By Priya Konings
From March 4 until May 2, the kitchen at G by Mike Isabella is helmed by Jonah Kim, where he’s cooking up a two month-long preview of his forthcoming Japanese noodle bar and small plates restaurant, Yona.
The menu at the pop up features a variety of Asian-inspired small plates, including a refreshing seasonal dish of apples and radishes served with a creamy miso butter, elegant squares of soft tofu adorned with dashi, mushrooms, and scallions, phenomenal crispy Brussel sprouts, burnt in just the right spots and smothered in a chili mayo sauce, and soy braised root vegetables, topped with earthy sesame seeds.
The main course is your choice of ramen, with the highlight being a soy milk veggie broth ramen that is creamy and earthy and hearty all at once. The broth is incredibly rich and flavorful, the noodles are in abundance, and veggies like corn, snow peas, and bean sprouts add color and texture. The enigri mushrooms in the dish are especially intriguing; chewy and meaty, they are leaps and bounds from your average button mushroom.
Be sure to supplement your meal with cocktails, sake, Japanese craft beer, and Japanese whiskey (yes that was an “and”, you must sample all three). The sparkling sake is especially fun, and is a great palate cleanser in between the small plates and the ramen.
Prices are reasonable, with small plates ranging from $6-19 and all ramen bowls under $14. Take advantage of this pop-up while it is still available!
