New York City Eats

I really enjoyed my week's holiday in New York, and as one might expect the food played a large part in that. Rather than do loads of blog posts (I really can't be arsed nowadays) here's a round-up of some of my favourite eats in the Big Apple.

The dimly-lit dining room at Minetta Tavern, while terrible for food photography, is one of the most buzzy, atmospheric ones I've eaten in. And I've eaten in a lot. I kicked off with a generous portion of roasted bone marrow served with shallot confit and baguette soldiers while my friend went with roast baby beets. Both got the thumbs up. For mains, we both ordered the legendary Black Label burger. Made with prime cuts of dry-aged beef, topped with caramelized onions and served in a sesame-topped brioche bun, this was without doubt the best burger I've ever eaten. Oh, and the big mountain of fries were bloody amazing, too. Overall, Minetta Tavern was probably my favourite out of all the restaurants I visited in New York. This begs the question whether Keith McNally opened the wrong restaurant in London.



Minetta Tavern, 113 MacDougal St (btwn Bleecker & 3rd St), Greenwich Village, New York, NY 10012
(Tel: +1-212-475-3850)

Kesté Pizza & Vino serves pizza the Neapolitan way with a wood-fired brick oven taking pride of place at the back of the shop. My diavola pizza was pretty much perfect with its blistered chewy crust and quality toppings of homemade mozzarella, spicy soppressata and fresh basil. My friend enjoyed his pistacchio a salsiccia pizza with its subtle pistachio pesto topping and moreish sausage meat. As the name of the restaurant suggests wine is of equal importance to the pizza and this is reflected by the excellent wine list. Along with Biang! and the Minetta Tavern, this small pizzeria is on my A-list of New York eateries.



Kesté Pizza & Vino, 271 Bleecker St (btwn Cornelia & Jones St), West Village, New York, NY 10014
(Tel: +1-212-243-1500)

Choosing where to eat in Manhattan's Chinatown is a risky business. One false move and you could end up in a tourist trap. So I was thankful that I had some local knowledge to fall back on in the form of coolcookstyle's recommendation of Shanghai Café Deluxe. Being a caff specialising in Shanghainese food, both 小籠包 xiao long bao (soup-filled pork dumplings) as well as the less well known 生煎包 sheng jian bao (pan-fried soup-filled pork buns) were ordered. Of the two I preferred the latter; I think this might be to do with the fact that sheng jian bao, with their juicy pork filling and crispy bottoms, are nigh on impossible to find in London. Incidentally, these two dishes are listed on the English language-menu as steamed tiny buns with pork and fried tiny buns with pork.



Shanghai Café Deluxe, 100 Mott St (btwn Canal & Hester St), Chinatown, New York, NY 10013
(Tel: +1-212-966-3988)

Fette Sau may not be the best barbecue joint in New York (the twitterverse told me as much) but it is ideally located to kick off an afternoon out in Williamsburg. I know sod-all about proper American barbecue and have precious little experience of it. So for what it's worth, I thought the pulled pork shoulder, beef short rib and beef brisket were decent enough but that the pork ribs and pork sausages were better. I liked the casual fun vibe of this converted auto repair shop so it was a shame that our lunch was slightly spoiled by rude and inattentive bar service (by the way, the food counter service was just fine).



Fette Sau, 354 Metropolitan Ave (btwn Havemeyer & Roebling), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(Tel: +1-718-963-3404)

I'm pleased to report that there were no such service fails at the excellent Black Brick. Some haters may dwell on the overtly hipster interior design, but quite frankly who cares when the coffee is so damn good. The barista's attention-to-detail was a sight to behold and he also found time to have a friendly chat whilst making my brew. This coffee shop is an ideal pit-stop when strolling along Bedford Avenue, the main drag in Williamsburg. All power to hipsters!



Black Brick, 300 Bedford Ave (btwn Grand & S 1st St), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(Tel: +1-718-384-0075)

Tribeca Grill may no longer be the place to be seen, but I enjoyed my Sunday brunch at this glamorous restaurant famous for being part-owned by Robert De Niro (I had a good look around but Bobby was nowhere to be seen). I adored my jumbo lump crab cake, which as promised had jumbo lumps of sweet white crabmeat. This was perfectly paired with chipotle roasted corn and cilantro avocado mousse. My mate enjoyed his scrambled eggs, country gravy & buttermilk biscuit so much, he didn't offer me any. And do remember to order the basket of bread & pastries if only for the amazing banana bread. This was a fine last meal before heading off to the airport.



Tribeca Grill, 375 Greenwich St (btwn Franklin & North Moore St), Tribeca, New York, NY 10013
(Tel: +1-212-941-3900)

To conclude my round-up, here are a few places where I enjoyed drinks and snacks. Eataly, Mario Batali's gastro-shrine to all things Italian, has no less than seven restaurants. Being a sunny day I popped up to the rooftop beer garden, Birreria, and enjoyed a fine platter of salumi. To top-up my Britisher points I spent an enjoyable Friday night at April Bloomfield's gastropub, The Spotted Pig. Next time I'll save some space to eat more than just my share of pork rillette and some shoestring fries. Happy Hour is a great time of the day to take a breather from sightseeing whilst plotting where to go out at night. I found this was best done over drinks, some truffle fries and half a dozen littleneck clams from the raw bar at McCoy in Greenwich Village.



Birreria @ Eataly, 200 5th Ave (btwn 23rd & 24th St), Flatiron District, New York, NY 10010
(Tel: +1-212-937-8910)



The Spotted Pig, 314 W 11th St (at Greenwich St), West Village, New York, NY 10014
(Tel: +1-212-620-0393)



McCoy, 89 MacDougal St (at Bleecker St), Greenwich Village, New York, NY 10012
(Tel: +1-212-460-0900)

[NYC Postscript – updated August 2013] After having a great holiday in New York in May, it was a pleasant surprise to return so soon after for a business trip. This, of course, meant more eats and here's a quick round-up of some more places worth checking out.

There are two very good reasons to visit the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking district even if you're not a guest: the Standard Biergarten and the Standard Grill. Enjoy German beer in the former before going to the latter to tuck into seafood from the raw bar followed by treats such as seared scallops. A short distance from the Standard Hotel is Fatty Crab in the West Village. I'm not entirely sure what my Malaysian friends might think about this take on their cuisine, but I was a big fan of the signature chilli crab as well as snacks such as coconutty chicken wings and seasonal salad.

Taiwanese-style gua bao seem to be taking over the world at the moment and New York is no exception. Of the bao I tried I liked the belly pork-filled Chairman Bao at Baohaus but preferred the pork buns over at Momofuku Noodle Bar, although they were so amply-filled with pork belly it left little room for the slightly-lacklustre Momofuku ramen. My last tip is an example of what the Big Apple does best: ambience. I have no doubt there is better Japanese food in New York but for a good time vibe, there's no beating the Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya.

My Other Gaff's Got Two Michelin Stars

Whenever a big name chef puts their name to a new venture, be wary, be very wary. Either the original restaurant that made the chef famous suffers from neglect, or the new joint doesn't live up to the inevitable hype. This is the very problem facing Claude Bosi, the two Michelin starred chef at Hibiscus. He's opted to leave the running of his newish pub, the Fox and Grapes, to his brother, Cedric. That's probably the right decision but would diners at the Fox and Grapes feel a little short changed? Well there's only one way to find out...

We spurned proper starters but did share a Scotch egg and a basket of bread & butter. Although Scotch eggs are becoming a bit ubiquitous, this was a superior version, with the wild boar sausagemeat lending it a gamey flavour. The bread was superb too, nice and fresh from the oven.

My Cornish pollock with leeks, greens and an egg in a mushroom vinaigrette was perfectly executed but it failed to excite me. I've come to the conclusion that like many environmentally sound options, pollock is a bit boring. My mate's Cumberland sausage and mash was again well made but at the end of the day, it was bangers and mash.

The only slightly bum note of the meal were the triple-cooked chips that turned out more like potato wedges. When the triple-cooked tag is attached to the humble chip, they had better be out of this world. These weren't.

Although the Fox and Grapes is a pub, it feels more like a bistro or a restaurant than a boozer. And that's also the case with the prices; starters are around the £8 mark with mains around the £15 mark. Our bill came to £60 between two with a bottle of water, two pints of bitter and 12.5% service. Given how busy it was, service was good enough, although I was initially hacked off that they had no record of our lunch reservation.

There's nothing wrong with the Fox and Grapes; the food is of a generally high standard, but it's just too simple. Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic, what with the Claude Bosi connection, but the menu lacks a little bit of magic in my opinion. You could argue that it's a pub, and that it serves pub food, but the prices, the pedigree, and the ambience left me wanting more.

As I don't live too far away, I will be back. Besides, there's a paucity of quality places to eat out in Wimbledon. But for those of you not local to southwest London, I wouldn't bother making the journey.



Fox and Grapes, 9 Camp Road, Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UN

(Tel: 020-8619-1300)
Nearest station: Wimbledon (then take a taxi or the 93 bus towards Putney)

A Tale of Two Roasts

There's something comforting about a Sunday roast, and in this post I'm checking out two of West London's finest. Whilst neither Kensington nor Fulham are amongst my regular haunts, I thought I'd slum it for the blog. The things I do for my readers!

Every now and then, it's worth doing Sunday lunch in style, especially if you're meeting some other blogger types, which is why we ended up at Launceston Place. This fine restaurant needs little introduction and from the off, it's obvious why I've seldom read a bad word about it.

The main event of roast Longhorn beef, served with roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, horseradish and gravy was top notch with a special mention for the humble 'tater, which were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. If I had a minor grumble, it was that there wasn't enough gravy to go round initially. Although it didn't help that TomEats virtually used up the entire first batch! But it was no big deal, as they soon brought out more.

The other courses were none too shabby either, kicking off with a wonderful starter of duck egg on toast with Somerset truffle.

I also adored the warm treacle tart although it was ever so slightly let down by the quickly melting crème fraiche ice cream.

petit fours

pre-dessert

But for all the excellence of the three courses, it's the little flourishes that make Launceston Place such a treasure. I'm thinking of the devilled crisps, the superior bread, the refreshing pre-dessert, and the nicely presented petit fours. Throw in excellent service, a stylish dining room and it's no wonder that this restaurant has such a devoted following.

Three courses cost from £26 on Sunday lunchtimes (it depends on supplements and which menu you choose from) and it's worth every penny.



Launceston Place, 1a Launceston Place, London W8 5RL (Tel 020-7937-6912)
Nearest tube: Gloucester Road

A bit further along the District line on Parson's Green is one of London's most maligned pubs, The White Horse. This Fulham pub has long been known as the 'Sloaney Pony' due to its reputation as a meeting place for 'rahs'. Whilst many of its customers are undoubtedly well heeled, I think this reputation is a bit unfair as this boozer attracts a diverse clientele with its fine food and excellent selection of beer. For example, my distinctly 'non-rah' civvie mate, Mr Pak Choi is a big fan and he persuaded me to check it out for Sunday lunch.

The Sunday roast options comprise of rib eye beef, Romney Salt Marsh lamb, Gloucester Old Spot pork belly, half a chicken and a vegetarian choice. I plumped for the pork belly whilst Mr Pak Choi went for half a chicken. The beef was tempting but without sounding like a total foodie-twat, I was put off by the menu not disclosing what kind of beef was being served.

I've not always had the best experiences with 'muggle-style' pork belly so I was pleased that this roast was properly seasoned and had crispy crackling. There was also a nice bit of stuffing and the Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes were pretty good too.

Mr Pak Choi remarked that 'in a world where chicken often doesn't taste of anything, it's reassuring that this chicken actually tastes like chicken should’. I shouldn't take the piss out of my mate coming over all 'food critic', when I'm the one with the food blog!

In terms of quality and quantity, this is a superior pub roast and it's also excellent value at £13.95. One last thing, I recommend booking, as we only just bagged a table despite getting there before 1pm.



The White Horse, 1-3 Parson's Green, London SW6 4UL (Tel 020-7736-2115)
Nearest tube: Parson's Green

Off The Blog 4 - Comfort Food

The days are getting colder and the nights are drawing in. It's that time of the year when you want your grub to cheer you up so in this post I'll be looking at three great places for comfort food: a rather special pub, somewhere a bit posh and a good old-fashioned Italian.

Toulouse cassoulet @ The Gunmakers

Toulouse cassoulet is exactly the kind of food that soothes the soul and it's one of many hearty dishes served at The Gunmakers. Being a Northerner, I'm prone to moaning about meagre 'London portions' but I had no complaints about this mammoth serving.

However, it wasn't just the quantity that I was impressed with; I was also struck by the high quality of the ingredients. The haricot beans, ham hock, and pork shoulder were all top notch but a special mention goes to the Toulouse sausage.

I was quite full after this feast and it was a shame that I had to go back to work, as I could've done with a couple of pints and a kip. The Gunmakers is a cracking boozer and it's also worth mentioning that they serve a fine array of ales.



The Gunmakers, 13 Eyre Street Hill, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 5ET 
(Tel: 020-7278-1022) Nearest tube: Chancery Lane

Prawn cocktail @ Bob Bob Ricard

Bob Bob Ricard needs little introduction. This Soho restaurant has been blogged to death and this particular meal has already been blogged about by Catty and The Grubworm. The menu is full of heart-warming dishes like fish soup, beef wellington, pies and burgers. But to start, I couldn't resist the retro charms of the prawn cocktail. Mind you, part of me wishes I ordered the venison steak tatare.

Veal Holstein @ Bob Bob Ricard

For mains, my dining companions shared a roast leg of Elwy Valley lamb; I had a taste and it was damn good although my veal Holstein was none too shabby either. Served with anchovies, quail egg, truffled mash and secret sauce (not to be confused with special sauce), I loved it. The puds are good too and I couldn't say no to warm chocolate fondant.

I'm a big fan of the decadent dining room and the fact that everyone is seated in a booth. In addition to the classic comfort food, there's also a small selection of Russian dishes. I might try these next time with a shot or two of their vintage vodkas. Not that you need me to tell you but BBR is highly recommended.



Bob Bob Ricard, 1 Upper James Street, London, W1F 9DF
(Tel: 020-3145-1000) Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus

Ciao Bella

I can't believe that I haven't got round to blogging about Ciao Bella 'til now. This charming old school ristorante is a favourite office lunch venue of mine. I've been a regular for the best part of a decade and come to think of it, I've probably eaten here more times than any other restaurant. And whilst I've not seen him eat at Ciao Bella, it seems that Raymond Blanc is a fan too.

The menu doesn't push any boundaries but that's its appeal, as sometimes I don't want to think too much about my food. My favourites include spaghetti con polpette (spaghetti with meatballs) and scaloppa Milanese (I usually order this veal dish with a side of pasta instead of the usual potatoes and veg). But above all else, I adore their pizzas, in particular the prosciutto crudo.

Ciao Bella is always busy and booking is recommended. That said if you turn up without a reservation, they have an arrangement with the pub next door. You can wait in the pub and once a table is ready, they'll come and fetch you. If you haven't finished your drink then you can bring that through too. Now that's what I call service!



Ciao Bella, 86-90 Lamb's Conduit St, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LZ 
(Tel: 020-7242-4119) Nearest tube: Russell Square

Riga - Part 1

I should know better at my age. I mean what would you do if you had just arrived in Riga for a wedding ? Of course the sensible thing would be to have a meal with a few gentle drinks before turning in for an early night. That's a bit boring though, much better to go mad and sample loads of turbocharged Belgian beer. Mercifully the groom was more sensible and knew when to stop drinking.

About the only wise decision I made was to share a metre of traditional Latvian sausage. This was top notch as was the accompanying salad, gherkins, and dips. Particularly worthy of mention was the potato salad.

I woke up the next day with a terrible hangover and the 50km coach trip to the wedding venue wasn't much fun although it was enlivened by some stunning scenery. The gods were on side for this big fat Greek-Latvian wedding as there wasn't a cloud in the sky for the outdoor ceremony.

As I'm not of the fairer sex, I lack the writing skills to describe the proceedings but needless to say El Greco and Mysterious Miss A's wedding went off really well. I particularly enjoyed the traditional games, customs, and challenges that the newlyweds had to go through.

I was still feeling a little tender so I was glad that there were nibbles with the champagne and I was double glad that these were substantial nibbles. None of that vol-au-vent nonsense – instead we had the Latvian take on the sausage roll as well as bread rolls with fillings such as bacon, egg, and mushrooms baked inside the roll. These were all excellent and strangely reminded me of Chinese bakery albeit with different fillings.

Onto the wedding breakfast and the speeches. These were expertly done with El Greco's newly acquired Russian language skills going down a storm with his in-laws. I also learnt some Russian that day, the word gorko. Whenever this was chanted, the bride and groom had to stop what they were doing and kiss until the chanting stopped. And by kiss, I mean properly kiss. I'm not sure the newlyweds finished their food as there were so many chants of gorko - even the usually repressed Brits eventually joined in (once the booze had kicked in).

For the meal itself, there was salad to start and tiramisu to finish but inbetween we had a selection of grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. These were passed along the long tables and I was very anxious as these platters were resting far from my grasp. I managed to bag my fair share and the accompanying sauces were tasty too. I particularly liked the tomato gravy thing but I didn't find out its name - give me a break, I was off the clock !

To drink, I kicked off with some white but switched to red for the main course. There were also bottles of Jameson whiskey and Russian Standard vodka. I wasn't going to touch the hard stuff but then Uncle Vodka came over. This guy was a force of nature, as he roamed from group to group to ensure we all toasted the newlyweds. When he came round to our group, I sipped my vodka. Whilst I didn't understand what he said, his look of bemusement tinged with disappointment said it all. There was only one way out and I quickly drained my glass. His mood immediately lightened and he seemed to take great pleasure that he had sent me on a one-way trip to oblivion.  

Consequently, the rest of the evening was a blur and I thought I'd dreamt some of the games and elaborate dance routines. At one point, it seemed like I'd gatecrashed a hallucinogenic drug fuelled fancy dress party, as the newlyweds were being driven on a pretend bus with dancers dressed up in costumes. The English commentary just made it seem more surreal and I was convinced the Village People were going to make a guest appearance.

Despite being a bit worse for wear, I still seemed to have the blog on my mind. Why else did I take a photo of the supper buffet ? I remember eating some fruit, as of course a few slices of melon and pineapple was going to save me from another hangover.  

Most of the other photos I took aren't really suitable for the blog but this one of the happy couple is. I should take more photos using the 'balloon' setting on my humble Casio.

All told it was a cracking wedding and everybody had a great time. So if you have a glass handy, please raise it to El Greco and his beautiful wife, the Mysterious Mrs A. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if it isn't neat vodka and don't down it in one !