On Hudson Street before the street blew up in regards to the food and drink scene, EN Japanese Brasserie is a solid spot for a myriad of dining events. Housed in an old furniture warehouse, the spot is large, elegant and chic. I always feel like one of the cool kids when I eat at EN. I first went to EN a few years ago the night after I had eaten at Nobu for my birthday and realized quickly that Nobu has got nothing compared to what EN Japanese Brasserie has going on.
With my parents in town I booked a table at EN for dinner with the two of them and my boyfriend. My parents aren’t the biggest fans of sushi but EN has more to offer than just raw fish. In fact it has a fresh scooped tofu dish that simply put…is life changing.
At said dinner years ago, I squirmed when my friends ordered this to share as an appetizer but they insisted I try it out and that was the exact moment when I went from tofu averse to tofu obsessed.
Now let me be frank… the crap tofu you can buy in the grocery stores that is packaged and drenched in water is garbage especially when compared to this dish. Never did I think that I would find tofu so delicious but EN did it in one quick bite. It’s house made every hour and can be ordered cold or warm. I’ve never tried it cold so I can’t vouch to its greatness but served warm it is exquisite! Each bite is as smooth as silk and when mixed with their house made wari-joyu sauce (which I think is a mix of fish sauce and soy sauce), its delicious and revelatory.
I am definitely my parents daughter because when I insisted we order this too at our dinner both of my parents scoffed. But both, being good sports, had faith and knew I wouldn’t steer them wrong. Mom wasn’t the biggest fan but Dad and I nearly had to fight each other for the dish. I bet my dad never thought he would find tofu to be so delicious!
EN has a lot of stellar stars on their menu but the fresh scooped tofu is my obsession. I’m gonna attempt to make my own but know it won’t be as good.
435 Hudson Street (at Leroy Street)
