Omai Vietnamese cuisine in Chelsea

158 Ninth Ave bet 19th and 20th
212-633-0550
My dear, beautiful, brilliant, and funny friend Jen took me for a belated b-day meal to Omai last night. What a lovely treat; the ambiance, the food, the service, and her company. You can of course experience 3 of the 4 unless you know Jen and then the evening will be completely magical. We shared as we usually do and started with Kettle 1, soda, and rose’s lime juice cocktails which were perfect and refreshing for a sultry summer night. Shrimp rolls with peanut dipping sauce were followed by a lovely spicy beef salad. Then we had this inventive concoction of chopped veggies and monkfish served over thick crispy rice crackers, followed by an entrée of clay pot chicken with jasmine rice, and finally warm banana bread pudding with ice cream.
The service was languid but attentive. We were there for 2 ½ hours and never felt anything but special guests, which is a rare trick in NY.