Tao's, New York

Tao's is a chic restaurant close to central park. The restaurant is apparently frequented by all sorts of celebrities. We went there one evening without a reservation and it was completely packed with no chances of getting a table. We came back another day, had a drink and waited for about half an hour for a table.

Bar area

Upstairs seating area

We sat at the bar area where you can also eat if you do not get a table in the dining area. You have to pay for your drinks before you leave to your table. They do not just book everything onto one tab. You can also see that the waitresses really want their tipps because they say thank you at least ten time and circle the 'suggested' 20% on the bill accompanied by various smiley faces on the bill. The bar area was good for people watching though. You see the Sex and the City crowd and lots of young girls/women looking to find a rich guy.

Chicken dumplings

We ordered dumplings as a starter and a bottle of sake recommended by the waiter. The sake was nice but not the best and quite expensive. The size of the bottle was written in units which were not really familiar to us Europeans. 

Thai chicken

I had the chicken in spicy sauce. The sauce was good and the coriander on top was also nice. The chicken itself was not very lean though. It had a couple of fatty lumps which were not edible. I had had chicken at Tao's the last time I had been there which was two years ago. That chicken had been incredible but this dish was a little disappointing. 

Salmon with noodles

We also ordered salmon with noodles. This was a nice dish but not extraordinary.

Crispy apple blossoms with vanilla bean ice cream

For desert we ordered the crispy apple blossoms with vanilla bean ice cream. What I did not like at the end is that people were leaving and the waiter at some point just brought us the bill without us even asking. This basically means get out to me.

Koi fishes swimming by the Buddha

Buddha statue

All in all, I would say that this place is overrated. The ambience is nice and you have some luxuries like a toilet man with mouth wash, perfume, etc. but it is clear that they want you to spend money and get out in order for the next crowd to get in. The food itself was interesting but not extraordinary. The prices are definitely on the higher end. Cocktails were very good, I must say. It is worth a visit but I would definitely not queue up to get in. Value for money is not very good in terms of food. It is one of these places where people just want to go and see for themselves without any great culinary expectations.