Since writing in my blog has become a daunting task as I have increased my visits to notable restaurants, I have decided to revamp my review style. From now on, I will simply list the drinks and dishes I tasted, comment, and judge taste on scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best); and write a line or two about the ambiance and service. Then, some closing remarks. So, let’s see if I know how to be succinct!
Buddakan Dishes I tasted:
1. Edamame Dumplings: Green bite size dumplings with a thick and dense skin. Inside, a buttery, savory, smooth, creamy, and incredibly tasty soy bean filling that just melts in your mouth. Served with a delicious dipping sauce. (5)
2. Chili Rock Shrimp: Generous portion of crispy fried rock shrimp lightly glazed with a tangy sweet & sour sauce. Perfectly salty and delicious with rice. (4)
3. Tuna Tartare Spring Roll: My favorite. Thin rolls of chilled fresh tuna wrapped in a crispy (yet non greasy) wafer thin lumpia wrapper. How do they do this? (5)
4. General Tso’s Dumpling: round dumplings with potsticker like skin encompassing a ground chicken mixture and a sweet and sour soy sauce that bursts in your mouth as a surprise Deliciously chewy – but need to eat these in one bite to avoid any spillage! (5)
5. Wild Mushroom Chow Fun: Gummy wide egg noodles made elegant with generous portions of wild mushrooms – great soy saucy accompaniment to the rest of the dishes, and not terribly greasy like most noodles. (4)
6. Lobster Fried Rice: Flaky fried white rice with large chunks of lobster. Surprisingly generous with the lobster, but rice wasn’t as sticky as I would have liked, and lacked a lobster flavor. (3)
7. Charred Filet of Beef: Perfectly tender sashimi-sized chunks of beef with mild buttery mustard dipping sauce. Quite clean and delicate for a beef dish. (5)
8. Glazed Alaskan Black Cod: Another favorite – light and delicate chunk of fish with miso sauce – falls apart with the touch of a fork and melts in your mouth! Great partner to rice dish. (5)
9. Chocolate Mille Feuille: Light but beautiful dessert, dark chocolate thinly layered cake w/ bruleed bananas and spice chocolate cream. Had a light wafer crunch, great amount of sweetness. (4)
Considering the trendiness and hype of Buddakan, I had very low expectations for this restaurant’s food. I was stunned by the quality and quantity of its dishes, and even more surprised to find that for four people, we were able to consume all the food plus 1-2 drinks each for only $200 total! No doubt you will have to wait for your table at the bar (regardless of reservations), but it’s definitely worth it. Dress to impress. Waiters are accessible and helpful, but not over the top friendly.
This restaurant deserves a 5!!!! So delicious and so much fun to bring a group.
We have to go back there at some point…I want those general tso dumplings!p.s. I like the new format
I am excited about eating here with you and the crew. A little disappointed that the lobster fr was not higher rated, but pleasantly surprised with your review of the beef (not your usual favorite). How about the drinks? Any specialty cocktails of note. I intend to investigate this personally, and am interested to see how this place compares to Tao.