Le Bernardin, NYC

Le Bernardin was my final and last pit stop in my mission to dine at all three michelin rated restaurants in NYC. Feeling like an old hand I make my initial observations. The ambiance was good and service superb. But, my gripe was the decor I felt as if I was intruding upon the men's club by stepping into such a haunt.... there was definitely a "men's only" feel to it which did not make me feel welcome. However, I was here for the food and such thoughts soon passed...





Chef's tasting 1: Tuna tartar
Chef's tasting 2: Salmon and caviar - thinly pounded smoked salmon caparccio; toasted brioche and caviar
Chef's tasting 3: Kindai Maguro - seared blue fin; parmesan crisp and sun dried tomato with black olive oil



With excited anticipation I bite into the tuna tartar. Although a faultless dish I still could not help but reminisce of the Jean Georges tuna tartar.

The salmon and caviar impressed mainly because of the freshness of the ingredients but did not show case any uniqueness of what you would expect in a Le Bernadin kitchen.

This is all forgiven upon the presentation of the kindai maguro, the tuna was perfectly seared preserving the texture and freshness of the fish. The flesh literally melted in my mouth and it felt as if the flavours infused onto my tongue.


Chef's tasting 4: Ultra rare charred scallop, braised snow morels
Chef's tasting 5: Baked lobster; white asparagus, sauce gribiche
Chef's tasting 6: White tuna poached in extra virgin olive oil; sea beans and potato crisps; light red wine bearnaise
Chef's tasting 7: Crispy black bass; braised celery; iberico ham-green peppercorn sauce




Let there be no doubt this was the best scallops I have had in my life. Like the tuna they were charred to perfection the outside slightly cooked and the texture, the texture!!! Never before had scallops melted in my mouth like a lump of fat. I was left longing for more.

Despite appearing visually unattractive, the lobster was my personal favourite on the tasting menu. It was clear that Le Bernardin's was a menu that played on texture and this was displayed again in the lobster. The asparagus was my first piece of real vegetable that had not endured any saucing or processing and I delighted in its refreshing difference. This was a dish which I licked clean lobster, asparagus, sauce gribiche and all.

The poached tuna was poached perfectly and overall was a good wholesome meal; the sauce not to rich and finely balanced.

Perhaps because of the generous servings in the other portions, perhaps it was because my sauce had a film of glaze over it or perhaps I was not a fan of rich sauces but I did not enjoy Eric Ripert's famous sea bass. The sauce was overly buttery and I found myself not able to finish the sea bass.


Chef's tasting 8: Fourme d' ambert; bacon, soy caramel, gingersnap
Chef's tasting 9: Dark amedei chocolate ganache; toasted bread; extra virgin olive oil; maldon sea salt
Petit fours




For a person not a fan of blue cheese the combination of the bacon, soy caramel and gingersnap with the cheese was unbelievably good. However, when these ran out I found myself donating the remainder of my cheese to my dinner partner.

Whereas the ganache was simply what you would expect of a ganache it did not hit any highs. The petit fours fairly simply failed to impress.


Closing notes

Although overall my review sounded negative, I really want to highlight that Eric Ripert is a chef of top caliber and that most of the negative points were probably as a result of my adversity to overly buttery, rich or processed foods (I prefer simple, fresh flavours); my preference for seafood cooked the asian way and most importantly a reflection that I am comparing Le Bernardin to its peers (3 Michelin rated restarants) not your average corner shop. In all fairness, I have never seen a chef who has managed to bring out the lovely textures that Eric has been able to. I would definitely be returning to his restaurant for the prix fixe and choose the scallops and lobster dishes again as these were most definitely quality dishes that are better than many dishes I have ever tasted.

Le Bernardin
155W 51st Street
NYC NY 10019
Phone: 212 554 1515

Chef's tasting USD185, Le Bernardin tasting USD135, prix fixe USD109