Why Come Here? Unique Hawaiian-inspired cooking, adventurous eats
Noreetuh describes itself as a Hawaiian restaurant. Previously I had never been to an eatery focused on the cuisine of the Aloha State, but I think most of us would imagine such a place to be filled with tiki masks, bright flowers and volcanoes. Perhaps the servers would be wearing leis, slowly dancing to luau music playing in the background. Maybe the walls would be done in vibrant colors or covered in photos of beach sunsets. Oh, and they would definitely serve Mai Tais. That is pretty everything I associate with Hawaii. And it has absolutely nothing to do with dining at Noreetuh.
Noreetuh is not a Hawaiian themed restaurant. It’s a restaurant for people who take both their food and decor very seriously. The inside pays absolutely no tribute to the 50th state, instead going the minimalist route that make it look like every other trendy restaurant in the East Village. The bar not only doesn’t serve tropical drinks, but in fact has no liquor at all. That said, there is a pretty tempting global wine list which they’ll pair to your meal for a reasonable $35.
The food is also not really what you think of as Hawaiian. But it is heavily influenced by the Asian melting pot the islands have become with a big focus on seafood. So expect a lot of ingredients from places like Japan, The Phillipines and Korea that you’ve never seen before. I’d really call it Hawaiian-inspired New America – not surprising given that the chefs are from Per Se. But unlike Per Se, it’s quite reasonably priced with no dish (for one) cracking the $25 mark. The menu breaks down into smallish snacks, starters and mains, but one from each from the latter two sections will easily be enough per person. Even if somethings were a bit strange, nothing was too strong, spicy, sour or anything liable to make it inedible. In fact everything was quite enjoyable. So order adventurously. Here’s what we had:
Crispy Mushrooms 
Tempura fried mushrooms in a sweet miso dipping sauce. There are worse ways to start the meal.
Big-Eye Tuna Poke 
Poke is the tartar of Hawaii. This one comes with macadamia nuts, pickled jalapenos, seaweed and some seriously good raw tuna. If there’s a must order at Noreetuh, this is it.
Monkfish Liver Torchon 
I’m gonna go ahead and put this guy in the more interesting than good category. The passionfruit mixed with the “foie gras of the sea” delivers a funky sweet taste off the bat. But then the aftertaste of bitter fish skin drops it some points. It’s definitely worth trying because you won’t see anything like it anywhere else, but I probably won’t be getting it again.
Mentaiko Spaghetti Think of this one as the carbonara of the sea. Mentaiko is pollock roe and provides a bit of crunchiness. Mix in some seaweed, smoked butterfish and chilis and you get a pretty unique pasta. But I have to say that while I enjoyed it, I recommend it more for the novelty than as a pasta I want to eat everyday.
Garlic Shrimp Over Rice 
On a menu where most dishes have at least two ingredients you haven’t heard of, this one looks pretty pedestrian. But don’t hit the snooze button here. The perfectly done jumbo shrimp are in an awesome creamy garlic sauce with some coconut sticky rice to balance every thing out. There’s also some pineapple on the side to remind you it’s Hawaiian.
Pineapple Braised Pork Belly Seriously tender hunk of pork belly with a nice hint of sweetness from the pineapple glaze. You’ll want one.
Bruleed Hawaiian Pineapple In case you haven’t had enough pineapple, why not order another half of one for dessert? Actually the creme brulee like topping on the sweet pineapple make it a pretty cool (and maybe even healthy) way to end the meal.
Right Amount for 2? 2 starters, 2 mains
Noreetuh
128 First Avenue (7th & 8th Sts.)
New York, NY
