staff for receiving the highest award for culinary and hospitality excellence- The Star Diamond Award, from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. Megu offers an extensive wine list with over 600 offerings of wine that perfectly compliment the cuisine. Megu New York won Wine Spectator's award for two years in a row in 2006, 2007 and Megu Midtown won this prestigious award in 2007.
Megu Midtown 845 UN Plaza, New York City tel: 212-964-7777
Megu New York 62 Thomas Street, NYC tel: 212-964-7777
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