New York City - the city that never sleeps, which was true until hurricane Irene hit the city on 27th August 2011. We had planned a long weekend break in NYC during the August bank holiday, it only occurred to us that the hurricane would be so serious after we landed.
On the day the hurricane hit NYC, the whole of Manhattan was like a ghost town, no Metro, no buses, no shops/restaurants open. On top of that, our home bound flights got cancelled. We were stuck in the hotel for two days, fortunately we managed to rebook our flights for two days later. Despite all the drama, we did not let it beat us down. In fact, we were determined to make the most of the time we had, and to eat as much as we could!
Here are the highlights...
Ippudo
Ippudo is a ramen chain which started in Fukuoka, Japan. The owner, Shigemi Kawahara, opened his first restaurant in 1985, specialising in Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. I went to the very original restaurant in Fukuoka a few years ago, and that was the best ramen I had ever had, so since then I always try to go to one of the Ippudo branches whenever I go to Japan.
Ippudo is a ramen chain which started in Fukuoka, Japan. The owner, Shigemi Kawahara, opened his first restaurant in 1985, specialising in Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. I went to the very original restaurant in Fukuoka a few years ago, and that was the best ramen I had ever had, so since then I always try to go to one of the Ippudo branches whenever I go to Japan.
This was our very first meal of this trip to NYC. Knowing that the average queuing time is around one hour (up to two hours at peak times), we decided to get there at opening time on a weekday.
Visiting Ippudo NYC was a trip down memory lane – I miss the rich and thick pork bone soup, slices of melt-in-the-mouth char shu , the perfect nitamago (boiled egg with runny egg yolk) and the bouncy egg noodles.
From left to right: Shiromaru char shu, Karaka men
There was a nice surprise too, the Hirata buns! They are steamed buns filled with pork or chicken to your choice. We had the pork ones. The buns were so light and soft, and the pork was slow cooked to the point where the whole thing just disappeared in your mouth without chewing.
Dear Kawahara san, open Ippudo in London please! Ippudo NYC
Shake Shack
If you have been to New York but you have not heard of Shake Shack… you are missing out! It is a chain restaurant serving America's much loved burgers, hot dogs and frozen custards (i.e. ice cream), all made from local ingredients.
The ordering was easy, pretty much like a usual fast food chain - order, pay, collect. You also get a device which vibrates when your food is ready for collection. The wait was a bit long, we ordered two Shack burgers, a portion of fries and a peanut butter shake, which took around fifteen minutes. Probably because it was all cooked to order.
The potato bun was sweet and moist. It was quite a bit smaller than the one you get in the GBK in the UK. I always enjoy the meat more than the bun anyway, so it was a perfect size for me! The shake was heavenly. The first thought that came to my mind after the first mouthful was ‘anything this rich and tasty is bound to be bad for you!’. Although that thought disappeared pretty quickly :)
Luke’s Lobster
‘Voted best lobster roll in NYC’ - written on the sign in front of the East Village branch. That was the reason we were here.
Fresh lobsters are fished, steamed and picked before being transported from Maine to NYC daily. The lobster roll is served in a lightly toasted top-split bun, together with butter, mayo, lemon juice and secret spices. Did I say that only lobster claws are used in the roll? There are around five to six claws in each roll. The lobster-to-bun ratio is amazingly high! Every bite was full of fresh and succulent lobster meat, it was really the best lobster roll!
Besides lobster, they also have crab and shrimp rolls. Next time when I go to NYC, I will definitely try the ‘Noah’s Ark’, which contains one of each roll, crab claws, chips and drinks.
Luke's Lobster
Luke's Lobster
Caracas Arepa Bar
Situated right next to Luke’s Lobster is the Venezuelan restaurant Caracas. Since its opening in 2003, it has been a local favourite for authentic arepas. We were there for dinner on a weekday, the wait was about forty minutes. Many people (including us) went next door to get a lobster roll during the wait, which helped the time to pass easily :)
Arepa is a ‘pita-like bread’ made from corn flour. It is first fried until golden on the outside, then baked to finish. The crispy arepa is cut in the middle to form a spongy pocket, which is then filled with different types of exotic ingredients such as plantain or black beans. There are fourteen kinds of fillings to choose from, each interestingly named to characterise the main ingredient.
Los Muchachos - Grilled chorizo, spicy white cheese with jalapenos and sauteed peppers.
La Playera - Shredded white fish garnished with onions, peppers and herbs.
We also ordered a ‘side kick’ called Tostones Mochimeros - Fried green plantains topped with mojito mayo, a squeeze of lemon and white cheese. My previous experience with plantain was rather disappointing, as it was rather soggy. But this was spot-on, and the mayo was a perfect accompaniment.
Tomoe Sushi
It was the evening after a big lunch in the Peter Luger steakhouse (post coming soon!), we wanted something light, so we thought sushi would be a good idea. Tomoe is located on Thompson street, which is very close to New York University. There are quite a few reasonably priced restaurants and bars in the area for the student population.
We all know that the portions in America are quite a bit bigger (I’d say around 50%) than they are here in the UK. But I would have thought that sushi could not be much bigger right? I could not have been more wrong... we ordered a sushi deluxe, which consisted of seven nigiri, two gunkan, yaki-tamago (grilled egg) and 2 kinds of tuna roll. The size of the tuna on the nigiri was almost as big as the palm of my hand! The minced tuna filling of the rolls was bursting out, I could barely see the rice. I have to say the quality of the fish was superb, very fresh and delicate.
My favourite - Uni temaki (sea urchin handroll)
Prawn tempura. The batter was light, exactly how it should be.
New York certainly has a lot to offer - sight-seeing, fashion, nightlife, etc. But most of all, it truly is a food paradise, with tempting restaurants on literally every single block. It was surreal to see the empty streets when the hurricane hit the city, I am so glad that we could see it come to life again. Let’s hope it will never go to sleep again... at least not when we are visiting!
Please also check out the other two posts on Mexican food and steakhouses in NYC.
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