(Photo: Mikako Koyama)

Why? Some restaurants tout tofu flown daily from Tokyo, but the freshest is at the West Village’s new EN Japanese Brasserie (435 Hudson St., at Leroy St.; 212-647-9196), where they make it from scratch every 90 minutes from 6 to 11:30 P.M. for just $7. The times for a new batch are listed on the menu, which means you can synchronize your arrival to catch the very latest spoon of boiled soy milk. Served either warm or chilled in a beautiful square black lacquer box, EN’s version is soft, creamy, and comforting like a warm custard pudding, with salty contrast on the side courtesy of wari-joyu (soy and dashi-bonito stock) sauce. Once you’ve gotten a taste, you’ll want to try the Berkshire pork belly braised in sansho miso ($13) and the deep-fried red snapper simmered in soy ($12), too.