I’m somewhat of a Japanese food connoisseur. When I find a place that I consider excellent, I really mean it.

And I just found such a place.

There’s a small Japanese restaurant called the Iron Chef House in Brooklyn Heights, NYC. The prices are moderately expensive – about what one would expect for a standard Japanese dinner – but the food is excellent and the portions are large. To summarize, I’d highly recommend it and it gives Fuji a run for its money.

I ordered the dinner Bento. I was surprised at the versatility of this item: I could get three types of miso soup as well as two choices from a menu of six different types of entrees, all $16.95. It came with noodles, salad, and shumai as “fixed” items.

First, the “standard” (vs. vegetarian or special) miso soup: it was strong, yet not too salty, and the flavor of the miso contrasted nicely with the wakame and tofu. I’d add some more scallions, but this was probably the best miso soup I’ve ever tried regardless.

Salad: their lettuce was fresh and crisp, and it looked like a blend of different varieties. The ginger dressing was good, though I like the nutty flavor of Mahzu’s dressing a bit more.

Shumai: Excellent. Light and goes well with the tempura dipping sauce.

Teriyaki: Grilled, but not burnt (more like Fuji’s Teriyaki than Mahzu’s, though not quite as good a value), served warm but not sizzling, with a sufficient degree of sauce to flavor the chicken. The sauce was real teriyaki sauce, and did not resemble BBQ sauce, as in some restaurants. The Teriyaki also came with an assortment of vegetables, most of which were very good when mixed with the chicken and sauce (though avoid the celery).

Tempura: Perfect; that is, fried just heavy enough to coat yet lightly enough to avoid grease. The sauce was standard tempura sauce, but complemented the tempura very nicely, lending it flavor without overpowering the food.

Noodles: Interesting. Served with garlic and some caviar; could use a bit of butter to offset the harshness a bit.

Water: Exactly how lemon water should taste: the lemon was subtle, but present. I unfortunately did not have the foresight to order the green tea.

Cost: $16.95.

Portions: Filling.

Quality: Excellent.

Variety: Good.

Decor: Meh.

Overall: 5/5. I’d strongly recommend it.