Buddakan
1 | Vermilion
This sister restaurant to the Chicago original melds the vivid flavors of India and Latin America in delicious, inventive dishes to quite literally bring something new to the table. The two-story Midtown space—owned by Rohini Dey and helmed by executive chef Maneet Chauhan—has a lounge below, a massive dining room above and plays off its name in its décor while infusing its food with a similarly fiery quality. Start with the delicious blue-corn-crusted scallops with kali mirch (black peppercorn) and a purée of calabasa and goat cheese or the smooth squash-coconut soup with curry leaves. Move on to the crab konkani—jumbo-crab-stuffed Oaxacan crepas de huitlacoche and Inca red quinoa—or caldeirada de peixe, a Brazilian seafood and vegetable stew with Indian spices and tomato rice. For dessert, the Vermilion Immoderation features three of the restaurant’s sweet treats, while the mango-cardamom flan with coconut foam and pink peppercorn and the mora berry mousse gelée with cumin ice cream and channa chor brittle are intriguing ways to end things. 480 Lexington Avenue, 212-871-6600
2 | Buddakan
With its sky-high ceilings, exotic décor and grand scale, Buddakan truly knows how to put on a show. Opened by restaurateur Stephen Starr in 2006, the former Nabisco factory is a labyrinth of lounges (perfect for sipping cocktails like the Fate, made with elderflower, pineapple and prosecco) and dining rooms. Executive chef Lon Symensma—who cooked in Michelinstarred eateries in the South of France before traveling through China and Southeast Asia— starts things with dim sum, including jade shrimp dumplings. Noodle dishes shine (including chilled udon with lime sorbet and peanut sauce, which manages to be both light and rich) and entrées feature whole crispy fish with Napa cabbage, apples and water chestnuts; roast duck and noodles with superior broth and duck dumplings; and Mongolian lamb chops with crystallized-ginger crust. If you’re still up for an adventure at the end, dig into the chocolate mille feuille with brûléed bananas, spiced chocolate ice cream and avocado (yes, avocado). 75 Ninth Avenue, 212-989-6699
4 | Macao
Macao Trading Co., the result of a partnership between the people behind speakeasy-styled Employees Only and the owner of Naked Lunch, Patrick Fahey, is an exotic spot that channels the cultural melting pot that is Macao. Below you’ll find a sexy den where you can sip precisely mixed cocktails (try the Yellow Fever, made with Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Benedictine and egg white). The African- and Indian-inflected food by chef David Waltuck, chef and owner of Chanterelle, is served family- style in Chinese or Portuguese preparations (Manila clams with black beans and chilies is Chinese, for instance, while the Portuguese version combines the clams with choriço). Among the small dishes are Macanese chicken dumplings in chili oil and Portuguese-style mushroom-béchamel croquettes. Large dishes include crispy whole snapper with ginger and scallion, Macanese paella, and prawns, Portuguese- style (with garlic butter) or the Chinese way (with chili peppers). 311 Church Street, 212-431-8750
5 | Shang
Located in the Thompson LES, Shang—which opened in December last year—offers a broad menu of Asian fusion delicacies by chef Susur Lee. His focus is what he refers to as “global Chinese,” which encompasses China and all the countries Chinese emigrants have settled in throughout history. Start with the curry lobster bisque with soft scallop and hints of lemongrass, or the towering Beijing cucumber salad with a miso barley and soy vinaigrette over avocado, per simmon and lotus crisps. Diver scallops come wrapped in bamboo leaves with “eight treasure” rice (sticky rice with eight dried fruits) and chorizo. Meat offerings include the crispy garlic chicken, Hunan spicy orange pork ribs and marinated skirt steak with hazelnut- shallot brown butter and chili ponzu. If that culinary journey is a bit too involved, lighter bites await at the recently opened Shang Terrace, a more casual environment with dishes like cheeseburger spring rolls, dumplings and Thai satay. Thompson LES, 187 Orchard Street, 212-260-7900
6 | Tabla
While more casual than the upstairs dining room, the colorful, lively ground-floor Bread Bar at Indian standout Tabla leaves nothing to chance in its pursuit of authentic, delicious fare. Try the saag paneer pizza of spiced creamed spinach with goat cheese on crunchy corn rôti or the entirely delicious onion rings, dusted in chickpea flour, cornmeal and Aleppo pepper and fried to perfection. Pillowy garlic naan is the perfect accompaniment to chicken tikka with roasted caulifl ower in a savory peanut-and-yogurt curry—a tasty take on the classic, which uses curry leaf and ginger. Crispy tilefish is marinated in malt vinegar and served with red chilies and cumin; Bombay beef cutlets are spiked with ginger, chilies, cumin and three types of chutney. And for dessert, a mound of hot sugar-dusted doughnuts with three dipping sauces, including a spot-on chocolate version, was positively obsessive. 11 Madison Avenue, 212-889-0667
