For those that enjoy Asian-fusion, Akoya provides a nice alternative to Pod, both in atmosphere and food selection. The setting will be familiar to anyone who has visited contemporary “modern” restaurants. Subtle lighting proceeds through the color wheel, making the restaurant’s cream colored walls glow from cool blue to a brilliant orange. Standard floral arrangements are replaced with bamboo shoots that rise from the ground throughout the restaurant. The small tables, designed for an intimate date, emphasize the details. Translucent tea lights sit in between two sets of dark wooden chopsticks that rest on white porcelain holders.
Akoya infused as many dishes as possible with different combination of Asian and Western cuisine, with mixed results. For the first course, we sampled a salad was served with sweet dressing. The nontraditional miso soup, served with onions and carrots, was a bit underwhelming, both in taste and presentation. The main course entrees are one-of-a-kind. They depart from the Asian fusion theme of the restaurant, despite being the more enjoyable dishes on the menu. Lobster and steak were complimented with scallion mashed potatoes. Our other dish, a juicy Vietnamese short rib with gingered carrots ($26) was presented nicely with mushroom sauce.
As Akoya is part of the upscale club known as Pearl, the drink menu is spot on. A welcome twist on an old favorite was the Tokyo Mojito ($12), which used lychee liqueur to give the drink a fresh new interpretation that deserves repeated visits.
The idea of the restaurant can be understood through one of the restaurants appetizers: edamame hummus. There are a lot of novel ideas working here, but sometimes its best not to change recipes that have proven themselves timeless.
Akoya @ Pearl 1904 Chestnut St. (215) 564-9090 Don’t Miss: Tempura beef short ribs Skip: Edamame hummus Bottom Line: Hip and untraditional downtown
