As I said above, this is one of the hottest reservations in NYC right now and for good reason, but they are still working out the kinks. Had a 7 pm resy and the hostess said it’ll be a few minutes. After about ten we asked if we could go to the bar and she said that was fine…. We make our way to the bar and try to order a few glasses of wine to which the bartender says we can’t, we have no glasses. I’m like what? And he continues to say that there are no glasses. We say ok… cocktails? And he complies. My husband tries to order a glass of wine in a whiskey glass and the bartender refuses. Really weird interaction overall.
Kwame came over and introduced himself. I asked what was up with the outdoor dining… he said that they’re not really serving food out there and it’s not really open (quite contrary to the 15 guest that were seated outside ), but he helps to open it next year. One thing I noticed during my last reservation here, is that everyone in the dining room seemingly knew somebody working there.
Everyone (him, staff) must have had it beaten in to them to tell the guests ‘welcome home’ over and over. We were told this at least 4x.
We’re finally seated and they bring over a round of Jell-O shots as an apology for the 30 min wait and presumably lack of glassware. None of this matters once we start eating and ordering.
I’m never going to chose warm cream cheese (see Rangoon) so no comment on that one. The egusi dumplings are perfect, fried and rich and the pickled onion cuts through the fat.
Stars: chicken shawarma, curries goat patties, and the head on shrimp. The pork belly pernil was a new addition to the menu and it was terrible. Zero salt. We gave the waitress the feedback and she insisted on taking it off the menu. We toyed with ordering another dish but we had so much more coming. Of course, you have to get the bodega special (his take on a cosmic brownie). It’s not good. To change your life but it’s so New York. Overall, food is bangin’ maybe wait a few weeks until it cools off to try and get in.
Jolly-Truth-557 on
This is the most negative positive review I’ve ever read
BBAMCYOLO1 on
We had a similar experience and felt it was good but very much overhyped. I have to say, it always baffles me that a restaurant of this caliber would serve a dish with sauce on the outside of a shellfish which must be peeled….
PortraitOnFire on
The “welcome home” bit is bizarre. I understand it’s supposed to be welcoming and friendly but it comes off as creepy and cultish. Big fan of Kwame and have been wanting to try Tatiana for a bit so I’ll still check it out 🤷🏽♂️
jochi1543 on
I got acid reflux just looking at the pictures. You can’t have like 80% of your courses be breaded/deep-fried.
Tejon_Melero on
I love the food Kwame puts out, the controversies that follow, the hype discussions, and most of all, when he dressed like the Persian king from 300 on Top Chef.
fjaoaoaoao on
This looks cheap trying to be fancy, sort of like fancy pre-night out food. The crust on the stuffed pastries look dire, the fried elements look over fried, giant brown goop on some meats, and some massive $5 scallion pancakes.
After reading more about it, i’d still be willing to try it out, but not if it’s super expensive. The flavors and the creativity look like they could be fun.
7 Comments
As I said above, this is one of the hottest reservations in NYC right now and for good reason, but they are still working out the kinks. Had a 7 pm resy and the hostess said it’ll be a few minutes. After about ten we asked if we could go to the bar and she said that was fine…. We make our way to the bar and try to order a few glasses of wine to which the bartender says we can’t, we have no glasses. I’m like what? And he continues to say that there are no glasses. We say ok… cocktails? And he complies. My husband tries to order a glass of wine in a whiskey glass and the bartender refuses. Really weird interaction overall.
Kwame came over and introduced himself. I asked what was up with the outdoor dining… he said that they’re not really serving food out there and it’s not really open (quite contrary to the 15 guest that were seated outside ), but he helps to open it next year. One thing I noticed during my last reservation here, is that everyone in the dining room seemingly knew somebody working there.
Everyone (him, staff) must have had it beaten in to them to tell the guests ‘welcome home’ over and over. We were told this at least 4x.
We’re finally seated and they bring over a round of Jell-O shots as an apology for the 30 min wait and presumably lack of glassware. None of this matters once we start eating and ordering.
I’m never going to chose warm cream cheese (see Rangoon) so no comment on that one. The egusi dumplings are perfect, fried and rich and the pickled onion cuts through the fat.
Stars: chicken shawarma, curries goat patties, and the head on shrimp. The pork belly pernil was a new addition to the menu and it was terrible. Zero salt. We gave the waitress the feedback and she insisted on taking it off the menu. We toyed with ordering another dish but we had so much more coming. Of course, you have to get the bodega special (his take on a cosmic brownie). It’s not good. To change your life but it’s so New York. Overall, food is bangin’ maybe wait a few weeks until it cools off to try and get in.
This is the most negative positive review I’ve ever read
We had a similar experience and felt it was good but very much overhyped. I have to say, it always baffles me that a restaurant of this caliber would serve a dish with sauce on the outside of a shellfish which must be peeled….
The “welcome home” bit is bizarre. I understand it’s supposed to be welcoming and friendly but it comes off as creepy and cultish. Big fan of Kwame and have been wanting to try Tatiana for a bit so I’ll still check it out 🤷🏽♂️
I got acid reflux just looking at the pictures. You can’t have like 80% of your courses be breaded/deep-fried.
I love the food Kwame puts out, the controversies that follow, the hype discussions, and most of all, when he dressed like the Persian king from 300 on Top Chef.
This looks cheap trying to be fancy, sort of like fancy pre-night out food. The crust on the stuffed pastries look dire, the fried elements look over fried, giant brown goop on some meats, and some massive $5 scallion pancakes.
After reading more about it, i’d still be willing to try it out, but not if it’s super expensive. The flavors and the creativity look like they could be fun.