Get the Royal Treatment at This Seafood-Chic Uptown Park Newbie

WHILE YOU WON’T be noshing British teatime favorites crumpets and scones at Duchess, you will be lavished with global cuisine inspired from the Mediterranean, Asian, and South American coastal traditions. The new Uptown Park restaurant is the brainchild of restaurant veterans Peggy and Daniel Chang of Uptown Sushi and Sushi Rebel, and biz partner Roveen Abante.

According to the restaurateurs, “Our muse, the Duchess, is the embodiment of unpretentious glamour, a character that enjoys jaunts abroad, but whose sensibilities are rooted stateside. Like many of us – someone who enjoys great cocktail and an easy-to-understand menu served in an inviting room.”

Roasted seafood platter

Scorpion Kiss cocktail

Beef tartare

Gougeres and caviar

Regarding interiors, eye-catching jewel tones, cushy banquettes, and snug upholstered chairs are guest-friendly and pretty versus precious. The vibe is casual and works for day and night, and the ambitious menu is served all day, so you can pop in for a gorgeous cocktail if not seeking a dinner commitment.

Consulting chef Omar Pereney, who foodies may recall opened now-shuttered Peska, has crafted a seafood-focused menu devoted to live fire cooking. Diverse yet approachable, most dishes are infused with the smoky and succulent flavors from the kitchen’s wood-burning grill. The Caesar salad, side vegetables, and the Scorpion Kiss cocktail are even influenced by fire.

Selections are divided into cold and hot appetizers, skewers and mains and everything is plated meticulously and imaginatively. You might start with chilled red snapper crudo, beef tartare, or peach and pistachio burrata. Tender grilled skewers — think ribeye or salmon — are a highlight, each flavored with a different glaze and sauce, like the tiger prawn with coconut red curry.

Entrees sport something for everyone including an au jus burger with garlic aioli to bucatini with mussels and chorizo, and the luxe roasted seafood platter. The enticing menu isn’t confusing with mysterious ingredients or dauntingly long, making choosing a breeze. Do choose to save room for dessert – the white chocolate mousse Duchess Rose is a work of art!