Having heard great things about Tao this was our first visit to the restaurant chain......and it did not disappoint!
Entrance and Bar - We had booked a table for dinner at 8.30pm, but unfortunately it was not ready and therefore sat in the small bar area for a drink - not a massive problem and only meant that the night lasted longer. The bar is quite small, at the front of the building with low seating, and by the time we had finished 1 drink were taken to our table......which was worth the wait. It seemed to be a popular spot with the locals too!
Table and Restaurant - As your enter the restaurant you are welcomed by the sight of the large, impressive Bhudda located centrally at the back of the building. There are large tables near the Bhudda, but we were given a table on the upper level overlooking it - at my request.
Food and Experience - Our food was beautiful and we could not fit room in for desert as we love east asian food and could not resist ordering more than actually needed!
We started with some Chicken Satay and 2 types of Gyozas (Shanghai Vegtable and Chicken) - all of this delicious! The chicken tasted amazing, and was chunky and juicy.....just wish there had been 4 instead of 2! The Gyozas were delicious, of a good size, and well portioned - we were able to have 2.5 each!
The staff in the restaurant were excellent whilst also being aware that it was Mrs BTR's birthday - and lucky enough to have the table that we did. We enjoyed the view of the Bhudda and a short break before our mains arrived.....which we some how managed to fit in.
For our main dishes we ordered prawn pad Thai, coconut crusted jumbo prawns and crispy roasted pork belly! Not one of these dishes disappointed - with our favourite being the PRAWNS!! OMG!! Good size, lightly crusted and fried - they were PERFECT!!
We did not have room for desert......as 3 days in New York had started to take it toll and we were fooded out.....with a few more days to go still!
If your in Upper Manhattan and like East Asian food then get on the phone and make a reservation at Tao - the vibe of the place was excellent (we had to wait - but good things come to those who wait) , food was aaaamazing and seeing the Bhudda was pretty cool
Until next time......