Aqua, a Swanky 400-Seat London Import, Is Now Open in Flatiron | Eater NY

"A new 24,000-square-foot restaurant opens in Flatiron at 902 Broadway (between East 20th and 21st streets), seating 432 across two floors, with three private dining rooms and a private lounge that could serve as a future speakeasy. Founded by David Yeo of the restaurant group behind Hutong and modeled much like the group's long-running London sibling, the concept offers two distinct menus: the 'Roma' menu, produced in a designated Italian kitchen on the main level, and the 'Kyoto' menu, produced from a separate Japanese kitchen. The 'Roma' side features arancini, salumi, small pizzas, pasta and larger items like a spicy chicken with chanterelles, plus raw-bar items ($28 to $140), burrata and arancini antipasti ($19 to $32), pizzette with lobster ($35), linguine with clams ($27), pollo alla diavola ($48), and sides such as fried zucchini ($15). The 'Kyoto' side includes robata-grilled dishes, rice and noodles, maki, sushi and sashimi, with robata wings and pork belly ($14 to $68), seafood fried rice or Japanese mushroom udon ($34 to $44), a 12-piece sashimi platter ($72), and the signature “crystal sushi,” served with seafood and a flavored jelly — examples given are scallop, caviar, and kimchi jelly ($21). A 22-seat sushi bar — an eventual destination for an omakase menu — is 77 feet long (longer than a 60-foot regulation bowling lane). Toward the center of the space, a dramatic bar dubbed Spirit features a 44-seat counter wrapped around a massive hemp-rope sculpture (the room was designed by David Yeo and Robert Angell) and is noted for having a killer sound system; cocktails skew toward Italian or Japanese concoctions. The restaurant is open for dinner every day for now, and arrives as part of a corridor seeing an influx of trendy openings alongside places such as Passerine, Massara, and Time and Tide." - Melissa McCart