Onigiri in Manhattan: Oms b Rice Ball Cafe

So pretty I feel sad about eating them

Another great lunch place I go to often here in Midtown East is Oms b Rice Ball Cafe (the name is supposed to replicate the phonetic pronunciation of "omusubi" in english). This cafe's main staple are the onigiri, although they do have some noodle dishes.

What I love about this place is the variety and creativity of the onigiri. Each onigiri is carfully put together and made with fresh ingredients (which might explain why the prices at Oms b are not particularly "recession friendly"). There is so much variety that standing in line is always torture as I agonize about which onigiri I will pick for lunch.

* shrimp popcorn onigiri*

* yukari-plum and wasabi onigiri*

So what did I eat today? These were my three picks. The "gorgeous football" was the tastiest one!

*counterclockwise from the upper left: eel, salmon and "gorgeous football" onigiri*

Onigiri in Manhattan: Café Zaiya

The devil is in the details

Many Japanese subsidiaries have set their headquarters in Midtown East (for example, my company is in the same building as the giant Itochu Corporation). Consequently, several Japanese restaurants have established businesses around the area, catering to the many Japanese working around here. When it comes to picking quick, fresh and inexpensive lunch around work, Café Zaiya is my favorite place in midtown Manhattan


Café Zaiya deserves a post on its own. But lets focus on onigiri for now. Zaiya's onigiri are particularly delicious for a couple of reasons:

1. The onigiri is freshly made every day, so if you go there at lunch time, the onigiri has just come out of the kitchen and its warm! I have been completely spoiled by Zaiya's warm onigiri. In fact, the first time I tried onigiri from the combini store in Japan and bit into cold rice, it made me a little sad
   
2. The onigiri comes with plastic packaging that separates the nori from the rice, so the nori retains its crunchy texture until its ready to be eaten
   
3. The onigiri costs approximately $2 dollars each, so they are both budget and palate friendly
   

* Plastic wrap = crunchy seaweed*