#57 – KEDGEREE at THE JOHN DORY OYSTER BAR

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

If there were any place in New York to get kedgeree, it would be the John Dory Oyster Bar. I had never heard of this dish until Time Out added it to their 100 Best list. Upon doing some research online, it turns out there are a few other gastropubs that serve it, but John Dory is definitely the most fitting.

When first delivered, this rice dish resembled something you’d find at an Asian restaurant and seemed strange among all the crudos and oysters served at John Dory. But turns out this is an old time British dish that was brought back from India centuries ago and it is mostly comprised of rice and smoked fish.

Chef April Bloomfield is famous for staying true to her British roots and introducing New Yorkers to refined versions of true gastropub dishes. This was one of my favorite things I’ve tasted at her seafood restaurant and certainly one of the most filling.

John Dory serves only small plates and so it is hard to leave the brightly colored, but often dark and crowded restaurant full. This was a revelation and along with miniscule bites of a black bass crudo and a dish of asparagus and prosciutto, we left reasonably full.

I must say the kedgeree was surprisingly delicious. It’s a basmati rice dish that’s cooked with smoked haddock, strips of cooked egg, and lots of wonderful spices. Topped with fresh cilantro, crispy fried onions, and a healthy squeeze of lime, it’s an experiment in balance. It was certainly rich and peppery, but the fish and herbs sort of mellowed things out and gave it a light, smoky quality.

I’d be happy to find this on the menu at any Indian restaurant, but it’s a true British pub dish (that’s strangely served at breakfast traditionally) and nobody does those better than Bloomfield.

Would The John Dory Oyster Bar’s Kedgeree make my Top 100 of the year? Quite possibly, with the bold flavors in harmony and the richness mellowed out by the fresh ingredients. 9 out of 10.