My friend, Jhiane, and I headed to Buddakan in the Meatpacking district on a gorgeous day in Manhattan.
You may recall this restaurant from Sex and the City-The Movie where Mr. Big and Carrie's rehearsal dinner took place.
This magnificent restaurant is 2 floors and over 10,000 square feet in space... gorgeous decor, sexy ambience, and romantic. 
All food items at this jaw dropping restaurant are served family style. Love that!
LOCATION:
75 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(Meatpacking)
Other Locations: Atlantic City, Philadelphia
MENU: Buddakan Menu.
COST: $$$$
CUISINE: Asian Fusion/Chinese
RECOMMENDED TO: Bar Scene, Couples, Fine Dining, Groups, Romantic Dining.
AMBIENCE: Romantic/Elegant/Trendy
MY REVIEW
We both started with a cocktail each. I went for Fate made with elderflower, pineapple, and prosecco (sparkling wine). This succulent & fruity drink had a prominent pineapple flavor and also tasted a bit champagne-y. Well made, very smooth, and I was definitely able to feel the alcohol after just half my drink. Delicious! 
Jhiane went for Charm which consisted of passion fruit liquor, apple, fresh berries, and prosecco. Just like I, Jhiane's drink also had a slight fizz due to the prosecco, nonetheless, neither one of us enjoyed the drink very much since the apple flavor in the cocktail was a bit weak. The blueberries at the bottom were the highlight of this drink.
For appetizers, we had to order their signature appetizer, the Edamame Dumplings. Not knowing what to expect I took a bite and was blown away by how truly amazing the dumplings were. Imagine a combination of mashed edamame and butter stuffed in a dumpling. The filling literally melts in your mouth so there really isn't anything to chew on. Incredibly light and delicious.
Next, we ordered the Chili Rock Shrimp with toasted ginger due to the amazing reviews. The shrimp was fried and tasty, but I was expecting a lot more from Buddakan. An addition of some kind of herb flavoring would have significantly helped in enhancing the flavors of the fried shrimp, such as fried scallions.
For our entrees, we went for the Glazed Alaskan Black Cod with a side of chili eggplant. The fish was excellent, soft, and had that melt-in-your-mouth affect, however the cucumber relish and side of eggplant were nothing to write home about. Instead, a side of vegetables sautéed with Asian infused flavors, such as ginger, garlic, soy sauce would have been a great addition. Having said that, the cod alone is reason enough to order this dish. 
We also ordered the Wild Mushroom Chow Fun. I love mushrooms, and I also loved the glossy brownish color of these chow fun noodles. This dish was quite good, however I felt it lacked that extra something, again those Asian flavorings mentioned above would enhance this dish significantly.
Last but not least, dessert! Between the Crying Chocolate and the Almond Bread Pudding, we opted for the latter based on our waiter’s recommendation. Excellent choice! The bread pudding had a bold flavor of almond - delicious. The vanilla ice cream was infused with whiskey - creative. And the butterscotch sauce in combination with the bread pudding and ice cream was to die for. Insane concoction… I savored every bite. 
VERDICT: 4 / 5
Buddakan boasts impeccable ambience and service, and I highly recommend dining here if you find yourself in the Meatpacking district. The drinks were good, nevertheless, Buddakan was slightly underwhelming in terms of food. Given a restaurant of this caliber, each dish lacked a little something needed to get to the next level. Having said that, the Edamame Dumplings and Almond Bread Pudding were exceptionally good - you simply cannot go wrong with either order.
In addition, the atmosphere at Buddakan is very similar to that of Tao. Without any bias here, I believe Tao was better than Buddakan in terms of food, drinks, and value. The portions at Tao are slightly larger than Buddakan, and the food and drinks at Tao are nothing short of perfection. For the amount you are spending at Buddakan, the expectation should not fall below 100%.
On a positive note, if you haven't been to Buddakan, surely check it out, at the very least for those soft and mouthwateringly delicious Edamame Dumplings that I still dream about.
Food: Good
Drinks: Good
Decor: Excellent (trendy/romantic)
Service: Excellent (outstanding)
Value: Good
TELL ME: Have you been to Buddakan? If so, what was your favorite item?
Khushboo says
Never been to Buddakan but I do remember it from SATC - I clearly watch too many reruns :)! Everything looks so delicious, especially the entrees! From the picture alone, you can tell how 'melt in your mouth' soft the cod is- just the way every cod should be! Also the rock shrimp looks great. I'm not one for fried foods (sweets are my weakness) but rock shrimp is one of the few which I truly enjoy...and is worth every single calorie :)! Have a great Monday, Nisha!
Shobha says
We have a similar one in Brazil too ..
The food is really awesome.
Tina Bk says
This one does have some great atmosphere, it makes you wonder if the other locations are the same. I now so want an edamame dumpling-yum! I like how you did this review, covered the good and the no so good! Have a great evening!
Pencil Kitchen says
The decor definitely looks trendy!! And the dumplings look so good :') It's sad however that some of their food lacked flavor like you said. Maybe due to their need to accommodate for customers who are less used to asian eatery
Ameena says
I was tempted to go to Buddakan on our last trip to NYC. But then Tao won out! It does look delicious though, I especially am a fan of cod and this looks like a fantastic version!
Hope you had a great weekend...and back to work we go!
Anonymous says
This was such a fun and great dinner experience. The food was on point. The service was superb and loved the ambience. My favorite dish was the edamame dumpling. Every item was pretty amazing except the mushroom chow fun. Would definitely do this restaurant again. JC
Words Of Deliciousness says
The food looks wonderful. Nice restaurant! I can only dream of going to NYC someday.
Baker Street says
Everything looks great. Especially the food! I like your style of review! Great post. 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
@Khushboo - thanks. I watch way too many reruns of SATC too. If you love sweets, I'm sure you would love the dessert. 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
@Tina - I've heard the location in Philadelphia is even better than NYC. The edamame dumplings were great. Thanks so much!
honeywhatscooking says
@Pencil Kitchen - that is quite possible... thank you! 🙂
@Jay @Shobha - thanks.
honeywhatscooking says
@Ameena - they are both really good, Tao is probably slightly better, but I think you'd really enjoy Buddakan, especially the dumplings. The cod was really tender. Next time! 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
@JC - I agree.. thanks for the company! 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
@Words - thank you. I'm sure you'll visit sometime soon. 🙂
@Baker Street - thank you so much! So glad you like my style. 🙂
Catalina @ Cake with Love says
Buddakan is a great place in NYC, my husband's company celebrated their Christmas party here, so I got a chance to attend, the food was amazing, the service was very nice, and I loved the place, huge and upscale!
The Squishy Monster says
Ooh, you've really made me want to visit here. Looks amazing! The cuisine where I live is playing catch up, lol
XOXO
http://TheSquishyMonster.com
Bonnie says
I need to go to NYC sometime. Dying to visit! I feel like I belong there.
http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
honeywhatscooking says
@Catalina - Thanks! Your husband must work for a really good company that invests in their people. That's very generous. 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
@Squishy Monster - where do you live? NYC is good that way, it is a cultural melting pot.
@Bonnie - come visit. 🙂
Asmita says
Wow, this is one place I would love to visit next time in Nyc. I have never visited the meat packing district in Nyc. I have heard it's great for shopping too.
honeywhatscooking says
@Asmita. Meatpacking is a fun area. Lots of designer shopping And great restaurants. You will always see people so dressed up.