235 West 35th Street
(between Seventh and
Eighth Avenues)
Asura is the answer to three pressing questions that
I’ve had for a very long time:
1) Where is a good place to go for dinner near Penn Station?
2) Where is a good place to go for dinner near the Javits
Center?
3) Where is a good place to go for dinner near the AMC Loews
34th Street movie theater?
Asura is located on a rather seedy side street that is not
trafficked much by pedestrians, and is next to (and part of) the Wyndham Hotel.
The bar located at the entrance is rather deceiving as it makes the restaurant
seem small as opposed to how spacious it actually is.
Went for their amazing happy hour special (from 5 to 9
p.m.): $4 beer; $6 wine; BOGO free cocktail; BOGO half-off special rolls. The
specials are located throughout the restaurant and not only at the bar (which
is good as the barstools fill up quickly with many happy happy-hour patrons).
At the suggestion of our waitress, we went for the
Lycheetini: vodka, triple sec, and lychee juice. They fill the drink to the
very tippy-top of the glass (so much so that you should not pick up the glass
for fear of spillage, which I must confess is what happened to me!), so I
recommend that you sip up the excess before you even dare try a toast.
Warning: The
bartender is also very generous with the alcohol, so drink slowly and do not
attempt to down the drink as if it were a shot or a glass of water.
For the rolls, we went with all of the suggestions offered
by the waitress. The first plate contained the Manhattan Roll (top: shrimp
tempura and cucumber, topped with spicy crunchy tuna, masago, spicy mayo, and
eel sauce) and the Sakana Roll (yellowtail and avocado, topped with tuna and
salmon). The Manhattan Roll was beautifully plated and the tempura was not
greasy at all. Only small, minor complaint is that the shrimp came with its
tail.
As we were still hungry, we ordered a second plate (again
going with the waitress’s suggestion) consisting of the Salmon Dream Roll (spicy
salmon, topped with avocado and salmon) and the Black Pepper Tuna Roll (bottom: spicy
tuna, topped with avocado and black pepper tuna).
Of the four rolls, the Black Pepper Tuna was my favorite. I
really appreciated the taste of seared tuna.
UPDATE:
Another excellent roll to order is the volcano roll (bottom roll in photo). Similar to the Black Pepper Tuna roll, but with salmon.
Not only are their rolls super tasty, their soups, are too! In particular the ramen noodle soup. The pork is delicious: sweet and the sides are seared for a crispy taste!
If you're a fan of pork, their harata bun is a must-try!
Pros:
Very friendly and helpful staff.
You can switch your cocktail drink choice for the BOGO free
offer. We actually ended up sticking with the Lycheetini as our second drink as
it was really good!
Cons:
Cell service does not work in the dining area, but there is
reception at the hotel patio, which is easy to access.
Final Thoughts
Asura will undoubtedly become one of my new favorite dining spots,
which I will be frequenting quite regularly.
