The Halal Guys

When you are in NYC, you are surrounded by tons of different street food carts, but the ultimate winner is CHICKEN AND RICE (bacon egg and cheese croissant is amazing too... but nothing beats the chicken and rice!). And the king of chicken and rice is the indisputable the Halal Guys. They have turned a common street dish into their own brand and company and now they have many different carts on 53rd and 6th. There is always a long long line and I must say that their version is above the rest. The meat is marinated very well and the rice is just better! They also give you a massive amount for $6 and I really like how they do not try to rip you off even though they are so famous. The white sauce is DELICIOUS so make sure you just drown your rice with that, it may look like a lot but I promise that you will want more so just load that up. I love the mix plate with lamb and chicken :)

WARNING: The hot sauce is next level spicy. I love spicy food but this is some serious shizzz, remember to just put some on the side or else you will be in a lot of pain... both when you are eating it and also the next morning..... if you know what I mean! 

The Halal Guys

6th Ave W 53rd Street

New York

NY10019

Marea

When my friends ask my for a list of to eats in NYC, Marea will definitely be there. The food is absolutely phenomenal and the atmosphere is also very sophisticated yet not stuffy. Here is the Menu.  Marea is without a doubt one of my favorite places for a nice meal in the city and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. The space is beautiful and the service is polite and professional. The ONE thing that I was a bit put off by was due to an incident that occurred when T visited. Although Marea is not a super prim and proper restaurant, it is still a elegant place and I would expect a certain level of dress code to be maintained. A man was dressed in cut off denim shorts and although the manager did make a face, the man in the ghastly shorts was still able to dine that night. I feel that that is unacceptable for a restaurant of this calibre and that they should uphold their dress code. I understand that it is awkward to tell a patron that their attire is unacceptable but that is something that patrons should have the decency to check on before showing up for their meal. But apart from that I absolutely love Marea and am looking forward to return.

Amuse Bouche
The salmon with creme fraiche was a delectable amuse bouche and prepared my tastebuds for the amazing meal ahead.

Ricci - Sea Urchin, Lardo, Sea Salt 
Ahhhhhhhh I LOVE THIS. I had this with my parents and went with T again when visited, unfortunately they told us that it was sold out that night and I was absolutely distraught to say the least. The uni was so fresh and sweet and the thin piece of lardo provided just the perfect amount of flavor and fattiness. The toast was perfectly thin and crispy. This is purely DREAMY. Please do compare this with the sad version from Fish and Meat that I previously reviewed.

Ostriche - East and West Coast Oysters with Morellino Mignonette & Cucumber-Lemon Vinaigrette 
Fresh and delicious oysters. Not a must order but great if you are in the mood for oysters.

Fusilli - Red Wine Braised Octopus, Bone Marrow
The pasta is out of the world delicious. The texture is just like nothing else. It is so perfectly chewy and you can just tell that there was so much effort into perfecting it. The sauce was so delectably rich and bursting with flavor. The octopus was cooked perfectly the entire dish was just perfectly executed. 

Strozzapreti - Jumbo Lump Crab, Sea Urchin, Basil
I think that we changed the pasta because this does not look like strozzapreti. But I am quite certain it is the pasta with crab and sea urchin. Once again, the dish was just perfect. The pasta was top notch and all the flavors of each component of the dish was highlighted yet worked harmoniously together. 

Risotti - Forgot the name
Unfortunately since this visit was a while ago, I do not remember the exact name of this dish yet I know that the risotto was also executed perfectly. Essentially every dish of this meal was amazing. 

Budino Di Cioccolato - Dark Chocolate Crema, Black Olive, Olive Oil, Apricot Sorbetto
Not only are their mains and appetizers good, the dessert was also amazing! The chocolate budino was so luscious and creamy and although I usually do not enjoy olive oil based desserts I did really enjoy this combination. 

Marea is definitely a top choice of mine in NYC and I look forward to returning to try other dishes here. I actually went here again with T as mentioned above and will post the photos from that visit soon! 

Marea

240 Central Park South 

New York

NY10019 

Sushi Porn at Take

I know you all love these close up of sushi so here you go! This was at Sushi Take in Causeway Bay Hong Kong, I've written a few reviews of them before :)

Takashi

Takashi is one of my favorite spots in the city and is a must visit when T is in town. Apart from the infamous Niku-uni, everything else on that menu is just as delicious. T is obsessed with the yooke and the sweet bread is also TO DIE FOR. You can only make  reservations for 4 people or more so when T and I go we usually put our name down and go to the restaurant/bar down the street to have a drink. Normal cuts of meat are delicious here but this place is a haven for those who enjoy special and unique bits of the cow. Here is the menu :) There is a platter named the tongue experience where they give you various parts of the ox tongue and I thought that was pretty cheeky. I didn't take any pictures of the yakiniku but everything I've tried has also been top notch.

Niku-Uni - chuck flap topped with sea urchin and fresh wasabi
This dish is definitely an instagram favorite. I initially was not too sure about the harmony of the flavors because it seemed like a dish that just piled a lot of good things together without really thinking of the end flavor profile, but this was actually DELICIOUS. The texture of the fatty chuck flap was melt in your mouth and the uni was fresh and sweet. The seaweed added the needed crunch and the shisho leaf gave the perfect herby kick to take this dish to the next level. A MUST ORDER. 

Yooke - thinly-sliced chuck eye tartare in special sauce
This is my baby's favorite dish and I wish I could feed him this all the time! The special sauce is so flavorful and has a lovely sweet profile. The meat is super fresh and cut to the perfect size. Yum!

I highly recommend Takashi! The staff is really friendly and the atmosphere is cute and comfortable. Just do remember that you will come out smelling like delicious grilled meats.

Takashi

456 Hudson Street 

New York

NY10011

Fish and Meat

Fish and Meat is the newest venture of Maximal Concepts (who also created Blue Butcher and Brickhouse) and has been making a splash in the Hong Kong dining scene. I saw so many pictures of the dishes there with the chicken skin truffle linguine being the most popular posting. I was back in Hong Kong for spring break and made sure to include Fish and Meat on my list of to eats for the week long break. The space was previously Sal Curioso where I've been here for drinks a couple of times. The space has been transformed into a rustic atmosphere and is simple and cozy, matching the name and ideology of the restaurant. C accidentally only booked for 2 when she meant to book for 4 but the hostess was very helpful and we were able to secure a new table after some drinks.

The food was quite good, yet not amazing enough for me to be yearning for an immediate return. This may also be because I live in New York at the moment therefore I am able to find numerous restaurants here that serve similar types of dishes at higher standards. I think that it is a welcome addition to Hong Kong and has a promising future, but not a must visit if you were visiting.

Marinated raw Ahi tuna / compressed watermelon / soy / basil vinaigrette / quail egg
The tuna was fresh and had a delicate sweet flavor. I really enjoyed the addition of the watermelon which added a burst of fresh sweetness to the dish. I love pesto so the addition of the basil vinaigrette was also a nice pop of flavor and went well with all the other flavors going on in the dish. A nice start to the meal that really excited our palates. 

Pan-fried baby Spanish octopus / white bean puree / garlic / parsley / chilli / Sicilian lemon
This dish was full of flavor but I felt that the octopus was a little bit too charred. A charred flavor is nice but as you can see some of the tentacles are a little too burnt and the octopus became too chewy. I actually prefer when a large octopus is grilled and the thick tentacle is cut into little pieces. The exterior will be deliciously charred while the interior is succulent and juicy. 

Sea urchin bruschetta / lardo di colonnata / rosemary
Marea in New York is famous for this dish and it is absolutely mind-blowing (new post on that soon!). I was curious about Fish and Meat's version and was sorely disappointed. The uni was not of high quality and had a fishy taste to it. The slab of lardo was actually a bit disgusting as it was much too thick. The thin slide of bread on the bottom was also quite stale. 

Soft duck egg raviolo / ricotta cream / burnt sage butter / pecorino (made fresh / limited daily)
Yummmmmmm this dish was amazing! If I were to return to Fish and Meat for one dish, this would definitely be it! The egg was cooked perfectly and the rich yolk oozed out when we cut into the ravioli. The ravioli skin was also nicely textured and the ricotta cream was a perfect complement to the duck egg. The thing that really made the dish pop however, was the burnt sage butter. It added such a decadent depth to the dish and really made it extra special. A must order! 

Fresh tagliatelle / chicken truffle emulsion / crispy skin (made fresh / limited daily)
Our server told us that they ran out of chicken skin (the horror!) but we decided we would try it anyways. It was good but exactly how you would expect it to be. Linguine in a creamy truffle sauce. Yummy but not exceptional. 

Kobe 32oz prime beef rib / béarnaise / salsa verde (for 2 persons)
I am always happy when a massive piece of steak is in front of me. This steak was very good, great beef flavor, juicy, and well cooked. I think they could cut the pieces smaller though as each piece was  the size of my arm. 

Roasted French turbot / carrot puree / brown shrimp / smoked prawn butter
C and I loved this dish but T and C#2 thought this tasted like the fish filet burger at Mcdonalds. I thought that the fish was cooked beautifully and the other ingredients all went together perfectly. The fresh flavor of the fish was brought out successfully and was enhanced by the other ingredients. 

Fish and Meat was a enjoyable evening and I would not be opposed to returning again when I am back in Hong Kong for a longer period of time. Service was friendly and the atmosphere is comfortable. It is also close to Central which is perfect for a dinner before a night out. 

Fish and Meat 

2/F

32 Wyndham Street

Central

Hong Kong

Sushi of Gari Part 2

Remember how in my last post about my disappointing visit to Gari? I said that I didn't have all the pictures from the meal but T recently sent me a bunch of food pictures that I took on his phone when my phone died and I realized the 2nd half of the photos were there. So here you gooo

Patsy's

I went to Patsy's with my parents because it was close to our hotel and the reviews were quite good. It seemed like a italian restaurant with a long history and a pretty strong reputation and we also just wanted a casual dinner that was close to our hotel. The food was pretty good but I probably would not return. It was supposed one of Frank Sinatra's favorite restaurants which was pretty cool and you would instantly be able to recognize other famous actors and celebrities in the photos all around the restaurant. The restaurant has a very old school atmosphere and waiters are also dressed in formal uniform. Service was friendly and efficient. The food wasn't bad, but I think there are many other italian restaurants in NYC that I would love to try before returning to Patsy's. I think you could give this place a visit if you are in the area and want huge servings of classic italian food in a old school setting. Patsy's definitely has character and it was an enjoyable dinner. 

Patsy's Italian Restaurant

236 W 56th Street

New York

NY 10019