For my last Restaurant Week review, we decided to go to Spice Market for lunch. Located in the trendy Meatpacking District, this place is amazing! Well, its owner, Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges, Jojo, The Mercer Kitchen...), is no stranger to creating unique experiences and this time we were there for a treat. Inspired by Jean-Georges Vongerichten's travel in South East Asia, Spice Market has an impressive decor and as soon as you enter, you are transported miles away.
At the entrance is the bar with its wood carving and white leather stools.
Then the dining room with its custom-made colonial style furniture, mixed with artifacts brought from all Asia, the antique copper lamps and the fans. But it is only the first floor. Downstairs, an even more impressive dining room is available.
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Interestingly, they have a whole section kind of separated from the rest that can cater to large parties and provide some privacy.
So we sat at our table on the first floor and got greeted by our waiter Lionel. He explained to us that the food was served family style, each dish being brought to the table as soon as ready. We looked at the menu, inspired by South Asian street food and made our choice from the Restaurant Week deal ($25 for an appetizer, an entree and a dessert).
They brought us some papadam that is a lentil bread. It was served with a spicy tomato sauce.
I then had a house made soda called Calamansi that takes its name from a widely cultivated fruit in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
It had a fantastic color and was very citrusy.
Then, the first appetizer came. Jodi ordered the soy cured salmon served with Cilantro, crème fraiche and some Asian pear.
This was fantastic: refreshing with the crème fraiche and Asian pear, the salmon was delicious and delicate.
My pick for appetizer was the Thai beef noodle soup made with crispy garlic and herbs:
I then had a house made soda called Calamansi that takes its name from a widely cultivated fruit in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
It had a fantastic color and was very citrusy.
Then, the first appetizer came. Jodi ordered the soy cured salmon served with Cilantro, crème fraiche and some Asian pear.
This was fantastic: refreshing with the crème fraiche and Asian pear, the salmon was delicious and delicate.
My pick for appetizer was the Thai beef noodle soup made with crispy garlic and herbs:
This was very good, especially the broth that was light and milky, flavorful. The beef was sort of giving some flavor to the dish and clearly not the star of the dish. Yes, again, that broth...
For the entree, Jodi chose the Wok charred pearl noodles served with smoked tofu in a black bean sauce.
If you are still doubtful that tofu or vegetarian food can be good, you have to try this dish: the noodles were fantastic and the smoked tofu was incredible, showing that tofu does not need to be bland. Last, the sauce, which had peanuts in it, was perfect and I truly appreciated that it was not too salty.
On my side, I ordered the Tempura catfish Bahn Mi prepared with pickled carrots and mint:
Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese term for bread that refers in the culinary world to a sandwich, the bread being usually a baguette.
This was an amazing sandwich: the tempura was crunchy and not oily, the fish was perfectly cooked, the toasted baguette soft but a bit crispy and the entire sandwich was bursting in flavors, between sweet and savory, with peanuts in the bottom for an extra texture. This is definitely a sandwich to try.
Last was dessert. We tried first the banana cream pie made with caramelia chocolate sauce.
It was not your usual banana cream pie: it was a cream puff. The shell was quite good and the filling delicious, not too sweet, with some pieces of banana in it.
The second dessert was the Japanese cheese cake served with Kumquat marmalade.
This was a very good dessert, the cheese cake not being too dense, but I think the star was the kumquat marmalade that was superb.
I loved my lunch at Spice Market: again another restaurant that embraces the principle of Restaurant Week by serving spectacular dishes that make want you to go back. Not only was the decor amazing, the food was uncommon and out of this world. Bravo Jean-Georges Vongerichten!
Enjoy (I did)!
For the entree, Jodi chose the Wok charred pearl noodles served with smoked tofu in a black bean sauce.
If you are still doubtful that tofu or vegetarian food can be good, you have to try this dish: the noodles were fantastic and the smoked tofu was incredible, showing that tofu does not need to be bland. Last, the sauce, which had peanuts in it, was perfect and I truly appreciated that it was not too salty.
On my side, I ordered the Tempura catfish Bahn Mi prepared with pickled carrots and mint:
Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese term for bread that refers in the culinary world to a sandwich, the bread being usually a baguette.
This was an amazing sandwich: the tempura was crunchy and not oily, the fish was perfectly cooked, the toasted baguette soft but a bit crispy and the entire sandwich was bursting in flavors, between sweet and savory, with peanuts in the bottom for an extra texture. This is definitely a sandwich to try.
Last was dessert. We tried first the banana cream pie made with caramelia chocolate sauce.
It was not your usual banana cream pie: it was a cream puff. The shell was quite good and the filling delicious, not too sweet, with some pieces of banana in it.
The second dessert was the Japanese cheese cake served with Kumquat marmalade.
This was a very good dessert, the cheese cake not being too dense, but I think the star was the kumquat marmalade that was superb.
I loved my lunch at Spice Market: again another restaurant that embraces the principle of Restaurant Week by serving spectacular dishes that make want you to go back. Not only was the decor amazing, the food was uncommon and out of this world. Bravo Jean-Georges Vongerichten!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
| * Restaurant Name | |
|---|---|
| Spice Market | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| West Village / Asian Fusion | |
| * Street Address | |
| 403 West 13th St., New York, NY 10014 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 675-2322 |
