That sucks, I was hoping to go and split one non alc with my partner
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it was the most expensive at 500pp and now even more so at 645/720pp
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according to the terms and conditions you can choose from the wine list instead. But it looks like regardless, some sort of liquid must be ordered.
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it doesn’t look like it bothered people as it’s fully booked already for all of march. When I was there on Saturday - it looked like almost everyone had one pairing or another.
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Yall think this place might’ve been a little more affordable if they didn’t choose their location in Weho?
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Evidently their margins must not have been doing great, despite being consistently booked. I know they’re having trouble retaining/hiring staff. Likely why they have had to keep it to 1 seating per night, probably some of what lead to this.
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Seems it.
Personally I’m bummed about this mandatory pairing. I know it’s probably the ideal way of experiencing the restaurant but my wife and I tend to just split one pairing and right now she’s pregnant so I don’t want to order 2 non alc pairings…Even that extra 200$ + service makes a big difference for a night out.
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The NA pairing is well-conceived and executed at Somni. If you had to pick something to drink, then the NA pairing is a good progression to go with…
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I love a good NA pairing. I don’t like having one for each person in a couple. It’s just a preference and not having the option sucks.
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Just went to Somni 2.0 and it was awesome.
Anyways, another abbreviated commentary and hopefully I get pics and a little more commentary out early next week. Again, it was an excellent meal. In pretty much every aspect I think it’s an upgrade from 1.0. For those familiar with 1.0, there will still be many familiarities. The presentation of the dish to the group, the synchronized placement, the amazing lighting, and the engagement by the staff in discussion. However, they now have the new outdoor lounge, some new interesting flourishes thanks to the space, more service-dedicated personnel, and more!
As to food: I really liked how the food kept building up to the next. Each course, for me and my buddy, consistently got better and better. I think their beef prep was one of the best beef preps I’ve ever had in a Western-style/influenced tasting menu. Also really enjoyed the non-alcoholic pairing. FYI, I think already there may have been some additional tweaks to the menu since the last set of pictures on the thread. A very special experience.
Note: The course does contain enough dairy product that I would consider being prepared with some Lactaid or something. Especially if you’re more sensitive.
Edit:
Peony is the latest set of pictures. Main new course vs then is crab, though there have been more dish modifications since.
Additional differences from prior menus:
Change in presentation of ravioli. Version I had included amaebi underneath.
No more Mar y montana.
Nor is there that shrimp dish in Peony’s pictures (6th from last).
My service did not have turbot fin thing in Peony’s pictures (7th from last) though I still see it on Instagram.
Everything was at minimum good but my true standouts were:
Caviar tart, Tomato dish, Mussel, Turbot, the A4 Wagyu, and all the desserts.
Also shout out again to the non-alcoholic pairing. Favorite in LA so far (though I’ve only tried it at Kato, Vespertine, and Baroo - I think only one I’m missing is Seline?). Somni’s non-alcoholic has more interesting combinations and one even does a play between hot and cold temperatures which was fun and a great drink.
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I’m surprised you have such high accolades for the beef. I thought it was the worse course by far, borderline inedible, the only course I didn’t like. At least when I went, the beef was so incredibly tough/chewy, not even a hint of tenderness. What was your beef course like? Maybe they changed it?
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Lol maybe you should have sent yours back. Clearly theirs wasn’t one of the best beef courses of their life if it was “borderline inedible.”
I agree the beef was the worst course. For me, it was far outclassed by the beef at Leopardo and Meteora – neither of which is the tenderest, but which have better flavor IMO.
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It was not just my dish. I was with a group of 4 and our beef dishes were all the same, which surely means the preparation of the dish was intentional and not a fluke. The flavor of the beef was fine (though not outstanding), it’s just that it was SO chewy (or, non-tender) as to be an unenjoyable chore to eat. The 4 in my group all agreed it was awful. @PeonyWarrior also thinks it was the worst course. And I saw on a review thread on Reddit where multiple users were commenting that the beef was awful and the worst course.
All of which makes me surprised that @Bagel thought it was the best course, and makes me wonder if perhaps the beef course has changed.
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I had the same experience. Myself and friend both had to spit out a ball of unchewable sinew. Pretty awful way to end savory courses (and embarrassing to try and do under all the watchful eyes). I’ve heard from a few employees they had the same thoughts and expressed it to chef Aitor, but he wanted to keep it on. So hoping this means he listened now
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they changed it because of those exact complaints
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Honestly, fair enough. Bizarre when chefs convince themselves something that bad is decent
When I had it, it was like what I remembered having in the Basque region of Spain. Very rare and older dairy cow == chewier texture. So it is authentic to a dish that is prized in the region and I can understand why he wanted to keep it even in the face of negative feedback. However, doesn’t really match the expectation people have here for a steak dish. I think it could work if he did a side-by-side service with American dry aged beef. People might not like it better, but it would at least be interesting to directly compare the two. I don’t know how it was for you, but I also don’t recall them really talking too much about the vaca vieja other than saying it was from an older cow. Some more story telling and expectation setting could help (like it’s supposed to be chewier, the fat should taste different, etc).
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Old dairy cow can be super-flavorful and super-chewy, sometimes almost like jerky. Chris Kronner served it to me a few times. It’s a mistake to serve it to people who expect tender young beef without giving them a heads-up.
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