KITTICHAI - New York City (SoHo)

Kittichai is located on the 1^st level of the Thompson Hotel in the ever trendy SoHo area of one of the greatest cities in the world.

This incredible eatery is a very modern, sophisticated space of wood, water & orchids. The dining room surrounds a square reflection pool of floating orchids. Individual orchid blooms are suspended above the pool. The subtle and artistic lighting add a beautiful elegant touch.

My friends, Julie and Raja, and I selected the 9 course tasting menu.

Our feast included:

• fishcakes with cucumber & red onion chutney;

• “Meing” tuna tartare served in limestone tartlets with peanuts, ginger, lime and a sweet chili sauce;

• Northern Thai beef salad with very thin slices of very lean beef, Chinese long beans and roasted sticky rice powder;

• crispy whole fish resting in a very light ginger curry sauce;

• a salad of pan-seared hake dtom yum and Shanghai shoots and basil;

• sautéed gai-lan in lemon grass and chicken stock with garlic and ginger (baby bok choy, orange peppers and tomatoes);

• sliced grilled chicken breast rubbed with bird eye chili and Chinese long beans and cilantro;

• pineapple braised short ribs with a delicate green curry sauce, Thai eggplant and sweet basil. This delicacy was served over fluffy steamed jasmine rice.
  

Finally for dessert, we had a flourless Valrhona chocolate cake wrapped in a banana leaf with a fresh cream & vanilla bean mousse. Our second dessert was the banana spring rolls – a translucent spring roll dough wrapped around bananas with cored out centers filled with chocolate and nuts – complete with a dollop of burnt honey ice cream and dusted with course granules of brunt sugar.

One word – SPECTACULAR !

The restaurant offers a full menu and bar, as well as, another tasting menu with 13 courses. The extremely friendly & accommodating staff were invisibly perfect from the moment we entered the restaurant! At $69 per person, the tasting menu is a wonderful way to experience the magic coming from the kitchen of Kittichai.

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm...

www.kittichairestaurant.com

$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦

$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”