Vert Frais — Restaurant in New York

Vert Frais is a charming Japanese restaurant tucked away in Long Island City, and the moment you step inside, you’re transported to a cozy Parisian café. The space is beautifully decorated marble-topped tables, soft lighting, and romantic pastel tones that make it feel more like Montmartre than NYC. It’s the perfect setting for a slow brunch, a first date, or just treating yourself to a quiet afternoon with great food and ambiance.

I ordered the Blue Moon Latte, which was as stunning as it sounds. Made with butterfly pea flower tea over milk and sweetened with French vanilla syrup, it arrived in soft, dreamy layers of blue and white. At first, it tasted too sweet until I realized I hadn’t stirred it properly. Once mixed, it mellowed out perfectly. Floral, creamy, and just the right amount of indulgent.

For appetizers, we tried the French fries and chicken karaage. The fries were golden and crisp, finished with a dusting of Parmesan and basil an elegant European twist on a comfort staple. The basil added a subtle herbal lift that worked surprisingly well. The karaage, while delicious, was a departure from the traditional Japanese version. Classic karaage is typically marinated in soy, ginger, and garlic before being dusted with potato starch and deep-fried into bite-sized nuggets of crisp, juicy chicken. Vert Frais’s version was served more like small drumsticks or larger cuts, closer in form to American-style fried chicken. While it lacked the light crispiness karaage purists might expect, it was still flavorful and tender.

The main courses were where the kitchen really shined. The shio ramen, part of a lunch set, came with a mini pork chashu rice bowl. Though the menu labeled it as a “salted soup,” the broth leaned more toward a clear, delicate chicken stock base, likely with kombu and aromatics lending depth. It was light yet satisfying, with perfectly chewy noodles, bamboo shoots, soft egg, and a melt-in-your-mouth pork chashu that showed care in its braising. The rice bowl, while adorable in presentation, lacked the bold seasoning or tare that typically elevates a chashu don.

The Japanese hamburg steak was outstanding a true yoshoku-style dish that bridges Japanese technique with Western influence. A tender minced beef and onion patty sat in a house-made demi-glace that was deeply savory with a hint of tomato acidity. The demi-glace, a classic French sauce, is traditionally made by slowly reducing stock, wine, and aromatics; here, it was adapted with Japanese finesse. The dish came with a choice of bread or rice, and I opted for the bread, which soaked up the sauce perfectly. Paired with fries and a crisp watercress salad, it was a well-balanced and comforting plate that hits all the right notes.

The salmon and ikura bowl was another standout. Slices of fresh, buttery salmon lay atop seasoned rice, topped with pearls of ikura (salmon roe) that popped with briny umami. This dish is a tribute to Japanese seafood simplicity when the ingredients are fresh and the rice properly seasoned, there’s very little that needs to be done. It’s a dish of pure harmony.

Omurice was as visually delightful as it was delicious. A softly cooked omelet, made in the classic swirling tornado style, was laid atop fried rice infused with bacon, green peas, onions, and mushrooms. Omurice originated as a yoshoku dish, where Western-style ketchup fried rice is wrapped in or topped with an omelet, and it has become a beloved comfort food across Japan.

Despite being full, we couldn’t skip dessert. The fondant au chocolate a warm chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries was indulgent and well-balanced. The matcha tiramisu was delicate, earthy, and not overly sweet, allowing the flavor of the matcha to shine.

The dishes blend tradition with creativity, and though some items lean more fusion than faithful, the execution is done with thought and care. I’ll absolutely be back next time for brunch, and definitely for another bite of that...

We had a 6 PM reservation on a rainy Tuesday, and the restaurant was surprisingly empty. I asked the hostess to be seated at a larger table, but she mentioned that all of them were reserved—even though no one arrived for the entire duration of our meal. The small table we were given was cramped, so I had to move the candle out of the way. Things got worse when our entrees arrived before we’d even finished our appetizers, making the table even more crowded and leaving me a little frustrated. We tend to eat quickly, so the timing between courses felt really off. I ordered the Caesar salad, and while the dressing and poached egg were great, the bacon was disappointing—it wasn’t crispy at all. Looking back, I probably should’ve sent it back instead of just complaining about it now. Having a great salad could’ve made the meal great. Still, I don’t think they should have served bacon that wasn’t properly cooked. My husband had the Karaage, which wasn’t traditional, but still yummy. I mean, how wrong can chicken wings go anyways? For my main, I got the salmon with ikura. It was fresh, but honestly, there was nothing special about it. It came with a side of soy sauce and wasabi, but I felt like the dish would’ve benefited from a sauce on top rather than having to dip everything in. My husband wanted the Asari ramen from the already limited menu, but they were out, so he went with the classic shio instead. I kept tasting the broth and couldn’t figure out what the flavor was, so I asked the server. It turned out to be a mix of chicken and pork. Chicken! That’s what I’d been trying to place. Unfortunately, the combination just made the broth taste muddy. We also tried a lavender lemonade and a berry bliss. The lemonade was way too floral for my taste—it was almost overpowering, and both drinks were overly sweet. Looking over the menu, it definitely feels like this place is more suited for lunch. We wanted to try the soufflé pancake, but it was only available during lunch hours. I thought they might be willing to make an exception, especially since the restaurant was practically empty, but no luck. Overall, it was a...

Our group of four visited for lunch today, and while the food was generally good, the service left much to be desired. They obviously do not wash their vegetables/lettuces. Found two aphides in my side salad.

The experience started off fine, but things quickly took a turn when only two of our four entrees were served. About 20 minutes later, our waitress returned to confirm if we were still waiting on the remaining two dishes, to which we said yes. Another 20 minutes passed before a different waiter came by, again checking if we were still missing two entrees. By this point, one of our friends had been waiting for 30 minutes with his ramen cooling in front of him—not the ideal way to enjoy a meal, though we tried to be patient.

When all our meals finally arrived, I had ordered the omelette, which came with a side salad. After just a couple of bites, I noticed a living aphid on the plate beneath the salad. Upon further inspection, I found another aphid nestled in the salad itself. I immediately took the plate to the bar and informed the staff. The employee simply took it back to the kitchen without offering any apology or acknowledgment. I mentioned that it seemed the lettuce hadn’t been washed, and she confirmed they would remake the plate.

After only 3-5 minutes, they returned with the same plate, though the salad had obviously been replaced. While I appreciated that the new lettuce was clearly washed, the omelette remained untouched on the original plate—the same plate that had just had bugs crawling on it. Again, no apology was offered.

We didn’t want to make a scene, so we quietly paid the bill and left. What was disappointing was not just the presence of insects in the food, but the complete lack of acknowledgment or apology from the staff. They didn’t offer to take the omelette off the bill or show any concern for what...