With temperatures rising and sunrays gently caressing lightly dressed bodies, spring is everywhere you appear. Just in time for floral blossoms, the brand new seafood and rosé-focused restaurant is here at NoHo. Cozy yet pretentious and trendy, The Poni Room, where water and wine are served from fish jugs, gives out the perfect spring vibe we've all been craving.
Located on 316 Bowery, the most recent project from AvroKO Design and AvroKO Hospitality Group, The Poni Room is below Saxon + Parole. Enter through Saxon + Parole restaurant and let among the personnel know you are looking for The Poni Room to enter a hidden seated bar and restaurant, with a separate menu in the upstairs establishment. The Poni Room resides in a 36-seat space, the previous S+P's wine cellar, having a mixture of high tables and banquettes. The interior is completed in “New Yorkian izakaya” style, featuring Japanese room dividers made from coral fabric and velvet and deconstructed archaic horse blankets around the walls. The “Beverage Room,” filled to the ceiling with rose bottles, is a little landmark from the restaurant. Although guests can order drinks using their tables, indecisive ones can click on the Beverage Room to determine the bottles on their own, possess a bartender make recommendations on the option of drink as well as Instagram the experience.
The Poni Room's menu whirls around petite seafood pan-Asian plates. It is led by talented chefs from Saxon + Parole. Among the tastiest dishes are uni-topped English muffins, coconut laksa, barbecued oysters with shrimp-chili paste, lobster with pickled mango and lettuce leaves for wrapping. The restaurant also provides tuna, scallops, octopus and prawn skewers accompanied by green-tea noodles and Thai chili dipping sauce. For those who like sharing their joy, large shareable platters have a salt crusted whole boneless dorade, whole crispy twice-cooked chicken, lobster bake, and Guinness spice braised short ribs. For sophisticated patrons, the restaurant offers an izakaya tasting menu. Despite 20 different rosés through the bottle, pitcher, or on tap, the all-purpose list includes soju, sake, beer, red and sparkling wines. Be sure to sample the rotating boozy slushie and a signature cocktail Poni 50/50, crafted with gin, vermouth, and cucumber bitters.
Counting time from spring to spring, we discover it more cheerful to reckon the entire year by blossoms compared to withering. With such a grand collection of rose wines, The Poni Room is an ever-spring space, and it is dining experience promises to provoke blossoms daily for many years.
316 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
212.254.0350
theponiroom.com
