Bricolage — Restaurant in New York

Bricolage – Vietnamese French Fusion in Park Slope

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Bricolage delivers a vibrant blend of Vietnamese-French flavors in a space that feels artistic, relaxed, and true to its name—bohemian and playfully eclectic. While the food is often exceptional and the atmosphere inviting, inconsistent service and lapses in cleanliness detracted from an otherwise memorable evening.

Service: Carly, our server, was a true professional—knowledgeable, warm, and intuitive with her recommendations. She guided us through the menu with ease and made us feel genuinely cared for. Unfortunately, the rest of the service team was far less attentive. Two other servers (one male, one female) rushed to clear our table while we were still waiting for dessert. One of them removed plates but left used silverware directly on the table. Adding to the disappointment: the restaurant overlooked the birthday noted in our reservation, which felt careless and impersonal.

Food: When Bricolage gets it right—and it often does—the flavors are bold, layered, and beautifully executed. • Crispy Imperial Rolls (Chả Giò): A standout. Stuffed with pork, shrimp, glass noodles, and wood ear mushrooms, these rolls came out piping hot with a golden, shatteringly crisp exterior. Wrapped in fresh lettuce and herbs (basil, mint) and dipped in a spicy fish sauce that I could’ve happily drunk straight from the bowl. • Tamarind BBQ Ribs: Served with pickled red onions and Thai basil olive oil. Cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, but oddly under-seasoned—they desperately needed salt to come alive. • Coconut Green Curry Lamb Shank: Braised to fall-off-the-bone tenderness, served with sautéed Chinese broccoli, crispy shallots, peanuts, and jasmine rice. The curry was rich, earthy, and deeply comforting. Unfortunately, the rice was dry and stale—clearly made the day before and a noticeable miss. • Special of the Day – Szechuan-Spiced Boneless Half Duck: Easily one of the best duck dishes I’ve had in NYC. Perfectly pink, deboned, and served with a smooth taro mash, grilled endive, and a pineapple-ginger-garlic confit sauce that brought sweet heat and umami depth. Masterfully composed. • Five-Spice Mango Cheesecake: The cheesecake itself was lush, delicately spiced, and had a beautiful texture. The topping, however—a slice of hard, unripe mango—clashed with the rest. The ginger-blueberry sauce was applied so sparingly it was almost symbolic. A mango mousse and more of that sauce could turn this into something unforgettable.

Cleanliness: This was where things took a hit. When we sat down, one of the sharing plates already on the table had caked-on food residue—something that should never be missed in a properly set table. Combined with the stale rice, it suggested a lapse in both front-of-house and kitchen standards.

Ambience: The space is inviting, unpretentious, and artsy—a casual, bohemian mix of textures, plants, and thoughtful design details. It feels lived-in and expressive in the best way. The sound level was perfect: lively but never overwhelming, encouraging conversation and ease.

Ratings Breakdown: • Food: 4/5 • Ambience: 5/5 • Cleanliness: 2/5 • Service (Carly): 5/5 • Service (other staff): 1/5

Conclusion: Despite missteps in cleanliness and some unpolished service, Bricolage is worth a return visit. The food, especially the duck, rolls, and curry, shows serious skill, and the creative, soulful vibe of the place is hard to resist. With a bit more consistency and attention to detail, it could become one of our favorite destinations...

THE COUPLE • Honestly, I can't even blame Alex for sneaking a bite... The food was that damn good‼️😂❤️ • THE COOKBOOK • Unshaking Beef - Masonic Village Farm ribeye, pearl onions, scallion, lime-pepper sauce💥 . House Made Banh Canh Noodle -coconut milk, tofu, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts😍 • THE CHEF • “Opening a restaurant is not just about being able to cook. We both worked for many years with Charles Phan in San Francisco, managing his restaurants. Ultimately, the difference between managing and owning a restaurant is profound; now we have skin in the game. . So, why New York? Hah, everyone wants to be in New York, it’s exciting! You know the song ‘If you make it in New York, you can make it everywhere'! Our mentor, Charles Phan, followed the concept of letting ingredients shine and we admire him for elevating the Vietnamese cuisine, and for introducing it to the mainstream in California. We’ve realized that there aren’t a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in New York, and the ones that you see are more the typical Banh-Mi shops or the old-school Vietnamese restaurants. . We aim to change the perception of Vietnamese food and to introduce a fresh, modern Vietnamese concept. Due to the Vietnam War there is no long-term exposure to the Vietnamese cuisine or culture in America. Refugees brought over Vietnamese dishes, but they were trying to survive here, so it wasn’t the same caliber of cuisine as one would see in Vietnam. . We've been fortunate to find a great group of chef friends with whom we try to push the envelope and modernize Asain cuisines by taking good ingredients and investing the necessary time to create something worthwhile. Our collective friendship over time blossomed into @AsianFoodMafia where we and other chefs meet monthly to cultivate culinary ideas, support one another, and quite frankly, just have fun! We aspire to further elevate Asian cuisine as there's much to be appreciated in its diversity, nuance and flavor. For us, we can already see changes in how Vietnamese cuisine is being perceived and it's truly fantastic!" ~ Lien & Edward Lin (Chefs/Owner of...

Arrived a little before 7 PM for our 7PM reservation for a party of 6. Hardly anyone was there, they seated us right away and brought us tap water. From then on, the waiter didn't come by at all until 7:30PM and that's after we waved him down because he wasn't coming by. While we watched him go to all the other tables that sat after us. Throughout the service, they barely came over. We waited a while for our food and then when it finally came, the waiter didn't come back at all until we waved him down for the check. We didn't get water refills until we asked the bus boy for water. We pulled out a card to pay and then it took the waiter again another 15 minutes until he came back to get it when we waved him down. They charged a mandatory 20% tip on the bill and didn't actually provide any service to earn that, which was probably because they knew they were charging the 20% tip anyways. Also, it was not noted on the menu anywhere that they were going to charge 20% for tips for a larger group. If they didn't provide such horrible service, the 20% on top would have been okay. The receipt had an option to add tip on top of the ridiculous amount they already charged on top of the bill. We sat at 7PM, didn't get to order until 7:30PM, left the restaurant at 9:10PM while taking only 20 minutes to eat. Most of it was waiting.

Some of the food was good, some were mediocre. The beef chips they had were just dehydrated thin slices of beef and there were only a few pieces for $8. We had chicken wings, they were seasoned well. The emerald rolls were good. For main course we had the pork chop and steak and those were good. Other items on the menu was not all that impressive.

Not impressed and will not...