The team behind the beloved Southeast Asian restaurant, Essex Pearl, and renowned seafood wholesaler, Aquabest, are making their way from the Lower East Side to the West Side of Manhattan to take residence inside Midnight Cafe, the street level dining and drinking nook inside the glamorous, new Midnight Theatre and pan-Asian restaurant Hidden Leaf. Essex Pearl x Midnight Cafe is a joint production with restaurateur Josh Cohen, who runs Midnight Cafe, Midnight Theatre and Hidden Leaf, bringing a refreshing new culinary entrant to the Brookfield Properties’ Manhattan West, located between 31st and 33rd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue.
Essex Pearl’s Chef Owner Daniel Le (Hanoi House, The Tyger) has developed a special all-day lunch menu for the outpost, highlighting a variety of seafood rolls, with the star of the show being the seriously flavorful Asian-influenced Essex Pearl Lobster Roll topped with crispy fried shallots on a hearty brioche bun. Other menu items include a Vietnamese Lobster Roll, Sambal Shrimp Roll, Crab Salad Roll, a Marinated Tofu Roll and Red Curry Lobster Bisque. A gorgeous Seafood Plateau featuring a selection of crudo, prawns, oysters and other raw bar favorites is also available. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 7pm, Essex Pearl x Midnight Cafe will offer lunch specials from 12pm to 2pm and close out each day with an Oyster Happy Hour featuring $1 oysters and drink specials from 4pm to 7pm. Midnight Cafe will stay open later as a cocktail bar.
Essex Pearl’s unique dine in and dine out menu brings an exciting new lunch option to the Manhattan West plaza. The offerings will complement Midnight Theatre’s full-service pan-Asian restaurant, Hidden Leaf, which has been serving up inventive dishes inspired by the ingredients and cuisines of southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam since its opening in late summer. Fan favorites from Hidden Leaf’s Executive Chef Chai Trivedi (Pranna, Buddakan, Tamarind) include a variety of Dim Sum, special entrees like Kung Pao Fish and Broken Chicken, Wok Fried Noodles and Rice Cakes and more.
