MTC Kitchen

My family’s a big fan of Korin downtown but one day, we were in the area and needed some last minute Japanese dishes for a dinner party. MTC Kitchen’s prices are definitely more competitive than Korin’s and their selection is pretty well curated.
Service was pretty cold though, which makes me not really want to return. I’m guessing that these guys source so many restaurants that they don’t really care about making individual customers happy. Also, since they typically take wholesale orders, their in-​shop selection for immediate purchase is pretty sparse. We had a dinner party with 10 people and had to mismatch the style of dishes since the shop didn’t have enough of each in stock.

I don’t remember how I heard of this place, but during the course of my wanderings around NYC doing my once-​a-​year shopping for my place in New Zealand, I decided to go a few blocks out of my way to pop in here. What a worthwhile expedition it turned out to be! This place has everything for the Japanese kitchen, much of which also has uses in a Western kitchen. The prices are reasonable (especially with the 15% discount that they offered me when they learned I’m in the business) and the service is very friendly and helpful. The range of ceramics is extensive, and they have a vast assortment of knives, from consumer-​grade Shun and Global to the more esoteric and specialist (and expensive) Japanese brands. Definitely give them a visit if you’re into cooking, Japanese cuisine, or just looking for a great and unusual gift.

I’ve been coming to this store when I had time and in the area. I collect ceramics, and this store never ceases to feed my collection. I had just picked up a set of glass dishes (ones that invoke ice, for summer time eating) and was pleased with the price and the choices. They have dishes that run from $ 3-​$ 100 so you can find anything that fits what you are looking for. Also check out the 50% off section where you can get some real steals. Final note is that they do rotate stock pretty well that you can always find something new.

this store is great! I was in search of some affordable tea cups for a photo shoot, and I decided to check this place out. The price was on point! I ended up purchasing 10 tea (sake) cups all for $ 43 dollars!

This place is pretty amazing. Their knife selection is pretty insane. My sole purpose of coming here was to find the awesome ramen spoons with a divet on it so it can hang on the bowl which they had! Also bought some japanese chopsticks which are different from the chinese ones in that they have grippy tips to make it easier to grab stuff. Also got a donburi bowl which Im going to use as my ramen bowl. They also have sake glass sets, various dishes, japanese hot pots, japanese cook book. They cater more to wholesale distributers and those in the industry, but they are open to the public. Im sure if they dont have something they’ll prolly work with you to get it.

If I were to compare MTC Kitchen (AKA Japanese Culinary Center) to Korin, I would say they are the opposite. Not in terms of their products, but in term of service style.
Why do I say so? I would describe Korin as formal and professional. MTC would be intimate and friendly. Today is my first time here in MTC. It was empty besides the 2 people at the desk. The lady approached me with a very friendly greeting and smile. At once I felt comfortable.
The knife collection may not be as large as Korins, but it is of quality. I purchased a takamura petty knife. The core of this knife is a high powder steel, clad with stainless steel on both sides. The lady left me with the knife and she went to find a cutting board with a carrot to let me test it. She also brought a gyuto over just so I can get a feel of how the full length knife is.
When I purchased the petty knife, I also asked if they have a saya for this size knife. They said no, but she offered to give me a plastic knife guard as a compliment. I had to gracefully decline it since I won’t be using it. But that generosity is just amazing!
I will definitely be coming back here to feed my knife curiosity! And other culinary equipment of course.

Good

Excellent choice of authentic Japanese kitchen supplies and glass/​ceramic ware.
Decent prices, and very helpful and nice staff.

If you are into Japanese culinary, you are in for a treat.
You will find all you need to have an authentic experience both in the kitchen and in the dining room.
High End Knives, Japanese sourced ingredients and Kitchen Utensils that help you cook and prepare the meals, Pottery and Kitchenware for you to serve them on and even the sakes that goes with the meal.
And of course, if you can join one of their cooking classes or sake seminars if you want to know more about Japanese culinary art!

I just happened to find this store. It looks like it’s for a professional Japanese cook. They have a great selection of knives. Also great dinnerware. There are some other items as well like greeting cards and a few novelties. Fun to browse.

I got some reusable saran wrap here. A pack of 2 round pieces for $ 16. In retrospect, I wish the pieces were bigger, because it is really when recipes call for things to be covered and chilled that I use saran wrap. But this could be used for leftovers.
There were some serious looking Japanese knives on the wall.

A somewhat random assortment of Japanese culinary items and foods, some quite puzzling to the unfamiliar.
Very open showroom atmosphere, and I’ve seen that they host events here that look rather interesting.
Bought some things I’d been searching for (tray for making large round ice cubes, and some cooking chopsticks), for a bit of nothing.
For a close by grocery store I’d recommend Dainobu.

I stumbled upon this store randomly, and I am so glad that I did! They offer a wide selection of ceramics — cookware, servingware, sake and tea — and cooking supplies, and a small selection of teas and food items.
The ceramic designs are mostly minimal, with some traditional patterns. We bought an elevated plate with a small divot in the middle and we use it for potstickers and sauce. We also bought a few small bowls, and I had to resist buying a collection of tea cups. Most items are reasonably priced, with the full sake and tea sets being more expensive.
Our big purchase was a gorgeous ceramic hot pot — I don’t know what it is called is Japanese. It was $ 50 but absolutely worth it.
I wish they sold more Lupicia tea flavors!

I highly recommend this store if you are a fan of minimalist aesthetic. You can find some really affordable tea ware here. Some places sell them for tea cups $ 6−20/each, but I managed to find two really pretty Celadon ones for about $ 3/​each. They also sell a small selection of Lupicia teas. If I hadn’t packed a small suitcase, I probably would have purchased much more to add to my tea cup collection.

I love browsing through this store. Servingware, Yamaga iron pots, Japanese mandolines, select food items, and other culinary items are for sale. Although the selection is somewhat limited, it still manages to serve as Japanese culinary mini-​wonderland.

Unlike Daryll my experience with this store was not for beer tasting. rather it was a random walk in. So yes for those who want to cook with Japanese machinery, whether for the home or for a restaurant, this store imports the machinery. On the other hand, there are Japanese spices or sauces that one can find at a Japanese grocery can find here as well. There is a selection of Japanese glassware such as serving dishes, bowls, plates, tea pots/​cups for sale as well. There is some stationary items. I need to come back here to stare at the pots and pans some more. ^_^

Went here for a Japanese beer tasting (real japanese beer brewed in japan, not, the typical fake japanese beers). Really well done event, even though the space is more set up as a store than as an event space.
The store itself seems to sell very high end Japanese cookware (if I cooked at all, I assume that the knives on the wall would’ve been some form of food porn), but the space seems to be used pretty frequently for japanese food-​type events.
Also, proximity to sakagura is good if you want to continue your japanese evening.
Note that the entry is on the side street, not on the avenue.