The Best Tofu

Chocolate Souffle Cupcake

I have a weakness for desserts. I don't think a meal is complete without one, and when Top Chef season five then-finalist and eventual winner Hosea planned a three course menu that concluded with venison, I thought it was ridiculous. He won the competition with that menu, but really, who orders food like that in a proper restaurant?

In New York, I would like to think that I've had a decent exposure to the dessert scene. I've found the best pecan pie at Balthazar, the richest ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, the most sinful whipped cream at Peter Luger, my favorite cupcake at Magnolia Bakery and recently the most delicious tofu I've ever had.

Black Sesame Sweet Tofu

I went to Kyotofu at the recommendation of a few friends who, like me, find desserts to be a guilty but necessary indulgence. Even though the mid-town dessert bar got its name from a Kyoto tofu manufacturer, I had no intention for tofu at all. I made the trip only because its chocolate souffle cupcake was touted by nymag as the best cupcake in the Big Apple. Being a cupcake fiend, how could I resist the temptation? Luckily for me, I brought a friend along.

HY ordered the tofu and cheesecake for lunch (yes, there are people out there who treat desserts as a proper meal) while I got the unagi and cupcake. Heck, when the food came it didn't matter who ordered what; it was a free for all. The barbecued unagi arrived first.

Barbecued Unagi

The sea eel was wrapped in phyllo dough together with a thin slice of sancho pepper. There was some kind of a sweet sauce that was drizzled onto the pastry which was light and flaky, exactly like that of a baklava which I adore. This dish was good but the portions definitely fell under the appetizer category even though it was a main course.

Sweet Potato Tofu Cheesecake

The three desserts came all at one time, spurring a particular gentleman next to our table to comment rather indiscreetly that we ordered a huge amount of sweets. The ladies with him were almost gawking at the dishes we had on our table while trying to figure out what was what. I don't blame them though; food deserves attention. The cheesecake was ok - I didn't really taste the tofu part, but it was palatable. The cupcake was light, not as airy as a souffle but much fluffier than the ones at Magnolia. Cake to cake, Kyotofu outdid my favorite cupcake joint, but cupcakes without icing are... muffins? As you might have guessed, this one didn't blow me away.

The one that left a mark was the tofu. Man, I never knew tofu could taste like that. Taste-wise, it was very close to the Chinese black sesame paste that I'm used to back home in Singapore, except this is lighter and less cloying. In the texture department, this one wins hands down because I'm not a big fan of drinking my dessert. Don't expect silky soft tofu though, because this dish isn't like that. It feels more dense, likely because of the ground black sesame, and as a result richer. The tofu came with roasted green tea syrup, but really I think it's just an accessory to make the dish look more sophisticated. I don't need all that fluff and prettying. This tofu is as good as it gets.

Le Bernardin

No, we did not see French executive chef Eric Ripert or pastry chef Michael Laiskonis. With that out of the way, let's get to the real reasons why 4 foodie friends and I dined at the highly-reputed establishment.

Smoked salmon spread served with thinly sliced toast

Le Bernardin is deliberately subtle, but at the same time that subtlety is all about mastery. I must have walked by the restaurant more times than I can count with both hands, but I had never noticed that it was right there. Walking into the main dining room, we were greeted by lofty ceilings, 19th and 20th century oil paintings tastefully hung on blue walls, and wooden finishings. The sunlight pouring through the French windows lining one side of the room made it all the more welcoming.

Once seated, we were brought water (in Riedel glasses I noticed) and the wine list but none of us were quite in the mood for a tipple that day so we gave alcohol a pass. Bread was served shortly after, and I must say that the salmon spread was a great way to start off the meal. It was smokey and rich - delicious.

Ultra Rare Scallop - Sake Nage; Lily Bulb and Shiso

We all ordered from the lunch prix fixe menu which came with three courses. The first course from either the "simply raw" or "barely touched" sections, the second course from the "lightly cooked" section, and desserts from a separate menu. I ordered the scallop, wild striped bass and langoustine, as well as a hazelnut-themed dessert.

The scallop was unlike any scallop that I've tasted - I don't think I've ever had scallop cooked this rare. There was no bite to the precisely-cut slivers. Every piece was so delicate and smooth. The broth and vegetables were very light as well, presumably so that the diner could enjoy the full flavours of the mollusk.

Baked Langoustine and Striped Bass

My main course was again light but done beautifully. The seafood was served with confit tomato agnolotti, and a consomme with curry emulsion. There was nothing on the plate that got in the way between my palate and the sweet freshness of the bass and langoustine. Every bite was a delight and the tomato-filled pasta was really quite refreshing. Quite truthfully, this was a dish that made me understand the philosophy at three Michelin-starred Le Bernardin. It's all about building flavours around the fish, and the most challenging part is how not to overwhelm the star on the plate. Kudos to chef Ripert.

Hazelnut - Gianduja Cream, Hazelnuts, Banana and Brown Butter Ice Cream

The last course was regrettably the most disappointing. HY and I had caught an episode of Iron Chef where Laiskonis squared off against Batali. In that episode, Laiskonis prepared an exquisite dessert that was served in an egg shell. Gimmicky maybe, but I would have loved to sample that. We saw the exact same dish being served to diners at the adjacent table, and upon asking our waiter informed us that it was part of the lunch tasting menu. Well, too bad for us. What disappointed, however, was that our desserts did not blow us away like we expected. Perhaps Laiskonis' accolades raised our bar too high. Nevertheless, the dish was still done well, just not amazing.

Mini Financiers

The meal ended with complimentary warm mini financiers (the cake, not the people at Wall Street) wrapped in a napkin. I highly recommend this establishment to anyone who enjoys the natural flavours of seafood. Visit not for ostentation but for the lack of it, because simplicity at its best is what really counts here.