The first thing we noticed when we arrived at the front door was that it has a rather unassuming entrance for a Michelin starred restaurant in New York. Being a low-key person myself, that suits me just fine.
After we made our way into the reception area, we were hit with yet another pleasant surprise. It felt like we have just entered another world, perhaps Alice's wonderland! What a nice retreat from the hustle bustle of NYC that was.
And it smelt like we were in a different world too with the fresh scent of apples serving as natural air fresheners.
Soon after confirming our reservation, we were led into a beautifully decorated waiting room while they got our table ready.
This has to be one of the most charming dining room we've visited this year. The decor evokes the interior of a century-old chateau in a small French town with the stone fireplace, oak parquet floors and paintings of lush rolling hills.
Every food blog and review seems to be raving about David Bouley's 5-course luncheon tasting menu (US$55). It was supposed to be the best value for money and that's precisely what we were having on this day.
Our first amuse bouche was a poached Maine lobster with tomato coulis and cheese cream. That was the perfect start we were dreaming for (8/10).
A further amuse bouche soon followed and it was a crispy cracker with a dash of truffle and cream on top. It was another good nibble to get our palates in motion (6.5/10).
We couldn't wait to get things started. Our first starter was a trio of chilled Cape cod wellfleet oysters with organic kiwi and fresh sansho pepper.
This was one of the very few times I had oysters with kiwi. Never thought they could work so well together (7/10).
How could we leave David Bouley without trying the chef's signature porcini flan? It was the lovely combination of Alaska live dungeness crab and black truffle dashi (8/10).
Even a very "ordinary" egg dish, they made it look like a precious jewel. Meet my organic farm egg from Connecticut served with Serrano ham, steamed polenta, artichoke and coconut garlic broth (7.5/10).
Time for some David Bouley signature bread while we were all enjoying our starters. This has to be one of the most impressive selection of homemade bread we've ever seen from a restaurant.
They have all kinds of wonderful flavors here including pistachio, fig, apricot walnut, chestnut etc. and they are all freshly baked right here. Take your pick!
They were able to maintain the very high standards with their main courses. All of us decided to go with something a little different.
As a meat lover, this was a no-brainer for me. The braised Kobe style beef cheeks with blue kale and gnocchi was a very well executed dish with the right balance of flavors (7.5/10).
The second main course was organic Long Island duck with golden Nevado dates and Hudson Valley hand milled polenta. Very juicy and tender (7/10).
Black cod in a pistachio miso marinade with organic avocado miso, kumquat puree, smoked organic farm milk and toasted buckwheat was another lovely dish and a perfect symphony of flavors and textures (7.5/10).
Pre-dessert was a silky smooth homemade gelato that was seriously good.
We were excited to see what they have in store for us for dessert and they certainly did not disappoint. I had the Kingston, NY white doughnut peach soup served with a powerful wild blackberry sorbet (6.5/10).
We had a lot of strawberry lovers here so of course the Tristar Cooks Falls & Santa Barbara organic strawberries with housemade amaretto ice-cream was a big hit (6/10).
But after tasting all 3 desserts, I thought the hot Valrhona chocolate souffle with white coffee cloud, coffee ice cream and chocolate mousse was the clean winner here (7.5/10).
Petite four was probably one of the least appealing part of this meal where everything else looked so rosy.
After lunch, I had a quick tour of the restaurant's basement. It included a couple of private dining rooms and their wine cellar.
What a perfect start to our visit to New York that was! All four of us were impressed with the ambiance of this place, the impeccable service and of course the quality of the cuisine. The pacing was magnificent and that's always the key for any successful fine dining restaurant.
Food Rating: 8/10
Tel: +212 964-2525
Website: www.davidbouley.com
How could we leave David Bouley without trying the chef's signature porcini flan? It was the lovely combination of Alaska live dungeness crab and black truffle dashi (8/10).
Even a very "ordinary" egg dish, they made it look like a precious jewel. Meet my organic farm egg from Connecticut served with Serrano ham, steamed polenta, artichoke and coconut garlic broth (7.5/10).
Time for some David Bouley signature bread while we were all enjoying our starters. This has to be one of the most impressive selection of homemade bread we've ever seen from a restaurant.
They have all kinds of wonderful flavors here including pistachio, fig, apricot walnut, chestnut etc. and they are all freshly baked right here. Take your pick!
They were able to maintain the very high standards with their main courses. All of us decided to go with something a little different.
As a meat lover, this was a no-brainer for me. The braised Kobe style beef cheeks with blue kale and gnocchi was a very well executed dish with the right balance of flavors (7.5/10).
The second main course was organic Long Island duck with golden Nevado dates and Hudson Valley hand milled polenta. Very juicy and tender (7/10).
Black cod in a pistachio miso marinade with organic avocado miso, kumquat puree, smoked organic farm milk and toasted buckwheat was another lovely dish and a perfect symphony of flavors and textures (7.5/10).
Pre-dessert was a silky smooth homemade gelato that was seriously good.
We were excited to see what they have in store for us for dessert and they certainly did not disappoint. I had the Kingston, NY white doughnut peach soup served with a powerful wild blackberry sorbet (6.5/10).
We had a lot of strawberry lovers here so of course the Tristar Cooks Falls & Santa Barbara organic strawberries with housemade amaretto ice-cream was a big hit (6/10).
But after tasting all 3 desserts, I thought the hot Valrhona chocolate souffle with white coffee cloud, coffee ice cream and chocolate mousse was the clean winner here (7.5/10).
Petite four was probably one of the least appealing part of this meal where everything else looked so rosy.
After lunch, I had a quick tour of the restaurant's basement. It included a couple of private dining rooms and their wine cellar.
What a perfect start to our visit to New York that was! All four of us were impressed with the ambiance of this place, the impeccable service and of course the quality of the cuisine. The pacing was magnificent and that's always the key for any successful fine dining restaurant.
Food Rating: 8/10
Price: $$$
Address: 163 Duane Street, New York 10013, NY, USA
Closest Subway Station: Chambers StTel: +212 964-2525
Website: www.davidbouley.com
United States, New York, Michelin star, French, fine dining United States, New York, Michelin star, French, fine dining
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