This is my second review of Bohemian. (You can read my first review here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/bohemian/) This restaurant still remain as one of my favorite Japanese restaurant in NYC. They are exclusive (referral-only) East Village Japanese restaurant, no online reservation or walk-in allowed here. You either have to know someone who dined here personally, or, invited by the restaurant to make the reservation. By having this strict system, it is they created a place that is quiet, peaceful “hang-out” space for family and friends. We are also planning to go back to Bohemian in Japan this Summer again (you can read my review here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/bohemian-nishiazabu/), we are super excited about that too!
We made a reservation at right when they open for dinner, so we were the first one to enter. The inside was as relaxing and welcoming as before, and great natural light coming in from the skylight. They have a new art exhibit, wonderful collection of black & white portrait photos.
Since it is not quite Summer time yet, the daylight didn’t last that long. After that, the lighting changed to warm, cozy light coming from the bar and ceilings. The place quickly became full, as they do get full house all the time. Well, with great food, comfortable atmosphere, and wonderful companies, no wonder this is a super popular spot. We sad at a table with two sofas, since there are four of us. The table had a lantern underneath the glass table top, very pretty!
We started off with some cocktails, and boy, they have amazing cocktails! I ordered their seasonal special cocktail called Secret Flowers ($14). It is made with Sakura leaf infused vodka, sake, rum, and cranberry juice. It also had Yama Momo (bayberry). It was very…well, adult-like. It was not too sweet, very elegant flavor with very nice sakura leaf flavor. Sakura leaf is used for Japanese sweets, so if you are familiar with that flavor, it is very present in the cocktail. The bayberry was interesting, I have never had bayberry before. It was soft, juicy, and more bitter than sweet, but very interesting. It was a classy drink for sure.
My husband ordered The Missing Piece ($14), which was super interesting. It is made with shochu, Japanese whiskey, Grand Marnier, coconut cream, matcha powder, and sea salt. It had a quotes under the name of the cocktail, that said “This creamy, complex & bitter cocktail went through many stages of development. Who knew, the piece missing was just a touch of Japanese whiskey.” Hence, the name, The Missing Piece. It certainly was worth the hard work and time spent developing this drink. It was deep, creamy without being thick or sweet, bitter without being too sharp, complex yet comforting. We really enjoyed this drink!
Our friend ordered sake from Senpuku Brewery from Hiroshima, in carafe ($22). It is called Shinriki Kimoto Junmai and made from Shinriki rice. The carafe made us think of elephant and pig at the same time. Maybe a really chunky elephant, or a pig with long nose… The sake had great fruity aroma, and was bitter-sweet. Easy to drink, great with strong flavored food, as it enhances its Umami.
We all decided to share their Bohemian Tasting Course ($62/person). I think we’ve ordered this maybe three, four times already at this point, but they are so good, and a great value for all that you receive! I did ask the manager if they ever change the course menu, and so far, they have no plan to change it. But, they do make sure to get the freshest ingredients, so it somehow doesn’t get old, no matter how many times you order them.
The first course is Farmer’s Fresh Vegetable Fondue. We never ordered the Tasting Course for four people before, so I was curious to see how the food will be brought out. And look at this! Thing of beauty, as always.
They get super fresh vegetables from a farmer’s market nearby, and they are really, super fresh! It comes with warm cheese for dipping, and my goodness, they are awesome! The veggies are crisp, you hear the pleasant crunch with each bite. The amount of veggies are simply double the amount you get for two people. Carrots, peppers, greens, tomatoes, and few other veggies to entice our taste buds for what more to come.
Next up is Uni Croquette. The croquette itself is actually a mushroom croquette, with fresh uni perching on top of it. The croquette is super creamy, comforting, and goes great with uni. The croquette is really hot, so better NOT to eat it with one bite. Enjoy it with a few bites, really appreciate the marriage of mushroom and uni flavors.
The third course is Washu-Beef Short Rib Sashimi. We get four pieces each. They are thinly sliced, but not too thin, and just very lightly grilled, so they cooked ever-so-slightly. This made it super soft and juicy, and melt in your mouth… Very high quality, awesome dish. Add a dab of wasabi, lemon, and roasted garlic, dip in the sauce, and it is complete! Or, you can enjoy its simple yet deep flavor of beef on its own.
At this point, we all put orders for more drinks. I ordered Bohemian Weekend ($14) again, as I really liked its fruity flavor. It is made with homemade organic strawberry syrup, rum, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, cava, and lemon twist. It is a sparkling cocktail, which is always fun. The glass is tall and nice size, you can see it next to the water glass. I really like their homemade organic strawberry syrup flavor, it is strong but not overpowering, sweet and fun.
My husband ordered Ozeno Yukidoke beer ($13), from Ryujin Shuzo Microbrewery in Gunma. It is Nrown Weizen and it came with a copper cup, which was awesome! It was light IPA and smooth, crisp and clean. Great flavor of hops.
Our friend also went with beer, Kyoto beer ($12) from Kizakura Brewery in Kyoto. It is a Belgium White Yuzu Ale, was really nice! I loved the flavor of yuzu in the beer, it did reminded me of fruity beer from Belgium, but with Japanese twist. I am glad I discovered this beer, Bohemian knows good alcoholic beverage for sure!
Back to food. I think this is my favorite dish out of the course, although it is hard to say. All the dishes are so amazing, it is not easy to pick the favorite. It is their Pan Roasted Branzino, come out in a hot iron skillet, cuddled in seasonal veggies from a farm, such as potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, zucchini, etc. And for four people, we received two of these to share, so it is two people per pan. The fish is cooked to perfection, soft and juicy, flaky and packed with flavor. The veggies are grilled just right, absorbing all the flavor as well. I love the grilled garlic in this as well. It is simply a perfect, comforting, delicious dish!
The fifth course is a choice of Burger or Rice. We again chose one of each so that we can share both dishes. The “Rice” is a Sashimi Rice Bowl, with Japanese cucumber pickles, tosa-zu jelly (a type of vinegar, made into a jelly form), topped with fresh sashimi of kanpachi, tuna, and Ikura. It is a small bowl, but with the highest of quality. And, at this point, we are getting pretty full, so it is better to have a smaller portion to better appreciate it to its fullest. This is to me like a jewelry bowl (instead of a box) stuffed with shiny, beautiful, and quality jewels.
The “Burger” is a Bohemian’s Washu-Beef Mini Burger, and comes with fried potatoes. It is a mini-burger, but with a nice, thick, good-sized patty. The patty contains pecorino cheese and sautéed onions, and with its already high quality beef, the flavor is out of this world! And those little potatoes are amazing too, I wonder how they do that???
The last but not least, dessert. I wanted to end my meal with my favorite drink here, Bergamot ($14), so I put an order in for that just in time for dessert. Bergamot is made with Earl Grey infused Gin, home-made pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, organic egg white, and Angostura Bitters. I love its creamy texture on the top, makes the drink even more mild and velvety. It has wonderful flavor of Earl Grey which I really like, and has just the right amount of sweetness. It was as good as I remembered it!
The Dessert is Yuzu Panna Cotta. It has great yuzu flavor, clean and crisp with subtle sweetness. It is a perfect dessert after strong flavored meal. Creamy and melt in your mouth, and makes you smile with each bite, thinking about what a wonderful food it was, and wanting to come back for more, again and again.
They have one bathroom, roomy, bright and clean. They of course have the best toilet, TOTO toilet. So, all the controls are on the wall, including flushing the toilet. They make it so that you never have to touch the toilet. You can even open and close the toilet lid with the button.
They had more art pieces in the bathroom, very cool and interesting too look at. They change the art exhibit every several months or so, so that is another thing to look forward to when we go back to dine here.
The service was very warm, efficient and polite. Our waitress was knowledgeable about their alcohol offerings so that any question or suggestion we asked, she gave us a good recommendation. It is always a great time at Bohemian, relaxing, delicious, and with great company! And yes, their à la carte menu is really tasty as well, each one super flavorful and delicious! Until next time…
Bohemian