Noreetuh: A Playground of Eclectic, Asian and Hawaiian Food in the East Village
Ever since I saw the photo of the Bruléed Pineapple, I’ve been intrigued to try Noreetuh (which means playground in Korean). Last Friday, I saw Full House the Musical at Theater 80 on St. Marks and knew Noreetuh was a block away, so I had to go after the show (no questions asked). My friends looked at the menu earlier and were skeptical to try it, but I ensured them it’d be great and will be good for everyone to try something new.
We got to Noreetuh around 9pm and it was pretty busy. To keep up with the theme of the restaurant, we ordered a Hawaiian Pinot Noir and a Hawaiian beer -- both were great. After looking over the menu, a majority of the appetizers sounded rather interesting, but tasty so it was tough making a decision. Luckily, they had a pre-fix menu, which featured a majority of the dishes that were offered a la carte. You got to choose a snack, a starter and an entrée, so that was a good way to try a little bit of everything, and may I add a great deal too! Here’s what we got:
Snacks:
Truffle Taro Chips
Crispy Mushrooms with Miso Sauce
Mochiko Chicken Wings with calamansi and chili
Starters:
Hawaiian Hearts Of Palm With Hazelnuts, Orange, Green Asparagus and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Big-Eye Tuna Poke with Macadamia Nuts, Pickled Jalapeños and Seaweed
Kalua Pork Croquettes with Cabbagea and Katsu sauce
Entrées:
Chow Noodles with Spiced Tofu, Bean Sprouts, Jalapeños, Lily Flower and Cilantro
Black Angus Steak With Grilled Romaine, Sesame, Red Onion and Taro
Sea Urchin Tagliatelle with Spicy Cod Roe
**INSANE! ONE OF THE BEST PASTA DISHES IN NYC
Desserts:
Bruléed Hawaiian Pineapple with Lime Zest and ‘Alaea Salt
Crispy Mochi Waffles with Whipped Peanut Butter and Honey
Chocolate Haupia Sundae with Almonds, Graham Cracker and Coconut Ice Cream
Stand out dishes were definitely the Truffle Taro Chips, Chicken Wings, Steak, Tuna Poke, Tagiatelle with Sea Urchin and all of the desserts.
Noreetuh definitely hit my G-spot and gets a 9/10. The food was terrific, the atmosphere was cozy and the service was phenomenal. I can’t wait to go back and try the remaining dishes. I am still dreaming about the pasta with sea urchin (and I would like to add, it was very well priced!)
Noreetuh
128 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009
(646) 892-3050
