by Deetta Fileds on You can find better food elsewhere. The portions are very small. There were 4 of us and we split one of their plates of maki and nigiri, tempura combination, kobe beef appetizer, duck duck udon, and shumai (pork dumplings). We still all left a little hungry. It's a place to go just to experience the different flavors, but I recommend pre-eating. The fish on the nigiri was very nice and fatty and tasted like it just melted in your mouth. The maki however was unimpressive, tasted like something you can get for $6 from the local grocer. The tempura combination was pretty good and had a mix of shrimp, carrots, string beans, and potatoes. The kobe beef appetizer was not worth the price tag by any means. It's about 3 bites of thinly sliced beef, lacking any special flavor or texture. The guy who cooked it for us had a lot of difficulty using chopsticks. I was worried he was going to drop the beef when moving it from the rock to the serving plate, though he was very nice. They claim it's a popular dish, probably because they cook it for you tableside on a rock. The duck duck udon was decent. The duck meat and dumplings in the soup was a good flavor and tenderness. The shumai was terrible, loaded with salt. Any Chinatown restaurant can cook up a better shumai. The atmosphere has a futuristic space ship look to it. It's a comfortable place to eat. However, for a trendy and overpriced restaurant, the restrooms at this place do not match its dining room. Instead of having his and her bathrooms, they have these tiny rooms, about the size of a regular stall. While trying to stay with the futuristic theme, it only looks like a lavatory you find on an airplane - same size, look, and cramped feel, not to mention, dirty. Service is okay. They tend to "hover" since after all, you are paying for the service but consequently your conversation gets interrupted quite a bit. Our food plus sake for 2, and 1 cocktail, not including tip came out to $130. Ehh all around.
by Beverly Trial on Just opened - very cool. The design - with banquettes all around and a dance platform in the middle - makes the space feel intimate and cliquey without being claustrophobic. Went to a party hosted by J. Lo here. Very danceable music.
by Connie C. on Cheers to Rateclub for throwing a fabulous party here last night! I've been to Bubble Lounge a few times in the past, when the basement level had carpeting all over and there was a pool table down there. I've always liked ordering their chocolate covered strawberries and having it with some bubbly, and the swanky space is a perfect setting to enjoy it. It must have been over 3 years since I've been back there. Last night was definitely the best time I have ever had at Bubble Lounge. Of course, it had a lot to do with the wonderful company of fellow Rateclubers, but I was really impressed with the friendly and accommodating service from the bartenders, servers and staff. Even though we were tucked away in the VIP Yogathon/Mental Floss room, all the tasty passed hors d'oeuvres were brought in for us, and when the room got too stuffy, the staff came to check on us. The bathrooms, bar and lounge areas were kept clean and there was plenty of room to roam around and shake people down for donations for the Yogathon. I had two glasses of the Mimi Zaza, which was yummy, but they ran out of the pom martini towards the end of the event. I know the drinks are usually pretty pricey, so I'm sure they had to cap it on the freebies. There was a lot of buzzing going on in people's heads last night - bubbly does that to a lot of people. Unfortunately, there was a target on my ass because there was excessive contact made there by unnamed drunkies. Good times, as always!
