Megu Midtown: Mediocre and Pricey

Our friend Gaea celebrated her birthday last Saturday and we wanted to spend it somewhere extra special. We asked her what cuisine she wanted and immediately she said Japanese. After much deliberation and menu comparison, we decided on Megu Midtown which turned out to be a rather unwise choice. Food and service were below par considering the price you pay. Joel had the Omakase  which is the 8-course tasting menu and I ordered an appetizer and their shrimp tempura. 

This single sushi - Toro Tartare and Uni topped with Quail Egg - this was genius (mixing uni with quail eggs really made the uni extra creamy and silky). I finished that little piece ($10) in one bite! gulp!

The measly three piece Shrimp Tempura ($18) which was mediocre...the batter was too thick and I didn't taste too much of the shrimp.  I can make better tempura at home that's for sure. Although I liked the thought of serving it with green tea salt!

Joel's Omakase : 8-Course Tasting Menu ($125)

1st Course: Tuna Tartare with Russian Caviar and Wasabi Balls served over shaved ice and a ceramic spoon with soy-ponzu sauce

2nd Course: Breaded Asparagus Skewer with Lemon Wedge. Very ordinary.

3rd Course: Red Snapper over Julienned Vegetables and Nuts with Asian Dressing

4th Course : Delightful Sake Gratinee! Joel said this by far was the best course (compared to the previous 3 that came out). I have to admit this was really a pleasant and refreshing surprise!

5th Course: Sampler of Grilled Vegetables (mushroom, shishito peppers), poached free-range chicken cube, Grilled Ell with a compund butter (this was the best in that plate!) and tempura with green tea salt.

6th Course: 4 oz. Kobe Beef flambeed tableside on a stone grill and a platter filled with pebbles. This was suppose to be the highlight but Joel wasn't blown away. I took one bite and wasn't impressed either. 

7th Course : 5 Sushi Platter which we forgot to take a picture of...actually we got frustrated already and didn't really care anymore at this point.

8th Course: Dessert Sampler - Finally something to rave about. The stand-outs were the green tea filled profiteroles/cream puff and the green tea napoleones (thinkly layered cake) and the truffles. 

Gaea's Birthday Dessert Plate which we thought was complimentary but later found out that it wasn't ($25). But it's okay, we enjoyed every bit of sweetness and Gaea got to make her wish as she blew the two thin candles. 

Over-all, I would say that Megu Midtown is a place that you can try just once. Mostly for the cool Asian modern decor (high ceiling, chandeliers and opulent decor) with a black-red color concept, the uni with quail egg and the green tea dessert. I know we're not going back there anytime soon...or ever.

Megu Midtown

845 United Nations Plaza

1st Ave & 47th Street

New York, New York 10017

(212) 964-7777