Antidote — Restaurant in New York

I've been keen to come by Antidote for ages and recently had the chance to have dinner here with some friends! We had a reservation for 6:30 on a Friday - it was packed already, and continued to be busy the whole time we were there (so definitely make a reservation).

We ordered a bunch of delicious dishes to share - some highlights:

We had the sichuan cold noodle and the dandan noodle, which were... surprisingly similar? The dandan noodle had minced pork but otherwise the peanut sauce and spicyness basically had the same flavour profile (which was probably on us not paying attention haha)

Sautéd string beans were delicious - the texture was wonderful (not overcooked too soggyness without being too hard or hard to chew), and the garlic flavour wasn't overpowering but added a nice depth to the beans themselves.

Sichuan chilli fried chicken was probably my favourite dish -- it wasn't crazily spicy by any means, but definitely had a healthy kick to it, and the chicken was so tender and juicy, and fried to a nice crisp without being too oily.

Dongpo pork was another standout - my only objection was that the ratio of fatty meat to lean meat was too high (felt a little too oily/rich), but otherwise delicious.

We also had the 'steam whole fish' which was much more meh. The fish itself was fine (tilapia tasted fresh, meat was tender and fell apart easily), but the overall flavour just felt a little bland. Ginger/scallion/soy sauce is such a classic sauce for steamed fish and its simplicity usually lets the natural flavours of the fish come through, but I fear this dish felt a bit flat overall.

Other than the food, experience was generally lovely. Service was quick and attentive, and while the noise level was definitely higher than I expected/liked, it was still tolerable to just slightly yell to have a convo hehe. Price point was a little high, but nothing too crazy (and probably expected for this kind of Chinese restaurant)

I'd love to come back to try some of their other dishes on their (fairly large!) menu - already looking forward...

A bit disappointing overall. the place looks nice and some of the food was great.

Biggest complaint was acoustics - it’s constantly loud and frustrating to have a conversation (which these days seems to be most restaurants.) It’s spacious but the walls are stone and ceiling seems to have no sound insulation so it’s not enjoyable to be in there.

Mushroom salad was incredible, peppercorn chicken was great, cocktails were incredible.

Dan Dan noodles felt a bit stale, string beans were not as flavorful as some other places. Probably will try something else if we go back since everything did look really good at the tables around us.

Service was just okay considering the price- the timing of dishes brought out was awkward, we had one dish mixed up while ordering ( probably because of acoustics) and we waited nearly 20 minutes to pay the bill after getting the food packed. Seems understaffed and overworked - everyone working there was...

Really loved the sharing plates style of eating. Among our party of 4 we split 3 small plates and then 2 larger mains. The vegetarian options on this menu were standout, boasting a large, dedicated section of the menu as well as other dishes throughout the menu. The green beans were fantastic, and we really loved the soup dumplings. The whole steamed fish was good too, just felt it needed some more salty & textural elements. But well cooked.

The space was elevated industrial and very dynamic, but funnily, the kitchen closed at 9:30 on a Thursday and they turned the lights on at 10 to start closing out tabs and clearing tables. So definitely book an earlier dinner for a weekday night if you can! If like us, you’re only free for a late dinner, just...