This slick, striking hot spot, with its flickering candles, bare tables, and large rice-paper light fixtures, had been open only about eight weeks at the time of my visit, but was growing up fast. The ambitious restaurant was buzzing with the excitement of foodies, tourists, and theatergoers who had already discovered its fusion and traditional menu to be a cut or two above the average garden-variety Times Square-area Japanese eatery.
Although the unlikely Japanese-Italian combination is the attention-grabber here, sushi and sashimi (especially the tuna and California rolls) are its strength. But delicate, thin-skinned king-crab dumplings and moist, light shrimp-and-scallop shumai deservedly disappeared from our table at time-warp speed. In fact, most of the traditional, beautifully presented dishes were snapped up faster than the interesting fusion fare that unites Japanese-centered dishes with olive oil, porcini mushrooms, arugula, Dijon mustard, peperoncino, and Parmesan cheeses.
Chef Haru Konaguya exhibits a light, knowing touch with both his Oriental and Occidental offerings. We targeted the former and were not sorry. Our warm, salty-surfaced edamame melded perfectly with wine chosen from a list that is noteworthy for a Japanese restaurant. Even better were the velvety, mild sake selections here.
In addition to the dumplings and shumai, an airy seaweed salad sparingly dressed with ponzu vinaigrette evaporated quickly, and a generous hill of plump rock shrimp tempura was also appreciatively devoured. Aside from the sushi deluxe entrée (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, whitefish, tobiko, shrimp, and California rolls), the biggest, boldest flavors were claimed by the fanned-out ginger citrus duck breast with a subtle orange demi-glaze, and the imaginative Natsumi mixed grill of chicken and shrimp in an assertive, spicy garlic sauce.
Speaking of spicy, the soft shell crab roll, with its layers of avocado, scallion, basil, and caviar, was packed with just enough kick to make it interesting.
Chocoholics will rejoice at such Western-style sweets as the intense chocolate pyramid of bittersweet chocolate mousse, with its vanilla crème brulee core sprinkled with cocoa powder, and the so-called chocolate turtle saucy cake that is actually a superior rendition of a rich chocolate molten cake.
226 W. 50th St. btw. Broadway & Eighth Ave., 212-258-2988; www.natsuminyc.com
Richard Jay Scholem was a restaurant critic for the New York Times' Long Island section for 14 years. His A La Carte column appeared from 1990 to 2004. For more “Taste of the Town” reviews, click here.
