I’ve been to HARBS on 3rd avenue, and HARBS in Chelsea, and we find the Chelsea location better, since their menu seems to be bigger, and it is somehow more relaxing. We took others there at HARBS Chelsea several month ago, and they enjoyed the food and desserts as well. We really like their lunch options, we tried most of their offerings, but there were a few more pasta dishes that we haven’t tried. So, we went back to try them! This time, we didn’t get the lunch set, as we were planning to have desserts elsewhere. With that, we received complimentary bread, which was surprising since we don’t get that with lunch set. The bread might not look like much, but they are the special Japanese bread that they use here, so fluffy and soft, airy and light. Delicious!
The pasta that I was most curious about was Lemon & Parmigiano ($20), made with lemon, Parmigiano, arugula, and butter. The shredded Parmigiano was put into almost like a ball, sitting atop the pasta like a puffy cloud going through mountain full of dandelions.
It was certainly lemon-y, with sophisticated and elegant flavor. Not acidic or overwhelming in any way. Buttery sauce was really amazing. Cheese makes the flavor milder, bringing everything together in a perfect harmony. I really enjoyed it!
My hubby went with more of a simple, traditional style, Tomato & Mozzarella ($21). It is made with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. It was tomato-y with really fresh basil flavor. Mozzarella was super plump and fluffy! It tasted so clean and fresh. Simple comforting flavor at its best!
We saved two pieces of the complimentary bread, and used them to soak up the sauce. Also, they come with a side salad too, which were really crisp and fresh. They do such an amazing job here at HARBS Chelsea as always. The service can be kind of friendly and not-so-friendly, depends on who you get, but they are always very polite. We have tried most of all the dishes, other than just a couple more left…and since everything we tried so far have been awesome, I am sure we will return again and again! Can’t wait for all the restaurants to open back up…
HARBS – 198 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011