Goya Chips (bitter melon tempura)

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
October 8, 2006

TORYS
248 E 52nd St, 2F
(2nd & 3rd Aves)
New York, NY 10022
212-813-1800

Torys is Yakitori Totto’s East Side outpost with generally the same menu and a few familiar faces who have moved over from the West Side. Like Totto, it’s on the second floor, and the layout is the same but mirrored since Torys is on the south side of the street. They’ve tried to recreate a similar experience, but Torys feels more modern and sterile, lacking some of the seasoned yakitoriya (grilled chicken skewer restaurant) charm of Totto. Having said that, the owners added a bit of playfulness with the name “Torys,” which is a non-traditional way of spelling torisu (bird’s nest). Torys is a good alternative when the wait at Totto is too long, which seems to be always. Since Torys is only advertised in local Japanese papers, it’s not overly crowded yet.

The design of the menu is simplified and the interior feels clean but cold — probably because the counter is not wood but red formica. The quality of the food is slightly below that of Totto’s but I think it’s because Torys is new and still smoothing out some wrinkles. At a yakitori restaurant, the quality of the skewers and the ability to maintain consistency are of the utmost importance. And while the skewers were good, they did not blow me away like the ones at Totto usually do. And the dashimaki tamago (Japanese omelette) — which is one of the most basic yet difficult foods to cook right and is a true test of culinary excellence — was not at its best form. It seems that Torys is still figuring out its rhythm as our orders came in extremely slowly and scattered over the course of the evening even though the place wasn’t extremely busy.

The most pleasant surprise was the goya (bitter melon) chips with which we started the meal. I love bitter melon, a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine during the summer, and also popular in Okinawan Japanese cuisine. Though this dish is also on the menu at Totto, I’ve never ordered it. They are not really chips but rings of bitter melon tempura. The middle of the bitter melon is hollowed out, leaving the gorgeous flower-like outline of the rings, then it’s battered and deep-fried tempura style. These chips are light, tasty and delightfully pretty. On a side note, bitter melon is good for your health.

Of course, I ordered my three staple favorites from Totto: the Totto, oops, I mean Torys salad (chicken salad) with aojiso (shiso vinaigrette) dressing, the Torys soup — still my favorite chicken soup in town — and the yakionigiri (grilled rice ball) brushed with shoyu (soy sauce). These three basics did not disappoint, nor did the zosui (rice porridge). They forgot our order of gyoza but it was serendipitous as my girlfriends and I were no longer hungry after a large meal.

Overall, I’m sure everyone is happy that Torys is open so that fans will no longer have to suffer the frustration of being turned away or waiting a ridiculous amount of time for a seat at Yakitori Totto. Is it the same? Just as good? Not quite, but good enough.

Also in Japanese, Midtown East, Tapas