Empire

The lowdown:
— The décor is amazing
— The bar in the front looks pretty neat
— The food is meh and overpriced.
— The wine I had was bland and tasted like it’d been open for at least a day or two.
We had a special of the night, the lobster «cupcakes» for $ 26, a glass of Torrontes (white wine) for $ 12, and Cambodian rice (essentially veggie fried rice as one of us was) for $ 15. The lobster «cupcakes» were four balls of slightly sticky rice balls that seemed fried outside, and were then topped with lobster, scallop, and uni with some mayo sauce. I felt it was really overpriced for what it was, especially as there was little lobster to be found on the thing and the uni tasted of low quality when I found it hidden between the mayo and rice. The fried rice was a decent portion and not too oily, but expensive for what it was. My wine was very unremarkable, but it was a decent sized pour.
I’d definitely come back for a drink, and if this place turns into a nightclub it could be quite fun. The décor reminds me of Hakkasan in Miami Beach, too.