Molly T.
Yelp
Twins Tails is a new, grand, dazzling restaurant in Columbus Circle that is bringing some real excitement to the dining in this area. Our experience here was a bit inconsistent but overall fun and exciting, and it was one that left us eager to come back and try more of the vast food menu. Dining in Columbus Circle has always been a strange experience for me, because during the day it is an overwhelming touristy, highly-trafficked mall, yet the restaurants try their best to make you forget that you could essentially roll over and find yourself in a Sephora or J.Crew. And yes, the food is slightly pricier than your average NYC restaurant, which is expected for the area, but the food is good enough that you won't leave feeling like you paid for location rather than execution.
We came here at 8:45 on a Saturday night. When I said our experience here was inconsistent, I was primarily referring to the service, which was evidenced early on when we weren't seated for almost 45 minutes after our reservation time. Luckily, there are some high-top tables near the bar that are fair game as you wait for your table, so we ended up getting a cocktail and taking in the scene, which is quite impressive. The space itself is massive and sprawling, which makes the wait that much more puzzling. In any case, the vibe strikes a great balance between buzzy and classy, refined but not pretentious. It is also excellent for people watching, or, in my case, getting ideas for what designer bag I can fantasize about.
Drink-wise, I started with the Salted Lychee Martini (ketel one, lychee, lime leaf),
which is a unique, kind of salty kind of sweet kind of fruity situation which is hard to categorize. It was sold to me as more like a dirty martini than something like a gimlet, but I would not agree with that. Even so, I really liked the drink and it seemed most folks here did too, because I saw one on pretty much every table I look at. I then got the Tamarind Negroni (guilder's canton dry gin, blanc vermouth, tamarind aperol), which, similar to my first drink, is a spin on a classic using Southeast Asian ingredients. Really delicious and I was sad when I finished it way too quickly.
Food-wise, the menu, like the space itself, is massive and overwhelming in the best way. It was quite hard to deliberate because of the sheer number of enticing options. I'd probably want to return with a larger group to try more dishes, as there's only so much that can be accomplished with two people. Interestingly, the dishes we liked the most were not the ones sold to us as being crowd favorites, so I was happy to have consulted Google reviews to help inform our decisions. Eats, below:
Yellowtail crudo w/ water nuoc cham and and shiso: A-
A beautiful, vibrant presentation. The fish was fresh and delicate, the flavors were elegant and thoughtful. Not the most exciting dish of the night for us but still good if you're looking for a raw dish.
Black Pepper Sirloin Satay: A
I seem to have failed to take a picture of this dish so apologies for that, but perhaps it's a good indication of how excited we were to dig into this. These were really yummy, seasoned nicely, and came with a dipping sauce that was also excellent.
Mushroom Bahn Cuon Rice Rolls: A+
Definitely the surprise standout of the night. Not an intuitive order but I read enough rave reviews that I knew we had to try it. Everything was fantastic - the sauce, the seasoning, the flavors. The winner of the meal, no questions.
Emerald Goddess Salad w/ chrysanthemum and honeydew: A
Fun and creative preparation, another dish I wasn't expecting to love as much as I did. I could've probably eaten three of these by myself.
Grilled Royal Dorade w/ Serrano-Ginger Dipping Sauce: A-
I was really feeling one of the other seafood mains but our server was adamant that this was the world's most favorite thing on the menu, so we paid $55 (most of the other fish entrees weren't this expensive) to see what the excitement was about. It was good but I can't say it lived up to the hype. Flavors were really nice, the fish itself was solid but nothing special. The sauces were delicious. If you're feeling it go ahead, but with a menu this vast there's plenty more to get excited about.