Tabla

05/15/09

Bad Food

by orangeshade

I was a bit disappointed with the food and also the quality. I heard raving reviews and i took my staff to celebrate. The service was very slow and food a bit disappointing.

05/11/09

Interesting

by ShreyaD

Went there to celebrate my husband's birthday with friends. Getting a reservation was relatively easy and the staff was very accommodating about the time and number of guests. The cuisine was very interesting. Cannot call it Indian but definitely had some Indian accents. I would recommend adding a bit more kick to the flavors... they lay very much in the background. I loved my crabcake, my husband's naan-ini and my friend's asparagus foogath. Service and cocktails were outstanding!

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: mildly pricey

01/28/09

One of my favorite spots in NYC

by roxananyc

This is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC! The decor is beautiful and the atmosphere is great. The tasting menu is very interesting and everything is delicious! Sometimes the service is a little slow but I actually don?t mind it because it gives me time to enjoy my conversation without feeling rushed.

01/25/09

great!!

by BenFlanagan

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• Pros: best ever
• Cons: xx

12/30/08

Disappointing Return

by bnjkim

Four years ago, I had a sublime dining experience whose memory lingered of a remarkably inventive fusion of Indian, French cuisine. I was disappointed when I returned with my family of four for a dinner two days before the New Year. Unfortunately, neither the food nor the service met expectations.

Several dishes were excellent- crab cakes, lobster,and kobe steaks. Inexplicably, the sauce on the skate and cod was just too salty-rendering the dishes almost inedible. My daughter's snapper included a portion of skin with the attached remnant of a side fin that should have been trimmed. The chicken samosas were not tasty and seemed out of place in this upscale menu. Finally, the pacing of the dishes was too slow, almost 2 1/2 hours for a three item prix fixe menu. Had the food been sufficiently inspired and enthralling, this would have been time to savor. Instead- it was irritating to try to stay awake to find out what one had ordered for desert. Perhaps this was just an off night, but I will not be returning soon to shell out $100 per dinner without liquor at Tabla despite it's pretty decor.

• Pros: Decor, Ambiance, Lighting, several excellent fusion Indian/French cuisine
• Cons: slow service, some overly salty dishes,

09/25/08

A stunning setting for suave, professional service and creative cooking enhanced by Indian culinary sensibilities.

by Contributor

The Scene
Occupying a cavernous space in the Met Life Tower, the restaurant's soaring staircase, deeply stained woods and lush, curvilinear details make a striking impression. The second-floor dining room, itself gently bi-level, has a serious but relaxed air; smart, impeccably professional and engaging service creates a very comfortable dining experience.

The Food
This isn't Indian cuisine, but seasonings and techniques from the area lavishly spice up what would otherwise be competent and creative American food. Take roast chicken, to which a cumin jus and anise notes lend uncommon panache; or surreally succulent lamb enlivened by acutely tuned fruity curry flavor. A whole apple filled with roasted egetables and scented with Roquefort makes a striking starter, as does a handsomely composed crab and avocado salad with tamarind chutney in a papadum shell. The menu holds no letdowns: Desserts, like a cone of stiff kulfi with licorice, ot cinnamon souffle, extend dinner's spice into the sweet realm.

High Marks
"Tabla is an extraordinary eating experience. Each plate was bursting with flavor - try the tabla crab cake followed by the tapioca crusted shrimp and scallops." (evi, Citysearch user)\

"The gleaming wooden staircase is lined with candles that seem to cast a magical glow on the whole place." (mariejulienne, Citysearch user)

"I'm no expert on "Indian fusion" food, but everything I ate, from the naan to the kulfi, really impressed me." (cobraman332, Citysearch user)

Low Marks
"My only beef is the excessive use of salt. It wasn't necessary and only took away from the other spices that were working their magic." (mango_mama, Citysearch user)

"One slight criticism would be timing...it seemed to take a little too long to get the entrees." (georgiboy, Citysearch user)

• Pros: high-energy ambiance

01/08/08

Service was deathly slow, food lacked taste, portions were small

by tunatartar

We went to the bread bar at Tabla for my friends birthday on a Monday night. There was a decent crowd. People were mostly around 35 years old. We all ordered one dish and some of us ordered bread. The waiter barely came over at all! We had to hound her down and ask for items many times. My chicken Tikka was dry and lacked any flavor. My friends who ordered it also said it was bland. My friend's ceviche looked super tiny! We ordered the pumpkin chocolate cake and some vanilla lemon dessert. The chocolate one was pretty good but the other one was just plain weird and the flavor didn't go. Stay away from this trap. They treated us like we barely existed and it was a Monday! Imagine a Friday night.

• Pros: Ambiance, decor, price
• Cons: slow service, lacking in taste

12/31/07

All Kinds Of Interesting

by qtgurljny

The Bread Bar at Tabla is all kinds of interesting to me. A modern take on Indian food. It's not quite traditional and not quite fusion. The space is nice and lofty, it features an open kitchen which is fun to watch. My standout favorites were the Pork Shank, chicken masala (which does not come in a soupy base), lemon pilaf and the naan. The Pork shank falls right off the bone. The chicken is definitely some of the most perfectly done chicken I have had the naan is really good. Those items were fantastic but everything else I would say was interesting. A must try but, I'm not sure if it's made my favorities list just yet.

10/04/07

Excellent Indian fusion fare served in casual, friendly environs--suits definitely not required.

by Allison Austin

The colorful, energetic space--with its wrought-iron and tile bar, mosaic ceiling and Madison Park locale--couldn't be more ideal for enjoying excellent snack-sized plates and a nice array of wines by the glass. Service is swift and knowledgeable. Bhoondi raita (crispy chickpeas in cumin-yogurt sauce) and gobhi masala (cauliflower in ginger-cumin tomato sauce) are perfect for soaking up with rosemary naan, the standout bread among many contenders. Who would've thought that saag paneer (homemade cheese in creamy spinach) would make for such a wonderful pizza topping? Onion rings, however, are disappointing. From the spiced doughnut holes to the dulce de leche "pop"--like an ice cream bar, but better--desserts are winners.

07/23/07

Fusion genius, go with the veggies

by mango_mama

I went there about three weeks ago. It had been some 5 years or so since I last set foot. Unlike most NY restaurants, Tabla had been open all that time, which obviously is no small feat. I understand why. The food is absolutely creative and simply the best practice of fusion cuisine I've ever had. Overall, the vegetarian dishes faired better than the meat dishes, probably because the subtlety of the spices worked better on veggies. I was blown away by the raita-inspired cucumber soup (on the house), which had chia seeds to give it that cucumber-seed texture. That was pure genius. My only beef is the excessive use of salt. It wasn't necessary and only took away from the other spices that were working their magic.

• Pros: Food! Food! Food! (wine too)
• Cons: A tad too much salt, decor kind of tacky