Amavi in NYC
I was really looking forward to dine at Amavi, a Mediterranean restaurant located Midtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, we left a bit disappointed by the whole experience and here is why. It started well, with the restaurant being beautiful and cozy. What I did not know is that the back room is used for hookah and so, as we sat next to its entrance, we started to get smoke as the evening went by. Annoying when you are a non smoker, even if not as thick as a cigarette or cigar would make. Still. I started off the meal with their signature espresso martini ($21), that was nicely decorated on top with cacao powder. After the first sip, I had to get another one to make sure my first impression was correct: it was bland. I preferred the Lychee Enchanted mocktail ($13) Jodi ordered that had lemongrass, aloe Vera, lemon, agave, London essence peach and jasmine. Refreshing, it was well balanced with all these ingredients.
Amavi in NYC
Hookah room at Amavi in NYC
Espresso martini at Amavi in NYC
Lychee enchanted at Amavi in NYC
For our appetizer, we got their caramelized onion hummus ($19), that was creamy and nicely sweet thanks to the caramelized onion. Definitely a must have. It came with some grilled pita that was fluffy and nicely charred, but we had to ask for more. In fact, I had to ask twice as our first request seemed to have been forgotten. For her main, Jodi got the whipped roasted eggplant ($19), that seemed to be their whipped version of babaganoush, but was not that tasty. She also got grilled mushrooms ($15) that were, however quite nice, earthy and comforting. On my side, I got the grilled whole branzino ($69), that they dressed with fresh herb butter and pearl onions. The fish was perfectly cooked, but they could have done a better job with deboning it. As a side, I ordered their brown butter mashed potatoes ($15), that I thought would be amazing, but it was like a soup with the brown butter being overpowering and as if I was just eating butter. I really did not enjoy that dish.
Caramelized onion hummus at Amavi in NYC
Whipped roasted eggplant at Amavi in NYC
Brown butter mashed potatoes at Amavi in NYC
Grilled mushroom at Amavi in NYC
Branzino at Amavi in NYC
For dessert, we got their Dubai cheesecake ($22), that had a kataifi crust and was covered with pistachios, with, on the side, a delicious chocolate sauce to pour over. This was a good dessert, even if I thought that the crust was not consistent, too thin on one side to taste it. The cheesecake itself was dense and creamy otherwise.
Dubai cheesecake at Amavi in NYC
Overall, the food was mixed and a bit disappointing, expensive for what it was, and the service not what you would expect in such restaurant. I would pass.
Enjoy (…)!
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Amavi - 4 E 36th St, New York, NY 10016
