Enthralled with Talde

The Jersey City restaurant hosts a bevy of Asian-inspired tapas.

Talde in Jersey City, which features Asian cuisine, is hopping fun, but not a place for a quiet tete-a-tete. Blasting music and large crowds, at the bar and in the dining area, equals noise. A 20- and 30-somethings filled  this restaurant on a Thursday evening by 7 PM. Make a reservation and know that you will experience food with unique and distinct flavors.

Top Chef star, Dale Talde, who won this title twice on Bravo’s Top Chef, is the chef/partner along with David Massoni, and John Bush. The space was designed by partners Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri of HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins. They also designed Carrino Provisions, an Italian gourmet market and restaurant located at the same address.

The building dates back to 1896, when it housed first the Telephone Communications Building of NJ and NY, then the Jersey City Police Department and later the main office for state of NJ Internal Affairs. Interesting, huh? The restaurant has an urban-chic ambiance with exposed bricks, high ceilings, reclaimed barn-wood walls, concrete floors, Japanese lanterns, Edison light bulbs, spacious booths, a 40-foot-long bar, and a lengthy communal table. Chinese soup spoons, chopsticks and condiments are on the wooden tables.

Think of Talde as an Asian tapas restaurant, where dishes are meant to be shared and are brought to the table as they are ready. Dishes from the Philippines, China, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand are represented on the menu and are listed under salad, robata (our favorite), dim sum, noodles, entrees and sides.

The Vietnamese Shrimp Salad, which was a bit spicy, contained six perfectly cooked garlicky shrimp that sat atop greens, carrots, and rice vermicelli and was embellished with chopped peanuts. It was a vibrant well-executed dish. Peanuts were also scattered over of the exceedingly salty, dry and unexceptional Kung Pao chicken wings. The accompanying buttermilk ranch dipping sauce did not save them although dried chilies gave them some kick.

We had two robata that rocked. Skuna Bay salmon coated with miso and topped with fresh dill was rich and melted in our mouths. Served with charred lemon on a wooden board, this is a must-try dish. Ditto for the tender, grilled short rib with sesame, Asian pear and a side of kimchi  sprinkled with scallion rings and cilantro.

Wonton ramen with kale, tare (similar to soy sauce), pork, soft-boiled egg and ramen from Sun Noodles in Teterboro had ethereal wontons with a slight taste of ginger. This substantial dish got our full attention.

Although enticing aromas were constantly wafting by us and we were craning our necks to see what others were eating, we were stuffed after the five small dishes and did not order an entrée—though I had my eye on the mushroom sisig, a Filipino dish, with calamansi (a fruit) adobo and smoked shiitake. Perhaps next time.

Along with draft and bottled beers, Old and New World wines with many choices from Italy, are on the wine list. Some Asian choices on the cocktail list are Chinatown made with rum, applejack, lime, cherry, brown sugar and black pepper or plum-wine Bellini made with plum wine and Prosecco. We opted for a 2012 Bodega Castro Martin, Sobre Lias, Albarino, which paired well with the spicy food.

Spiffily dressed waiters with black shirts and pants and long black and white striped aprons provided attentive service and were able to explain some of the not-often-seen ingredients and dishes on the menu.

Dessert was not offered so we walked down the block to Torico Homemade Ice Cream at 20 Erie Street, which specializes in unusual flavors such as avocado, mamey (tropical fruit), jackfruit, and ube (purple yam). We tasted a few and then opted for chocolate chip and butter pecan.

You may wish to also check out Miss Wong’s, a speakeasy at Talde, which is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 7 PM to 2 AM. It is located in the basement and is quite a sexy setting to linger. She was an actress in China and now gives her name to this hideaway spot that offers high-end, top-shelf liquors. Check out the eye-catching carved, Asian-themed decorative panels and the picture of Miss Wong that hangs over the bar. Cocktail tables are creatively inlaid with mahjong tiles. The lounge in an adjoining room has a two-way mirror allowing patrons to observe the people and happenings in Miss Wong’s. There is also a large party room in the basement for private events.

Talde is open daily from 5 PM; Sunday brunch 11 AM to 3 PM; the bar is open late on Saturday and Sunday.

Talde
8 Erie Street
Jersey City
201-630-0077

PSST! If you find yourself in Florida, a Talde location will be opening  around in Miami Beach around August. IF

Vietnamese Shrimp Salad.

rosietalde2

Ramen.

Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein

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