• About
  • Categories
    • Anime
    • Beauty
    • Books
    • Fitness
    • Restaurants
    • Travel

maidoesthings

June 2, 2019

Birthday Dinner at Kaijitsu

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 menu changes every month; we got to experience the menu for May
Watercress with a tofu dressing
Rice and fava beans, green beans with a sesame sauce, red miso soup with an onion
A huge assortment of vegetables; dandelion, burdock root, mushrooms, watercress, tomato, potato, strawberries in a black sesame sauce
Grilled bamboo with a potato puree and sansho peppers
Burdock root (I forgot the green vegetable) tempura
Radish sushi wrapped in a bamboo leaf; mountain leaf tempura
The radish sushi unwrapped
Fava beans, scallions, black fungus, kelp, simmered for a long time
Green tea soba with fresh wasabi
Strawberries with homemade gelato (I forgot what this was made out of)
Blueberry mochi in the shape of an iris flower
Matcha and sugar candy
Vegan brownies, fruit, and tofu cream for my birthday

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

Posted In: Restaurants · Tagged: japanese, new york city, vegan

Comments

  1. Maria says

    June 3, 2019 at 12:40 am

    Oh 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

    Reply
  2. Yiota says

    June 3, 2019 at 12:51 am

    Omg everything looks so good!!! I can’t chose which dish is the best!!! x

    Yiota
    http://pinkdaisyloves.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  3. Atsuna Matsui says

    June 3, 2019 at 1:54 am

    OMG 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.

    BLOG | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM

    Reply
  4. Quinn says

    June 3, 2019 at 5:29 am

    I 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

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    June 3, 2019 at 7:14 am

    Everything looks so good!

    Jennifer
    Effortlessly Sophisticated

    Reply
  6. Allie Mackin says

    June 3, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Yes 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

    Reply
  7. Julie | This Main Line Life says

    June 3, 2019 at 9:30 am

    This 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.

    Reply
  8. Rowena @ rolala loves says

    June 3, 2019 at 11:27 am

    Happy 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.

    Reply
    • Mai Nguyen says

      June 3, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      Thank 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.

      Reply
  9. SundayDahlias says

    June 3, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    Everything is so nicely and neatly plated, it looks so good!

    http://www.sundaydahlias.com

    Reply
  10. The Exclusive Beauty Diary says

    June 3, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    That food is art. Everything looks so beautiful and I’m happy to hear that is was delicious. Thank you for recommendation of this restaurant.

    New Post – http://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2019/06/beauty-of-resolve_1.html

    Reply
  11. Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's says

    June 3, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    Wowww, 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

    Reply
    • Mai Nguyen says

      June 3, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      I 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!

      Reply
  12. Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says

    June 3, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    Everything looks so fresh and delicious! I love the presentation, too!! Now I’m hungry!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    Reply
  13. jane says

    June 4, 2019 at 1:48 am

    I always love Japanese food.
    This looks tasty

    Much Love,
    BLOG | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

    Reply
  14. Ashley says

    June 4, 2019 at 9:46 am

    What a yummy way to celebrate! 🙂

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

    Reply
  15. Gabrielle says

    June 4, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    Happy 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

    Reply
  16. yuka says

    June 5, 2019 at 1:55 am

    oh my that looks soooo good! It’s making my mouth water!

    http://www.prettyinleather.net

    Reply
  17. Lorna says

    June 5, 2019 at 5:19 pm

    Oh my gosh that looks delicious! The food looks so good! And happy belated birthday!

    Raindrops of Sapphire

    Reply
  18. Jessica says

    June 6, 2019 at 1:38 am

    What a charming place. Food looks amazingly delish too!

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

    Reply
  19. Naya says

    June 6, 2019 at 3:05 am

    OMG! 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

    Reply
  20. MONICA SORS says

    June 6, 2019 at 6:16 am

    The food looks so yummy and healthy! And, although it was last month, happy B-Day babe!!
    xx
    Mónica Sors
    MES VOYAGES À PARIS
    NEW POST: SO HAPPY TO SHARE THIS!!

    Reply
  21. Nina says

    June 6, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    Happy birthday dear!!
    I hope you had a great dinner! xx

    La ilusión de Nina – http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  22. Kinga says

    June 8, 2019 at 5:45 am

    Looks fantastic:)

    Reply
  23. Mercy says

    June 8, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Looks 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.

    http://www.busyandfab.com

    Reply
  24. Amy Aed says

    June 8, 2019 at 12:24 pm

    This 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

    Reply
  25. Nancy says

    June 9, 2019 at 1:07 am

    It 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

    Reply
  26. Radi says

    June 9, 2019 at 2:17 am

    Looks like you had a delicious b-day! Hope you had a great day!

    http://www.fashionradi.com

    Reply
  27. Anouk says

    June 10, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Eye-catching presentation! Must have been a worthwhile experience.

    ANOUK

    Reply
  28. Gemma says

    June 11, 2019 at 8:59 am

    Hope you had a lovely birthday! The food looks amazing!

    Gemma x
    http://www.jacquardflower.uk

    Reply
  29. Valerie says

    June 12, 2019 at 4:40 pm

    Wow, all the dishes look amazing! I seriously need to visit this place someday! Thanks for sharing!

    http://roadesque.com

    Reply
  30. Eena says

    June 14, 2019 at 10:41 pm

    That is so cool you were able to visit a restaurant featured in the show! The food looks fantastic 🙂

    ☼ cabin twenty-four

    Reply
  31. aditi oberoi malhotra says

    July 18, 2019 at 9:59 am

    The food looks delicious! Belated happy birthday dear!
    Adi xx | http://www.fancycorrectitude.com

    Reply
  32. heather noire says

    July 24, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    This looks so delicious and perfect 🙂 http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2019/07/the-belle-of-ball-girls-will-be-boys.html

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Gabrielle Cancel reply

Search

Categories

  • Anime
  • Beauty
  • Books
  • Fitness
  • Health
  • Meal Prep
  • Musings
  • Personal Finance
  • Restaurants
  • Skincare
  • Travel

Archives

Reader Favorites

  • nonono
  • Phobar
  • A Week of Workouts

Latest Tweet

My Tweets

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Find me elsewhere

Instagram post 2187533660444766611_246380162 Happy Thanksgiving y’all! In past years, we’d always buy everything in a box or premade (chicken from Costco, stovetop stuffing, premade pies, instant mac n cheese). This year @x3trang really wanted to make everything ourselves so we gave it a try. Everything turned out amazing and it was totally worth it even if it meant way more hours spent cooking. Huge props to my lil sis for being head chef while I took chopping duty. Should my sister start a food blog? Yes or yes?
Instagram post 2143770105535022227_246380162 ✨ S Q U A D  G O A L S ✨
.
If you’re ever in Oahu and want to see a luau, I highly recommend @chiefsluau! Everyone was so friendly, it was interactive, the show was amazing, and Chief is a fantastic emcee that kept us laughing and also educated us on the culture.
Instagram post 2141042012529826637_246380162 Chasing waterfalls and slipping on mossy rocks
Instagram post 2140393166610953487_246380162 Living my best life 😎
Instagram post 2124436884947342177_246380162 This past weekend I went with my brother (@financeoholic) to the US Open for the first time. We got to see Nadal 🇪🇸!! The venue is gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the weather was perfect. I loveeeee watching professional athletes compete because their dedication to the game physically and mentally is so inspiring ✨
Instagram post 2113925828126908995_246380162 A hundred photos later and my favorite one is where I’m trying to take my phone back from @x3trang 😂
Instagram post 2053077703284061587_246380162 Last week I turned 29 😱! Instead of doing anything big or going anywhere, I had a nice dinner and spent the weekend with my family in Virginia.

When I was young, I thought I’d be married with kids by 25, have a house with a nice yard, and have my own cubicle. I’m not married, I don’t have kids, I can’t see myself buying a house (maybe a condo), and I can’t believe my vision of success back then was to have my own cubicle 😂 (tbh, open offices aren’t great, so I wouldn’t mind my own cubicle now). Maybe I haven’t achieved my old version of success, but what I have now is so much better than what I would’ve ever been able to imagine for myself. I’ve lived in Japan, I live in New York City, I get to travel the world with family, I run marathons, and most importantly, my relationship with my family is the best it’s ever been.

I used to think 29 was old, but it feels like my journey has just begun ☺️
Instagram post 2042569785438693162_246380162 Happy Mother’s Day to the most badass woman in my life. No amount of words can fully portray how much love and respect I have for my mom. My mom has sacrificed so much and worked so hard to raise me into who I am today. When I was a kid, my uncles told me to grow up and marry someone rich. My mom, on the other hand, told me to become rich myself. Don’t worry mom, I’m still working on it.

Copyright © 2019 maidoesthings · Site Policy · Privacy Policy · Theme by 17th Avenue