I finally checked “Dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant” off my bucket list as I experienced textures and flavors unfamiliar to my taste buds in an unsuspecting building in Brooklyn.
At Restaurant Yuu, reservations have to be made weeks in advance as the counter seating has only 18 seats available per session and can accommodate only 36 people per day. Upon being directed to my seat at the counter, I was presented with a menu that had my name printed on it, and a list of the dishes and ingredients being used. A curtain separated the counter seats and the kitchen. Once service was ready to start, the curtain was pulled back and revealed the chefs who would be cooking for us. Everyone had a front row seat to the culinary show that was about to begin.
The preset menu had 15 different components that combined Japanese Omotenashi (wholehearted hospitality) and high quality French cuisine. The first dish contained three individual bites of food, including tuna, lobster, and foie gras. It was beautifully presented and took me pleasantly by surprise. I would have to say it was my favorite bite of the night. The second dish was a corn consommé served in a cold, circular dish. The differing textures danced around my mouth as I quickly finished the plate. My other favorite dishes included the famous dry aged duck breast that the restaurant considers their speciality, the mushroom brioche with truffle butter, the piña colada dessert, and the fresh-out-the-oven yellow nectarine tart. The suppon consommé with eggplant and uni was another highlight of the night for me, despite the plating lacking an appetizing design.
I was particularly excited to try the caviar bump (which is an extra added fee). Aside from seeing caviar used in fancy dishes, my earliest memory of hearing about caviar came from an episode of Victorious where Robby ordered a giant bowl of it at a high-end restaurant. The caviar was presented to us very elegantly on top of bread, served with some sort of cream and edible flowers. This held a complex flavor profile that was briny yet savory, and I could see why Robby was charged an extra $300 for his gigantic bowl.
My least favorite dish would be the tomato based king crab served in a clear bowl. In my opinion, the tomato flavor overpowered the delicacy of the crab. The gin garei fish was another plate that my palate did not enjoy. However, as this was dish number eight, I was already extremely full and that may have contributed to my distaste. Another texturally interesting dish was the unagi featuring foie gras, sunchoke, and sabayon. The frothy egg yolks offered an aerated taste with the sunchokes serving as slightly crunchy pieces. This ended up being the dome under which the eel was hiding. It was delicious individually, but the combination altogether put me off a little bit.
The curated experience ended off with the waitstaff guiding us to the lounge area. Hot tea and three different types of bite-sized pastries were served. The pastries included sesame macaron, a pink marshmallow, and a miniature chocolate log. After finishing up the last bites of our 15-course meal, the chefs surprised us with a take-home bag. Inside were two different types of miniature log cakes and a thank you note for dining with Restaurant Yuu.
Overall, this was such a cool experience to be immersed in. After watching cooking shows on Food Network and recently finishing up The Bear, hearing the kitchen lingo in real life was surreal. In The Bear, the chefs emphasized creating a world-building experience for guests. At Restaurant Yuu, the service was exceptionally attentive. When I went to the bathroom, they had folded my napkin neatly and pushed in my chair for me as I sat down. They would refill our water cup frequently. The chefs established a routine where the guests would have the opportunity to be served by a different chef each time. They would even prepare dishes and showcase ingredients to those sitting at the counter. I got to watch Chef Yuu, founder of the restaurant, prepare and cut their specialty dish right in front of me. Restaurant Yuu changed my perspective on how to view the components of a dish in imaginative and unique ways, and I would highly recommend visiting a Michelin-starred restaurant at least once in your life.