Davelle — Restaurant in New York

I have been keen to try out Davelle for ages now, but haven't come by since the idea of queueing for their busy weekend brunches does not interest me as much. So, I was excited to take the chance of not working during this holiday season to come by for a weekday lunch. I came by myself around 1pm, and was able to get seated at the bar immediately. I think there was always at least 1 seat available while I was there, but some parties of 2 did have to wait a bit ( not too long, maybe 20 min max?).

I have to point out first that the interior design is so lovely, the neutral colour palette across the kissaten-style fixtures was just a very calm environment to eat in, and I really enjoyed being able to sit at the bar and watch, amongst other things, the coffee dripping down or the toasts being prepared.

Anyway, I ordered the mentai spaghetti, a miso soup, and a iced matcha latte. The miso soup came first, and the presentation was a bit strange, since it was in two paper cups (like doubled up). It was fine-ish? A little bit too salty, and the miso sediment was too thick at the end to finish, but it served as a nice contrast to the pasta.

The spaghetti was fantastic. I do generally perfer my pasta to be chewier/al dente, but Japanese pasta tends to be softer, which is fine. The sauce was really delicious - the creaminess was not too heavy, and the mentaiko mixed in was really the perfect amount - not too salty / savoury to overpower the rest of the dish. The shiso leaf was an interesting touch, I did have a hard time mixing it thoroughly in the pasta since it was largely stuck to the mentaiko on top, so I ended up getting a big dose of shiso in one bite lol.

The matcha latte was also very good. The matcha flavour was very rich, and you can tell from that depth of flavour that they use very good quality matcha powder for their drinks. I heard some of their other drinks like the black sesame latte are even better, so I'll definitely have to give that a try next time.

Price point was quite reasonable, and if it wasn't for the long typical weekend wait times I'd want to come back much more often haha. Lovely meal overall, would definitely...

Even if this place is no tipping, I still left a tip because the service, atmosphere and food were all incredibly delightful. I ordered the Sugar Butter toast and a plain pour over coffee for breakfast this morning. I was pleasantly surprised, and honestly almost moved to tears due to how delicious the meal was! I am not kidding! I felt my eyes well up. The fluffy milk bread was perfectly toasted and had a light and sweet coating of sugar, providing a crispy crunch with each bite. The potato salad was out of this world. Seriously underrated. Hands down-probably the best potato salad I have ever tried. The coffee was not too hot and not too cold, it was served to me at the perfect temperature which I appreciated. Sometimes you go to places and they serve you piping hot coffee and you have to wait at least 15 minutes before you can take a sip without burning yourself. The server was so very kind and accommodating. I don't know his name but he was wearing a green beanie and a grey sweatshirt, he was an absolute sweetie. The place itself is quaint but so relaxing. I got there first thing in the morning so it was empty. They played classical music as I enjoyed my breakfast which was perfect background music for this delightful experience. As I left I was thanked by another worker who was a woman and both her and the male server said a kind goodbye to me as I left with my belly full of this delicious food. I have literally never felt more compelled to get online and write a good review in my life. This was truly a wonderful time I had at Davelle and I will be sure to return on my next trip to New York. Perfect start to my day. If I could rate it 100...

The cafe is small and hyped, so try avoid peak hours and weekends. Despite the busy crowd, their waitress is super helpful, attentive and friendly.

＊ Mentai Spaghetti Mentaiko pasta is my staple whenever I visit a Japanese restaurant. Topped with rich portion of spicy cod roes and fragrant shiso leaves, genuinely recalling the taste of an authentic "yoshoku-style" pasta. Chewy spaghetti noodles tossed in a creamy mentaiko sauce. I would recommend sharing the plate as it is quite heavy to finish alone.

＊ Black Sesame and Cream Cheese Toast Black sesame spread and cream cheese slathered on Japanese shokupan milk bread like a checkerboard. When you tear the toast, you could literally feel the fluffy, ethereal and moist texture. The rich and thick black sesame flavor bursted in your mouth, satisfying black sesame lovers to its fullest.

＊Berry & Cream Toast Strawberry jam and cream cheese slathered on shokupan milk bread like a checkerboard, adding vibrant colors to the toast🏁 When I cut the toast, I could literally feel the fluffiness. The sweet and sour jam was very enjoyable.

＊ Oat Matcha Latte ＊ Black Sesame Kinako Latte w/ Oat Milk Their beverages were LEGIT. I guess they used Koyamaen matcha powder, which gave the matcha latte a premium taste. The milk foam was a bit too much for me, but the matcha richness amazed me.

While for the black sesame latte, it was tremendously nutty and bold. A deep, earthy aroma flourished, which I must exaggerate it as one of the best black sesame latte I have ever had. Pairing with the black & white toast, it was a delectable black...