For my birthday last month, I had wanted to celebrate it at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to experience a lot of fantastic restaurants with prix fixe courses, but each time I needed a substitution (I’m allergic to shellfish), they’d replace it with a kind of meh vegetarian dish. So, I was curious what a prix fixe course at a vegetarian or vegan restaurant would be like because of all the restrictions. Not to mention, I’ve always been curious as to how good vegan food can really be after watching the Chef’s Table episode with Jeong Kwan, the nun from South Korea who prepares vegan food.
After a bit of searching, I decided to celebrate the special day at Kaijitsu, a Japanese restaurant that specializes in shojin cuisine. According to their website, “Shojin cuisine refers to a type of vegetarian cooking that originates in Zen Buddhism.”
I had seen the restaurant before, because I’ve stopped by the Ippodo located on the first floor. Each time I was there, I’d always see people going upstairs for lunch and I was really curious about what restaurant it was. Well, now I know 🙂
The meal was amazing. Each course was beautifully presented and well-seasoned. It was really easy to taste the flavors of the vegetables without it being hidden by the batter or seasoning. Most of the time by the end of a multi-course meal, I feel overstuffed, but the portions were perfect and I was really content. It was a really fun and great experience, and I’d love to stop by again sometime in the future for another special occasion.
Kajitsu
125 E 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
34 Comments
Maria
June 3, 2019 at 12:40 amOh my gosh, this all looks so delicious. You did a fabulous job on the mouth watering photography. I loved the blueberry mochi in the shape of an iris, so pretty 🙂
https://www.chicnpink.com
Yiota
June 3, 2019 at 12:51 amOmg everything looks so good!!! I can’t chose which dish is the best!!! x
Yiota
http://pinkdaisyloves.blogspot.com/
Atsuna Matsui
June 3, 2019 at 1:54 amOMG this vegan fine dining place looks soooo amazing!! Aww I’m so sad that this place is in NYC since I live in LA but I will definitely bookmark this place in Yelp so I can try it out next time I’m in New York. I’ve cut out red meat for my diet and always try to opt to eat vegan food when I’m out when I can. I loveee how inventive and creative vegan restaurants are getting (there are a ton here in LA), since it’s definitely encouraging more people to be more open in trying vegan food.
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Quinn
June 3, 2019 at 5:29 amI need to branch out with my food! Some of this I would be into (love me some vegetarian dishes), but others are a stretch. You photographed them beautifully. PS: Happy belated birthday!
xx http://www.qustomquinns.com/blog
Jennifer
June 3, 2019 at 7:14 amEverything looks so good!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Allie Mackin
June 3, 2019 at 9:18 amYes many vegetarian and vegan dishes can be quite good. It is a shame that are not more of them. Your photos are great too and really make the food look so appetizing.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Julie | This Main Line Life
June 3, 2019 at 9:30 amThis all looks delicious. I’m not 100% vegetarian, but mostly so I love it when I find a restaurant that has veg food that’s actually interesting and inventive. I also love Japanese food, so this place sounds just perfect.
Rowena @ rolala loves
June 3, 2019 at 11:27 amHappy belated birthday Mai. Coincidentally a friend ate at Kaijitsu last month and was raving about it. Adding your experience, I really need to give this place a try. I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible and it’s encouraging that there are so many great options for dining out in the city now.
Mai Nguyen
June 3, 2019 at 4:27 pmThank you Rowena! Same, 90% of everything I cook at home is vegetarian/vegan, but I do eat meat when I go out. But it’s good to know that there are a lot of places to choose from in NYC when I feel like eating vegetarian when I go out like Chloe’s or even Bareburger has a lot of vegetarian options now.
SundayDahlias
June 3, 2019 at 12:37 pmEverything is so nicely and neatly plated, it looks so good!
http://www.sundaydahlias.com
The Exclusive Beauty Diary
June 3, 2019 at 2:49 pmThat food is art. Everything looks so beautiful and I’m happy to hear that is was delicious. Thank you for recommendation of this restaurant.
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Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
June 3, 2019 at 3:10 pmWowww, so many of these dishes are so unique and I’ve never seen anything like them! I know that vegan food sometimes has a rep for being boring or gross, but that’s just because some places are so lazy with their vegan alternatives. Places like this prove that eating vegan doesn’t have to compromise taste or innovation! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Mai Nguyen
June 3, 2019 at 4:27 pmI know! There are a lot of vegan/vegetarian places around NYC at a more affordable, casual price point too like Terri’s or Chloe’s, which are both great!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
June 3, 2019 at 8:09 pmEverything looks so fresh and delicious! I love the presentation, too!! Now I’m hungry!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
jane
June 4, 2019 at 1:48 amI always love Japanese food.
This looks tasty
Much Love,
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Ashley
June 4, 2019 at 9:46 amWhat a yummy way to celebrate! 🙂
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Gabrielle
June 4, 2019 at 5:31 pmHappy belated birthday! I hope you had the most incredible time celebrating your special day 🙂 I’m so happy to hear the food was not only well presented, but also tasted good!
aglassofice.com x
yuka
June 5, 2019 at 1:55 amoh my that looks soooo good! It’s making my mouth water!
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Lorna
June 5, 2019 at 5:19 pmOh my gosh that looks delicious! The food looks so good! And happy belated birthday!
Raindrops of Sapphire
Jessica
June 6, 2019 at 1:38 amWhat a charming place. Food looks amazingly delish too!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Naya
June 6, 2019 at 3:05 amOMG! Stop teasing lol Well, actually thank you a ton for sharing this, because I wanna go there asap. Everything you guys had looked fantastic and I bet it tasted heavenly too. Happy belated birthday! xx
Naya
http://www.nayatilly.com
MONICA SORS
June 6, 2019 at 6:16 amThe food looks so yummy and healthy! And, although it was last month, happy B-Day babe!!
xx
Mónica Sors
MES VOYAGES À PARIS
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Nina
June 6, 2019 at 2:08 pmHappy birthday dear!!
I hope you had a great dinner! xx
La ilusión de Nina – http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com/
Kinga
June 8, 2019 at 5:45 amLooks fantastic:)
Mercy
June 8, 2019 at 8:11 amLooks really interesting! I didn’t know you can get a lot of yummy looking vegan food. I can see you had a great birthday celebration.
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Amy Aed
June 8, 2019 at 12:24 pmThis food all looks absolutely stunning! This just makes me realise that I really need to start trying new types of food in new places – I would definitely like to check out this restaurant some time!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Amy x Wandering Everywhere
Nancy
June 9, 2019 at 1:07 amIt is so cool that you got to check out Kaijitsu! I like that you got to sample a bit of everything – all of the dishes look well crafted. I never had grilled bamboo before – sounds tasty! The radish sushi looks super cool with it being wrapped. It gives you that super interactive experience. I’m glad you enjoyed your time there. I know I would want to check this out! Happy belated birthday by the way!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Radi
June 9, 2019 at 2:17 amLooks like you had a delicious b-day! Hope you had a great day!
http://www.fashionradi.com
Anouk
June 10, 2019 at 8:11 amEye-catching presentation! Must have been a worthwhile experience.
ANOUK
Gemma
June 11, 2019 at 8:59 amHope you had a lovely birthday! The food looks amazing!
Gemma x
http://www.jacquardflower.uk
Valerie
June 12, 2019 at 4:40 pmWow, all the dishes look amazing! I seriously need to visit this place someday! Thanks for sharing!
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Eena
June 14, 2019 at 10:41 pmThat is so cool you were able to visit a restaurant featured in the show! The food looks fantastic 🙂
☼ cabin twenty-four
aditi oberoi malhotra
July 18, 2019 at 9:59 amThe food looks delicious! Belated happy birthday dear!
Adi xx | http://www.fancycorrectitude.com
heather noire
July 24, 2019 at 7:56 pmThis looks so delicious and perfect 🙂 http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2019/07/the-belle-of-ball-girls-will-be-boys.html