Serving up everything from teri buns to Korean-style ramen to mixed tempura, Miso Teriyaki entered the Bergen County dining scene in March 2020. When I saw a teriyaki restaurant coming to Tenafly, it dawned on me that I haven’t had teriyaki in years. Apparently, it’s the unofficial signature dish of Seattle, which now makes me regret not eating it when I had the opportunity to go there.
But alas, Miso arrived and according to their logo, they’re based in Seattle! I don’t know their full story, but I would love to interview them to get the full scoop on their roots and why they decided to bring their West Coast food over to freezing Jersey.
Above, you can see their hand trimmed, char-broiled beef teriyaki, which from some angles, kind of just looks like cooked beef. But wow, it packs a punch! If you love beef bulgogi, you may equally enjoy this. The classic “burnt” flavor is present, but not in an overwhelming way that turns you off – if you’ve ever had East Asian barbecue, you know the sensation! You can tell the marinade is deeply embedded throughout the beef and isn’t just added in the last few minutes of cooking. What an incredible dish!
I believe all the teriyaki dishes come with a small container of their teriyaki sauce, but I personally prefer the meat or “substance” (tofu, shrimp, salmon, etc.) of the dish by itself. Save that little sauce vessel for those huge portions of rice.
Okay, vegetable galore in this noodle dish. The amount of veggies in their chicken yakisoba would be my only criticism, but not for a dislike of veggies!! I enjoy vegetables, but felt there was an imbalance of noodle to vegetable. I found this a bit odd, since restaurants typically try to overload with carbs rather than the more expensive vegetables. I enjoyed the chicken and the noodles, as I’m a huuuuuuge “thick egg-type” noodle fan, as opposed to thinner spaghetti-like types. Note that they cook their noodles a little under al-dente, so if you prefer less chewy noodles, just request them to be “fully cooked”.
I don’t know why, but chicken katsu always hits the spot for me. It’s some part of a chicken covered in panko breadcrumbs, BUT OH MY I just love it. Miso serves a katsu sauce that’s not the traditional Bull-Dog Tonkatsu Sauce. I wasn’t able to catch a photo of the sauce, but dare I say, it was better than the Bull-Dog? I may just be making that up – they could very well be the same. Anyway, Miso’s katsu was thinner than I liked, but that’s simply a preference. The katsu is a great pairing to an assortment of otherwise grilled meats.
Finally, to the right of the chicken katsu is the rib teriyaki. It’s the winner of these four dishes for me! The ribs are laterally cut – the same way Korean galbi ribs* are. While I think the marinade is likely the same for both, I think the char has the ability to shine more on ribs. With thinner beef, too much char can overpower the taste of the meat itself, while these flanken (lateral) cut ribs need that mild burnt taste to draw out the flavor of the beef.
Operating during the pandemic is already a huge challenge, but opening at the beginning of one adds its own obstacles to an already difficult time. I know Miso isn’t alone in this struggle, but if you have the means to support another business right now, keep Miso on your list! They deliver on their commitment to serve exceptional teriyaki, and I hope to try their fried rice and teri bun dishes soon as well.
See you soon,
Carissa 😊