Clement

We came here for my birthday meal and had a really lovely evening.
The atmosphere inside is calm and intimate which made a great contrast from our busy day in the city. The service really can’t be faulted and everyone was very friendly and attentive.
Food-​wise the lobster bisque with caviar was a definite highlight for both of us. It was really well presented and completely delicious, very rich but the perfect comfort food. The mains (duck breast and octopus) were also great, and the portion sizes were spot on. For dessert we had the apple tart and sorbet which were lovely. They also give you a little plate of assorted chocolates, which was a really nice way to finish.
It is a pricey place, but I felt like it was fair for what we received.

The service was very nice, the ambiance was beautiful, but the food was not worth it. I was very disappointed. Went here for dinner after a long day around the city expecting it to be worthy of its 4 star Unilocal rating. The food was unexceptional, they didn’t use the best ingredients, and they paired odd things together. I’ve had better meals for half the price around the city

Located on the second floor inside The Peninsula. Quiet, nice deco, great ambience for dinner. Not over priced.

Went there early on Sunday morning. Free NY Times paper! Such a peaceful, relaxing morning. Extremely friendly service, great food, pricey. Great to have such a quiet place in the middle of the craziest street in NYC.

I came here during restaurant week! It was relatively busy, but not noisy, which I appreciated. Our waiter was slightly snooty, but my friend and I were a bit young and underdressed. We were bundled up because it was snowing outside. The other patrons, who might have been guests staying at the hotel that the restaurant is in, were slightly more dressed up than we were.
Anyway, I got the pre fixe menu, and my friend got the chef’s 6 course tasting menu. Almost everything was fantastic, I especially remember the caramelized foie gras and tuna crudo.
Our server was extremely friendly and upbeat. We ordered one apple tart and chocolate cheesecake each, but we were served 2 apple tarts. When we called it to their attention, they brought out our cheesecake and said we could have it on the house.

Clement takes a very simple and minimalistic approach of the modern American cuisine. Infused with subtle but rich flavors, the food appeals to the palate but still has much room for improvement.
Fluke was light and refreshing but the portion was just too small. The Duck Ragu needed a little more kick to it… a hint of lime and some paprika would have helped.
The chocolate cheesecake was delicious but felt a bit heavy even though the portion was quite small. Overall a good place to grab $ 25 lunch for restaurant week if you are in the area.

I came here for the restaurant week. I ordered the soup, salmon and the cheese cake. The food itself was ok. Nothing special. But the service and environment is superior. I would come here again just for the service.

Service was very good with a good vibe. The menu was weak as they only had brunch after 2pm?
But they did let us make changes to get what we wanted :). Great service and very accommodating.
I would recommend this place if your looking for a high end lunch.
Good over all.

Had a business lunch here on a Tuesday. Atmosphere and accommodations were really nice. Very high-​end and you definitely can tell you are at a top notch restaurant.
Service: 5 Star
Bread before the meal was great. The presentation of the food was excellent. Unfortunately, the food was pretty average. I had lobster risotto ($ 32 I think) and client had the salmon ($ 28 I think). We both had the apple dessert and cappuccino/​espresso ($ 160+ total).
Very expensive lunch for a very OK experience. Even though it was on the company’s dime I expect much better food for a $ 80/​pp lunch.

Come here for lunch and it’s empty. I thought to myself maybe because it’s expensive there are less people. But seriously in this neighborhood money is everywhere.
We sat and ordered lunch.
I had the salmon. Cooked well but the flavoring and playing was very disappointing. Just some beans and couple two beers in yogurt sauce. The yogurt tastes like garbage can smells on a hot humid day.
My friend got the veal and that was not well cooked nor was it a good piece of meat. Meat had no flavor and was chewy and over cooked.
Other friend got the chicken. That was actually the best dish. Juicy and flavorful.
Bread was cold. Cold bread makes me sad. The butter was room temp. That’s good. But on cold bread just makes no sense :(
I would not come here again. Environment is cold and very serious. Fancier that the Unilocal pictures show. I could barely understand the server with his heavy accent. But he was very nice and service is great. But food falls short.

** Restaurant Week Summer 2015 Review **
I’ve been to Fives in the Peninsula Hotel before — it was actually my very first Restaurant Week meal back when I was still a teenager. When I heard a new restaurant, Clement, had replaced it, I was instantly interested. And better, it was on the Restaurant Week list!
For my appetizer, I chose the Green Asparagus with crispy hen egg and lemon. The dish was very good — very light and refreshing for a hot summer day. Clement cooks their poached eggs sous vide style inside the shell before cracking it onto a spoon. This equals a smoother and silkier poached egg, which was effortless to pop.
The Boyfriend chose the Fluke Crudo with white soy, grapefruit gel, and rice cracker. I had a bit of his fluke crudo and just like my appetizer, it was light and refreshing. The grapefruit really helps open up the appetite.
For my entrée, I had the Fresh Tagliatelle with roasted mushrooms, parmesan, and sherry essence. The pasta itself wasn’t the best that I’ve had — it didn’t taste like it was made in-​house. The mushroom and parmesan sauce, however, was very good. I liked that they used an assortment of mushrooms, since each tastes slightly different with a different mouth-​feel.
The Boyfriend had the Clement Burger with brioche bun, spicy mustard, and fries. The burger was pretty tasty — but not the best burger we’ve both had. It tastes very good with the spicy mustard so make sure you slather some on before taking a bite! The fries were thin and crispy and a very generous portion. The burger would probably be the biggest portion size on the RW menu if you’re a big eater.
For dessert, we both had the Peach Almond Tart with salted caramel and mascarpone ice cream. The tart shell was pretty hard (and slightly difficult to eat) but the filling was very good. It tasted even better with a scoop of ice cream, which wasn’t too sweet and complimented the slightly tart flavor of the peaches.
Service was very attentive. We had coffee at the end of our meal (2 cups actually!) and weren’t rushed to leave even though we were the last ones left in the restaurant. The coffee is very good and you get unlimited refills — but just a heads up, it is $ 9 a cup. All in all, Clement is a very solid Restaurant Week lunch.

Ordered: Watermelon gazpacho, Beef short rib, Chocolate s’more, and Strawberry shortcake
Pros – The beef was so tender and it was accompanied by this great peach purée and smoked potato.
Cons-​The servers were not as attentive as they should’ve been-​it took awhile before they came over so we could order our food.

A dear friend and colleague invited me to lunch at the «new» restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel after he had read good reviews. Thankfully he is a true foodie and Clement absolutely lived up to the rave.
Happy surprise for us, we were there during restaurant week and had the three course prix fixe $ 25 menu. I wanted to try everything, so it was a good thing Phil doesn’t mind sharing! He started with hen egg and I had the fluke crudo. Both were exquisitely prepared and presented. He then chose very well with a perfectly cooked, lightly breaded monkfish and I had freshly made tagliatelle (expertly
al dente) in a mushroom sauce (not too heavy and to die for). We ate every last bite and then some.
Peach tart to finish was deliciously fresh and proportioned well. All dishes were the perfect size –enough to savor but leaving you wanting one more bite.
The décor is serene in a subtle palette with beautiful fresh flowers on every table. Tables were well spaced and we were seated in a large corner banquette where conversation was private and we barely needed to speak above a whisper to have a conversation.
The service was fantastic! As we were trying to get a decent angle for a selfie the waitstaff came over and handily took two shots that turned out quite nicely. They were attentive to our needs without hovering.
This gem is perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to go back!

This is my first lunch of restaurant week, Clement has been on my list for long so I decided to give a try. Overall a nice experience, except for the speed.
Fluke sashimi was fresh, monkfish was soft and juicy, dessert tart was crispy and made a perfect combination with the ice cream. Delicious!

Came here with a couple of girlfriends and had a wonderful experience.
Our server was extremely attentive and it was for sure a bonus that he has a good sense of humor… in a rather humble way. After all, this is a high class restaurant.
We did the NYC Restaurant Week Prix Fixe Dinner Menu, and unlike most restaurants, we were not rushed at all. The server took his time explaining the dishes and he allowed us an adequate amount of time in between courses. He came by to check on us from time to time and I just loved the fact that our glasses were never empty. That tells a lot about the quality of service.
Coincidentally, my girlfriends and I ordered different things from the menu so we got to try everything and, to my astonishment, everything was fantastic! The dessert sealed the deal.
In all, great food and great service… Definitely coming back!

Perfect pick for NYC restaurant week. The restaurant is located in the landmark Peninsula Hotel. As soon as you walk in, you know this place is classy with a capital C — I was definitely way underdressed.
Cool décor with mirrors, fresh flowers at the table, nice lighting. The first thing I noticed once I was seated is the amount of space around me. The tables are not close together… so it feels very roomy.
I selected the asparagus with egg for my starter and the tagliatelle with mushrooms for the entrée (from their restaurant week menu). Dessert was a peach tart with vanilla ice cream. See pictures below — food was as delicious as it looked. Everything tasted fresh. The pasta was perfectly cooked and I loved the white sauce.
Finally, the staff is very friendly here. I asked our waiter to take a few pictures of our group at the end and he ended up doing a photo shoot to ensure that we had the best pictures from our experience here.

We came here as part of the LOADed Cocktail passport. This was the start of our Williamsburg night — and boy did we miscalculate our wardrobe. The bar is a part of the restaurant and both are rather fancy. The ambiance was nice — I think we’ll probably come back to get dinner and drinks!
They also offered Zacapa 23yr Rum neat/​on the rocks. We both went with the Northwest Passage, made with I believe the Cassis Liqueur. The drink was very good, probably on par with Middle Branch and Donna (not as good as Happiest Hour and Randolph Brooklyn). It was a pear-​flavored concoction called the Tuthilltown’s Northwest Passage.
Another welcomed surprise was the snacks — we got bowls of olives, cheese, and peanuts! No wonder the drinks are so pricey!

Nutze es hier fuer Frühstück.
Allerdings aus der Karte.
Sauber, freundlich und gut genutzt auch von Geschäftsleuten.
Treppen

**Restaurant Week, Winter 2015**
Clement is located inside of the Peninsula Hotel on the 2^nd floor. It’s much nicer than your typical hotel restaurant. My colleagues and I work near so we came here for restaurant week lunch, winter 2015.
Service — our waiter Kin was very enthusiastic about the wine, the food, and everything. Great service provided by Kin.
Water — this is why I always specify that I just want NYC tap water. One of the guys asked flat or sparkling? I said flat is fine. Out comes a bottle of Fiji water that may or may not have already been open before it reached our table… which could have been filled with tap water for all I know. The bill comes and the freaking bottle of Fiji water is $ 15. Seriously? $ 15 for a bottle of water — that’s outrageous. Kin helped us take it off our check because, well, totally not fair. I hate it when restaurants want to scam you over some free water. I don’t care how wealthy a person is… you should never have to pay $ 15 for a bottle of water.
Food:
Appetizer: fluke sashimi — didn’t really like the bitter vegetable salad it came with and the fluke had little to no taste — just some olive oil. Layered over some grains. Overall I’d say this dish was a 3, max.
Entrée: braised lamb shank. It was good at the time, but I just had another braised lamb shank that blew my mind today, so I may have to lower the rating on this one. It was satisfying at the least, but I would have liked it better if it was more saucy and fall-​off-​the bone, which it was not. The roasted petite vegetables and chick peas were nice, however.
Dessert: apple/​cranberry crumble with cream cheese ice cream. the hot and cold was a good combination but the crumble was way too sweet.
I had high expectations for Clement, but it’s only mediocre so far… maybe because of restaurant week, who knows.

What a treat. Came to this place for restaurant week and definitely got bang for the deal.
The courses:
Sashimi
Braised lamb shank
Apple cranberry crumble (substitution: assorted sorbet with fruits)
An amazing Cabernet complimented my yummy meal.
The waiter accommodated my nut allergy in-​lieu of the fixed menu. I just said that I would pass on dessert, but the waiter said, «No! We will accommodate for you. Not a problem.»
Thoroughly impressed. He didn’t have to do that, for substitutions are not done for prix fixe menus.
Drinks and nibbles to be had here sans Restaurant week in the future…

Came here on a Wednesday afternoon for a business lunch. When you think hotel restaurant (The Peninsula), you think pricey and small dishes. Well, it was pricey for sure but the dishes were huge! That definitely caught me off guard. What surprised me more was the variety of food they were serving on their menu (burgers, fish, lobster rolls?!). It was SO SCRUMPTIOUS. Kudos to Chef Brandon Kida and his team.
Dishes I recommend:
–Avocado Toast — huge pieces of sourdough toast and lots and lots of avocado. Can feed 4 comfortably
–Oysters (Long Island): I’ve had plenty of oysters but what made this one so amazing was the sauce they put on top. Highly recommended.
–Clement Burger — huge huge huge
–Lobster Roll — 1lb lobster served on a croissant with fries. I really enjoyed the ketchup they used for the fries. It was Sir Kensington’s Ketchup. Best ketchup I’ve ever had. It’s has a mix taste of that shrimp cocktail sauce + ketchup.
Drinks: They have a section on the menu called Designated Drivers (for you non-​alcoholics). I loved the drink Clement (guava, pom, lime, agave). It was fruity just the way I like it. I also got the try the other two, Lucille and Hiss & Weekes. They are all so good but I declare Clement the winner.
Dessert: We got three desserts:
–Pumpkin (gingersnap crust, dried fruits compote, pumpkin ice cream) = yay
–Pear (brown butter cake, caramel chantilly, pistachio ice cream) = WINNER
–Bowl of berries (wow they gave a HUGE helping of berries and whipped cream)
Service: Great servers at Clement! They’re always checking up on you and joking around with you. My guy even gave me some Sir Kensington’s Ketchup to take home (shhh).
Next time I’m in the neighborhood I’ll be sure to stop by again!