The best way to get a feel for this restaurant is to watch my Ride & Review video on YouTube:
But for the traditionalists out there, here’s a breakdown of everything we had:
STARTERS
1. Oysters
These were beautifully presented.
2. Croquettes
Seriously delicious and addictive. The outer shell is thin and crispy, and inside is a delicious explosion of high end Spanish ham and cheese.
3. Mortadella
Yes. With some creamy ricotta on the bottom, this really took the starters over the top.
4. Iberico Ham
This was some seriously high quality stuff. Melts in your mouth!
PASTA
1. Cavatelli
I really dig this spicy beef version of my favorite pasta style, cavatelli.
2. Pappardelle
Probably one of the top three dishes of the night. The Iberico pork ragu was nuts!
3. Curry Lamb Bechamel Lasagna
This is a game changer! Make sure you get this. If you like cumin lamb szechuan noodles, you will love this Italian take on it.
4. Fideua
This squid ink “pasta paella” was my favorite dish of the night. The squid was perfectly cooked, and the pasta was so tasty.
MEAT MAINS
1. Iberico Pork Meatballs
This works as a shared starter too, but I could eat this every day. This is also top three of the meal.
2. Short Rib
So tender and flavorful. Ruben does a similar dish at his other restaurants and all of them are great.
3. Chicken Milanese
This could benefit from a slightly flatter pounding, but there was a sweetness to this from either apricot or honey that was incredible.
SEAFOOD MAINS
1. Whole Fish
Perfectly deboned and beautifully presented.
2. Mussels
Save some sourdough bread to drag through the deeply flavorful sauce that comes with the perfectly cooked mussels.
3. Shrimp
These Spanish style garlic and spicy oil shrimp were absolutely perfect.
VEG
We had the broccolini with Romesco sauce. Even the veg here is off the charts good.
The radicchio salad was also really nice, with poached pears and walnuts.
I’ve said it before with Nai, Emilia and Amigo: Ruben deserves a Michelin star at his restaurants. Everything he puts out is delicious and innovative. He’s one of the city’s most under the radar chefs. So much talent! I highly recommend all four of his restaurants.
KOBO BY NAI
202 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009