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Great NYC Asian Restaurants
Because there's a time and place for good Asian food. The time is NOW and the places are...
- 637
- 856
- Elite ’24
16 lieux
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L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria Buddakan, one of Stephen Starr's many restaurants, first caught my attention when it was featured in Sex and the City: The Movie, just as many non-New Yorkers may agree. It was the location of Carrie and Mr. Big's wedding rehearsal dinner. I remember always wondering where the rehearsal took place because it seemed like such a cool place, and when I finally found out where it was I knew I had to eat there, especially since I would be spending the day at Chelsea Market! Reservation made, I was set to go! I arrived promptly and alerted the woman in the reception area of my reservation, and she asked me to wait in the lounge and that I would be greeted shortly and taken to my table. I decided not to order a drink since I would be driving back to RI as soon as I finished my meal, and I've heard (through the grapevine) that drinking and driving is illegal, and also a bad idea. So yeah, I didn't get a drink... even though I really wanted one. I ordered tea instead. Seriously. It wasn't spiked. Mere moments after I sat down in the lounge (and checked my Facebook application on my Crackberry, killing time), I was escorted to my cozy table for 1 with a fabulous view of the lower level where Carrie and Big had their fancy schmancy rehearsal dinner :) Okay, yes I'm obsessed. Moving on... to the food. I decided to get a few appetizers instead of having an entree. First, I opted for the Lobster Egg Rolls, which quite frankly were a no brainer. I mean, lobster? Egg rolls? They really are the real deal! I bit into one (piping hot!) and the piece of lobster was so big that the whole piece (which was running the length of the entire egg roll) just came out. I happily ate my now deconstructed egg roll with equal enjoyment as the put-together variety. My next decadent appetizer was also in fried form, but this had a cold filling :) Very unique! For the Tuna Tartare Spring Rolls they fried the spring roll wrappers in a cylindrical shape and then later filled them with the tuna tartare filling. These were yummy as well! I love the crisp, fried exterior with the soft, slightly spiced tuna filling. My third and last choice was the Scallion Pancakes with Braised Beef Short Rib. It sounded magnificent, but turned out to be somewhat disappointing. Let me clarify, the dish didn't taste bad at all, it had a nice crisp texture to the pancake with perfectly cooked short rib covering it and crispy sour apple juliennes on top, but the flavors just weren't as bold as I'd expect. When I pictured a braised short rib topped scallion pancake, I imagined the beef would have a very Asian-inspired flavoring, a special kick, but there was nothing. It tasted like simply seasoned short ribs, nothing standing out. They were also so beefy, that they masked the scallion pancake from standing out at all, and the dish is marketed as a scallion pancake first, and then lists the accompaniments in smaller lettering. Although I ate this dish, and didn't regurgitate it afterward, I wouldn't order it again. It just didn't stand out. There are SO many other menu items that I wanted to try and next time those will hopefully satisfy me more than this dish, which wasn't a home run for me... sorry. In the future I really would like to return, decked out, cocktail in hand, and really make more of a night of it, but for my needs the other night, a satisfying meal and sustenance was a #1 priority. Maybe next time I will have a 5 star experience as opposed to a 4 star one, with a replacement to the somewhat disappointing scallion pancakes, some more time spent enjoying the space, and a perusal of the cocktail menu :) I look forward to that next visit, and there's sure to be more :) And next time I don't plan on having to drive for 3 hours afterward! -
L'avis 5 étoiles de Victoria Literally, dim sum means to "touch the heart" or "order to your heart's content." When someone suggests, "let's go to dim sum," I simply don't say no. It's always a yes answer. Always. That said, on this particular dim sum excursion I got to visit the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens for the first time. It has a large Chinese population, and unlike the Chinatown in Manhattan it is not completely overrun by tourists and street vendors. It is here in Flushing that I got to experience what just may be my most pleasurable dim sum experience. For a weekday dim sum visit, one might expect a smaller dim sum variety (along with thankfully a shorter wait time), but I can honestly say that we got to try everything we wanted during our meal at Jade Asian Restaurant. The dining room was also incredibly busy, a testament to its popularity even mid-week. I'd say the theme of our meal was shrimp. Many of our dishes contained shrimp. Even before I get into the specifics of each dish we tried, I must point out how impressed I was with the cleaning of the shrimp. In some dim sum restaurants, the shrimp is simply not deveined. I know that's gross to many of you, but it's pretty common and tolerated. With the sheer volume of dumplings being produced, deveining each and every shrimp is probably not a priority. In the case of my visit to Jade Asian Restaurant, with the exception of the whole fried shrimp which still had their heads and shells on, every other shrimp that graced our table was completely and properly deveined. And on top of that were super delicious. Definite two thumbs up for shrimp preparation! The first shrimp dumpling we tried was a shrimp and vegetable dumpling which was garnished with a green pea, corn kernal, and piece of carrot to illustrate the vegetables inside along with the shrimp. I thought this and every other filling was very generous with the shrimp quantity, and the flavors of the vegetables shown through very nicely. We also tried a shrimp and Chinese chive dumpling which was also very generous when it came to the shrimp. The Chinese chives added a delicious mild onion flavor but in no way overpowered the plump and delicate shrimp. It was a perfect balance. Har Gow (or Ha Gow) is often considered to be the dumpling by which all Chinese dim sum masters are measured. If the Har Gow (shrimp dumpling) is good, then the rest of the dim sum will be good. I absolutely loved the Har Gow at Jade Asian. It contained about 3 whole medium-small shrimp, a bit of crunch, and a touch of ginger. Although simple, the filling was generous, and the texture of the whole shrimp (as opposed to a puree) was excellent. I was happy to see that whole shrimp was included in all of the shrimp dumplings we tried. It definitely was a great texture to contrast the thin, soft, and slightly chewy dumpling wrapper. We also enjoyed some shrimp rice noodle rolls, another dim sum favorite. Each was filled with a couple smallish whole shrimp and then topped with the sweet soy sauce mixture that is typical of this dish. Definitely no disappointment here either. The final shrimp dish we tried was the whole deep fried shrimp. These babies were head and shell on, adding an additional crunch to every bite. Some people may be less inclined to eat their shrimp in this fashion, completely ungutted and unshelled, but I was happy to take the plunge and try it. The shell was a tad off-putting at times, but the succulent and juicy shrimp beneath was worth every bite. Siu Mai is another dim sum staple that shares the popularity of Har Gow. They are open-faced dumplings usually containing either pork and shiitake mushrooms or pork and shrimp. Ours contained pork and shrimp (go figure), which is a combination I really love. The juiciness of the pork adds a really great element to these dumplings in conjunction with the slight crunch of the shrimp. I certainly love my Siu Mai! During this dim sum meal, we ordered not one but two trays of Steamed Char Siu Bao. They are my #1. Hands down. The fluffy soft bun is the perfect wrapper for the sweet and saucy pork filling. I could easily make an entire meal of these, and perhaps someday I will forgo all the others for a tummy full of these babies. They are spectacular. We also ordered these deliciously flaky Char Siu Sou or pastries. They utilize a traditional Chinese flaky dough which similar to croissants uses a layers of fat to create a flaky texture. I simply couldn't get enough and would happily order another plate of these on my next visit! Overall, my visit to Jade Asian Restaurant was perhaps my favorite dim sum experience to date. The quality of the dishes was higher than some I've had before, the generosity of the fillings, and the cleanliness of the shrimp. I will definitely return to Jade Asian in the future whenever a dim sum craving hits. They simply do not disappoint. -
L'avis 5 étoiles de Victoria Ippudo blows the competition out of the water. I doubt they really need 2000+ reviews saying the same things, but I'm going to add my 2 cents. Not only is the food incredible here, from the pork buns to the ramen and beyond, but the atmosphere is well worth a visit. People have been known to wait for hours (PLURAL) to get a seat at Ippudo. When I got there 15 minutes before it even opened for dinner, there was already a line forming outside. By the time the doors opened, I felt like I was at Disneyland waiting to ride Space Mountain (well, maybe not so much, but I rarely wait in line to get into a restaurant before it even opens). When the hostess enters the dining room to seat a party, she loudly announces the table number in Japanese to the cooks, who shout back "Irashaimase" or "Welcome" in Japanese (I asked my waiter). They do this every single time someone is seated in the dining room. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that most of the staff is not Japanese. As part of their requirements to work there, the staff must learn certain Japanese phrases, as well as all the numbers so they can translate table numbers that are shouted to them in Japanese. When food is ready, the cooks shout in Japanese for it to get picked up. Sitting at the bar, directly in front of some of the cooks, was a really fun experience! I thought the environment of the restaurant was energetic and fun. Apparently this shouting in Japanese is a traditional part of the ramen experience. The entire experience was smooth and turnover is pretty fast, no waiting around for your food with a growling stomach. And as a final thank you, a complimentary cup of tea. It's like they know me personally :) Arigato!
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L'avis 5 étoiles de Victoria Tao was an excellent introduction to the NY dining scene. My sister and I opted to try their prix fix lunch special (although the regular menu was very appetizing as well and I plan to return just so I can try it). It was such a bargain! I had the Hoisin Duck Spring Rolls, Wok-Seared NY Sirloin, and Raspberry and Chocolate Wontons. She had the Bamboo Steamed Vegetable Dumplings, Scallion Beef, and Fuji Apple Spring Roll. Everything was really great (we tasted each other's food). I think the desserts were not as strong as the rest of the meal, but I don't think Tao is particularly famous for their desserts. The ice cream was, however, quite sublime :) I made reservations for lunch, and although there were several empty tables at lunchtime, the place was still VERY busy, and I can imagine on days when it's not 9 degrees out (yes it WAS that cold), more people might feel inclined to leave their warm offices/homes for lunch. Making reservations seems like a good idea for this place, whether it's lunch or dinner. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria I selected Vanessa's after an afternoon of trolling Canal Street for the perfect bag. A friend had recommended it, and said it was worth biking miles out of her way for late-night dumplings when a craving hit. Well, anywhere in New York that's worth going completely out of your way for a craving must be pretty good. After waiting in a somewhat lengthy line, I selected an order of pan-fried chive and pork dumplings, an order of pan-fried cabbage and pork dumplings, and a scallion pancake. My grand total for 8 pan-fried dumplings and a giant, fluffy wedge of scallion pancake: $2.75. Yes, I meant to put the decimal point after the 2. Each order of dumplings was $1 and the plain scallion pancake was only 75 cents. They offer scallion pancake sandwiches which are stuffed with various fillings and cost more, but I knew this would be filling enough as is. So with my wallet less than $3 lighter, I filled my belly. The chewy and crisp dumplings have a slightly thicker dough than what I'm used to in the past, but I prefer the extra texture here, trust me. That bit of chewiness is all the difference. And the scallion pancake, it's a thick, fluffy wad of dough, flecked with scallions within and topped with sesame seeds, lots of them. You will get your money's worth, and you will never be hungry again. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria Joe's Shanghai Restaurant has won many awards, and currently has three locations (Chinatown, Midtown Manhattan, and Flushing, Queens). When we ventured to their Chinatown location, we realized just how popular they are. A huge crowd waited outside the packed restaurant. It's rare to see this kind of line outside of weekend brunch time, Shake Shack, Ippudo NY for ramen, or Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. New Yorkers don't usually like to wait for their food. It's gotta be really good to be worth the wait. At Joe's Shanghai, they wait. When you're first seated at one of their communal tables, the first thing they ask is if you want the soup dumplings. I guess it takes a bit longer to prepare, so they want to get that order out of the way :) We tried their crab and pork ones (technically called "steamed buns" on the menu). They were so delicious and definitely a fun experience to eat. The pork was juicy and the crab flavor was prevalent throughout the broth. I would have happily placed an additional order for more of these. Definitely next time! We also ordered their scallion pancakes, which were crisp, chewy, flavorful, and just slightly greasy. Definitely a good choice as a starter. As our main dish, we tried their sesame chicken. It was the crispiest sesame chicken I've ever had (which is worth noting as the sauce usually makes it soggy), but it was a bit overcooked and dry on the inside. Fortunately, the sauce was tasty, and steamed white rice and broccoli came free with our meal. Overall, this is a fun spot to enjoy Chinese food in Chinatown (a balance of "real" Chinese food and "American" Chinese food), the prices aren't bad although the wait can be. Definitely worth stopping by to try their fabulous soup dumplings! -
L'avis 5 étoiles de Victoria In India, Dhabas are restaurants at truck stops along the highway, specializing in Punjabi food (many Indian truck drivers are Punjab). Thus the term now refers to other restaurants that serve Punjabi food as well. The dining room at Dhaba is fairly small, and is funky, modern, and colorful. Dhaba easily offers one of the best NYC lunch deals I've ever seen. The lunch buffet is much talked about it, and an absolute steal at $9.95 Monday through Saturday (yes, Saturday too) and $12.95 for the Sunday buffet. I normally hate buffets, not because I don't like variety, but because I prefer being served as opposed to serving myself (I am named after a Queen, you know!). Dhaba is seriously an exception to my rule. It's like Indian food Heaven. Not only were there many options to choose from, but they were all good options! On this particular day they were serving Jeera Rice, Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Do Pyaza, Chilly Paneer, Channa Saag, Jeera Aloo, Dal Makhani, and Kheer (rice pudding) along with various sauces and accompaniments. I piled almost everything onto my plate (everything but the Chily Paneer and Jeera Aloo). In addition to the great buffet options, servers bring you additional food to your table! Included in the price of the buffet, you get a basket of warm, fluffy naan, and some kind of appetizer (I believe this changes daily). On the day I went they brought me some Papri Chaat with Fried Lentils (basically fried crispies with yogurt, chutneys, and the lentils). The coolness of the yogurt and the mint and cilantro flavors in the chutney were really refreshing between bites of my spicy curries. Also the crunch was a great textural contrast to the other dishes I was having. A server also came around serving pieces of Tandoori Chicken to patrons. I tried a drumstick and thought it was nicely flavored and moist, a fun addition to my huge plate of food :) This was soooo much food, I couldn't even finish it, even though I really wanted to be that person who goes up for seconds, just because it's free. I really enjoyed everything I had. The biryani was spicy and really flavorful, definitely satisfied my biryani craving, but it did contain bones (from the chicken pieces) so beware of that if you have this. I don't usually order saag dishes, but I thought the channa saag (chickpeas in spinach sauce) was a good contrast and a much mellower flavor (but not bland) than the spicier options on my plate. It was a nice palate cleanser, haha. The dal makhani is always a favorite, a dish of spicy black lentils (and I'm not kidding when I say spicy... not vindaloo-spicy, but it sure had a kick to it!). The lamb do pyaza is basically a lamb curry with onions. It's much milder than most of the other dishes they were serving, and was incredibly tender and delicious. I happily could have eaten more of it if I had room in my stomach. Finally, my ultimate favorite, the chicken tikka masala which I served over the rice. It was fantastic, tender meat, nicely spiced sauce, well balanced, not greasy. I preferred Dhaba's version to the one at Nirvana which was just a bit too tomatoey compared to what I'm used to. I gave myself a short break and almost resigned myself to the fact that I just would not have room for dessert. And then I got over it, went back to the buffet and helped myself to some of their rice pudding, haha! And that's what you call will-power! I didn't take too much, just a few spoonfuls, but I really enjoyed the sweet touch after all the spice. The texture was nice, and I enjoyed a few bites of juicy raisins within. I have to say, this was a really great experience for lunch! I mean, the tables are really close together, the restaurant is pretty noisy, and you often bump into people going in and out of the buffet line, but for under $10 I'd do it in a New York minute! The food was easily on par with my favorite Indian dishes I've had elsewhere, and it's a huge deal to partake in the buffet at lunch as opposed to ordering a la carte (the price of a single entree will cost considerably more than the entire buffet). Best of all, they offer this deal on Saturdays as well, with a similar, but slightly pricier one on Sundays. And... drum roll... they take reservations so don't worry about showing up on a Saturday (or any day) at lunch time and not getting a table (though when I was there all the walk-ins at lunch had no problem being seated promptly). Service was fast and efficient, water was regularly poured, and the food kept coming and coming. I highly recommend Dhaba's lunch buffet! And the food is so good, I'd easily come back for dinner as well! -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria Hide-Chan Ramen was recently voted as the best ramen in NYC by Serious Eats. That's a pretty serious title. I decided to try it out and discovered that as of a couple weeks ago, diners can no longer choose their noodle firmness and broth. They serve the medium broth with al dente noodles, whereas in the article they had the rich broth with floating bits of fat. Honestly, I think I will live without chunks of floating fat in my ramen. I ordered the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen, the one advertised in the article, and thoroughly enjoyed it, even without the super-rich broth. I thought the broth was actually pretty rich (to me) as is, with a great mouthfeel and flavor. Very comforting. The pork was incredibly moist and the noodles were the perfect texture. This bowl of ramen was spot on, and I would happily return for more! The pork buns on the other hand tasted like pork belly BLTs to me (without the tomato). I don't think they were supposed to have such an American flavor, and the pork belly was incredibly moist, but with iceberg lettuce and what tasted like mayo, it didn't seem very Asian to me. I'd like to try some of the other spots on Serious Eats' list before commiting to a favorite spot, but regardless of what I find, I'm gonna say Hide-Chan Ramen is a great selection for NYC ramen, especially with winter approaching! I can pretty much guarantee I will be back on a cold day, slurping soup without any regrets or shame ;-) -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria These noodles were featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate. They are most definitely hand-pulled on the premises. What sounds like a face-pounding in the kitchen is actually the noodles smacking against the table as they are pulled and twisted. Very loudly. While a bit distracting to diners, it at least offers some comfort in knowing the noodles are super fresh. I would have loved to watch the action, but our table was no where near the entrance to the kitchen, so no peeking for us! We both chose to have the hand-pulled noodles in soup, as opposed to one of the stir-fried options. My friend had hers with the pork-stuffed fish balls, and I had roasted duck. The noodles were incredibly chewy, thick, and tasty. I LOVED the texture, and I loved how when looking at the noodles they were all ever-so-slightly different thicknesses and not perfectly even, a testament to how hand-made they are. The broth was also tasty and somewhat rich, with the addition of fresh spinach and scallions to add some brightness and to balance out richer flavors in the soup. Free tea also helped cut some of the richness of our meal. The fish balls were really interesting. I had never had them before, but I honestly really enjoyed it. The fish exterior was not very fishy at all, and the pork filling added just a nice bit of meatiness. Although it sounds kind of weird, it's not really. The roast duck was okay. The pieces were all on the bone, which made it a little difficult to eat with chopsticks, and the once-crispy skin was now soggy in the broth. The meat itself was moist and tasty, but I probably wouldn't choose the duck next time. My only complaint is that there was practically no service to speak of. We were handed menus, and then someone came and took them away before they ever took our order. We then had to ask for them to give us new menus. Later I asked for water, and the waitress never returned. Never. And it's a tiny restaurant, you can't really hide. We had to just grab a bottled water out of the cooler so I could have something to drink other than tea, and then of course pay for it. Fortunately it was only $1, but still. You definitely come here for the food and NOT the service. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria My first meal officially in Chinatown was at the Golden Unicorn, a large dim sum house. Apparently they also have dim sum hours during the week (10am-3:30pm to be exact), but it's more fun to enjoy the dim sum experience (carts and all) with a group (large or small) on the weekend when most people are available during those hours to leisurely eat dumplings and spring rolls like they're going out of style. I tried a lot of dishes I had never tried before (steamed chicken feet, anyone?) and I really enjoyed just about everything there. They charged $1 per person for tea (as many refills as you can handle), and the carts kept coming and coming. We tried everything from char siu bao, steamed shrimp siu mai, and steamed sticky rice in lotus leaves, to steamed chicken feet, steamed spare ribs, and fried spring rolls. I loved almost everything (including the chicken feet, which were tasty but difficult to eat). I would definitely recommend the Golden Unicorn for anyone interested in a fun dim sum experience in the heart of Chinatown. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria Chelsea Thai offers a very convenient location for anyone working in or near Chelsea Market for lunch or even an easy dinner to stay or go after work. They also have cards which they stamp and offer a free meal when you fill it up! Judging by the number of people I see waiting in line here on a daily basis, it's safe to say they do get a lot of regulars, and people don't become regulars at a restaurant if the food isn't good. They just don't. I'm not going to say that Chelsea Thai is the best Thai food I've ever had, and I'm not going to claim the ambiance is nice. It's pretty barren, doesn't offer table service, and can often have a long wait during busy times. What it does offer, however, is very good, consistent Thai cuisine at fair prices. A menu of photographs on the wall is your guide to picking your poison, and I assure you, they know what they're doing. My food has always been satisfying. While the menu isn't extensive, they seem to have most of the staple items on there! If that isn't enough, they have a small retail section of Asian ingredients for sale. Sounds good to me! -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria There's a great variety of unique sushi rolls at Kiku sushi. My favorites I tried were the Sweet Heart Roll and the Bill Roll. The fish tastes very fresh, and with the incredibly extensive sushi menu, you could return here many times and try different dishes at each and every visit without having to repeat anything for quite some time. It was definitely satisfying sushi. They have a nice selection of saki, but I would have loved if they offered cocktails as well (lychee martini, anyone?). The ambiance is so-so, nothing special, and the service is good, but nothing exceptional. Since I work in the area, and prices are reasonable, I would head back here for a sushi craving, but if price wasn't an issue, there's a handful of more expensive and highly respected sushi joints around town I'd like to try. Maybe someday... -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria In between shows I was seeing on Broadway one Saturday, I decided for dinner to try Wondee Siam, a small chain of Thai restaurants in the city. While I would normally have selected the Pad Thai or pineapple fried rice, two staple Thai dishes I generally can't resist, I wasn't insanely hungry, but rather just needed something to hold me over and warm me up, so in addition to a pot of tea, I selected the Wondee Sampler, an appetizer tasting. It ended up costing a couple dollars more than the other options I was considering, and probably was a bit less filling, but I decided to go with variety in this case. It had juicy, super tender beef sate, chicken sate, steamed vegetable dumplings (with crushed peanuts inside), crispy Thai spring rolls, and curry puffs, which I have been anxious to try since some foodie friends enlightened me to their existence recently. I enjoyed everything on the platter, although I found the dumplings a bit difficult to eat. They were so soft that it was almost impossible to pick them up to bite into without them falling apart. I ended up cutting them into pieces. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the rest of the items on the platter. I would love to try some of the entrées here, as I found the variety of appetizers on the platter to be consistently flavorful, and the prices are very fair, especially in this neighborhood. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria Yakitori is Japanese grilled skewered chicken meat and offal. It can also be broadened to include other meats and vegetables. The entire experience is reminiscent of Spanish tapas, in that you order lots of different things, and can easily share and try everything. The rather small second floor eatery is apparently a favorite of Thomas Keller's, Eric Ripert's, and Anthony Bourdain's, among others. Here is a run down of our selections, and a few thoughts on each. Skin: A favorite of many when it's still attached to the bird. Why should it be any less good skewered and grilled? It had a nice bit of char flavor, crispy edges, and softer interior between the folds. I liked this, but would have loved it even more if all of the skin was super crispy :) I would still order it next time, and PS you feel less guilty if you share! Soft Knee Bone: Okay, I went into this one pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. I was told that it would be a strange texture, and that I would have to chew it for a while before I could swallow the whole thing. Let's just say, I chewed one piece briefly before I decided spitting it out (into a napkin, of course) would be my best option. Not a fan. Gizzard: This was my first encounter with gizzard as well. I was okay with it, thought the texture erred a bit on the chewy side along one edge, but enjoyed the spicy and somewhat crisp texture of the par-grilled onion skewered alongside it. It was a nice touch, and made me feel a bit less weird about eating grilled gizzard. Would I order this again on my own. Probably not. Heart: Would you believe that the heart was one of my favorites? Well you should because it's true. I was a bit hesitant going into this one as well, but to be honest, I really loved the flavor of the heart, the texture wasn't weird, it was super meaty, the grilled flavor was great, and it was juicy. Tail: To be honest, I nibbled around the edges mostly. I enjoyed the slightly salted charred flavor of the edges, but the texture was a tad off-putting. Thigh: Honestly, I'm a white meat person, but I'm gonna say, these thighs were really good! They were so juicy and tender! Perfectly (simply) seasoned, and even the fat had a good texture. I often find chicken fat to be chewy if it isn't super crisp, but this fat was just fine by me :) Japanese Fried Chicken: This was also a popular choice. I mean, it's fried chicken. What's not to like? This one is doused in a slightly sweet and tangy sauce and topped with sesame seeds (so it's not really crunchy anymore, but the flavors are great). This is also a safe bet if you're unsure of some of the less obvious options. Chicken Meatball: It looks nothing like a meatball. It looks more like a kebab, but I guess if you squished a raw meatball onto a skewer it would be a kebab, right? This baby was soooooo juicy and flavorful, I wanted it all for myself. It was better than any chicken meatball or chicken kebab I've ever had in my whole life. It was juicier than I thought ground chicken had any right to be! Pork Belly with Scallions and Mustard: These were also skewered with onion, a nice contrast of texture and flavor to the pork belly. The pork belly itself was not melt-in-your-mouth tender, but it was also grilled, and not braised. I accept that the texture would be a mixture of tender and slightly chewy along the fatty edge. I liked it overall though, enjoyed the grilled flavor in the meat, and thought the scallions and ponzu were a good accompaniment. The pork belly is also offered with lemon and mustard as an alternative. Tori Dango: These dumplings were another hit! The chicken meatballs inside were juicy and delicious, and the sticky rice on the exterior was a fun flavor and texture addition. I've never had dumplings coated with rice instead of wrapped in dough, but I would definitely order these again! If you are afraid of offal, these are a great option! Zucchini Tempura: These are stunning! I've never had tempura like this before! Each thickly cut piece of zucchini was crusted with rice cracker bits. It offered a nice flavor and a completely unique texture to each piece. This plate was also served with some smoked salt for you to dip or top your zucchini tempura with. It was delicious and a wonderful touch. Avocado and Tuna Salad with Tobiko: I loved this salad! I could have single-handedly eaten a vat of it. It was a great balance of textures, with the soft, buttery avocado, the fresh, raw tuna chunks, and the tiny little fish eggs popping in your mouth in between bites, offering a glimpse of briny flavor amidst this perfectly dressed salad. So fresh! Kyona Salad: This salad was good, very unusual, but good. It had a slight fishiness from the teeny tiny fried baby sardines, and a bit of tanginess from the cream cheese. The poached egg was part of the dressing, making this a truly unique salad, unlike any I've had before. I had seconds. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria By calling your restaurant "Nirvana" and additionally "Culinary Bliss," you must be pretty sure of yourself. I had purchased a Restaurant.com gift certificate for Nirvana a while back and finally got an opportunity to use it. When I saw the prices at Nirvana, I pretty much decided up front that my review was going to start out by saying it's overpriced. But let's not go there just yet. Curries here cost from the upper teens for chicken to the low twenties for seafood. That's not unusual for entrees with those proteins at other restaurants, but to me that seems a little steep for curry. But let's hold off on judgment. I want to talk about this restaurant first, and then we can decide if the prices are fair or not. Nirvana features a bar and lounge on the first floor, perfect for hosting parties, while the second floor is the actual dining room, which is quite large. Red chairs, white linens, and brick walls serve for a vibrant, yet elegant ambiance. I didn't really realize that this was an Indian fine dining restaurant until I got there and was served an amuse bouche. It was a small corn and potato fritter served with tamarind sauce. It was plated on a giant dish, which made the serving look smaller (and also cuter?). It was delicious, crispy out the outside, fluffy inside with bits of sweet corn, and of course the delicious tamarind sauce, my personal favorite. We were also served a basket of crispy pappadams with three sauces: mango chutney, raw onion chutney, and tamarind sauce. We only ate a little because we wanted to save room for the rest of our meal. We ordered a couple appetizers to start. The Vegetable Samosas are a no-brainer in any Indian restaurant. They are a crowd-pleaser, they are fried (fried = awesome) and they are rarely bad. These were no exception, nice and big with a crispy dough on the outside and fluffy warm potato and pea filling on the inside. Good samosas, check! We also tried the Gobi Manchurian, a dish of fried cauliflower dressed in a sauce of garlic, scallions, and soy (as advertised) and also tomato from what we could tell. It was a mixture of sweet, sour, and tangy with a bit of spice, and the slightly crusty, piping hot and perfectly tender cauliflower inside. As a cauliflower lover (especially FRIED cauliflower) this dish was unique and a fun experiment that we were both very pleased with. For entrees, my friend had the traditional Tandoori Chicken, while I went with my tried and true favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. Our entrees came with basmati rice, and we ordered some naan as well. The Chicken Tikka Masala was not the best I've had, but it was better than some of the versions I've had the displeasure of trying in the past. My only complaint is that it was very tomatoey. Usually, my favorites have more cream which balances out the tomato in the sauce, but this version wasn't heavy on the cream (I guess my waistline shouldn't complain), but it did make up for that by being well balanced with the spices. If I were grading, I would give it a B+... not quite a perfect A, but way better than a C or D (sadly I've had some C or D Tikka Masalas in my life, even an F one time!). In other words, I wouldn't come here for a Tikka Masala craving, I'd go somewhere else for that specific desire, and maybe order something different next time I'm here instead. I did enjoy it overall, and brought home plenty of leftovers! Gotta love that :) The naan was also nice and fluffy and warm, not dry like some other bad naans I've gotten at other restaurants. So far so good... We had to have dessert because my friend's favorite dessert is an Indian dessert, and I would never let down my friends :) The dessert is called Gulab Jamun, which are light pastry dumplings made from dry milk in honey syrup. They are simple fried balls with a somewhat crumbly inner texture moistened by the sweet syrup in which they are bathed. Yum. I can't blame my friend for loving this dessert! It was a really nice way to finish our meal, and we both got to indulge in a little something sweet before heading out into the snowy city! So here are my final thoughts on my experience at Nirvana. Surprisingly, I didn't really feel ripped off at all after my dinner. Maybe it was because my Restaurant.com gift certificate covered almost half of our meal, or maybe it was because the entire experience from beginning to end was truly quite pleasant! One of my favorite dishes in the world (Chicken Tikka Masala) didn't blow me away, but was still delicious and better than 80% of the other Tikka Masalas that have let me down over the years. Meanwhile, the other aspects of our meal from the other courses to the service and ambiance were up to par with what I would expect from a restaurant charging an average of $20 for curry. For Indian food in an elegant atmosphere, I'd pick Nirvana. -
L'avis 4 étoiles de Victoria I thought Spice was a refreshing change to some of the other Thai restaurants I've tried. Honestly, not only was the food presented in a slightly more modern and refined way, it's was very flavorful and reasonably priced. I thought everything about the spicy ginger fried rice was spot on. It was flavorful, slightly spicy, slightly gingery, with just the right about of chicken to vegetables and rice. Really would love another order of this. My friends also loved their curries (I tasted and they were quite awesome, I'll agree). All in all, I had a great time here. Will definitely seek it out again when craving Thai food in the area.
