Isabella T.
Yelp
As a huge fan of sister restaurant, Llama San, I knew I had to run to try this place as soon as I heard about it. My fiancé and I made reservations for dinner on a Saturday at 7:30pm with around a week in advance without any issue. This restaurant is located around Chelsea and it is on the corner of the first level in one of those newer high rise buildings. The space is beautiful, with giant windows that surround the restaurant giving it a very open feel, as well as red neon lights that give it a nice glow and a mysterious, moody night vibe. There is plenty of seating around the bar, and also the kitchen (they have an open kitchen which I found very cool!). Our waitress was super nice and broke down the menu for us, explaining how this place is more izakaya style and they offer a lot of small plates to share and several options for alcoholic beverages. The cocktail menu had plenty of options which all looked great but we tried the Papa sour which was basically a pisco sour but with a little sour tart element which I loved, and also the Fino y Elegante which had a more savory flavor and reminded me of a negroni. My fiancé got he Misticollins as well which had refreshing elects from the cucumber and smokiness of the mezcal. All very good, well balanced, and beautifully presented! For food, we were not super hungry to begin with so we shared a few small dishes:
- Fluke tiradito: super fresh fish, in a delightful creamy and citrus avocado sauce, perfectly balanced by sweetness from juicy grapes, and with a nice touch of nutty crunch from toasted rice and sesame seeds. Super refreshing and also beautifully presented.
- Blue crab maki: very good sushi! Lightly panfried exterior, with a nice gentle filling of avocado and cucumber. The real star of the show was the fresh blue crab topping that was mixed with a homemade tartar sauce. Perfectly decadent with its fried and creamy elements.
- S&B Curry mussels: one of our favorite dishes of the night... wow! Generous serving of mussels in a thick, creamy, aromatic, and sweet curry. This came over a bed of rice that soaked up all the sauces and had some tofu for extra texture as well as crispy corn for an added crunchy and salty element. Amazing. Do not sleep on this dish.
- Eel pizza: I do not understand how they make this pizza and I never fathomed this could be possible but this was phenomenal! The dough itself reminded me of a scallion pancake with its subtle flakiness and butteriness. The sweet eel sauce complimented the level of savoriness from the dough in the most perfect way. The bonito flakes added a deep umami flavor that was reminiscent of bacon without using pork and the creamy pecorino was the perfect addition to elevate this even one step further without overpowering or toppling the already perfect balance achieved in this dish. Would literally come here just for drinks and eel pizza.
- Cacio e pepe udon: another absolute hit! This take on cacio e pepe consisted of a creamy cheesy sauce, perfectly chewy and thick udon noodles but with a fun twist-- wok squid! If you love creamy seafood dishes, this one is 100% for you. Perfect balance of flavor, generous serving of seafood. Very comforting. Would also order again.
- Lucuma soft serve: amazing end to our meal. The lucuma soft serve had a beautiful, slightly grainy texture which felt very nice with the soft wooden spoon they give you to eat it. The flavor of the lucuma reminds me a bit of caramel or a sweet potato which is perfect for a dessert. This came topped with a generous amount of this rich chocolate sauce with deep flavor of cacao and little sugar, again, perfectly balanced and super satisfying as the end to an unforgettable meal.
Overall, I thought this new concept was fantastic and I absolutely loved Papa San. I thought the Nikkei elements were still very much alive in the menu, with creative twists to beloved traditional dishes that were surprising and provided a very wholesome culinary experience. The ambiance is also super nice for a fancy date, perfect for cocktails and splitting some smaller bites. We did not try any of the main plates so we will have to come back when we have a bigger appetite before I can comment on those specifically. Of note: I will say, the price is a little on the higher as tends to be the case with the rest of the Llama restaurants, but the quality of ingredients is exceptional and the intricacy of each dish really makes it worth it in my opinion (even as a splurge once in a while!) 10/10 would recommend!