Karim’s

I come from a country where street food is a major blood vein and is what feeds its people. I’ve always thought that Malaysian street food is what creates a tummy made out of steel… until of course I came to Delhi.

Now, don’t be put off by this Wikipedia link just yet. If you want to sample Mughlai cooking, you should check out Karim’s. Their specialty for breakfast is only 2 kinds of mutton, one of which is the mutton nihari which is served with their khameeri rotis.

Barely awake at 9am (which is when they start serving breakfast), I was a little grumpy from having to wake up so early on a Saturday morning, brave a (rip off) rickshaw ride through some really dodgy little streets and sit at a greasy table. In hindsight, I don’t regret having to do any of those at all. The gravy from the nihari + the fluffy bread was worth it.

Where they make their own khameeri rotis

 

Karim’s
(off the Chandi Chowk train station)
Matya Mahal,
Jama Masjid, New Delhi, India
Phone: (011) 2326 9880

Baohaus

Pork and Chinese is synonymous. Anything from pork fat, pork belly, pork ribs, pig tongue, pig intestines, pig ears, pig colagen, you name it we will eat it (we refers to the collective). So when you serve a nice juicy chunk of pork belly on a steamed bun (bao), you will definitely hit it off with the Chinese. As un-chinese as I am, my tummy is very much the opposite. BUT, this post is to highlight the lesser known comrade of the pig, the chicken. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love pork, though not as much as my fellow yellow-skinned brothers and sisters, but it’s about time the chicken takes the stage, so behold the Birdhaus Bao.

Extremely juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Baohaus has succeeded in making the Birdhaus Bao consistent the many times I’ve had it so I’m sold.

The restaurant (for the lack of a better word, other than shack) is in a quiet area of LES, tucked next to a Chinese massage parlor. It’s small, it’s cosy but it serves its purpose. So go get your Bao on!

Baohaus
137 Rivington Street, NY 10002
Sun-Thurs Noon-11pm
Fri-Sat Noon-2am

Degustation Wine and Tasting Bar

Degustation is like the quiet cousin in the corner of the family picture who doesn’t say much but you know she’s extremely smart and successful. The restaurant is still going strong since its beginnings about 2+ years ago and there is no sign of it slowing down, even with only 16 seats.

We opted for the $50, 5 course tasting menu. Being a typical Asian and as with tasting menus, I was somewhat concerned that I might not be completely satisfied at the end of the meal. After the fifth course I of course had some room left for more food but I can say that the portions were pretty well thought out.

Crudo of seasonal fish

Caramelized torija

As the NYMag review mentioned, the food doesn’t taste forced or pretentious. One thing I noticed was the plates that were used looked like the ones you could get at Ikea or Walmart. The emphasis was solely on the freshness of the ingredients and the blend of their flavors. My favorite was the torija. Crispy and slightly burnt on one side and paired with a slice of grapefruit to add tang to the sweetness of the pudding. I’ve been told that this is a new version of how they used to make this dessert. Previously it was served with grapefruit foam and frozen grapefruit (see here).

Although I wished the portions were bigger, I was pretty impressed with the food. If I had been an over-achiever (and had a fatter wallet) I would’ve definitely done the 10-course instead.

Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar
239 E 5th St,
New York 10003
(Btwn Bowery & 2nd Ave)
212-979-1012

Quality Meats

I don’t think a name like Quality Meats is apt for a restaurant, especially one that has a life-size plaster cow head greeting you at the entrance. But once you’ve eaten here, you will realize that there is no other name that’s fit for a place that serves such perfectly cooked porterhouses.

I’m not a super meat eater, but I do appreciate a good steak when I can. And this porterhouse was definitely up my alley. You know a steakhouse is proud of their meat when they don’t add anything to it except salt.

The double porterhouse

The most important lesson I’ve learned with steakhouses is to always come in a group of 4 or more. That way you’re able to sample a larger variety of cuts without having to finish a 24oz slab on your own.

Aged rib steak

 

And of course, come hungry!

Quality Meats
57th W 58th St (@ 6th Ave)
New York, NY 10019
T: 212.371.7777

Maialino

It means Little Pig.

So it might be a turn off for non-meat consumers (if you knew what it meant), but when you’re with Danny Meyer, you will most certainly be well fed. From the likes of Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park and Shake Shack comes Maialino. The signage at the door threw me off a little as I had feared and expected a little bit more stuffiness from being set inside Gramercy Park Hotel and located next to the park with the locked gates. But the space was nothing but laid back and welcoming. Family-sized tables and long counter tops dressed the dining area.

I would say the best party size for brunch would be 4 or more. That way you would be able to sample the Cestino di Dolci (basket of pastries) and a whole host of other appetizers. The glazed croissant was truly buttery and perfectly flaky. The olive oil muffin had such a subtle taste and wasn’t overly sweet. And the Bombolinis had just the right amount of cream and powdered sugar.

The star of the day was definitely the Pancetta al Pepe Nero (thick cut black peper bacon), and unfortunately I didn’t manage to take a picture of it. I really liked the Amatriciana eggs. Good amount of spice in the tomato sauce, though I could’ve done without the parmesan, but that’s just me.

I also like how they have a bread/pastry section complete with a barista. The setup reminds me a little of Locanda Verde, but given the choice I would rather come here where it’s less crowded (or maybe it’s because we came on a Saturday instead of Sunday).

Nothing like good breakfast to cure any unwanted reactions from the night before. Next up would be to try a Maialino dinner.

Maialino
Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Ave, New York NY 10010
Ph: 212-777-2410

Minetta Tavern

When Keith McNally opens a restaurant, it’s like someone unloaded a truck-full of people and told them to raid the place all at once (think Balthazar, Pulino’s, etc). The restaurant opens at 5.30pm, and by 5.31pm, the entire front area was packed to the brim.

I made the reservation a month in advance for one reason and one reason only: the Côte de Boeuf. Cooked medium rare, the aged strip was juicy within and exceptionally flavorful on the outside. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes. But sadly, that was the only thing that did.

A grainy depiction of the côte de boeuf

The service was spotty, and our waitress was giving us some really strange attitude. There was some rule about not being able to take pictures of the restaurant. The only people who didn’t disappoint were the busboys.

For a party of 5, we ordered a sardine appetizer, 2 Black Label burgers, the Pasta Za Za, the Côte de Boeuf and a bottle of wine. It was mildly satisfying, and if we were to do it again, we’d probably do away with the pasta and order another serving of the meat (though do note that it has a hefty $110 price tag).

I’m not a big fan of restaurants that are apparently frequented by a lot of celebrities because it’s a brewing ground for snotty behavior, weak-sauce service, ridiculous queues to get in and overhyped food. Minetta Tavern falls under that category unfortunately.

I would still recommend going just to try the aged meat: Black Label burger or Côte de Boeuf. McNally doesn’t disappoint in the realm of aged beef.

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St (Minetta Lane),
Greenwich Village,
New York
(212) 475-3850

Osteria Morini

After our 10-day-pig-out-fest in Italy, I was burnt out on all things Italian, especially the food, as heavenly as it was. My take on Italian food is that the best kinds are the heartiest, i.e. lots of meat, carbs and wine. As much as I grew up on rice, there’s only so much pasta and pizza I can eat. However, Michael White’s latest addition to his string of restaurants (though at the time of this writing, his latest is actually Ai Fiori), Osteria Morini is a take on casual Italian dining, serving the food of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.

The genius of Michael White lies in the pasta. The first line of the New York Times’ review of Morini goes: “Michael White cooks pasta and people go crazy”. I don’t think there’s any more to be said there so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

The hungry awaits...

The Polpettine: prosciutto and mortadella meatballs

The Mare: adriatic style seafood salad

The duck liver Tortellini

Grigliata Mista

 

Bistecca

My star of the meal: the Tagliatelle

 

Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St,
New York, NY 10012

Yamo

There’s something about loud, uncouth Chinese aunties that makes South-East Asian food so appealing, especially when consumed in a greasy, tight joint, big enough to only fit 8.

At least I think so, anyway.

If you’re one to pick out and dissect every single nook and cranny in a place, I wouldn’t suggest you try Yamo. There are definitely many indistinguishable corners that one shouldn’t be inspecting here. As far as I know, Yamo consists of 3 Cantonese-speaking Burmese aunties, one who does the cooking, one does the chopping and cleaning while the other mans the phone, takes orders and does some prep work for the cook.

I gotta thank Eileen for coming along on the ride. Exploring new places is always much more satisfying with another person (i.e. you get to order more). So we ordered the chicken noodle soup, mango salad and some kind of stir-fry (which wasn’t very memorable). The chicken noodle soup is definitely worth a mention, however. Soaked in a creamy, coconut broth, reminded me a little of the curry laksa back home (minus the spice).

For items under $7, Yamo is definitely worth checking out.

I think my favorite neighborhood in San Francisco has to be the Mission. There is just so much diversity and activity going on here: massive hipster-run cafes, bike stores, bookstores, pubs, crazy pirate stores, a whole neighborhood of great Mexican food, etc. If I ever do entertain the idea of moving out west, I would probably live around this area.

Anyway, Yay Yamo!
3406 18th St (at Mission St),
San Francisco, CA 94110

Swan Oyster Depot

After living in Sydney, every other city doesn’t come close to the quality of seafood that I’ve found there (except maybe Malaysia). At the recommendation of Gan, I thought I should give Swan’s a chance to score some points for the port city of San Francisco.

As with the places that have been reviewed by CitySearch, Urbanspoon and appeared on multiple travel guide books, there’s bound to be large number of tourists flocking to it at all times of the year. I was dumb enough not to do research on the best time to begin my oyster quest so I ended up in a line with 21 people ahead of me all fighting for a spot at a place with ~20 seats.

The wait ended up to be about an hour long, in the (strangely) cold SF afternoon, but we managed to squeeze into a seat just as they were about to close for the day (their official closing time is 5.30pm, but since there’s always a line around that time, they cut the line off in between 4.30-5pm).

The wait staff are incredibly nice and helpful and are more than willing to help you make choices if you don’t know which kind of oyster to get.

We went for a combination of 3 types of oysters, crab salad and clam chowder. A shoutout goes to the crab salad for being so fresh and delicious.

Don’t forget that they also serve Anchor Steam on tap. Swan definitely rocks it old school, and lesson learned for next time is to come when they open at 8am, though apparently they don’t get really busy till about 10.30/11am. Important note: If you don’t need to sit at the bar, the smartest thing to do is to call and place and order and then you can skip the line entirely when you come and pick up your food.

Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St
(between California St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101

 

 

Tartine Bakery

In a city where bakeries are a-plenty, Tartine Bakery stands out amidst their growing list of accolades and awards. Founded and run by pastry chef Elizabeth Pruitt and baker husband Chad Robertson, Tartine looks nondescript from the outside except for the incredibly long line of people waiting to get their orders of bread and pastries.

Pruitt and Robertson have definitely earned their James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chefs titles. Though I was quite annoyed by having to get in line just to put in an order, things were moving fast enough and we were able to find space at the bar to place our stash: brioche bread pudding, morning bun, scone and eclair filled with vanilla custard dipped in Valrhona glaze.

Seating is first-come-first-get, so if you find a spot, grab it. But if the weather permits, bring your pastries to Dolores Park and eat it on the slope in the sun.

Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero Street
San Francisco, CA 94110 (MAP)
t. 415 487 2600 / f. 415 487 2605