Bohemian Restaurant

Atmosphere is really nice and cozy — looks like you’re dining at a friend’s living room. There is also little sitting space and they don’t over do their reservations, so good place to relax and have good conversations.
Staff is very friendly and helpful, never rushes you through your stay and answers all your questions about the best way to eat the food etc.
Food is delicious! You can tell they use high quality ingredients because everything tastes fresh. We ordered the beef sashimi, garlic shrimp, and pan roasted branzino. The first two were smaller portions while the fish was a whole fish with roasted vegetables. Would really recommend the garlic shrimp!
Though on the pricier side for a college student, it was well worth the experience to enter an exclusive restaurant and treat ourselves with the quality of service and food!

The atmosphere of this place is the opposite of any NYC restaurant. It’s quiet, calm, not crowded but full of people. The food and drinks were excellent! We order 2 things that caught our attention (garlic shrimp and meat sampler) and then asked the waitress for recommendations. She was great with recommendations! Suggested things to go with the plates we picked. It was a well rounded dinner with veggies, seafood, meats and dessert! I think we could have order 1 – 2 dishes less but we really wanted to try everything. Plus there always room for dessert…
We ordered the soba crème brûlée — which was amaze balls! It was light and not too sweet, the soba was bitter which helped with the top layer of the crème brûlée. There was a side of ice cream with orange zest that didn’t leave a greasy ice cream feel which was a perfect end to dinner.

Been meaning to check this place out for a while and finally did a few weeks ago. I gave it 4 stars but I actually would give 3.6 if I could to be specific… if considering price… Portions are so so small! And just doesn’t seem to match the price. Just because it is a «speakeasy» doesn’t mean it’s always worth it. Had no issues with the food — everything was good but nothing was amazing like I was expecting. Maybe my expectations were too high Bc Unilocal gives it a near perfect 5, but I think diners get swept away with the whole exclusivity feeling. But honestly who cares? If you read the glowing reviews, unfortunately I think you’d be disappointed.

First off, I’d like to thank my friend Doreen for providing me with Bohemian’s phone number. I wanted a special restaurant to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and was intrigued with how exclusive Bohemian is. The hurdles to make a reservation a month in advance was so worth it.
Like the other Unilocalers have mentioned, my boyfriend and I opted for the 6 course tasting menu, given this was our first time here. Maybe it’s because it’s hard to get a reservation here and /​or you had to ring a door bell to enter, but everything was simply amazing (yes, even the vegetable fondue was good!) Of all the dishes, my boyfriend and I agreed that our favorites were the beef short rib sashimi and the pan roasted branzino. The beef short rib purely melted in your mouth — I just wish this portion was larger! The pan roasted branzino was the largest portion size as the entire fish was served to you — the crispy skin was definitely the highlight. If you’ve ever had Marc Forgione’s chicken under a brick, Bohemian’s branzino dish reminded me of it as it was pan roasted in a cast iron skillet and served with seasonal vegetables. That being said, the other items were great as well as each was unique in its own way.
The venue is very small, but intimate and definitely worth the experience!

When I first heard of Bohemian, I was so sad because I definitely didn’t know anyone who had gone before. I took my chances with sending an introduction, and managed to snag a reservation!
Pros:
— As mentioned numerous times, an amazing atmosphere. How exclusive it is definitely adds to it as well.
— The beef sashimi melted in my mouth and is easily the most delicious wagyu I’ve ever had.
Tips:
— Make reservations a week or so in advance, especially if it’s for prime dinner/​drinks time on Thursdays through Sundays.
— If you’re like me and want to try your hand at getting a reservation on your own, don’t be afraid to– they’re very accommodating of passionate food enthusiasts!
Takeaway:
I love, love, love Japanese food and especially izakayas. This is definitely one of favorite restaurants I’ve ever been to and hope to go back sometime to try their drinks.

Amazing atmosphere. The overall food and ambience of this place is so unique. Definitely get the chicken and beef tartare. I had the tasting menu, which was a nice introduction to the mix of food here, but the several times I went back, I realized the other items are so much better.
The ones I recommend would be:
The chicken, poke tuna, beef tartare, risotto, the miso cod and definitely the uni croquette.
After coming here true first time, within a month, I came here four more times! Such an experience and fun time. Nice and quiet and so different.

I can’t believe I forgot to write a review. Oh yeah, I meant to do that. Exclusive to invites only. Intimate, comfortable, and the best meal I’ve had in NYC. Experience the perfection yourself…

The experience of getting a reservation here was as fun and intriguing as the dinner itself. Thank you to my friend, Ben L, for getting me the phone number! I ended up using another friend’s name as a referral to get the reservation. To make the reservation, be persistent about calling. They start taking reservations at 3pm, but I there phone was busy until 5pm. They take reservations 30 days in advance. I opted for the bar, since it was more intimate and cozy. The bar area has dimmer lighting, but it’s fun watching the cocktails being made. The table area is brighter but still looks like an intimate lounge area.
The entrance is at the end of a long hallway to the left of the Japanese Premium Beef store. Just look for the hallway to the left of the huge cow sculpture. Ring the doorbell to be let in.
I originally didn’t want the tasting menu. They didn’t have enough uni that day, so the only way to order the uni croquette was to get it through the tasting menu. We ended up deciding to do the tasting menu, but I am gluttonous so we also ordered two more dishes in addition to the tasting menu.
To start off, I ordered the Indian Cooler cocktail, which was extremely refreshing. Sweet, but not too sweet. I loved the chai and masala flavors.
Extra Dishes:
Bohemian Mac & Cheese w/​tomato butter toast — In hind site, we probably could have ordered something else that was better, or not order it at all since we had the tasting menu, but I really wanted mac and cheese. Not the richest and cheesiest mac and cheese I’ve had before, but it was cheesy and gooey enough. My boyfriend said he had better elsewhere, but I loved it since it wasn’t too heavy.
Foie Gras Sushi — The foie gras was not as rich as I thought it would be. My boyfriend also thought it was mediocre. In his words, «the rice didn’t add any value to the taste of the foie gras, which wasn’t particularly rich to begin with». It could be that we both are not big fans of foie gras. At $ 17 for two pieces, this was definitely something we could have not ordered.
Tasting Menu — $ 62 per person:
Farmer’s Fresh Vegetable Fondue — The fondue comes with an array of fresh vegetables such as purple carrots, daikon radish, peppers, parsnip, cherry tomatoes, radicchio. The cheese was a mix of cream cheese, anchovies, and butter. It was less heavy then I expected. The vegetables very fresh, but I would not have ordered this if we didn’t do the tasting menu
Uni Croquette with Mushroom cream — Hands down best thing I had that night. The croquette would have been delicious by itself without the uni. The mushroom cream was so rich and creamy. The crispy texture was just amazing. Paired with the uni on top, it was perfect.
Washu-​Beef Short Rib sashimi — As instructed by our waitress, first put wasabi, then the black garlic, squeeze some lemon on top, and lastly dip in soy sauce. Overall, I was not as amazed as I thought it would be. I expected it to be fatty and melt in your mouth, but it wasn’t. It was more thinly sliced and tender, but taste-​wise there was nothing that distinguishing.
Pan Roasted Branzini with farmer’s seasonal vegetables — No substitutions allowed. I wanted to switch this for the black miso cod, but I actually enjoyed this dish very much. A whole branzino is cut in half for two, so you don’t actually get one branzino per person which I guess is why the no substitutions rule is in place. The dish is also full of delicious roast vegetables such as potatoes, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, olives, zucchini, and a roasted garlic bulb. The whole dish is extremely filling even with two people. Don’t forget to eat the eyeballs. That’s the best part.
Washu-​Beef Mini Burger with Fried Potatoes — I had a small bite of this. In general, I’m not a huge fan of burgers, so this didn’t stand out for me. The fried potatoes were extremely crispy and delicious though. I wouldn’t mind if they replaced the burger for a pile of those potatoes instead.
Sashimi Rice Bowl with cucumbers and tosa-​zu jelly — Similar to a mini chirashi bowl filled with ikura and chopped tuna. The jelly had an interesting peppery taste rice and the rice was well seasoned. I would choose this over the burger.
Yuzu Panna Cotta — I really dislike creamy things, so this dessert was an automatic no for me. My lactose intolerant boyfriend loved it. Lucky him, he ate both of our bowls. The yuzu is unbelievably sour so pair it with the sweet, creamy panna cotta. It has the exact creamy texture that most people love but I hate. The yuzu also had a similar creamy texture.
I still wish we didn’t have to get the tasting menu, as there were four items on it I would not have ordered, but the uni croquette was worth it. The staff are very courteous and professional. Can’t wait to come back to try more things off the tasting menu.
Side Note: From 11:30 pm — 2:00 am they serve late night on Thursdays and Fridays.
Also unless I know you in person, please do not ask me for the number.

Finally we got the reservation at this place. It was worth the wait (a month in advance). The food was great the place feels like you are at your own living room probably just because we got the sofa. Very small place, they known for their premium Japanese beef. We tried and it was great. Recommends dishes: oyster, cold soba w foie gras, the slider, roasted Bronzino, garlic shrimp, Washu beef sashimi, and the limited Japanese premium beef steak.
Desert: had yuzu pannacota and soba crème brulle it was yummy. Definitely will come back!

i don’t know how to start describing Bohemian. First, getting a reservation to this place is unique. someone i knew who dined here, gave me the number to this place. when you call them to ask for a reservation, you have to tell them how you got the number. note, you can only make a reservation after 3 and they get booked up pretty fast, so book a month in advance.
upon arriving to the restaurant, there’s no apparent sign and very much speakeasy style. when you walk in, the place is extremely small and only seats about 20 people at a time.
the service here is so good. we ordered the salad, tuna, beef and this plum thing. the dining experience alone would make me want to come back. such a cool spot.

This is one of the best restaurants in the world. I love the dedication to food, service and tranquil ambiance. Last year, I went to their Tokyo outpost which was also a great experience.
This was my second visit here. We had the tasting menu and a few cocktails.
Overall, the quality of the food and drinks really showed throughout the meal. We had some of the following items with the tasting menu ($ 62 per person): Farmer’s Fresh Vegetable FONDUE, Uni Croquette, Washu-​Beef Short Rib Sashimi, Pan Roasted Bronzino, Bohemian Wahu-​beer Burger, Sashimi Rice Bowl and Yuzu Pannacotta.
Everything was amazing, The Pan Roasted Bronzino had the largest portion and was very filling. Most items are not large on size but high in quality. The Sashimi Rice Bowl was particularly fantastic with fresh ikura and salmon!
For cocktails ($ 14 each), we had four: the Indian Cooler, Mint Gold, Bohemian Weekend and Bergamot. My favorite was the Bergamot because it was an earl grey infused with Greylock Gin and raw egg white Angostura bitters. The earl grey flavor was truly unique.
I look forward to coming back soon.

My experience here is part of my top 3 favorite most mind blowing restaurant experiences ever in NYC. This is a speakeasy with reservations only taken over the phone after 3pm. The only way you’re able to make a reservation here is by using a former patron’s name so be aware that this part is not to be taken lightly so be prepared.
The bartender gives you a private show while he makes your cocktail. I don’t know if it was the lighting, the ambiance or the fact that I was on a hot date with someone who could appreciate the moment as much as I could, but the completion of my first cocktail actually moved me to tears. It was everything a craft cocktail is supposed to be with gentle hands and gliding feet, the bartender seemed to dance to the rhythm of putting all of the ingredients together. We had the branzino and the sashimi sampler which came on a bed of crushed ice, all of the food composed to perfection and the finest cuts of sushi I’ve ever had.
Dress fancy and enjoy every moment of it because this place is going to blow you away.

A speakeasy style restaurant behind a butcher shop within walking distance of my office? Yes please!
I had made it my mission to go here after seeing it on a list of «secret» restaurants. Any conversation I had that week ended with «by the way, have you been to Bohemian? Tryina get that number.»
Ultimately, I ended up jumping through the hoops of the email request and made a reservation for a Friday night, a month away.
Since it was our first visit, my boyfriend and I opted for the tasting menu.
Our favorites: uni croquette, short rib sashimi (I wish there had been more!), and the roasted branzino.
We also ordered the foie gras sushi. Foie gras is my biggest, guiltiest pleasure and this did not disappoint. It may actually be the best thing either of us have ever eaten.
Everything about this experience was perfect. The cocktails were amazing and made with such precision. The staff was friendly and informative. The food was delicious and well presented.
If you get the chance to go, absolutely do it. I can’t wait to be back.

One of the most difficult restaurant to book. Make sure you call in on the first day when they accept a future booking. Some highlights from my visit:
* not easy to find. This place doesn’t have a banner or logo outside. So make sure you use google map to reach here.
* good food offered at good price. Pre fixe menu at ~$ 150 for a group of 2. Love the fish, which is a whole piece here.
* uncomfortable seats, meaning you have to bend your back and put your head very low to eat. But at this also means you won’t eat too much.
* service okay… We have to ask to get tea cups filled.

Uni melts in your mouth and wagyu beef perfectly done.
Artful. Delightful. Delicious.

When you call for reservations, they’ll ask who referred you. Be sure to make reservations weeks in advance.
Try to book a earlier reservation if you can. They only have one serving of the various steak cuts so ask for the steak menu as soon as you sit down! Do not waste time! In addition to probably the best steak and crispy potatoes I’ve ever had, we also tried the uni croquette, mac & cheese, foie gras soba and the branzino. Aside from the steak, the other menu items were pretty average. However their cocktails are on point! We both had two each — I absolutely loved the Bergamot! The Jaguar is good if you like dark chocolate and whiskey.

This place is a speakeasy of restaurants… you have to buzz a bell upon entering! I’ve probably walked passed his place a million of times and never knew this place was a restaurant. You will need to make advanced reservations to dine at this place, or else chances are you will be turned away — and they don’t make it the easy for you. You would have to find their number either through google or a friend, and then dial it during their hours of operation. When you get on the phone with them, you will then have to let them have to provide information of who referred you to the place or let them you’ve dined with them before. Since the restaurant isn’t very big, you may be put on a waiting list depending how advanced you have booked the restaurant. I called the day before and was put on a waiting list and got a reservation for two on a Tuesday night… so not all impossible.
We were seated at the lounge tables which while great for cocktails and lounging… not the most comfortable arrangement for a full blown dinner… think eating while chilling on a couch with your dinner on the coffee table. But overall, I can overlook that, because the service was excellent. The waitress quickly greeted us and took our cocktail orders. The cocktails were tasty.
We ordered the following:
— uni croquette — loved it. I say this is a must order.
— beef short rib sashimi — standard top quality grade beef as expected
— miso black cod — wow, this was phenomenal. The cod was moist, flaky, and sweet. This is as good as a miso black cod as you can get.
— sashimi rice — fresh fish with perfectly cooked seasoned rice.
— lamb chops — one of the specials of the night. My boyfriend loved it.
— mini burgers — Perfectly cooked beef burger.
I recommend this place for meat lovers. While there are many seafood options, this place really thrives on how they prepare their meat… they really know how to cook their beef. And they know how to make some great cocktails… so it’s an overall must try place.

Bohemian Restaurant is that boy in your high school English Lit class with whom you (and every other girl) were fabulously infatuated but you’ve never actually spoken to him. In fact, he rarely speaks. Last time he said something in class, you heard that some girl fainted on site. Then there are stories about him rescuing kittens from trees and performing CPR on a drowning kid last summer.
Basically, he wears a cloak of mystery and inaccessibility. And for that, you are curious. You want to get to know him.
He is the Bohemian Restaurant.
As many have mentioned already, you need to get the phone number from someone who has dined here previously (or have the googling skills of my 85 year old grandma — I promise, it’s out there). Be prepared to spell out the first AND last name of the person who you gave you said number. (No, I am not giving you my last name.) Alternatively, you can email them with a description of yourself and why you want a reservation. (Check their website for more details.)
After seeing the place for myself (someone’s cozy living room fitted with 6 pairs of low-​to-​the-​ground leisure accent chairs, a signed guitar, hanging artwork, standing coat rack, and an indoor Japanese garden), I imagine that they want to maintain a chill dining atmosphere in which everyone who walks in is especially welcome because they were introduced by a friend. It’s like having your friend vouch for you on a blind date — yeah, man, she’s cool, I swear. We went to preschool together and she was great at sharing. They also have the fact that the space was once owned by Andy Warhol and used as a studio for street-​artist Jean Michel Basquiat, playing up the laidback, artsy vibe going for them.
When I called, I was told that they only had bar seating available. But upon arrival (walk down the long hallway to the left of the Japanese Premium Beef butcher shop), we were offered table seating! It was our lucky day! (Actually, the two large 6-​person tables were empty the entire time we were there 6:30PM-9PM.)
Even though it was our first visit, we ordered a la carte because most of the dishes we wanted to try were not in the $ 58 tasting menu.
The absolute star of the night (besides the panna cotta) was the Uni Croquette. It was perfectly fried and crispy on the outside with a lightly flavored mushroom cream inside (soft peaks, y’all bakers). The dollop of uni on top completed the trifecta as its «fishiness» (if any) was completely masked by the mushroom. Ingenious, really. Each piece is $ 13 so make sure you order one for each of you. WORTH IT.
As a non-​cheese loving person, my fave part about the Mac & Cheese was the tomato butter toast. The mac & cheese itself was extremely cheesy and they used cheeses with a sharp finish (blue cheese, maybe?). But when you slather it atop the toast, it tasted like gourmet pizza for a moment, YUM. Bohemian was playing my emotions now.
The Miso Black Cod and Washu Beef Steak were alright. The size of a Miso Black Cod was just smaller than a 20-​something girl’s fist (you get 2 pieces). It was a little too charred and salty for our tastes, but it was definitely cooked just right. The black cod nearly fell apart as we chopstick-​ed it to our personal plates. When we ordered the Washu Beef Steak (market price), our server brought out a chalkboard in the shape of a cow to physically show us the beef cuts they had available. We ordered the 10.5 oz flat iron (shoulder) cut; the mound of rare steaks covered a bed of roughly cut potatoes and fried garlic cloves.
The Yuzu Panna Cotta was silky and light with bursts of sourness if you get a piece of the yuzu jelly in that helping. It’s actually not listed on the normal dessert menu, but our server happily brought it out for us upon our request. So good!
Ah, and we ordered the Plum Sake and the Bergamot (earl grey infused gin with raw egg whites, pomegranate syrup & bitters), both light drinks that complemented our meal.
Minor things we were disappointed in:
— Seemingly lack of knowledge about the cuts of beef — our server could not confidently explain each cut in layman’s terms e.g. rib-​eye, sirloin, T-​bone: «Maybe this area or this area,» he said.
— We were never asked as to how we like our steak cooked. I understand that this may have been the chef’s choice, but if we don’t usually eat rare steaks (this child aka me is getting there… slowly), I doubt we will suddenly realize that this mess of blood and juice has changed our lives forever — but we powered through most of it (& took the remainder home).
Now that we’ve walked through this cloud of secrecy and seen the other side, I assure you Curious Georges that it’s a good dining experience, but it won’t be the best meal of your life.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

Bohemian restaurant is an intimate Japanese speakeasy that serves amazing gut-​busting dishes (esp if you get their prix fixe for $ 58 pp). Three dishes they deliver exceptionally well: beef sashimi, roasted branzino, and Honey Lemon pannacotta.
Speakeasy–
I agree that exclusiveness makes the establishment more appealing.
My friend called me up and said– I want to go here! But I can’t because I don’t know anyone with the number.
I told her– let me see what I can do.
There’s secretive door past the butcher shop. No signage outside. Look out for the 57 next to a graffitied door.
The number for reservations is obtained by friend reference only*. You must know how to spell your friend’s last name.
Thanks to David H. and Ben L. for hooking a girl up!
Intimate– The restaurant can seat ~30 people maximum at one time. So very small space.
And they only accept reservations for a Max of 6 people at one time.
Due to the space limitation, they have Very strict policies:
You cannot sit early. (We arrived half an hour early and were turned away).
You cannot add one more person to that table of 6. You can subtract but you cannot add one or two people.
The décor suggests a cozy artistic’s friend’s living room. Mellow folk music plays softly in the background. A window that we sat next to had a display of fake grass and small Japanese birdhouse and scenery of someone’s backyard. It reminded me of the Museum of Natural History.
Loved it. I wanted to sit for hours after to digest my meal.
The FOOD was surprising and delicious.
–The Farmers Fresh Vegetable Fondue was beautiful display of fresh daikon, white and orange baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, and radicchio. Beautiful, appetizing and fun to dip into the fondue.
Fondue was warmed with a tea light candle.
My friends liked the cheese so much that they didn’t let the waiters take away the cheese, even when all our vegetables were gone.
–Uni croquette was a mushroom croquette topped with uni.
Great crispy mushroom croquette, I just wished the uni tasted more briny. Not my favorite but my friends enjoyed this dish very much.
–The Washu short-​rib Beef sashimi was so fatty, it had the consistency of oh-​toro. I loved it! They gave condiments of wasabi, lemon, mushroom infused garlic and daikon. The best pairing was with mushroom infused garlic. The mushroom and garlic with the fatty beef melds into the perfect bite.
–Pan roasted Branzini. I was surprised how delicious roasted fish can be. Easily one of the better dishes in the prix fixe menu. Roasted with olive oil, garlic, olives, baby potatoes, cauliflower, rosemary, anchovies, and zucchini. So good. I am definitely coming back to order this.
–Kobe and angus beef sliders. Perfect medium rare.
And they cooked 6 of them to the perfect T and doneness.
Juicy, perfectly seasoned. Very good. Too bad I was too full to fully appreciate this.
What I loved more than the slider was the roasted potatoes accompanying this dish. Salty, crunchy, carmelized potatoes. OMG. too good.
— Honey lemon yuzu panna cotta.
Loved the Lemon and yuzu in the pannacotta. Very appetizing. The panna cotta was smooth and creamy. I would have asked for two if I wasn’t so full.
*Unfortunately, I will only share the number with people I know.

All I can say is WOW. This place made me discover certain taste buds that I didn’t even know I had.
First off, finding this place is interesting. There’s no signage or anything, just a random door on the street covered in graffitti. Once you find the door, there’s a chalkboard with the words «Bohemian Restaurant, this way» — letting you know that you’re in the right spot. You ring the doorbell, and the door is cracked open ever so slightly to make sure your name is on the reservation list. Which brings me to the process of MAKING the reservation. You have to be referred by someone that has been there before in order to even make a reservation. And even then, they want to know more about you, your likes/​dislikes which fits with their intimate feel (the dining room looks and feels like you’re in the someones living room!)
Alright. now to the good stuff. One look at the menu and my husband and I were in an immediate dilemma in the sense that we wanted to try everything! There were certain things we knew we had to try (i.e. the steak. given that the restaurant is located right behind a butcher shop) so the tasting menu was not really an option for us. Tasting menu for $ 58/​person included the vegetable fondue, uni croquette, beef short rib sashimi (for starters), pan roasted branzino (entrée), and panna cotta (dessert) which really is a great deal if you don’t already have certain dishes in mind that you want to try! So anyways, we let the bartender know what our dillemma was and he was amazing in giving us his recommendations.
What we ordered (and in order of how it came out):
Pickled Cucumber — so good! a great palate cleanser in between dishes.
Chef’s Sashimi — fatty tuna and medium fatty tuna with FRESH wasabi. This is the second time in my life I’ve had fresh wasabi. the freshness makes such a huge difference in flavor. The fatty tuna practically melted in my mouth.
Beef Short Rib Sashimi — this was probably my least favorite dish. I’m not a huge fan of beef sashimi due to its texture. however my husband really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the pickled radish it came with along with the garlic pieces.
Bohemian Mac & Cheese — «umm did we just die and go to heaven», «what just happened» were our reactions after the first bite. This is definitely one of the best mac and cheeses I’ve had in my life. I don’t know what they put in that stuff but it is of the gods for sure. I would come back here just for the mac and cheese. This is a MUST GET.
Black Miso Cod — a little too salty for my taste. The peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms it came with on the side were tasty. The texture of it was very soft and flaky.
Steak — WOW. Now this is what we came here for. Cooked medium-​rare, it was just an explosion of flavor just on its own. You add the sea salt and fried garlic, and another «did I just die and go to heaven moment». Not to mentioned the potatoes fried to perfection — were a perfect complement to the dish. I can’t say enough good things! I had such a good flavor in my mouth I didn’t even want desert afterwards (and thats saying a lot)
White Peach Cobbler — My husband said it was good, not amazing.
What we are ordering next time that looked amazing:
Vegetable fondue, pan roasted branzino, panna cotta.
All in all, the experience, friendliness of service and quality of food gets the 5 stars. I can’t wait to go back!

How do I start describing this place, the place I selected to propose to my partner, and that delivered an outstanding experience? Let me try.
Aside the proposal, this is a solid restaurant, with wonderful food and outstanding service. Sure, it’s challenging to get in, but once you do you’ll never regret it. We went for their tasting menu: fantastic.
Uni croquette: mouthwatering; the uni partially melts with the croquette, and the mushroom filling creates the connection between them.
Washu beef short rib sashimi: so tender you could eat it with your eyes.
Pan roasted whole branzino: I was surprised about this dish, because it was cooked Mediterranean style, with oil, garlic and rosemary; nonetheless, it was impeccably prepared, and very sizable.
Washu beef mini burger: the only dish that wasn’t perfect. Although very sizable for a «mini» burger, I felt that the meat wasn’t particularly succulent… a tad on the dry side. The whole concoction missed something to link the ingredients better. It wasn’t bad, to any stretch of the imagination, but it didn’t live up with the rest of the dishes.
Sashimi rice bowl: at this point we were already full. However, this dish helped resetting our stomachs for the dessert to come. The sashimi was extremely fresh, and rice very yummy.
Yuzu pannacotta: truly heavenly. Wow, definitely not a simple, boring pannacotta. This dessert is decadent.
Overall, we also loved the selection of plates… all cute and different from each other. The chairs are so comfortable you just want to roll over and take a nap. The art pieces from Yoko Haraoka against the wall add to the exclusive and intimate ambiance of this tiny nest. Even the restroom has a Japanese toilet!
Next time I want to try their foie gras soba and the mushroom risotto, which are supposed to be fantastic. I was too full after the branzino.
One word about the temperature inside the place: I wish the AC worked better. We loved the fact that we were never rushed, and could experience the evening as long as we could. However, we were dripping sweat all evening long.
Because of the temperature and the imperfection on the mini burger, I would give this place 4.5 stars. Nevertheless, everything else was so perfect I feel compelled to lean on 5 stars. After all, I got engaged, here!