316 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
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2 Reviews:
As in horse racing, it would seem that winning the penultimate Double Crown really isn’t that impressive. This new South-East-Asian / English fusion restaurant; however, may not even take those laurels.
The décor and ambiance are nice enough but not inspired. Rusts, Reds, and a neutral accent pallet adorn the walls that are flushed by a yellow wash. Artifacts reminiscent of the old empire festoon the walls. Though, the lighting design hanging from the ceiling is elegant. There is certainly energy and zip in the air, mostly from the 30-sometihng crowd, which raises the decibel level to the roof. I found it difficult at times to chat quietly with my reviewing-partner, and was often interrupted by some amorous flippantly from the banker sitting aside me, including the noteworthy, “tastes like really good KFC.”
The server was good and very quick judging by the number of tables he was working. Though, I found him a bit overwhelming at points. He made excellent wine suggestions, though his food choices were less than judicious.
Speaking of food, the general theme Double Crown is trying to effect, that is Asian-Colonial / British fusion is inspired. It marries a marvelous array of traditional braised and breaded English fare like brussel sprouts, parsnips, and pot roast to exotic flavors like turmeric, lime, and coconut. The inspiration, surely, is the union of stogy 19th century England with its livelier colonial outposts. But, as it was for the entire colonial system, inspiration and execution are two totally separate things.
We started with two appetizers, the Singapore Laska and Crispy Drunken Quail, both recommended by our server. Both fell well short of the mark. The broth of the Laska was a tepid affair--a jumble of Coconut, fish stock, lime, and spice. My initial reaction was simply that the flavors, while working together didn’t meld together on the palate, a fact not helped by the thinness of the broth. The quail was even worse. The quail itself tasted old or as though it had been frozen. The breading was soggy and whatever faraway spice profile was used eluded my taste buds. To give some credit to my amorous neighbor, it did taste like KFC in a dismal brown sauce which again lacked any distinctness other than raw turmeric. Additionally, the saltiness of the carrot garnish made the whole affair almost inedible (and I’m a fan of salt!).
The entrées were better than the appetizers, though still well-within the mediocre column. We shared the short ribs braised in stout and five-spice and the grilled tuna. The short rib was fine in character but lacked any powerful south-Asian flair. The meat was tender but certainly could have benefited from a salt rub or brine. The more subtle interplay between the sauce and parsnips and brussels sprouts was actually very good. The tuna had a lovely presentation (all the food did) but again lacked a distinctive south-Asian zing. The wostershire dressing was too thin and forgettable.
All-in-all the food was ok at best: traditional fare, with a poorly executed drop of Indian / South-East Asian flavor and salted up to hide mistakes. I would not go back for the food; though the idea is great and I plan to try several of the recipe ideas in my own kitchen.
Go, if you have a big group, who want to make some noise, and want a good idea big on aesthetics and low on substance.
The ambiance is stylish and sophisticated, but the food was just okay. Enjoyed the Laska, a nice spicy soup with a coconut broth, but hated the quail appetizer that felt like adventurous food for the unadventurous.
The short rib was delicious and was quite a sight to behold. I've never seen one so large! I would recommend getting it just for the "wow" factor, but the sheer amount of meat isn't that practical and I would have appreciated something acidic on the side to cut through the mountains of buttery beef.
The snapper was good with a lot of interesting components, but didn't offer any flavor combinations worth writing home about. The vinegar "broth" was enjoyable, but kind of drowned out everything else.
Excellent wines.
Overall, I would recommend if you're with a large group and want to be stylish and festive and drink fun cocktails.
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