Soothsayer
“Taro tots – delicious
Spring rolls – good but needed a bit more flavor to bring it to life.”
“Everything we had was super and especially the beef jerky, green papaya salad, Vietnamese style fish, and lemon beef.”
“The wings and the glass noodles were decent, while the Banh Mi Burger was the real must order.”
Soothsayer
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
6 reviews
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Soothsayer is the new neighborhood go-to. It has my fave combo of relaxed atmosphere with sophisticated food (nothing like stuffy to ruin an evening).
The bartender allowed me to taste a few wines before choosing while he explained them which I really enjoy.
For appetizers, start with the Taro Tots and Beef Jerky.
As someone who has spent about a year in SEA, taro is near and dear to my heart. This under-used root in the US, is a staple that is earthy, yet sweet with a texture that changes based on cooking length and style. This particular style was lightly breaded and drizzled with a light white sauce and fresh Thai (Vietnamese?!) chilis. We were a table of 4 and ordered a second order for the table.
The beef jerky app had a unique curry flavor. It's the type of thing that I was wishing I could get 5 togo orders to replace my Luna bars for the coming weeks, for food on the go. Never had anything like this. Very special.
Ok let's talk about this Cod. The cod dish has lemongrass, coconut and chili flavors that were well balanced. You could feel the chefs edit and restraint here, as one could easily go overboard and fill the bowl with extra herbs and veggies. The bold flavors that still felt light and bright takes technique and that did not go unnoticed.
In SEA, many beverages both fruity and alcoholic are made with sweetened condensed milk as fresh milk is often difficult to transport and keep cold. The ice cream dish lovingly reminded me of this and the toasted coconut added texture.
The blue-doored gem that is Soothsayer is definitely a sapphire.
I came here for a private Tasting Collective dinner & it was a really eye opening, tasty experience! We had the following pre determined dishes:
Taro "Tots" – Vietnamese aioli (YUM), pork floss & basil. These things are addicting!! So much flavor and cooked just right.
Spring rolls- pork, shiitake, glass noodle. Very good, not the most remarkable item on the menu, but I could've still eaten about 20 of them 🙂
Beets w/ peaches, galangal & dill. Really happy this dish was included. Simple, yet refined, and a nice surprise to change up the tastes.
Morning Glory- fermented bean curd, garlic, chili. Oddly enough my favorite dish! So much garlic, I couldn't get enough.
Chicken wings- five spice, tempura, ginger. GIVE ME MORE!!! WOWZZA these things are delicious. The five spice and sweetness of the ginger together is incredible.
Mussels- oyster sauce, fish sauce, sawtooth. Can I just say I HATE mussels and I ate TEN of these?! Nuff said.
Smoked Duck- green tea, tamarind, chili. Tasted it, respected it, but duck is not my thing 🙁 just a personal pref.
Crispy pork belly- cabbage slaw, pickled carrot, daikon. This dish was cray… It was so juicy and crunchy at the same time I was in shock!
We finished with the brownie – star anise, ginger ice cream. Clearly it was amazing but I'm not sure if you go wrong with it.
Chef Stephan Brezinsky did a spectacular explaining each dish to our group. His passion and dedication definitely shines through in his words but more so in the quality and pride of his food. He incorporates his person traditions and culture into his dishes and it really makes for an amazing experience.
Can't wait to come here again!!
The food at this fancyish new Vietnamese spot in Alphabet City ranges from just ok to really excellent.
The wings and the glass noodles were decent, while the Banh Mi Burger was the real must order. It tasted just like a Vietnamese sandwich in burger form, even down to the slightly crunchy bun.
Skip dessert – there was a rice pudding which we passed on, but the coconut frozen yogurt, which in no way had any coconut flavor, came as a single, sad, melty scoop in a bowl.
The decor is very nice and other than the server forgetting to put in our burger order until we finished the rest of the meal, service was very friendly and excellent throughout.
3 1/2 stars. I think this placed was hyped up by Yelp. I was disappointed when I got takeout on a Thursday night. The place is easily missed during the nighttime, as they don't have a sign. The place was empty when I went to pick up.
As someone already said, this is a fancy Vietnamese place. I saw no Vietnamese people while I was there. I got the glass noodles and the taro tots. The glass noodles were meh. It was small enough to fit in a pint-sized plastic container. It would not have been filling if I had gotten it alone, and it cost me $13. The mushrooms in it were really good, but there are more toppings than noodles in the dish. Overall quite bland and nothing special.
The taro tots were good, but again nothing special. I feel like they're not unique to this restaurant. It came drizzled with some kind of mayo. Seven tots came in the order, and considering they were $7, that's almost $1 for each tot!! Not worth that price.
This place is worth a try if you're looking for a modern take on Vietnamese food, but I think they're a bit overpriced with small portions, so I don't think I'll be back.
This is a review about their burger.
As I entered the restaurant, I got hit by an overly strong smell of smoky cooking, that would stay on my clothes through the night. I went with a friend and we sat at the bar. We ordered two draft beers, which were both good.
Their Banh mi burger, however, was a disappointment… certainly not worth the steep $20 price tag. The mixed beef and pork ground patty came too cooked (I asked medium-rare) and dry; the taste was very plain… beyond boring. Sure, it did have a spicy exotic twist, but it wasn't working.
The taro tots were too starchy… They tasted like you were eating fried bread… Something went wrong with the recipe.
Overall, I didn't taste much food (which I am happy about, considering the quality of what I did order and how much they generally charge), but what I had was enough not to have a concrete reason to go back.
I just finished a 9 course feast! So I feel good about saying the food is very good!!!
I attended a special event and the chef served up his favorites. I loved the food and would go back for dinner.
Taro tots – delicious
Spring rolls – good but needed a bit more flavor to bring it to life.
Beets- yummy
Morning glory – yes! Bring back the morning!
Chicken wings – good but a tad to salty
Mussels- dreaming about the sauce?
Smoke duck – delicious
Pork belly- perfection
Brownie with ginger ice cream – double yum!
Fried banana – delis