Lady Mendl's Afternoon Tea

I love afternoon tea but never really get around to planning it for some reason. I found out that two of my girlfriends share the same (or even more!) enthusiasm as I do for afternoon tea so I finally secured a date with them at Lady Mendl's. The tea salon is absolutely lovely and I adored all the girly and pretty decorations. I ordered the lychee rose tea and it was delightful. Instead of bringing out each course on a tray in the traditional manner, each course is brought out like a proper meal. I really enjoyed every course and our server was very polite which made our experience very pleasant. I particularly loved the fig finger sandwich. I believe you are allowed to ask for extras but we did not this time. It may not look like a ton of food but it definitely fills you up! I think I liked the scones at the Ritz better but these were still very good. I also love how they serve Lady M cakes as that was definitely a plus. I had to rush to SoulCycle after so had to leave early but I wished that I was able to stay longer to have a nice girl chat!

Lady Mendl's Tea Salon

56 Irving Place

New York

NY 10003

Cherche Midi

Cherche Midi is the newest French brasserie (opened in June) from restauranteur Keith McNally and since I love his other restaurants (Balthazar and Minetta Tavern), I had certain expectations for this restaurant. Unfortunately I was not impressed with my meal and will definitely stick to the my usual two in the future.

Steak Tartare - Toasted Baguette and Market Greens 
I liked how the tartare was not too minced and it was nicely seasoned. However, it's better at Balthazar. 

Pot de Fromage - Parmesan Custard with Anchovy Butter Toast 
I really liked the cheesiness of the custard but it was a bit too eggy and the texture got a bit weird after a few bites. I loved the anchovy butter toast though. 

Steak Frites with Béarnaise Sauce
The fries were good but the steak was incredibly mediocre. Just a very meh piece of steak... quite chewy. 

Roasted Cauliflower with Sauce Gribiche
I was really excited for this dish because I heard so many great things on the Yelp reviews but once again while the flavors were delicious... there was also an issue with the texture with this dish. The cauliflower was way overcooked and very mushy. I get that cauliflower is in general a soft vegetable but it was just much too soft. I loved the sauce gribiche though, it was tangy and very yummy. 

Bone-in Skate Wing Meuniere with an Onion Fennel Soubise
This may have been the best dish of the night.  The skate was seasoned perfectly and had a perfectly crispy exterior while maintaining a wonderfully delicate interior. 

It is a shame that I was not too pleased with my meal as I love discovering new delicious french brasseries (hello Lafayette!). I hear that their prime rib is actually a big hit but I probably will not be back to try it out!

Cherche Midi

282 Bowery

10012

Crave Fish Bar

I love oysters and seafood and W has been wanting to try Crave for some time! We knew that it was near one of our friend's house but we had no idea it was just one street away. Unfortunately I was not super impressed with the meal and probably won't go back. The food wasn't bad, but there were a few dishes that were big misses and others were decent but not good enough to warrant a return.

Oysters
They were fresh and I liked how they added little bits of grapefruit for color 

Plancha Grilled Octopus - Chinese Broccoli, Cumin Mustard Vinaigrette
The octopus pieces were a bit skinny and this made them a bit chewy and dry. The cumin mustard was also much too overwhelming and the Chinese Broccoli was too bitter and didn't really complement the octopus or the mustard well. 

Fluke Ceviche Tostada - Bean Puree, Hearts of Palm, Baby Romaine, Thai Chili 
I did not like the addition of the baby romaine as it was just distracting and did not really go well with the smooth texture of the ceviche. The ceviche itself was fresh and I like how it was on top of a crispy tostada but the romaine was out of place. 

Rice Dusted Point Judith Calamari - Thai Miso Sauce, Mung Bean Sprouts, Aleppo Chile
I really liked the flavor profile of this dish, we all said it tasted very "Asian". It's a bit hard to explain, but it had the taste of Asian noodles or a very stereotypical Asian flavor that we all enjoyed. I also liked the addition of the bean sprouts but unfortunately the calamari itself was not crispy enough.

Chilled Local Scallop - Anise, Tomato, Lemon Puree, Shaved Fennel 
Once again, the scallop was fresh, but the puree was so sour and overwhelming that it totally distracted from the quality of the seafood. I had to scrap it off before I ate it. 

Local Diver Sea Scallops - Oyster Mushrooms, Spring Onion, Yellow Wax Beans, Tomato Champagne Vinaigrette
The scallops were perfectly seared and very plump. I also liked the oyster mushrooms but could do without the beans. 

Lobster Curry - Chu Chee Curry, Charred Red Onion, Japanese Eggplant Thai Apple Eggplant, Fresh Bamboo Shoots
One of the better dishes of the night. The lobster meat was chunky and sweet and I liked the flavor of the curry. 

Seared Rare Yellowfin Tuna - Mexican Corn, Queso Fresco, Pickled Onion, Guajillo Salsa
This dish looked pretty but was definitely not my favorite. The tuna was MUCH too raw and it was a little sickening as the raw tuna was not seasoned well at all. I love sushi and raw fish but this was just not enjoyable as it was such a large chunk and the fish had no flavor of its own. It was just this cold raw lump. The corn was good though. 

Garlic Chive Griddled Rice - Snap Pea, Egg 
I think this rice mixed with the curry was what I ate most of this night. The rice was the perfect texture and I loved the slightly crunchiness from being griddled and the garlic and chive flavor. 

I think Crave is ok for some oysters and specific fishes if you are in the area, but apart from that, I would say skip it. There are so many other better oyster places in New York such as Mermaid Inn.

Crave Fish Bar

945 2nd Ave

New York

NY 10022

Tuome

I've been wanting to try Tuome for a while after seeing it's "Pig Out" dish on instagram. Tuome is opened by Thomas Chen, who used to work at Eleven Madison Square Park and Commerce. The menu is American with Asian influences. I made reservations a couple times but something always came up and I ended up having to cancel it. I finally got the chance to try it out at a fun girls dinner! I think they may have changed the menu on the website as I can't find some of the dishes below but I will try my best! We also ordered the "Rice - Kale, Chinese Sausage, Duck Fat" and "Corn with Curry and Crème Fraîche". The rice dish was basically a "zhong" (a sticky rice package wrapped in bamboo leaves). It was a little soft but very flavorful and yummy. The corn was also very delicious and I loved the creaminess of the crème fraîche with the spiciness of the curry.

Tartare - Wagyu, Three Hour Yolk, Lemongrass 
The meat, as expected since its wagyu, was very juicy and decadent. I liked how it wasn't too chopped up and still maintained a great bite. The flavors were fine but not particularly memorable. It was also a little bit too watery. 

Chicken Liver - Mousse, NY Maple, Milk Bread
This dish reminded me of one of my all time favorite dishes: Yardbird's chicken liver mousse in Hong Kong!! The mousse was very fragrant and smooth and the crispy shallots were the perfect textural contrast. While Yardbird's one is still my number one, this was very enjoyable. 

Soft Shell Crab - Burrata, Heirloom Tomato, Herb Lime Sauce 
The soft shell crab was perfectly crispy and I loved the contrast with the creamy burrata. However, I feel like this dish was just missing something... perhaps some type of carb? I feel like this would be so good as a sandwich but slightly lacking as is. 

Pig Out (For Two) - Berkshire Pork, Spicy Peanut Noodle, Condiments 
The pork was really well done but we all commented that it just tasted like Cantonese roast pork... the skin was really crispy and not fatty and the meat was juicy. While it was good, it did not really justify its much higher price point when it tasted the same (maybe even less good!) than siu youk. However, we all LOVED the spicy peanut noodle. The noodles had such a perfect chewy texture and the peanut sauce was delicious! 

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here. I don't think I will be coming back anything soon because I have a lot of other things to try and I didn't have any specific dish that I was blown away by. But I really enjoyed the creativity in these dishes and would definitely recommend this place to others if they are looking for some fusion cuisine.

Tuome

536 East 5th Street

New York

NY 10009 

Seamore's

Seamore's is the new venture by Michael Chernow (you may know him as the co-owner of The Meatball Shop and the show Consumed) and has already attracted a lot of attention! Seamore's serves sustainable seafood in a beautiful bright and airy setting. W and I had such a great lunch here on a perfectly sunny day. Apart from some menu staples, there is a "Daily Landing" menu which tells you which type of fish or seafood is available on that day as they want to serve what is most in season and fresh. You can learn more about the menu here. There was a little hiccup in which our mains took forever to come after we enjoyed out appetizers but our server was incredibly sweet and you could tell that she was trying her best to get it to us asap. She ended up comping our first round of our drinks which was sweet gesture. We also ran into the owner when we left and he was really friendly and asked us how our meal was. I definitely would love to return and try other menu items.

Tuna Poke - Ponzu, Peanut, and Avocado
The tuna was very fresh and I loved the crispy shallots on top. However, it was slightly too salty. 

Crispy Fish Tacos - Cabbage, Guacamole, Chipotle Mayo 
Fish tacos are some of my favorite things so I was really excited to try this but unfortunately they were not crispy enough. I loved the chipotle mayo and the fish was nice and flaky but I wouldn't get this again next time. 

Kale + Avocado Salad with Black Mullet - Walnut, Squash, Quinoa, Honey-Apple Vinaigrette
This was absolutely delicious. I loved the vinaigrette and the the squash was so sweet and delicious.  The walnuts added a perfect crunch (I would have wanted even more!) and everything just melded together into such a lovely melody of flavors. The black mullet was very flavorful and kind of reminded me of Japanese grilled mackerel. The skin was perfectly crispy and the fish went very well with my salad. 

While I enjoyed some other dishes more than I did others, I love the idea of the restaurant and everything was just so fresh and clean tasting. I definitely will be coming again!

Seamore's 

390 Broome Street

New York

NY 10013

Louie and Chan

How this restaurant came about from the partnership of Luigi Russo and Tu Sing Chan is actually a pretty interesting read and you can find that on the restaurants website here! I've actually walked by this restaurant before and thought it was really cute but forgot about it so I was very pleasantly surprised when I found out that this was where we were having our girls dinner on Wednesday! The interior is super cute and unfortunately I did not get to go downstairs to check out the bar/speakeasy area. The space is very intimate and our server was friendly and sweet. The standout dish was definitely the octopus and I would be happy to return next time to eat that and to check out the downstairs area!

Arancini - Foie Gras Stuffed Wild Mushroom Arancini, Goat Cheese Mousse, Vincotto, Fresh Thyme
The foie gras was not too noticeable and the I felt that the flavor of the wild mushrooms were much too overpowering. I think it would have been better if they were stuffed with cheese instead of foie gras and if the balls were a little less dense. The coating was nice and crispy though. 

Polipo - Charred Octopus, Cannelini, “Sizzling” Escabeche, Soft Herb Salad, 12yr Balsamic
This dish was the ultimate highlight of the night. The octopus was incredibly tender and flavorful and the char was perfection. We instantly ordered a second serving before we even finished the first plate. 

Marrow - Savory Gianduja Crusted Bone Marrow, Chile & White Balsamic Jam, Himalayan Sea Salt, Torn Bread
I enjoyed the crust on the bone marrow but the marrow itself was not too flavorful and this could just be our specific piece but the serving was very small. 

Burrata - Burrata, Bagna Càuda, Baby Vegetables, Calabrian Chiles, Dark Rye Sourdough, Honey-Comb
The "baby" vegetables were extremely rough... they should have called it the crypt keeper's vegetables. The burrata was also not creamy enough and had more of a ricotta texture but I loved the addition of the honey comb. 

Stracciatella - Sundried Tomato and Parmigiano Paste, Stracciatella Cheese, Culatello, Arugula
The pizza crust was very doughy... I would not get pizza again here. 

Cold little bread pieces... meh

Cavatelli di Bruxelles - Brussel Sprouts, N’duja, Lemon, Crispy Shallots
Yum! These were very good. They were roasted very well (teeeny bit too soft but not a big deal) and I loved the shallots 

Tagliatelle Ricci - House-made Tagliatelle, Fresh Sea Urchin, Spicy Cucumber Julienne, Caviar
This pasta is definitely an attention grabber! The pasta's texture was very nice and chewy and the sauce was decadent and creamy. However, the flavor of the sea urchin is not too prominent. 

Orechiette - Guanciale, Thai Basil Puree, Garlic, Chiles, Fennel, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Basil Cress
Once again, the texture of the pasta was on point but the flavors were not very prominent. The flavors of this pasta was fine also but it wasn't any specific aspect that made me say wow! 

In general, we had a good meal here but as you can see there were some definitely hits and misses. The octopus was some of the best I had so I would be happy to come again just for that. I did like the atmosphere here and would be open to trying other dishes. 

Louie and Chan

303 Broome Street

New York

NY 10002

Sip Sak

I was meeting A for lunch and we decided to try out this cute Turkish restaurant called Sip Sak near her work place. I went to Turkey many years ago and remembered that I was not particularly fond of the cuisine but Sip Sak completely changed my mind. Everything we ordered was incredibly delicious and I will definitely be trying more Turkish cuisine in the future!

Spicy Hand-chopped Lamb Kebab - Pita Toast, Onion-parsley Garniture 
I loved the spices in the kebab! It was so flavorful and the meat was also perfectly roasted and juicy. The meat was not too minced and was the ideal texture. The onion parsley salad on the sad was a great fresh contrast to the juicy kebab. Our server said they had another version that was marinated in yogurt but that it was something we should try next time as it was a little more adventurous for people who weren't used to Turkish flavors? I would definitely come back and order that next time! 

Special - Lamb Shank with Eggplant Puree 
The shank was melt in your mouth tender and the eggplant was absolutely divine! The puree was so creamy and decadent and had a lovely smokey flavor. I am definitely going to try and recreate this at home! 

Baklava 
Baklava is one of my favorite desserts and this was quite good. I didn't like how the nuts were spread out over all the layers and were all in the middle but I loved the addition of pistachios. 

I loved my meal at Sip Sak and have been raving about it to my friends! I will definitely be returning to try out its other offerings! I wish the lamb shank was a permanent item on the menu because it was incredibly delicious. 

928 2nd Avenue 

New York

NY 10022