Restaurant Yuu

Restaurant Yuu has been on my list for quite some time. The menu appeared interesting in that it was neither very Japanese forward nor French forward. It felt like it could be a new experience, and surprisingly it had plenty of seats available just a few days before I made the reservation. Chef Yuu Shimano trained with classical French technique but layered on Japanese perspectives focusing on restraint and attention to the ingredients in a dish. This is located at the edge where Greenpoint meets North Williamsburg.

Ambiance & Service

As you walk in, there are 2 areas: the left is the bar, and the right is the larger counter-dining experience. The counter experience offers a front-row view of the chefs at work, and some points during the course, it was interesting to see how they plated the dishes. The seating wasn’t stuffy, but it was closer than I had imagined as there wasn’t as large of a gap between diners.

The service was impeccable. I talked to the sommelier, and he was willing to do a half-glass tasting ($85), which encompassed 6 wines of his choice.

Food

The overall cost of the food was $300 per person for the counter tasting menu, plus the $85 for sommelier half-glass tasting.

Wine

The Eva Fricke Kiedrich Riesling came from Rheingau, Germany 2024. This riesling was not super sweet, and it has some nice minerality.

The Amuse came with:

• A soup with egg and sunchoke
• Deep fried seaweed cup filled with marinated branzino and uni on top
• House-made foie gras mousse with Japanese radish
• Oyster and wagyu tartare

All 4 tastings were very good. It neither tasted super Japanese nor super French.

Wine

The Le Haut-Lieu came from Domaine Huet, Vouvray, France 2024. This had a nice freshness to it and was crispy. It has chenin blanc grapes, which are always a favorite of mine. It had very nice aromas of lemon and green stone fruits.

This amuse was like a bite-sized pastry with some cheese in the middle.

The Botan Ebi Shrimp came with tomato and some gentle smoke on the shrimp. It came with chilled paprika sauce, with bonito and shrimp dashi broth. There was some plum wine gelee to give it sweetness and acidity. The shrimp was extremely sweet, and the broth was wonderful.

The Caviar Brioche (+$65 for 20 grams) was their optional add-on. We ended up splitting this, but I could’ve easily eaten one by myself. The caviar is from the Daurenki lable, which has two sturgeon species: Schrenckii and Dauricus. It’s described as having deep richness, creamy smoothness, and a subtle fruity finish. The caviar has definite salinity, and the brioche it sits on is buttery and sweet. The dish is incredibly decadent and memorable. By far one of the best bites I’ve had in recent times.

The Hamo was a Japanese pike conger. As a first preparation, this was bundled with scallop and stuffed inside a zucchini blossom and lightly fried as tempura. It’s served with a warm consomme made from the hamo broth and hojicha tea. The texture was similar to normal tempura, and the broth had some very nice, subtle flavors.

Wine

The Le Petit Cheval came from Chateau Cheval Blanc, Bordeaux, France 2022. This is a blend of 71% Sauvignon Blanc and 29% Semillon. I recall this being very delicious with smells of flowers and zest and some minor woody sensations.

The Hamo here was a second preparation and was grilled over charcoal, served with cucumber, green apple, and a sabayon sauce made with shuto. The sabayon sauce was delicious along with the fish.

The Maine Lobster was cooked over wood-fire with a savory soy and American glaze. Along with this was a lobster claw tartare with fennel, white miso, and tarragon mayonnaise. There was also a cantaloupe and chorizo accompaniment with cream cheese and hazelnut. In the middle was a saffron-infused American sauce with a hint of vermouth. The lobster was very good and sweet, and many other parts of the dish seemed to have lobster flavors in it.

Due to an allergy, my partner received grilled Eel with chestnut puree and grilled oyster mushrooms. The black sauce in the middle had black truffles, but the truffle flavors were nonexistent. My partner thought this dish was very good, but if you compare the picture, you’re definitely not getting your worth.

Wine

The Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres came from Domaine Genot-Boulanger, Burgundy, France 2022. This was a 100% chardonnay with a balance of tree fruits, honey suckle, wet stone, and mineral notes.

The Amadai was a Japanese tile fish that was gently steamed in a bamboo steamer with fig leaf. It’s served with a beurre blanc of Meyer lemon and plum compote for brightness and gentle acidity. There are some seasonal vegetables and a clam broth. The beurre blanc was amazing

The Sesame Bread came with spinach and nori butter. The nori wasn’t very prominent, but it was great with the sesame bread. You get some of that nuttiness with the spinach and seaweed flavors.

The Squab was one of Restaurant Yuu’s signatures. This was roasted at a low temperature and honors every part of the squab, including breast, leg, gizzard, heart, and liver. There is roasted egg plant, Cognac-scented foie gras, and artichoke barigoule paired with a sauce of pigeon jus, Japanese whiskey, and blackcurrant. This was a heavy dish, but it was complex prepared dish. It was very delicious, and the epitome of gourmand.

Wine

The Chateau Branaire-Ducru was a Grand Cru Classe en 1855 and came from Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France 2012. This cabernet was an interesting one. It’s very punchy with earthy, oaky, and leathery notes. It’s definitely meant to go with either the squab or duck because it’s a heavy wine.

Wine

The Monthelie was a Grand Vin de Bourgogne from Pascal Prunier Bonheur in Meursalt, France 2023. This was much better than the Chateau Branaire-Ducru because it had a very snappy and rich palate of red fruits and black currant. It was silky and tasty with a snappy after taste.

At last, the signature Duck Pie came out. The Chef brought this huge duck wellington, which has a rich portion of foie gras and a generous portion of duck. The dry-aged duck is paired with a rich sauce made from cognac and duck blood. Near the puff pastry is a layer of sauteed mushrooms. From a skill perspective, it was quite amazing to observe the finesse that went into making this, let alone how they cut apart the pastry. The slice of duck pie itself was good but not great. I think I’ve had better duck preparations from other places, but the preparation here is something that I thought was worth seeing.

As we start getting into the dessert areas, this was described as a “Cool Reprieve” in their online description. It was built around the bright acidity of rhubarb and verjus granita. There is some Fragrant Da Yu long oolong tea gelee giving some floral notes and white peach sorbet. There are also some fresh shiso leaves that really lift up the flavors overall. It was a very refreshing palate cleanser.

Finally, the Melon was super sweet. There was some toasted rice gelato with honey and mint gelee. There was white sesame cream and a light melon seed foam sauce that gave it additional texture and notes. And lastly, there was some chamomile sauce providing floral and citrus notes. It sounds complex, but it was harmonious to the palate.

They gave some Lemon Tea and some bite sized things that I can’t remember. The macaron tasted good, but it wasn’t memorable. The white thing was similar to meringue.

As part of our celebration, they gave us a Strawberry Slice of Cake. This was balanced with the right amount of sweetness.

And for Take Home, it was 2 pieces of bread, which were hazelnut and I some type of red fruit bread. When we had this the next day, I thought they were just OK. The bread was a little dry.

Overall Impression

Restaurant Yuu was a surprising delicious restaurant that offered an alternate view on French meets Japanese style cuisine. I appreciated how it was different than your normal Japanese or French restaurants in the city. In addition, the wine here was actually pretty good, and they offer things that aren’t common. For a special night out, this is worth a trek if you want to try something outside of Manhattan and not worry about having to snipe for reservations.

Yelp & Google Jabs

Revisions

1. Sep 12, 2026 - Initial revision.