I literally changed my flight so I could squeeze in a dinner at Row on 5 before their holiday closure, and even though I was extremely jet-lagged, it was absolutely worth it. The restaurant is punching way above its weight in terms of quality of food and service. We were there for 4.5 hrs and never felt rushed or pushed to leave. The service was impeccable up until dessert. The atmosphere wasn’t stuffy at all, and the staff were all so kind and personable.
Food-wise, everything was refined and consistently excellent. One of the chefs said his favorite dish was the bread and butter, and after trying it, I have to concur – it’s one of the best breads I’ve ever had. You get the fluffiest, softest milk bread paired with butter topped with a sweet caramel/jam situation. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but you have to try it for yourself.
I wouldn’t say necessarily there was a standout dish, but every dish (excluding the crown melon) was at least an 7.5/10, and I loved many dishes. The oysters and pearl tasted just like a really good oyster straight from the ocean and had the perfect amount of brine and creaminess. The cockle and bluefin tuna were packed full of flavor. I enjoyed both parts of the langoustine, but preferred part 2 – I really liked the acidity and creaminess of the dish and the sesame cracker gave it a nice crunch. The caviar dish and white truffle dish were decadent. I loved the Stilton dish: a nice, strong blue cheese flavor, very creamy, but not too sharp or pungent, with a delicate pastry crust. The sea bass and lobster didn’t particularly wow me, but they were both nicely cooked.
The only dish I disliked was the crown melon (the fruit). It tasted alcoholic like it was fermented and I did not enjoy it. My partner said it just tasted like regular honeydew and didn’t get what I was tasting. The other component – shaved ice with yogurt and melon underneath – was better.
The desserts are where it’s at. The warm madeleines amazing – super buttery, lightly crispy outside, soft and delicate on the inside. The 2 creams they paired them with were chai and earl grey, which were delicious. They said you can have as many petit fours as you want and I wish we went crazy. My favorite one was the vanilla fudge, and I loved it so much that I got a small box of 4 to go home with.
The only lapses in service were during dessert. I guess the mosaic water cups we were given during this section made it difficult to see how full the glasses were so water refills were sparse and I’d have to ask for more. Then my partner wanted 2 of each petit fours, but was pretty full at that point so he asked for 1 of each now and 1 of each in a to-go box, but they forgot his box. It was late, so we didn’t say anything.
Since it was around Christmas time when we went, they gave all the guests Christmas crackers! It was so lovely and fun and my first time opening Christmas crackers. They gave us wine bottle openers which was nice.
TL;DR – Row on 5 is great and you should go!
by ukiina