Bodai - Review - Midtown East - New York - The Infatuation
"Bodai serves a $99 vegetarian tasting menu inspired by imperial Chinese cuisine—and royal is precisely how you’ll feel at this Midtown East restaurant, seated on a silk-cushioned throne before a gilded porcelain cloche. Technically, it’s a restaurant-within-a-restaurant (it’s inside Chef Guo, where the 19-course omnivore prix fixe costs $518). But behind the intricately carved door, Bodai looks most like a Qing dynasty theme park, with traditional bronze bells, a soundtrack of classical Chinese music, and a fake gingko tree with a massive yellow canopy. Dinner is a luxurious experience at a good value. Some very delicious bites appear over the nine courses, like “riblets” of tofu skin wrapped around Korean pear. Expect many, many mushrooms: The standout soup course features nine different varieties in one dish. And your pot of complimentary tea (we like the apple rose), will be refilled with hot water at regular intervals. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Bodai is a great choice to celebrate your favorite vegetarian’s birthday, but don’t expect a party atmosphere. Instead, servers in embroidered white robes offer detailed explanations of each dish and the nutritional value of the ingredients—like the apparent immune system-boosting properties of the cauliflower. The restaurant can accommodate, at most, 12 guests per seating. At times, the loudest noise in the dining room is the gentle burbling of the water feature in the corner zen garden the chef built himself. So bring someone you’re comfortable sharing thoughtful silence with, as you both independently contemplate a plastic pomegranate tree and eat a dish called Nectar of the Gods. Food Rundown The Life Of Enlightenment (Five-Flavor Plate) The first course is a set of five colorful bites that reference the essential flavors used in Chinese cuisine. We especially like the tangy cubes of hawthorn jelly, standing in for “sour,” and the pleasantly chewy century egg, representing “spicy.” photo credit: Bodai Bodhi Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Creamy and savory, with so many layers. Morels, truffles, and seven more varieties of mushrooms are slow-cooked into a deeply flavorful broth. photo credit: Bodai Pan-Seared Boletus With Green Millet Another mushroom dish, but very different from the last. The boletus has a lovely crust and melts in your mouth like a fatty steak. photo credit: Bodai Sweet And Sour Vegetarian Riblets The contrast of the crunchy fried tofu skin crusts and the crisp segments of pear within them—plus the satisfyingly viscous sauce, sweet but not cloying—doesn’t just make for a convincing “riblet.” It’s delicious by any measure. photo credit: Bodai Nectar Of The Gods Bodai’s tasting ends with a playful, not-too-sweet dessert of papaya, peaches, and bird's nest that resembles an egg, served within an eggshell. It’s not bad, but more enjoyable to look at than it is to actually eat. photo credit: Bodai" - Molly Fitzpatrick
