February 2023

Dining Review: LittleMad – NYC, New York

Finding a spot to eat in NYC can be overwhelming given the pure number of spots that can literally accommodate any mood, preference or craving. While my Google Maps of NYC is littered with saved stars of places to try, sometimes I need some inspiration. We recently went to visit my brother and we were looking for a special occasion spot that was doing something exciting. Sifting through hundreds of restaurants is certainly not the best way to accomplish this but then I got an idea. My new favorite Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia was added to the 2023 James Beard Best Emerging Nomination list and I figured that would be a great way to find something new. This led me to add a number of spots in NYC to our to-do list and once in particular to try for this visit – LittleMad. 

Tucked away in a part of the city we have not explored enough, we were very excited for this dining experience. LittleMad describes itself as “Korean fare while incorporating French techniques”. In addition to the James Beard call out, Little Mad has been identified by many outlets for accolades in the creative space that offers a rotating and exciting menu. Based on the website, it looks like the menu changes monthly with specials varying based on the night.

We were able to snag a reservation for a Friday night early in the evening. The space is really fun and inviting which is our preferred upscale dining scene. There is something about serving up incredible food in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. We were seated along the side of the room and could see the kitchen in the back. The kitchen was open so we could get a peek at the action. 

The menu is simple in the descriptions of each option but we definitely need an explanation on how things worked. Our server, Tom, was wonderful and took us through the entire menu. There are five courses total for the evening with the option to add on additional course. the first course is a set of chef snacks. The set menu allows for each guest to pick one dish from each of the four categories.  There are two additional dishes on the menu to supplement as well as a special for the evening that Tom raved about. Since we were a group of three, we had to opportunity to eat almost everything on the menu and we definitely were into the three add on dishes. We made our cuts, ordered some drinks, and were ready for the meal to begin. 

MÄD DINNER EXPERIENCE

CHEF’S SNACKS FOR THE TABLE

It did not take long for our first round of plates to appear and wow, everything looked incredible. I love this style of dining where you relinquish choice in lieu of chef’s creativity. The presentation of each of these plates was so cool and as each was set down, our smile got bigger. This was going to be a great meal! My quick notes on these dishes are unfortunately not great but I did my best. Four dishes made up the chef snack course – yellowtail with fried lotus, tempura soft shell crab, short rib arancini, and the most adorable shaped pancake scallion. There were enough of each dish for everyone to have one so I would assume that is the portion ratio for all parties – we got three of everything!

• The yellowtail sandwiched between two pieces of fried lotus was a great pairing – fresh and crunchy together.
• The tempura soft shell was placed down and our server Tom acknowledged my excitement – soft shell crab is one of my favorites! My only complaint here is it was just a taste as I could have had this for the entire meal. Also, the shell that this dish was housed in was beautiful.
• The short rib arancini became a surprising favorite as it was insanely tasty.
• And finally, their signature pancake shaped as a fish which reminded us of the fish shaped Korean ice cream.

What a fun way to end our first course – everything was so delicious we could not wait to see what else was ahead.

LITTLE COLD

YELLOWTAIL ASIAN PEAR, SESAME DRESSING, SCALLION OIL
TUNA MILLE FEUILLE TOMATO, PERSIMMON, WHITE SOY
SCALLOP CRUDO BASIL, DASHI, SHIITAKE
SIGNATURE MAD TOAST – WAGYU, CAVIAR, SEASONAL TRUFFLE
MEDAI AND CAVIAR

The entourage arrived with the next set of plates for our Little Cold course. The presentation of these plates continued to amaze us – they were too pretty and perfect to touch.

• The yellowtail was once again sandwiched but this time between slices of pear and I have to say, this one definitely surprised us for the burst of flavor in a single bite.
• The tuna mille feuille was stacked reminding me of a caprese and the tomatoes used here were so juicy and the tuna portion was generous.
• The scallop was the most innovative looking with the scallops and mushrooms beneath the basil foam.

We added two specials to this course. The first was the signature Mad Toast with wagyu, caviar, and truffle. It was recommended to order one per person but we opted to split one order since we knew there would be a ton of food and we were glad we picked this option. The wagyu was perfection and the caviar and truffle ontop took this dish to luxurious – it was clear why this add on was so popular! The second dish was a special for the evening that our server raved about – the medai. One order came with enough for our table as four beautifully curated pieces. Medai is also known as Japanese butterfish and I have to say, this was the most succulent cut of fish I have ever had. It really had a silky, butter, umami flavors that burst with just one piece of the medai. This was a fan favorite of the night for our table.

MÄD HOT

GRILLED OCTOPUS SUNCHOKE, SHISHO, MAPLE BACON X.O
FRIED BUHSUT MAITAKE, SOUR CREAM, ONION
CHOU FARCI “MANDOO” BLUE CRYSTAL PRAWN, FOIE GRAS, LOBSTER SABAYON

With a short break, it was time to enter the Mad Hot course and our excitement only continued to grow. The table was once again graced with a symphony of plates.

• The octopus was cooked perfectly and while it had a small kick to it, the maple bacon to contrast was phenomenal.
• I have to say the fried maitake was way better than we expected from the description – just look at the presentation of the sour cream – it is gorgeous! I did not expect to like the sour cream but it was insanely tasty and we slathered the fried maitake with it.
• The last dish looked like a packet of cabbage filled with all the goodies in the description. It was a dish that demonstrated more delicate flavors meant to be savored.

CHEF’S HANSANG

BO SSAM RADISH KIMCHI, BIBB, MARKET OYSTER
PRIME GALBI SSAM PARTY, CONFIT GARLIC, BROWN BUTTER
LOBSTER TOMALLEY FRIED RICE, WHITE KIMCHI SALAD
MAD HUNGRY NOODLES – CRISPY DUCK SKIN, OKSUSU, UMAMI FOAM

The entree course arrived in a different style than the previous courses. These dishes were presented on wooden trays included the main ingredient along with the accompaniments to the meal. Everything looked so amazing and we could not wait to try everything. While it was a bit more challenging to split these, we managed to eat a portion of the dish and then we traded trays which was actually quite fun.

• The Bo Ssam was the pork option features several pieces what looked like pork belly (though I learned the Korean dish is traditionally made with pork shoulder) with garlic confit on top. The pork cuts were selected well and they were succulent pieces. The dish also came with bibb lettuce to make wraps out of the pork and the other sides. There were also two oysters that were delightful and an eggplant side that we devoured.
• The Prime Galbi may have been my favorite of the three entrees we ordered. This was a Korean marinated short rib and my goodness the flavor in just a small bite was insane. The sear on the outside gave such great flavor while keeping the meat to rare. This meat melted in your mouth and was so mouthwatering good. The garlic confit also paired nicely with this meat as well. The dish also came with bibb lettuce to make wraps out of the pork and the other sides.
• The Lobster presentation was definitely the most jaw dropping and I loved how they kept the lobster shell in tact, even using it to display the rice. The lobster itself was perfectly prepared and included enough meat in the tail for us all to have a good portion. The rest of the meat was mixed in with the rice which was really delicious – I really loved this dish as well.

I knew before we got here that we had to add the Mad Hungry Noodles. Everything about this was perfection. The noodles themselves were the best I have ever had in a dish like this. The toppings included mushrooms, corn, and duck skin – I do not even know how they made an umami foam but we were here for it. The oksusu, which is corn tea, was the magic sauce that pulled this all together. While I was so full at this point, I was not going to let any of this go to waste. After the boys had their fill, I cleaned the rest of these noodles up. Goodness if they offered just this for take out I would be here all the time that is how good these noodles were.

SWEETS TO FINISH

EARL GREY SHAVED ICE
PÂTE À CHOUX
RICE PUDDING

With three dessert offerings, we finished off by having one of each ordered. Everything had been so amazing so we expected nothing less from the desserts. We were a bit relieved to see the portion sizes were very manageable to end the meal but these small sizes packed big flavors.

• I do not know why it was surprising to us as the shaved ice indeed matched the description – it was shaved ice like we found in Hawaii. The fruit on top was delightful and paired well with the shaved ice. It did not have an overwhelming tea flavor which I was pleased about.
• I had to look out the pate a choux as known of us know what to expect when we ordered it and we were happy to learn it was a puffy pastry filled with cream which is exactly what arrived. It was a simple dessert and as expected.
• The rice pudding was definitely my favorite. It was creamy and just sweet enough to be indulgent.

We were blown away by our meal at LittleMad and were so happy to have found it. The meal itself was fun, creative, and delicious – everything you want in a tasting menu to discover not only new ingredients but new ways to showcase favorite ones as well. The portions were perfect to pace for a full meal while trying all the dishes – something that sometimes tasting menus have a difficulty navigating. The service and staff were wonderful creating and inviting and memorable meal. We highly recommend LittleMad!

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