Koi

After going to most of the major Asian "restoclubs" of Manhattan such as Tao, Ajna Bar (formerly Buddha Bar), Buddakan and unfortunately Geisha, I had to try out Koi. Koi is the restaurant in the Bryant Park Hotel above the Cellar Bar. Its a hot spot during fashion week and moderately crowded the rest of the year (reservations aren't too hard to come by). The restaurant is long but narrow space that is elegantly decorated. A large latticed canopy that resembles honeycomb stretches throughout the entire restaurant and chic, modern light fixtures hang from the high ceilings above both dining areas and the lounge. The menu is similar to Geisha's serving a Pan-Asian menu which leans more to the Japanese side as opposed to Chinese or Thai. The menu is a bit on the expensive side but the prices aren't any different from Tao's and I found the food to be better. The sushi is shockingly fresh which is unexpected at a place where pulsating music flows from the lounge up to the sushi bar. The Roasted Duck atop roasted Green Peppers was also fantastic. The duck was cooked well and seasoned perfectly. The peppers were also mild and added that extra flavor to the duck. The service is also attentive enough for a restaurant as boisterous as Koi and they really do care about food allergies. The manager came to our table and assured me that both the sushi chefs and the kitchen were notified about my allergy. As for the atmosphere, Koi does a good job of keeping the place lively but Buddha Bar and Tao do a better job of making their dinner service seem like a non-stop party. The food happens to be better than Buddha Bar and is far superior to other options such as Geisha. Overall I was pretty pleased with Koi and I would be happy to return again in the future!