Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Dainobu Revisited

A little over a year ago, I visited Dainobu for the first time. Going for today's lunch, I remembered how good the fatty tuna-scallion roll was last time and hoped they would have it again. I still want to try the hot food counter sometime, but today I wanted something light and refreshing, so today would not be that day.

I had a late lunch (~2:15 when I got there). There were no fatty tuna-scallion rolls in the cold case, but I don't know if it was because they didn't have them today or they had already run out. Instead I went with the spicy tuna roll.


Instead of mashing the tuna up in the mayo, the spicy tuna roll at Dainobu consists of tuna and cucumber in an inside-out roll, with each piece topped with a dollop of spicy mayo. I much preferred the roll like this. It kept the flavor clean and light instead of feeling like it was weighed down by too much mayo. Another plus is that, if you thought there was too much mayo, you could easily remove some of the mayo until it reached the right amount. The taste of the roll was good. I like the fatty tuna-scallion roll better, but the spicy tuna roll was definitely good.

I went into Dainobu wanting vegetables, so I also got a small side dish of spinach with tofu (which also had carrots).


I was expecting this to be very light in flavor, with the taste of the spinach itself being the strongest part. Instead, the tofu overwhelmed the vegetables. It was also some sort of sweeter tofu, which was not at all what I was expecting. I probably wouldn't get this again since it wasn't the light side salad I thought it would be and instead was very rich.

By the time I got to Dainobu, I had gotten very hungry (it was my third option as I walked east and the other 2 hadn't worked out). Since I wasn't sure if 8 sushi pieces and a small vegetable side would be enough, I also got a snack/dessert.


Mochi doughnuts! I love mochi doughnuts. They're so soft and chewy, and I love the crunch from the sugar topping. I managed to wait an hour after lunch before eating it (helped in part by a very gross episode of Bones), but it tempted me from my peripheral vision the entire time. Mochi doughnuts are always so good.

I think, if I worked closer, Dainobu would be solidly in my (very long) rotation. It can easily go beyond my goal of a $10 lunch, especially if you're getting a sushi roll, but the food is always high quality and worth the "splurge."

Dainobu is at 129 E. 47th Street (between Lexington & 3rd).

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