My parents had some friends over when Josh and I went to visit them one weekend in NJ, so we all decided to try out a Japanese restaurant called Matsushima, which is located in Edgewater next to the famed Mitsuwa Marketplace. The restaurant is right on the Hudson River, giving it sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. To fully take advantage of the impressive scenery, the side of the restaurant that faces the city has floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap all the way around.
View of the Hudson and Manhattan from the window next to our table
It did make it a bit unbearably hot though for the person sitting right next to the window (me), as it was a particularly sunny day and the table behind me had control of the window blinds. Halfway through the meal, however, they mercifully lowered the blinds, and I no longer had to worry about getting sunburned. That was the only disadvantage of the panoramic windows, so just be warned if you plan on taking a window seat to best admire the view.
We were given two menus, one that looked like the regular menu and was quite extensive, and a one-page menu that featured a variety of lunch specials. We opted to order our entrees from the lunch special menu, supplemented by some sushi and sashimi from the regular menu. At $12.50, the lunch special was actually quite a bargain, as it included a salad and a pretty generous bowl of soup with udon noodles. The salad was pretty basic, featuring mixed greens topped with a very thin, vinegary ginger dressing. It wasn’t my favorite kind of ginger dressing but the salad was quite refreshing, especially since I was still baking in the sun at this point.
Mixed green salad with ginger dressing
The soup, however, was really quite delicious and chock full of udon noodles, seaweed, little fried bits, and scallions. The broth was savory and a bit smoky, evoking the fifth taste, umami. The noodles had a pleasingly chewy texture, and I had fun slurping them up.
Udon soup
For my entrée, I selected the pork katsu, which came on a pile of shredded cabbage and was served with a scoop of potato salad and a bowl of white rice. The katsu was perfectly fried and had a crunchy coating, though the pork was a little tough to bite through. The katsu sauce, however, was pretty dreadful. It was overly sweet and had a strange flavor to it, kind of like hoisin sauce, and it didn’t go too well with the pork. I ended up scraping off most of the sauce and eating the katsu plain, which made it a bit dry.
Pork katsu
Josh opted for the broiled yellowtail entrée, which was also a bit dry but was very flavorful and had a nice crispy piece of skin attached. The fish was very meaty and well seasoned, needing only a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up.
Broiled yellowtail
Two people in our group ordered the salmon sashimi and ikura over rice, which was a surprisingly generous portion. They aren’t fans of ikura (salmon roe), so I volunteered to take some off their hands. As you can see in the picture, there was a huge serving of ikura in each bowl. I love the salty, briny flavor as the eggs pop in my mouth. It can be quite overwhelming for people who aren’t used to or don’t like the flavor of caviar, but to me, it’s absolutely delicious.
Salmon sashimi and ikura (salmon roe)
We also decided to share a sushi and sashimi combination platter, which featured lots of fresh fish and also included a tuna roll. Josh thought the rice was packed a bit too densely in the pieces of sushi, but the sashimi pieces were all well cut, tender, and flavorful.
Sushi and sashimi combination platter
We also had a roll combination platter that included a huge spider roll and a dragon roll. The spider roll featured tasty soft shell crab, though the roll itself was a bit unwieldy to eat. I couldn’t fit a whole piece in my mouth and when I tried to bit it in half, it all fell apart into a messy heap on my plate. The dragon roll, which featured eel and avocado, was much easier to eat, with the sweet broiled pieces of eel matching perfectly with the buttery avocado.
Spider roll and dragon roll
Even though it was freezing outside, I think we were all a bit overheated from the sun streaming through the windows and decided to finish up our meals with some green tea ice cream topped with mashed azuki beans. The ice cream was rich and had a slightly bitter flavor from the matcha, which I liked. Sometimes green tea ice cream is too sweet and tastes fake, but you could definitely taste the tea in this version. There was also an almond cookie on top that was light and crispy and perfectly satisfying.
Green tea ice cream with azuki beans
Overall I think we were more impressed by the sushi and sashimi than we were by the cooked entrees. Even though my pork katsu had a nice outer crust, the pork itself was tough and dry, and the sauce was terrible. The broiled yellowtail was also overcooked and dry, and it was pretty plain and a bit boring. We did enjoy the udon soup though, which hit all the right umami aspects. I think that if we went back to Matsushima we’ll probably stick with the sushi and sashimi, as the fish was very fresh and well cut. We also didn’t try the “steakhouse” part of the restaurant, as there were hibachi tables on the first floor while we sat at the regular tables on the second floor. Despite some of the shortcomings, the lunch specials were a really good deal, and the regular menu looked slightly pricier but not super expensive. It might be a good option if the food courts at the Mitsuwa Marketplace are too crowded, or if you’re looking for Japanese food in a more upscale setting. And the view really can’t be beat, though it’s probably even better (and more comfortable!) at night after the sun has set and all the city lights are shining.
Matsushima
595 River Rd.
Edgewater, NJ