I’ve been reading about Chez Sardine for a bit, and it’s one of the “hot” restaurants that everyone keeps talking about. I heard it’s very hard to get a seat there, so when we stopped in one Sunday evening, I was shocked when they had 2 seats for us right at the bar. Shocked and excited! 
We started with some lovely cocktails that were perfectly mixed.
And then looked up to notice that we had some company.
I really loved sitting at the bar.
Watching them prepare these works of art was a highlight of my (fantastic) meal.
We began with an amuse bouche which had a bonito flake.
We started with the east coast oyster with apple and chive oil. It was a very nice combination, but the more I have raw oysters with something, the more I realize that I just love a good ol’ raw oyster with nothing else.
We next tried a special which was like a bumped up eggs benedict, made with a pork (pork belly or bacon… not sure) and a slow cooked egg on an English muffin with foie gras. This was rich and delicious.
We were watching them make some things in the kitchen and one really caught our eye. So much so, that we added it to the order: Sushi rice balls. They were supposed to be with avocado, spicy mayo, and tobiko. We asked if they would replace the spicy mayo, and they wound up giving us a yogurt sauce that was to die for. It went so well with everything! And the rice balls come with pieces of crudo (sashimi?) with many different types of fish. All were great. And the rice balls themselves were heavenly. What could possibly be bad about fried balls of rice?
We tried the brussels sprouts with apple and brown butter. I loved the apple flavor with the crisp of the brussels. These were perfectly cooked so they were soft but crispy.
We next tried the roasted pork belly with slow cooked egg and cabbage (I can’t believe we had 2 pork and egg dishes… but it was great!). This had a brilliant smokey and sweet flavor, with a perfectly cooked egg. And the little onion crispies added perfect texture.
Our meal ended with a lovely pana cotta (maybe?) with Rice Krispies on the house. I don’t remember the exact details, but I do remember commenting that it was a great way to end the meal with a perfect combination of textures.
I absolutely loved our meal here. From start to finish, each dish was great and each had a unique quality about it that was really lovely. I would come back in a heartbeat and would love to try their brunch. Hopefully soon!
Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10
