Why Come Here? Trendy neighborhood sushi spot, inventive dishes
Right Amount for 2: 2 apps, sushi tasting or 3-4 rolls
Edamame Ricotta Dumplings
New York City teems with literally thousands of sushi restaurants, yet they can all be placed into three basic categories: your straight up delivery operation, the $100+-per-head-fish-flown-in-daily-from-Tokyo temple of fish, and the in-between spot you would actually go to with friends on a Thursday night (yes, there are also the sake bomb places but I’m not sure those qualify as “restaurants”). Momoya fills the top end of the middle tier serving fresh, affordable sushi in a setting cool enough to take a group of friends. If you’re in Chelsea or the Upper West, it’s the perfect neighborhood sushi spot.
The space feels like someone took a typical high-end sushi bar setup and decided to make it cool. The expected mix of white and teak wood walls remains, but the lights have been turned down to the “mood” setting, the floor plan is unusually open and floor-to-ceiling windows have been installed offering picturesque views of… Seventh Avenue. The staff is friendly and able to walk you through the various unusual menu options and sake list. On a recent Wednesday night, Momoya was pretty lively with a 30 minute wait for a table (they don’t accept reservations).
The menu has a good selection of fresh fish and some unique appetizers and rolls. You don’t see it online, but there is an entire page of specials with weirdly intriguing dishes such as edamame ricotta dumplings and eel with mashed potatoes. I could probably go back and fill up just on that page. But it would a shame to miss out on the fish, which is very high quality if not quite in the upper echelons. Below are my thoughts on what I’ve had:
Sushi Tasting
Sushi Tasting 
A nice, diverse selection of 10 types of fish. The melt-in-your mouth toro belly, yellowtail with jalapeno and amber jack were personal favorites on our platter and warrant 3 stars. The slightly fishy mackerel and inclusion of shrimp take it down by a half. Overall a solid tasting and worth trying if you’re in an adventurous mood.
Nakamura Roll You get one signature roll with the tasting and we went with this. Between the yellowtail, tuna, salmon and spicy scallop it sounds like it has a lot going on (each piece is actually topped with either tuna or salmon, as you can see to the left). It all comes together nicely though, helped by the freshness of the fish and perfectly cooked rice.
Edamame Ricotta Dumplings Served in a white truffle oil, we found this too intriguing to resist. The dumpling skin is very delicate, allowing you to enjoy the flavor of the edamame and of course truffle oil.
Eel with Mashed Potatoes 
Another one we just hard to try. The eel is sliced like a portobello mushroom and the mashed potatoes are good for cutting the richness.
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Momoya
185 Seventh Avenue (@ 21st St.)
New York, NY
&
427 Amsterdam Avenue (80th & 81st Sts.)
New York, NY
