Le Bernardin

When making reservations for restaurants I was planning to visit in NYC, I debated over whether to do lunch or dinner at Le Bernardin.   We ultimately decided on lunch as our schedule was rather packed.   For $137.00, it includes 3 courses plus amuse bouche, bread and mignardise.  If you don't already know, Le Bernardin is one of the best restaurants in NYC with a 3-Michelin Star designation.  Headed by Executive Chef Eric Ripert, it is well-known for it's seafood-focused menu.

We began with an Amuse Bouche consisting of 3 bits including Raw Fluke with cucumber and green apple, Hamachi Tart with watermelon radish and Lobster Capuccino. The green apple and diced cucumber "sauce" was almost like a gazpacho.  The raw fluke was delicate and sweet with the crunch of the cucumber being a nice contrast. The hamachi was buttery soft and had the sweetness of the sea.  My favorite of the trio was the lobster cappuccino.  The combination of lobster essence and truffle exuded luxury.  Some texture was provided by bits of lobster.

Moving onto some Bread, we had a choice of 4 different ones including brioche, mini-baguette, raisin walnut and focaccia.  We were able to try all of them, and the best of the bunch was definitely the focaccia.  With a prominent rosemary essence, the focaccia was flavorful and aromatic.  Texturally, it was fluffy with a chew.  We found the brioche to be pretty solid as well with layered butteriness to go with the crispy exterior.  The mini-baguette was a bit too hard for our liking despite the interior being soft and chewy.

For Viv's first course, she had the Black Cod Nobu San, which was an ode to Nobu.  Prepared in a similar fashion, the buttery black cod was full-flavored due to the miso marinade.  On the outside, there was caramelization to heighten the sweet saltiness.  In addition to this, we found baby turnip with yuzu kosho which added crunch and acidity.  That was further enhanced by the citrus olive oil dressing.

For myself, I went for the Scallops with Sea Urchin.  If there was anything to truly represent the seafood being served at Le Bernardin, this was it.  The precision and clarity within this dish was obvious with each component.  The sliced scallops were buttery and soft while just slightly touched by heat.  They were sweet and had the brightness of the sea.  Natural flavors and textures were highlighted, but then accented by the buttery sauce.  It provided the fattiness and silkiness that helped the creamy and sweet uni meld with the rest of the dish.

For her main, Viv selected the Pan-Roasted Merluza with stuffed baby sweet peppers and a lobster gumbo sauce.  Gently-prepared, the fish was so buttery and delicate.  This exemplified the high level of cookery we were enjoying.  That lobster gumbo sauce was so rich and concentrated.  Briny, sweet, aromatic and just a touch of spice.  Super delicious.

Seeing how the whole menu was seafood except for 2 dishes, I went for the Filet Mignon.  It was prepared medium-rare as requested and properly-rested.  Despite being properly-seasoned, the steak was also blessed with a red wine shallot sauce.  It added some tangy brightness.  On the side, we had celeriac "bone marrow" which featured it as a pavé.  Adding the silky richness of bone marrow, this was actually not as heavy as I thought.  Rather, by using celeriac, it was lighter and softer than using potato.  Loved the crispy top and edges.

Onto dessert, Viv ordered the Spiced Coffee which was a spiced date-coffee cake.  It was slightly dense due to the date, which also made it sweet.  However, the coffee and spice helped balance things out with slight bitterness and earthiness.  The crunch from the tuile helped add texture while the cold coffee ice cream provided creaminess and temperature contrast.

I went for the iconic warm Peruvian Chocolate Tart beautifully-plated with 3 different chocolate tuiles with a lattice design.  Beyond the crispy chocolate treats, we found creamy Tahitian ice cream atop the aforementioned tart.  It was so chocolaty and rich with bitter dark chocolate.  Contrasting this was the firm tart shell that was only slightly sweet with another dose of chocolate.

Our final bites included Apple Butter Financier, Dark Chocolate Passionfruit and Salted Caramel Macaron.  Loved the buttery and sweet financier while the passionfruit really came through with a tangy sweetness to go with the silky and bitter dark chocolate.  Wasn't a fan of the macaron as it was a bit dense, yet it tasted good.  Overall, our visit to Le Bernardin was a bit hit and miss.  The food was generally fantastic, but the service was not representative of a Michelin 3-star establishment.  Having to ask for something twice and only getting it right on the 3rd try is unacceptable.

The Good:

- Intricate execution

- Lovely dining room

- Generally on point service

The Bad:

- For Michelin 3-star, one shouldn't need to ask 3 times for something