Kochi - Fine Dining Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

To preface, the staff was very accommodating. There were no open reservations till around late night, I believe 8 - 9 pm, but I called and they were able to squeeze a table for two people. Later, during the first few courses, we were asked to move to an alternate table, which happened to be bigger in space, which was no issue at all but I'm not sure if there were any conflicts behind the scenes.

Throughout the night, we had detailed explanations of each dish and were constantly catered to various needs with excellent service. If you're worried about satiation as the courses are smaller than your average dinner you need not worry as it's surprisingly filling. (My girlfriend ended up tapping out rather early and staff was kind enough to allow for some items to be taken out.) One thing I can definitely appreciate was that there was no rushing whatsoever. The restaurant absolutely respects each party's pacing. Another thing was the staff's vigilance with dietary restriction as my partner was lactose intolerant. The kitchen is ready to implement alternate yet delicious ingredients to uphold the experience.

The overall atmosphere was bustling yet calming and soothing without any restraints. You can see the entire ensemble of chefs and bartenders each passionately and vigorously producing magic to be consumed. It was a literal glowing sight to behold in the midst of the ambient and dim environment.

We started with some non-alcoholic beverages. My girlfriend got the Apricot Shrub while I got the Artemisia Korean Tea, recommended by staff. To be honest the tea did not really stand out to me at all. It had a hint of earthiness but aside from that I was not particularly in love with it. My girlfriend enjoyed her drink while I thought it was a bit sour, as it contained citrus, but decent nonetheless

It's not wise to have 20 paragraphs detailing each dish but I shall name some highlights.

We started with "Corn". This dish was absolutely outstanding in presentation. At first we weren't really sure what we were looking at but it seemed like some strange art decoration. To our surprise, the taste was mind-blowingly good. It was sweet, not overwhelmingly so from the richness of the corn, as well as satisfying. It is difficult to fully detail the flavor and texture but from this dish, we already knew our night was going to be not only insane but absolutely unique.

The next dish, Hwe Muchim was no different as it was distinct in its own right implementing elements of molecular gastronomy and shocking us with the tomato basil foam, which was strange yet absolutely delicious with the fresh fish to complement underneath.

Octopus Twigim was next and there were no words for this either. The sauce perfectly complimented the smoky, crispy and airy style of this octopus. In fact, my girlfriend was so enamored with the taste that she didn't even realize it was octopus the whole time, which she typically dislikes.

Every other item will blow your mind in its own way with innovative elements. I highly recommend the Uni/Sea Urchin add-on with the Bibimbap as it elevates the dish greatly.

The only thing that didn't tremendously impress me was the Halibut fish and Iberico Flank steak. While they were definitely tasty with interesting ingredients, they weren't up to the level of every other dish in my opinion.

I appreciate and give staff my gratitude for presenting an additional birthday dessert in commemoration of this event. We ended up having an absolute sugar high with 5 total desserts between my girlfriend and I as the last two courses of the tasting menu by default were also desserts. Everything was absolutely refreshing and a great way to finalize the night. The only thing I can say is Calamansi was very sour but I tend to struggle with sour in general so take this opinion with a grain of salt.

Random Off Topic: Please be advised that the restroom is...

I did not enjoy my experience at Kochi. So much so that I took a few weeks to think about it before reviewing. I even decided that I needed to dine at Kochi at least a second time before I wrote my review. Which is how I discovered that, as a single person dining alone, you cannot reserve at The Chef’s Counter at Kochi. Wow. Just Wow. Here’s what happened: I made a reservation for 2 at The Chef’s Counter at Kochi, but my friend couldn’t make it so I went into Resy to change my reservation to 1 and the moment I did that the only available reservations were for a table. I figured I’d work it out when I got there and reserved the table. I could not work it out when I got there. EVERYONE I met/interacted with at Kochi was WONDERFUL. Great people, good service.

I figured I had somehow made a mistake when changing my Resy reservation and missed how to reserve at the counter. And, despite the fact that I don’t even see the point of eating Omakase (which I do…a lot) not at the counter, I stayed and sat at the tiny table behind and below the people’s back who were at the counter. Really really bad vibe. I put my head down, looked at my phone, tried to focus on the food.

The food is FANTASTIC. Really really good. And the set price is also absolutely reasonable. Every thing I ate was amazing. I did the additional abalone course. I upgraded to the uni. Every “extra” available I did. I got the “full dining experience.” But the extras available are that one abalone course. And, let’s be honest, this is “tweezer food.” GORGEOUS, DELICIOUS, not much of anything. Again! I eat Omakase ALL THE DARN TIME and then I do add ons that are always available. Kochi does not offer anything beyond the set Omakase menu. I did not know that. That’s on me. What I will say is I was still hungry after my meal. That has never happened to me at any Omakase meal…I just don’t want to have to top off my exquisite meal with pizza. You know?

But, again. I thought I needed to visit again. And here is when I figured out you cannot reserve for one at The Chef’s Counter. Because no matter the time of the day, the day of the week or the month of the year you try on Resy, there is never an available reservation for 1 at The Chef’s Counter. BUT THERE ARE RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FOR 2. You get what I’m saying?

I have no idea why Kochi is doing this. In Hell’s Kitchen. In NYC. As if dining out alone is somehow unusual? As if I myself don’t do it, every single dining out meal in NYC??

It’s a BAD Look Kochi.

I guess the vibe Kochi is going for is the one I really disliked when I was there, but thought could be changed if I sat at the counter.

Nope. Not an option.

Omakase is not just a meal. It is an experience. It’s not just one bite after another brought to your table where you sit, alone, without even a view of the (weirdly huge # of people working behind the counter…) preparation of the meal because it’s completely blocked by the backs of the COUPLES who are allowed to sit there.

3 stars for the actual food. It’s that good. I cannot, in good conscience give fewer than 3 stars.

But I will...

Absolutely amazing experience at Kochi on April 27, came for 16th birthday celebration. Atmosphere was very nice with the tables, beautiful lamp, and the nice addition of a heater on top of is but the cheap looking outside tents, dark colours, and very few decorations made it less welcoming than indoors but still great. The service were super attentive, professional, and kind, handling any request quickly. Most importantly, the food was absolutely phenomenal, and the best restaurant I have been to in NYC. Each course had amazing flavours, each unique in its own way, and was a special experience that cannot be replicated. The first course, a potato crochette with purple beat soup was amazing with the crochette having an amazing soft taste with the offset sesame seeds, and the soup was so creamt and delicious. Every aspect especially the caviar was special. It was the perfect first course and rocked my taste buds. The second course, hwe, was an absolute work of art especially with the delicious seaweed on top. All the sides went super well including the candy like orange slices and colslaw on the bottom which were sour and offered a unique taste in contrast to the fish. The fish itself was great although it could definitely use more brinniness as there was not a specific taste to it, but still a special course. I also think seaweed would be better option than coleslaw. The eggplant twigm was a clear highlight as it had tteokboggi, and was absolutely incredible. The sauces were unreal as always and the utilization of a cheap street food combined with eggplant into a luxury course is amazing. There are three different sauces and eveything was a work of art. The next course, halibut, was also a highlight with the amazing tofu, the briny, rich and juicy taste of the halibut, and also the broth, which was so well cooked. Everything about the broth was perfection and according to my dad was the best part of the dish. The tonkatsu dish afterwards was so unique. The curry paste went so well with the carrots and the corn was just something special. Never had anything like that before. The meat was perfectly cooked and delicious and the best tonkatsu Ive ever had. The climactic dish after that, the duck, was easily my favourite. I loved how there was five different pieces to try instead of one and that made the course more enjoyable as it was a journey in itself. The mushroom was unlike any other mushroom. The duck was unbelievable and almost cried having rhe first bite because of how flavourful, succulint, and rich it was. The final bite, which was of the fat, was amazing. The last savory dish was perfect to end it off and was unique and yummy. Laslty, the three desserts I had were perfect, including the free peach tart I got as a birthday. Overall, this dinner was an unforgettable experience at a reasonable price. 10 courses for me. We ended up paying $650 for three people including extra wine and a $100 tip but it was worth it as...