Corima — Restaurant in New York

Corima is unapologetically adventurous. So adventurous that the chef refuses to disclose the tasting menu ahead of time. You learn about each dish when it's served--when it's too late to get fussy unless you want to make things awkward. And to that I say--flame on:

Smoked eel & kampachi mille-feuille, nori, avocado leaf: The requisite small bite amuse bouche that every proper upscale tasting menu begins with. This was interesting and fun, better than other recent bouches I've had.

Branzino collar, chintextle, cascabel: Delectable, fatty and tender, the way collar should be, and well-seasoned with a unique medley of favors

Corn soba, skatewing dashi, dulse: A fun idea to use tortilla as strips of "soba" noodle, but the texture was a bit too thick and chewy to be enjoyed as noodz. The smokey dashi was divine, though.

Cuttlefish, liver pipian, pork skin, pataxtle: Unpopular opinion, but I love wet crunchy things--think Chinese jellyfish, white wood ear, etc. They're many people's worst textural nightmare, but they work for me. This was a bowl full of long, stringy, wet crunchy things. And it was amazeballs. I now demand that all my cuttlefish be cut thin and noodle-sized.

Endive, chrysanthemum, surf clam, hazelnut nogada: Crunchy, slightly bitter and topped with the most perfect, snow white nogada one could ever want. How good was the sauce? I effing turned to the wall and LICKED IT CLEAN! Our server thought that was hilarious.

Veal brain char siu, cilantro gremolata, shiso leaf: Remember that thing about not disclosing what we're eating until we're served with it? Yeah, this is why that's a thing. I've had many different animals' brains, including cows', but never baby cows'. The fatty taste and texture worked as a pseudo slice of char siu, and the fresh shiso was the perfect punch of pungency to round out each bite. Don't be a coward if you're served this. Eat it.

Hake, macomber turnip, sauerkraut chilmole: Well made, but a bit simple. Then again, maybe they intended it that way after the previous brains.

Rabbit, winter mushrooms, blood mole: It's a universal truth that every upscale tasting menu (at least the ones in NYC) feature a requisite meat course that's usually just a lump of soulless beef (typically American Wagyu) seared semi-rare and accompanied by the saddest side vegetable you'll ever seen. I don't know why chefs serve this (something tells me it's not by choice, but by Americans' obsession with red meat), but I hate it. Thankfully, Corima didn't go the basic b*tch route and actually cooked up something unique: a three-day rabbit terrine lovingly accompanied with blood--yes, blood--mole. And it works.

Sourdough flour tortilla, recado negro butter: Transition course of uniquely textured tortilla that more or less looked, felt and tasted like Malaysian roti, served with a delicious homemade butter full of umami.

Nopal sorbet, crystallized sorrel, kiwiberry: So much uniqueness in one dessert. Did you know nopal could be made into a sorbet? If you said nopal, you're just like me! And did you know you could candy sorrel? And that kiwiberries offer the perfect tart sweetness to round out the unique concerto in your mouth? Wow....

Gamtae, guayaba, mango & chocolate bonbon, black sesame praline: Then there was dessert #2 of small bon bons and truffles, each covered and filled with tastes that only the ancient Aztecs would fully understand.

We also splurged and added on their famous chocoflan with truffle glaze and sunchoke creme anglaise. And you should too, because it's only $12 and more unique than ANY dessert twice its price. Yes, I will make that wager against any $25+ upscale dessert in the city. The chocolate was subtle, the flan pillowy, the truffle a revelation, and the...

This comment is about the management at the restaurant, not the food, since we weren’t served any.

Before coming to this restaurant, I read tons of good reviews. I reserved the tasting menu for a date night and was super excited to dine there. However, due to staff mismanagement, we couldn’t experience what we came for and left without having any food.

Our reservation was for 9:00 pm. My partner arrived at 9:07 pm, well within the grace period to secure the table. I arrived shortly after and discovered my partner was seated at the bar. The bartenders asked for our drink order and gave us the menu. After receiving our drinks around 9:30, I was confused because no one mentioned we would be moved to a table. So, I asked if we could be seated in the main dining room since we reserved the tasting menu. The bartender seemed very surprised and went to ask the manager. The manager came to apologize and said we could not have the tasting menu due to our late arrival. My partner explained that he got there at 9:07 pm, but was seated at the bar. The manager reiterated that all tasting menu customers are served at the same time, and the chef did not reserve the materials for us, and since it’s already past 9:40, it was too late.

The manager offered to move us to a table to order à la carte, but since that’s not what we came for, we left. The manager took care of our drinks.

All of the staffs we interacted with were polite and nice. However, the staff made two mistakes that led to our premature departure:

They mistakenly seated my partner at the bar instead of at the tasting counter (I understand that some restaurants use bars as a waiting area, but at this restaurant, the full food menu is served at the bar. It’s more like that they mistook us for an à la carte reservation). If they had seated him correctly, the chefs would have been aware of our reservation. The chefs should have reserved the ingredients for the tasting menu. The restaurant has a cancellation policy stating that in case of a no-show, the tasting menu price ($98 per person) will be charged. This policy anticipates that ingredients have already been set aside, so they should have been reserved when we showed up.

Unfortunately, by the time it was past 9:40 pm on a date night, we were still without any food and starving. I hope the staff can improve their management to prevent such issues...

Our dinner at Corima was a truly unique experience — one that felt curated, deeply creative, and full of quiet intention.

From the moment we sat down at the chef’s table corner (my husband’s favorite spot), we knew we were in for something special. Watching the all-Mexican team work in silent rhythm felt almost spiritual — like witnessing a team in their own creative sanctuary. Every movement was full of purpose and care.

The standout dishes for me were the branzino collar with chintextle and cascabel — delicate yet rich — and the smoked pork collar served with sourdough tortilla and recado negro butter, which was deeply satisfying and beautifully constructed. These two felt the most balanced and memorable.

Many of the other dishes leaned on the saltier, saucier side for my personal taste. I tend to prefer more restrained seasoning that lets the ingredient shine, so while I could appreciate the technique and inventiveness, some plates felt a bit heavy. But I recognize this may come down to my own lighter palate.

That said, the creativity here is undeniable. This is not traditional Mexican food — it’s a tasting journey filled with unexpected elements: kimchi ice with razor clams, a dessert tart made with masa miso and Okinawa yam, butter made from Achiote milk. There are strong nods to Asian influence, and it makes total sense that the chef spent time working in Shanghai. The cross-cultural touchpoints were subtle but present throughout.

The atmosphere is elegant yet intimate, with lighting and music perfectly tuned to the experience. You can feel how much attention has been put into every detail — not just the food, but the environment too.

If I could offer one note, it would be that service could feel a bit more polished — and the pacing between courses was a bit long. But overall, this was a memorable evening. Corima isn’t about comfort food. It’s about experimentation, craft, and aesthetic. It’s Mexican cuisine reimagined, but still rooted in soul.

Overall I am so proud of them! Well...