Remembering a beautiful warm sunny afternoon. When the light was bouncing off the Hudson River and slanting through the buildings. Walking and strolling down a sleepy out of the way street in Soho you’ll come across a bright blue restaurant. The inviting sounds of people inside creating a vibrant electric atmosphere. Smell of labne and lamb beckoning you through the doors and up to the hostess who will seat you at a table. The checkered mosaic patterns and blue decor transport you to a far away time and place. You’re suddenly in a palace in a far away place. Seated at a table waiting for an audience with the king of Brunai. Glasses clink and you taste a sweet gingery sip of delightfulness that you can’t quite put your finger on. The bartender is preparing you another. Grinding nutmeg over an apricot infused drink that takes you away to another time. Outside a cab honks and you realize that you’re still in NYC.
Shuka is a fun mediterranean restaurant tucked away in a back corner of SoHo. Like a lot of restaurants in the city they have an impressive bar and cocktail service to go along with their delicious food. But what you’ll find here are drinks tailored not to what’s trendy but to compliment the food program. Vibrant flavors make for vibrantly colored drinks and it’s hard to take a bad photograph of one of Shuka’s cocktails.