Restaurant Yuu

Came here for my husband's birthday and it did not disappoint! The staff was so welcoming and provided really great service -- and we loved the little personal touches like our names + Happy Birthday on our menus, and the little cake and photo they took of us.

The food -- all 15 (?) courses --was so good! Everything was really unique and had something interesting. Most of the menu changes seasonally so what I list here might not be what's served in a couple weeks/months.

I loved that the chefs came from the kitchen to explain each dish and they really made it seem like a show -- from slicing the top off the salt crust to grilling bread in front of us.

The highlights for me were the consomme, the striped mackeral + onion flatbread, the abalone risotto, the langoustine, the duck pie (their signature!) and the mojito dessert. My least favorite were the asparagus (I liked the panko crust, but just wasn't as exciting tastewise as the other dishes) and the oyster -- all still tasty, just the other dishes set a high bar!

Had high expectations for this due to lots of praise from friends! Enjoyed a dinner here but fell a bit short of expectations.

The ingredients were great and super fresh; I enjoyed the seafood based courses a lot as well as the amuse bouche. The caviar was a great add on - but definitely a LOT of caviar.

The space was super nice and there was a nice lounge area to sit and eat / drink tea. They also give a little gift bag at the end to take home!

So, there we were, feeling all fancy schmancy with our bonus money burning a hole in our pockets, and decided to celebrate with dinner at Restaurant Yuu. I have to say, for $250pp, this is easily the best value you'll find for an upscale dinner in NYC.

First, this place is like the Willy Wonka factory of culinary delights, but instead of chocolate rivers, they've got 17 courses that'll make you do the happy dance on your chair. And if 17 courses weren't enough to bang your buck, there's the extra petit fours, homemade tea, and gift bags filled with more pastries that they give you to take home. Plus, an extra-large slice of divine cake/pastry they give you if you're celebrating a special occasion (in our case, an anniversary).

Let's break down this adventure:

1) Consommé: We kicked things off with a beef and lobster consommé that was so rich, it's like they distilled the very essence of luxury and poured it into a bowl. Each spoonful was a symphony of savory goodness that made us want to hug the chef.

2) Ikura: Next up, we rode the waves of flavor with the ikura. Picture this: salmon roe swimming in a sea of brown butter and nori emulsion, topped with crunchy cucumber and a dusting of nori powder. It was like a flavor explosion in our mouths, and we were the happy victims.

3) Mussel: Then came the mussel, wrapped in a shiso leaf tempura blanket, with pickled fennel and mussel, and a zingy ume gelée. Just yum.

4) Foie Gras: The foie gras mousse was like a fluffy cloud of decadence, spiked with 12-year Yamazaki whiskey and served with honey crisp apple and red miso. It was so good, it should be illegal. Seriously, someone call the flavor police.

5) Shima-Aji: I'm not normally a mackerel fan, but I liked this striped mackerel and its sexydance of flavors, with onion and marinated olives.

6) Pissaladière: A twist on the classic flatbread. My one complaint was that the olive flavor was too strong and not well-balanced with the mackerel and onions.

7) Oyster and Wagyu Tartare: This dish was like a fancy party in our mouths. A5 Wagyu and Nisqually oyster mingled with sunchoke chip and cauliflower and oyster emulsion sauce. We felt like we were eating pure luxury on a spoon.

8) Arctic Char: A partial dud. The ingredients were on point and the char was fresh, but they forgot to season the sauce or something because every bite was....bland. I think someone in the back forgot the salt. What should've been an easy win ended up being the culinary equivalent of crickets during an awkward silence.

9) Abalone Risotto: Creamy, dreamy perfection, with koshihikari rice, kombu dashi, bamboo shoots, and nori. It was like a warm hug from the ocean.

10) Langoustine: Langoustine is probably my favorite seafood, but it's been pretty hard to find recently. This Norwegian langoustine was perfectly complemented with crème fraîche, mussel juice, and shiso oil--simple and flavorful, the way it should be.

11) Asparagus: The only true dud. Why would you batter and fry such a beautiful, thick stalk of white asparagus? I also suspect the same person who seasoned the char seasoned this dish--as in DIDN'T season it--as it was very, very bland.

12) Housemade Bread: I don't normally go crazy for bread, but I could've eaten a whole loaf of this.

13) Monkfish or Halibut: We got both, of course. I liked the earthy halibut more, but the rich monkfish would definitely appeal to some.

14) Veal or Squab: Pick both if you can. Feast on red meat perfection.

15) Canard: The climax of the night, and like all good climaxes, this one leaves you shaking with aftershocks and radiating with afterglow. The dry-aged duck breast, accompanied by minced duck leg and drizzled with a black pepper cognac and foie gras reduction sauce, was pure poetry on a plate. And let's not forget the duck innards salad, a delightful surprise that added a crunchy contrast to the tender meat.

16) Pear and Yuzu: Tasty and refreshing, like all palate cleansers should be.

17) Matcha and Strawberry: Don't worry if you're reading this and worried that there's only one dessert listed on the menu. First, this dessert is good. It's classic Japanese flavors and nothing is too sweet.

18) (Not Listed) Petit Fours: We got a caramel macaron, a marshmallow whose flavor I forget, and an orange dark chocolate roll, along with a nice hot cup of homemade mint tea. Enjoy these in the back chairs while they clear the space for the next seating.

19) (Not Listed) Gift Bag: You'll likely get two financiers of different flavors to take home, and you'll likely cry a bit with each moist bite.

I knew Yuu was the real deal when we got their limited edition strawberry pistachio cake last Christmas, and I'm glad the rest of their cooking lives up to that potential, despite a couple of duds. Do yourself a favor. Stop waffling. Book your table and thank me later.

Beautiful, spacious space. Seeing all the chefs in action every step was an experience. Space was good as well.

Enjoyed the dinner a lot. 3 out of 18 (?) dishes fell short but appreciate the creativity behind it

The foie was liquidy, feel undercooked, not sure if it's the intention?

@restaurant_yuunyc
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One of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. Without realizing it, the entire experience was nearly 3 hours. It was entertaining throughout. I love watching cooking shows and if you know me, I also love to cook as well...
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It was like a show, not so much a competition. You get to see your meal cooked and prepped right in front of your eyes... every dish was presented to you and described in detail what the dish you were about to indulge in...
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I won't go into detail of the menu items, there won't be enough room for the 15 course meal... although mine was 16 with the addition of the caviar...
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Everything was so elevated and delicious. So much flavor and textures.. I can see why @yuushimano got a @michelinguide star!! Well deserved!!!
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The staff was exceptional, your glass of water was always full!!
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I couldn't have asked for a better bday meal, and getting me the best seat in the house - many many thanks

I was looking for a French restaurant for Christmas and finally decided to go for a Sushi. I finally found this Omakase restaurant creating food inspired from France and it was a hit!

Just when you start to sit at the counter, they open the curtains similar to a theatre and you watch the chef working with the staff in front of you in the kitchen. It's just amazing.

The wine selection is fantastic and varied, the food was just unbelievable and succulent, the presentation astonishing, the details unbelievable. Overall the food quality is fresh and exceptional. Each plate is making you discovering new flavors.

It's an amazing surprise for this Japanese-French restaurant. I will come back as soon as I can.

wow. really enjoyed my experience at Restaurant Yuu. honestly, preferred Restaurant Yuu over Per Se. all dishes looked like works of art and were creative and delicious. I left full and very satisfied. had the most delicious Reisling. amazing service.

definitely recommend going ASAP before they grab more michelin stars!

Only thing I did not like is that we came with. group of friends and had to sit in a line, making it hard to talk, so i recommend coming with only one other person.

wonderful first experience at Yuu. the space is beautiful, I love the beautiful counter and the entertainment in the form of watching the kitchen and all of the grand presentations and tableside finishes. The service is very sharp for being so new.

The food is good - high quality ingredients and techniques. The big presentations were the most impressive - the salt baked veal dish and the duck pie were standouts. For a lot of others - I visited around the time the menu had just switched over so this could've had an impact, but I felt a lot of the dishes were under seasoned. Other favorite bites of the night were the confit duck heart and gizzard with grape tart, the stuffed frog leg with sancho purée and parsley sauce, oyster and a5 miyazaki tartare, the suppon consomme with custard and binchotan mushroom, and the concord grape palate cleanser.

Overall a very theatrical and fun experience, be prepared to spend 2.5+ hours for the full experience, as it's 18 or so seats and the menu progresses at the same pace for everyone - I did let them know about a time restraint and they were able to speed up the last few courses for me which was very much appreciated.

Lovely and knowledgeable staff. The food was served at a nice pace and we were stuffed by the end. We loved enjoying the last tea/dessert dish by the couches behind our original seats (such a great idea). So nice of the restaurant to offer us a Polaroid picture to celebrate our anniversary and an excellent slice of cake too.

My sense of smell was compromised due to a cold which messed up my sense of taste (I know, I was so mad at this cold!) but! The food was wonderful. So many new combinations of flavors and textures that worked so well. Highly recommend and definitely will be back to try chef Yuu's creations.

We found our fav sake ever here also! Daigo no Shizuku (ordering a few to stock up at home!)

If places like Crown Shy, Casa Enrique, Claro or any of those places are one star Mich, Restaurant Yuu should definitely be 2 star. Blows any of the recent one star experiences out of the sky.

Service was spot on

Dishes were excellent

Atmosphere inviting

Nice little lounge spot after dinner to chill at

This place should be 2 stars.