On one of the last warm evenings in the Binghamton tundra, myself and Sidney, my photographer, sat down in Sake-Tumi’s outdoor seating, where we enjoyed the wafting smells of sushi, noodles, chicken and other Asian fusion dishes being cooked in the back.
For $20, Sake-Tumi is offering up a three-course meal, listing some of its most popular dishes, appetizers and desserts for students to sample this Restaurant Week.
For starters, I ordered the gyoza, which are essentially the Japanese equivalents of potstickers. The fried wonton-wrapped pork-and-cabbage stuffed delights were the perfect way to start the meal.
Choosing an entree posed the biggest challenge for me and Sidney. Sake-Tumi divided its Restaurant Week menu into two categories: kitchen entrees and sushi entrees, each listing four options within the $20 Restaurant Week menu deal, but also more elaborate add-on entrees like the five-spice steak, which was a $5 upgrade. For Sake-Tumi’s lunch menu this week, just $10 will get you a simplified version of the kitchen/sushi entrees along with soup, salad and a spring roll.
While ordering, we asked the waiter about the most popular entrees on the menu, to which he replied that the Court Street Maki had been a new addition, but very popular since its introduction. The spicy crab-topped sushi surprised us with a bit of pineapple in conjunction with the other savory ingredients: shrimp tempura, cream cheese, spicy mayo and eel sauce. After a few careful bites, and much to our dismay, it worked — it worked really well.
Both of us stayed within the lines for our orders, opting to not choose any entrees that required an additional cost. Shortly after finishing up my gyozas, the waiter brought in my order of the teriyaki choice kitchen entree with shrimp. The teriyaki choice came with stir-fried zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, red onion and snow peas on jasmine rice with a choice of protein. For the diet-restricted readers, Sake-Tumi’s menu provided vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. The teriyaki choice was simple and delicious, the entree size being generous enough to fill me up after a long day of classes and studying for midterm season.
For dessert, in the spirit of pumpkin spice latte season, I ordered the pumpkin spice mochi cake. Sidney ordered the green tea mochi ice cream topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. The mochi ice cream also came in strawberry, chocolate or mango. Both of the small and sweet desserts were a good end to the savory dishes we had just devoured. For a $2 upgrade, if you’re over 21, you could also order a glass of house cabernet or house chablis to top off the meal.
Located in the heart of Downtown Binghamton, Sake-Tumi is one of only three sit-down Asian restaurants located just past State Street and Court Street. The outdoor patio is perfect to enjoy the last few warm days in Binghamton, and the industrial lounge creates a chill vibe for friends, old and new, to catch up and enjoy a meal for Restaurant Week prices.