I’ve always been a fan of Mountain Bird in Harlem, a French restaurant by a Japanese couple focusing on poultry dishes, and was therefore very excited to hear that the same team decided to open up a new seafood restaurant in West Village. My girlfriend and I were looking for a night out on a recent Friday to celebrate the beginning of another weekend, and made a trip to Seabird. Overall, there was a lot to like about this place in the consistent execution of dishes, perhaps not at the same level as Mountain Bird but still good enough to make for a pleasant, satisfying meal.
The menu at Seabird has several sections from appetizers to raw bar options to larger entrees to burgers and sandwiches. I haven’t had branzino based crudo or carpaccio before, and enjoyed the light touch of the fish accompanied by mint, jalapeno and citrus dressing. Fried calamari is a surprisingly difficult dish to pull off very well in my experience, but the one at Seabird was expertly fried and also had octopus takoyaki (a homage to the Japanese background of the Mountain Bird couple) with squid ink sauce on top.
The weakest dish of the night was, surprisingly, the crab lasagna mac n’ cheese. There was nothing wrong with the flavor, but I felt the temperature was quite off, and I kept wondering how the dish might’ve fared if it came out a hot rather than lukewarm pile of food. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the crispy fish burger with cod inside. The temperature of nicely cooked cod was spot on, and the combination with malt vinegar slaw and tomato inside the bun made this burger quite a delicious one. For dessert, the fancy looking fish bowl waffle with passion fruit crème anglaise seems to be the go-to option here and would make for a delightful finish to the meal.
Getting a reservation at Seabird wasn’t that difficult but it got quickly packed during the course of our meal. The vibe of the dining space is a typical West Village neighborhood spot, with a bit of beach club like atmosphere. There is a full bar with some relatively affordable wine options to complement your meal. Seabird is a welcome addition to the already crowded West Village dining scene if you’re looking for a casual seafood night with tasty options all across the board.
KenScale: 8.0/10
- Creativity: 7.5/10
- Execution: 8.0/10
- Ingredients: 7.5/10
- Flavor: 8.0/10
- Texture: 8.5/10
Address: 361 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10014
Telephone: (212) 414-9500
Website: http://seabirdny.com/
KenScale 