Corima NYC

When booking restaurants for NYC, I was looking for something a bit different.  Look no further than an elevated Mexican-inspired tasting menu at Corima, located in Chinatown.  Chef Fidel Cabarello was a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Best Chef award.  With already a Michelin-star after its first year of operation and being named to North America's 50 Best Restaurants, Corima is one of the hottest places to dine in NYC.  We were lucky to secure a reservation!

We began with an Amuse Bouche consisting of a Beef Cecina with edamame guacamole and chapulines.  This little one-bite tart featured buttery beef that still had a meaty chew to it.  By its appearance, the beef was supremely fresh and it tasted that way too. In additon, the flavours were bright and there was some nuttiness brought forth by the grasshoppers.  Naturally, they also provide some crunch.

The most under-the-radar dish we had was the humble Sourdough Tortilla served with recado negro butter.  This was the softest and fluffiest tortilla I've ever had and on top of that, it still retained a beautiful chew to it.  Nice smokiness from the sear too.  Now that butter was super complex with creaminess, smokiness and saltiness combined with the burnt chilis and black garlic.  Lots of umami here.

Masterfully constructed, the Abalone Tostada sported layers of abalone and shiitake mushroom.  It all sat atop a crispy tostada which provided textural contrast.  As for the abalone, the slices were tender yet with the classic bite similar to Humboldt squid.  However, we also got the slightly spongy texture of the earthy shiitake as well.  I found hits of fermentation to go with the tangy salted yuzu.

Completely covered with chives, the Branzino Collar was not only a textural delight, it was also a flavor bomb.  The combination of chintextle paste and cascabel afforded intense smokiness, some brininess and just the slightest of spice.  As much as the green from the chives made things colorful, it was also important to the dish as it provided brightness.  The collar itself was buttery tender.

We moved onto the Rajas Croquette next and they were pretty light and airy.  We enjoyed the creaminess of the croquette along with the tangy spice of the jalapeno.  To literally top it off, there was some huitlacoche that offered up some fermented and earthy notes.  Served on the side was a Consomme with peashoot, ginger and sesame.  This was clean-tasting and light with the silkiness of chicken fat.

Wrapped in thinly-sliced jicama, we found the Surf Clam Crudo.  This was almost like an unsealed dumpling.  Mixed with the surf clam was green gooseberry, chayote, squid ink and coppa.  So just beyond the initial crunch of the jicama, we had the sweetness of the clam that was brightened up by the tartness of the gooseberry.  Add in the rich saltiness of the coppa and things were pretty balanced.

With vibrant colours, the spring carrots hid the Mussels underneath.  It sat atop a mole amarillo.  From here, there was another course, but it was so delicious, I ate it before I took a picture of it.  That was the Morel Taco with lamb and artichoke.  Click the link to see their Instagram picture.  That was fantastic with the with tender and juicy lamb that was not all that gamy.  Of course the morel added the unmistakable texture and flavor.  There was some spice and also brightness from the onions.

The meal kept moving along with the 10-day dry aged Turbot with white asparagus and plankton.  We found the fish to be buttery soft and delicate while retaining some firmness.  Silky with a balancing amount of acidity, the sauce was silky and smooth.  There was a background fermented hit to it which added depth while the caviar provided brininess.  Adding extra umami was the kombu foam.  Loved the crispy fish belly on the side.  It was also smoky and aromatic.

Topped with the salsa verde and celery, the 60-day aged Pork Collar was sous-vide, hence the rare color.  It ate super buttery where it required very little chewing.  The pork itself was rather mild, so the bright and tangy salsa verde did all of the heavy lifting.  Loved the fresh crunch from the celery on top as it provided textural contrast and brightness.

Topped with Avocado Leaf and cherrelle, the tangy yogurt sorbet was lightly sweet and refreshing.  There was a bit of dill water to make things herbaceaous and bright.  Hidden underneath, we had some crunchy and aromatic granola and cereal.  There was fermented hits from the black garlic while the sour notes from the yogurt kept things light.

Not satisfied with only one dessert, we added the supplementary option that was a Chocolate Tart of sorts.  It contained a rich banana ganache with chocolate mousse on top.  This was finished with some crunch from the cocoa nibs.  All of this was topped with ice cream and shaved black truffle.  This actually didn't eat as heavy as the shell was crispy while the mouse was light.  It was also not that sweet where the dark chocolate bitterness came through.  Not really sure of the black truffles though.  It didn't really go with the rest of the dessert in my opinion.  A little too overpowering.

The meal ended off with some Crispy Black Garlic Profiteroles with toasted vanilla and Passionfruit Caramel Bonbons.  Loved the contrast between the 2 bites as one was a bit savory and the other was tangy and sweet.  We even had some cookies to take away with us.  Overall, we really enjoyed the tasting menu at Corima.  It validates all of their accolades and awards a few times over.  Considering their tasting menu is only $140.00, we felt it was not only reasonable, but somewhat of a steal.  We went away full and truly impressed with Chef Fidel Cabarello's creations.

The Good:

- Modern Mexican that is delicious

- Well-priced tasting menu

- Excellent service that was not fussy

The Bad:

- Our main server was excellent, explaining everything.  But some others provided less information.