“Momofuku ssäm bar is a casual, loud restaurant with an inventive menu that is constantly changing” Is how the restaurant describes themselves on their website. I wish it had been true! I do wish the food had been inventive. For the life of me I cannot fathom how a restaurant like this made it to the 50 best restaurants of the world – #37 this year. Was there dirty underhanded dealings? Is everyone on the committee best friends with David Chang that they felt they had to do him a favour and put the restaurant on the list? Whatever the case may be, the 2 week high of New York dining had to finally crash and burn and it did ever so miserably, at Momofuku Ssam. The 37th best restaurant in the world.
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June 18, 2012
Momofuku Ssam, New York
June 13, 2012
Red Rooster, New York
After two weeks of gastronomic heaven in New York, I still hadn’t tried any food rooted in American tradition – now whilst most may laugh at the prospect of such a cuisine existing outside the staples of burgers and pizzas, the south has a strong culinary history that has spanned hundreds of years and been influenced by the the various ethnic communities, the abundance of local produce and the native population with whom they interacted. In the vibrant neighbourhood of Harlem, is a restaurant celebrating just these very things – American comfort food rooted in the south and also that influenced by the restaurants neighbourhood. Red Rooster like many of its contemporary restaurants focuses wonderfully on the artisans and producers, farmers and suppliers that champion local produce and its lauded chef Marcus Samuelsson was also the winner of the second season of Top Chef, a show all about chefs competing against other chefs and judged by industry professionals. Needless to say, the expectations were tinged with excitement and both affectations were riding high!
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June 9, 2012
Red Farm, New York
It goes without saying that when a restaurant says they don’t take reservations, you need to go early. Or so I thought. Going early just meant that there weren’t that many people standing in line, though on this occasion, I had the game of numbers on my side – I was without company. A lone diner, a solitary companion, who moved past the disgruntled group of 4 who were told to come back in 2 hours and swiftly to a tiny corner of standing space at the bar, feeling smug, hungry and a little bit excited. This was a day of Asian food nirvana, a day when my endorphins and all other feel food factors were firing on all cylinders, but just how good was Red Farm going to be after a lunch at Fatty Crab? Would the food make up for the discomfort of having to stand for the entire meal, staring at a wooden beam, waiters rushing by, occasionally bumping into you.. well, the good thing about Red Farm is that you could have been made to stand and eat with your plate in your hand and your glass balanced precariously on your head, and you’d still run out of the front door shouting at people to queue up as quickly as they could and wait for 4 hours to get a table.
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