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Monday, July 14, 2014

NYC Trip: Modern Dining @ Perry St., Soho

If you are like me.  A little keen, a tad random and hungry for some of the best food in town, you would most probably not score any seats in any 3 Michelin starred restaurants in Manhattan.  Restaurants like Daniel, Per Se, Jean Georges and co.  will require at least 1-2 months booking in advance.  But will you really miss out on much?  Probably not.  Whilst chefs like Daniel Boulud and Jean Georges still helm their 3 starred kitchens in the city, spinoffs like Perry St.by Jean Georges and dB Bistro Moderne by Daniel Boulud are usually less popular but equally rewarding. 

Perry St. was my choice for a quick lunch and believe it or not, the restaurant offers a $28 for 3-course lunch all year round.  I was really wow-ed by the generosity and pondered on whether the food was really up to scratch.  Was it?


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My choice of drink was the Cherry soda.  Smashing.  For a soda drink, it exceeded every expectation I had.  It made me wonder why everyone around me insisted on sipping on something like alcohol.  So mainstream :P
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The usual formalities; Bread and butter.  Decent for sure but nothing beats the truffled butter and bread at Tetsuya’s in Sydney.


The appetiser was a celebration of summer.  Fresh mangoes, micro herbs, yuzu and La Tur cheese.  A vibrant salad with great flavours.  
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Think ripe mangoes, strands of herbs, creamy cheese and a zing from the yuzu!  It was quite nice.  However, the thin slices of chilli did not really tickle my fancy and to a certain extent felt like an outsider rather than part of a family.  The spiciness was minimal and it added a really raw flavour to the over all dish.  Not the most pleasant taste!  Maybe pickled chill next time?


My main course was the sole reason why I chose Perry St which was 4 miles from my place over dB Bistro Moderne opposite my hotel.  The Perry St Fried Chicken.  I have always thought of fried chicken as a comfort food served in a bucket and with the eater in shorts with sandals.  I was wrong.
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Tell, me that did not look spectacular!  I loved every bit of the chicken that Perry St produced.  It was not the most moist but the combination was flawless from start to end.  The crispiest chicken ever made served with a lovely creamed corn, grilled okra and a spicy sauce.  Exceptional.  Nothing I disliked on the plate as everything worked really well on their own or together.  Great stuff.


Dessert was a deconstructed lemon meringue tart.  It was pretty nice but I found the presentation a little sloppy.  But I think back and thought to myself, hmm $28 for a 3-course…. what am I even complaining about? Taste wise it worked but it did not quite have the complexity or thought like the appetiser or the main.  Decent but nothing to shout about would be my final verdict on the dessert.
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Perry St. was a great host to me that afternoon.  A small price to pay for the attentive service and food I had.  The food despite a the ups and downs was enjoyable least to say.  Whilst some of my comments are a little harsh, I can tell that the majority would absolutely fall head over heels when presented with such food.   The meals I wanted to have at 3-star restaurant for lunch would set me back at least $150 without tax and tips!  So there you go, Perry St.  where one gets luxury for a steal :)!

WenY
Perry Street on Urbanspoon

Sunday, July 13, 2014

NYC Bites: Pancakes @ Pershing Square, Midtown

Some say breakfast is the most important meal.  You know what?  I cannot debate that.  With me covering 15 odd miles a day on foot, I take every opportunity to fill the tank.  Situated opposite Grand Central Station underneath an overpass, the Pershing Square serves good old diner style meals to hungry travellers and to its fellow New Yorkers.
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Breakfast was going to be simple that day.  Pancakes.  A simple dusting of icing sugar, a bowl of blueberries and a side of maple syrup gave the pancake. This gave the dish an impeccable yet stunning presentation.  I try not to be too easily contented but with these pancakes, I was very pleased because it was cooked to perfection. Imagine biting into a pancake and to be greeted by a crisp crust with a fluffy centre. How can one say no to that?!

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Also, you will realise that there is no butter along with these.  In fact, there was no need for butter as each bite was filled with a buttery note (presumably it was mixed into batter).  Comparing the pancakes at Pershing Square to another pancake I had later during the trip at Johnny’s diner, this always cut through very cleanly.  It was not stodgy unlike the one at Johnny’s or my extremely bad experience at Sayer’s Sister a year or so ago in Perth.  I hate stodgy pancakes that sticks like uncooked batter to the knife.  The pancakes here were all class.  100%.


Whilst there is no blogger/promotional hype on this little eatery it was definitely worth the visit. So if you ever get a chance and are on the lookout for an early bite, the  Pershing Square at Grand Central starts serving at 7am on weekdays and 8am on weekends.  


WenY
Pershing Square on Urbanspoon

Saturday, July 12, 2014

NYC Bites: Hide Chan Ramen & Totto Ramen @ Midtown Manhattan

The Japanese culture is big in the States and ramen has a huge following in this part of town. Whilst chain stores like Ippudo are hugely popular amongst New Yorkers, I wanted to try something a little bit more independent.  During my trip I visited two places which very fitted very well into the category. That was Hide-Chan and Totto Ramen.  Coincidentally though, they were both owned by the same owner (see this article).   In terms of location, whether you live on the East side or the West side, consider yourself covered as Hide-Chan sits comfortably on the East side whilst Totto Ramen covers the West.

Hide-chan was the venue of my first ramen meal with its specialty Hakata Style Ramen!  If you have no intentions to be part of a queue, this was the place to be.  Coming in at 6pm, I was politely offered a choice at the table or at the bar counter.  Needless to say, I took a seat at the counter.  Unfortunately, the counter did not quite offer the view of men working hard to produce piping hot noodles.  Instead it was a normal bar counter. Naturally, my camera went back into the bag until the food came out =/.

It did not take long before a couple of perfectly cooked Gyoza came.  It looked great but in terms of taste, it was rather typical.  Decently marinated mince with all the essential herbs.  Nothing you cannot get elsewhere for sure. 
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Then comes my main course, Hide-Chan’s Hakata Style Ramen with Black Garlic Oil.  The broth itself was good, thick and rich.  Just what a good ramen is meant to be.  But with the flavoured oil, it was heavenly.  The garlicky punch in the porky soup elevated this basic Fukuoka-styled Japanese noodle dish to a whole new level.  It made me reminisce my first meal at Menya Musashi.  Absolutely moreish.  
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Slurping strands of noodles mouthful after mouthful were all part of the ever rewarding Ramen meal.  What made me a little confused though, was the noodle used.  It felt a lot thinner than what I was used too.  I later found out that the ultra thin and white noodles were common in the region of the Hakata style ramen.  Thankfully, I requested it to be prepared “ a little firm”.  This ensured that I did not end up with sloppy noodles. 

Hide-Chan Ramen closes really late at around 3-4am, so if supper is your sort of thing, definitely drop by then!
Hide-Chan Ramen on Urbanspoon

Totto Ramen was my next noodle haunt during my trip.  An establishment with queues out of the door which snakes down the street, this was definitely not the place for groups more than 4.  But if you are curious with patience to match, you are in for a treat.
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I like chicken noodles but never quite the way the most people do it.  That was until I came here and tried what they call the “Chicken Paiten Ramen”.  To me, it sounded nothing more than a cross between Street Fighter and a Ramen Master creation.  In my mouth though, the soup was so potent in chicken flavour that it had me wonder how was this even possible.  The next closest thing to this was my very own mom’s special chicken essence which she makes 2 bowls from an entire chicken. 
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Its condiments were a standard of blow-torched chashu, finely chopped scallions and chicken shreds.  To add my own touch, I chose to top my bowl of noodles with a soy egg and seasoned shoots.  Damn it was good. Springy noodles, fresh scallions, and man I was happy. My only discontent?  The yolk was not brilliantly orange and runny!  Big problem?  Definitely not.  Also, to big fans of melt-in-your-mouth chashu, this did not melt but had a very mellow smokiness that is equally pleasant!
Hide-Chan vs Totto Ramen verdict?  Different but equally good.  A pork broth vs a chicken base should never be a cause for an argument.  This is proven true here as both broth were equally rich, and tasty with its own bragging rights.   Looking for a sub-$20 meal in the Big Apple?  Sorted.


Totto Ramen on Urbanspoon


WenY