A Taste Of Japan, Just Upstairs

You wouldn’t suspect it — with its hard-to-find location and uninviting entryway — but just above a Jersey City diner, is a pleasant Japanese restaurant. Although it does have a sign, you’d probably just pass by this second-floor restaurant, assuming it was an illegal gambling spot or underground nightclub, and head on to one of the other chain restaurants that we’ve all been to more often than we’d like to remember. But we know you’re daring enough to venture inside. And you’ll be glad you did because Honshu Lounge serves up a pleasant experience, not just sushi.

Like I said, you might be skeptical to go up to the restaurant, but you’ll relax as soon as you enter; you’ll be greeted with smiles and treated as guests in someone’s home…literally. The entire restaurant feels like you’re in someone’s apartment that was converted into a hip Japanese restaurant. And that isn’t a bad thing. The homey ambience makes you feel comfortable and ready to converse with the friend or date you brought about life, politics, and the food you’re about to enjoy.

The food itself is exquisite and pleasing to the wallet—most entrees are below the 20 dollar mark. Each serving is enough for one or just enough to share. One of their more popular items is the Spicy Tuna Tartar which is actually an appetizer but large enough to be eaten as a main course. It is basically spicy raw tuna sitting on a roll of seaweed-wrapped rice (which looks like little trees). All of this sits on a remarkable spicy sauce. This yellow-orange sauce has a spicy yet tangy taste that leaves you wanting more, as well as a sip of your beverage. Like any other Japanese sushi restaurant, they serve sushi—surprise!—but with an emphasis on presentation, which is so eye-appealing you don’t want to take a bite, messing it all up!

Now if you’re not full from your appetizers and entrées and dare to look for something sweet, I suggest ordering the Spring Roll Cheesecake. These are two egg rolls filled with cheesecake. The rolls are placed over whipped cream drizzled with a raspberry sauce and garnished with a mint leaf. This might sound odd, but it’s total cheesecake perfection.

So if you find yourself hungry one night and are in the mood for some fine Japanese dining (and a little adventure), then look no further than downtown Jersey City and a little restaurant called Honshu Lounge.

Honshu Lounge
31 Montgomery St
Jersey City
(201) 324-2788
http://www.honshulounge.com/

— by Angelito Yambao, Jr.
Angelito is a 22-year-old Jersey City native and avid professional wrestling fan working on a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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