Eleven Madison Park

Sometimes during a trip, a single episode can stand head and shoulders above the rest. A beautiful palace, a breathtaking sunset, or in this case, a last minute lunch on the final afternoon before the journey home.

Eleven Madison Park is a restaurant that has undergone numerous metamorphoses throughout its relatively short existence. Originally, EMP was a successful restaurant for over a decade serving brasserie-style fare to throngs of New Yorkers. But restauranteur and owner Danny Meyer couldn’t shake that feeling that EMP could and should be more. After all, it was occupying the Metropolitan Life North Building, one of New York’s premier art deco skyscrapers. Such a venue was crying out for something a little bit more special. Eventually it was time for a rethink. Swiss Chef Daniel Humm was whipping up a proverbial storm over in San Francisco and when Meyer sampled his food, he was sure he’d found the man who could reinvent EMP. However was a far tougher job to convince Humm that New York was the place for him.

Outside

Eventually Humm made the move, but early days were fraught with diffidence and frustration. There were too many covers each night and Humm found his brigade falling short of the sufficient adroitness required for his complex cuisine. Another major component fell into place when restaurant manager Will Guidara was convinced by Meyer to leave his established post at The Modern in MoMA (another cog in the well-oiled Meyer restaurant machine).

With a shared philosophy, Humm & Guidara set about laying the foundations necessary to create something special. They instilled a powerful ethos and brotherhood amongst their staff that bleeds out and is blindingly obvious as a diner. With clearly defined ambitions, EMP steadily improved its stature. A major and, in my humble opinion, genius move occurred when they spat in the face of convention and threw away the typical restaurant menu. In EMP you receive a card with a grid of single words. Each word describes the main ingredient of the course and the rest is a mystery. More on this later.

Then around 2009 or so, EMP’s reputation started to rocket and it received a four star rating in the New York Times. Then it entered Restaurant Magazine’s world awards in 2010 at 50 and last year, in 2011, in leaped all the way up to number 24. When Michelin released their 2012 guide early, in the autumn of 2011, EMP had shot up from one star right to three. Let’s not forget the host of James Beard Foundation awards that they have won. Yet the only time I could get a suitable table was early on my final afternoon. It could get pretty tight with regards to making my flight on time. But that only adds to the excitement right?

It was one of those resplendent summer days we dream of here in the UK, where the sun is shining fiercely and the city’s soul appears to be alive and dancing. As I traversed the bustling Madison Park, a tiny green oasis surrounded by a fence of concrete skyscrapers, I was hit with that sharp pang of regret and dread we all get at the end of a wonderful holiday at the thought of leaving.

Upon entering the Metropolitan Life North Building you are greeted by a gorgeous white and wooden panelled art deco dining room with green accents and huge vaulted ceilings. With sun streaming through the impressive windows, the room was dramatic to say the least. A combination of chic with a hint of opulence, without ever straying into pretentious.

Dining room

We had arrived a few minutes early to see the large number of staff at the top of the dining room having, what we were told, is their daily team meeting. It was a small insight into the family ideology that has clearly been instilled at EMP.

Staff at their daily meeting

We took a seat at the art deco bar and had a little chat with the bartender as he explained some of the history of the building itself. Along with the chilled music in the background I felt that I was sitting in a black and white film from the 50s.

Bar

When we were eventually led to our table we were greeted by our smiley waitress and the menu was explained. On the card are sixteen main ingredients arranged in a grid format. Each row is a course and there are four options for each. According to our waitress, each dish is about 70-80% designed by the chefs, but you tell them any allergies, preferences or dislikes and they will try and tailor the dish to you. You can leave everything to the chefs or you can try and tailor your dish as much as possible, within reason (i.e. you can’t be asking for some white truffle and caviar with everything).

Menu

It’s such a novel idea that I couldn’t help but feel the excitement build. Essentially you never really know exactly what’s going to be arriving at your table so immediately the guessing games begin and you know you’re in for a special experience.

Pretty soon, one by one, a trio of amuse bouche arrived. First up were warm little pillows of cheesy choux pastry known as gougères followed by an incredible ‘tomato tea’ & parmesan crisps. Essentially this was a seriously intense tomato consommé with a lemony touch and a bewitching honey and lemon fragrance provided by lemon verbena & lemon thyme.

Gougères

Tomato tea &
parmesan crisps

Sturgeon sabayon with chive oil was playfully presented in an eggshell and was smoky, creamy and another master class in flavour concentration with dainty sturgeon pieces at the bottom.

Sturgeon sabayon

Freshly baked bread and was served in little blankets, reminiscent of the way they serve it at Noma. Warm and crispy on the outside but flaky and soft on the inside, the bread was excellent and came served with both a cow’s and a goat’s milk butter.

Bread in its blanket

Cow's butter (left) &
goat's butter (right)

When my starters arrive I’m pretty sure a little yelp of glee must have escaped my mouth. Here were two plates of food of supreme beauty. A true artist who knows how to connect with his audience at a spiritual level.

Braised octopus with chorizo crumble and paprika was married with potato, confit lemon & aioli. Chef Humm is a massive fan of his crumbles; in fact the new EMP cookbook contains a whole section devoted to them, with over 25 recipes. As a side note, I think it’s worth investing in the EMP cookbook, most people won’t be able to cook a lot of what’s in there, but it’s worth it for the sheer volume of food porn within its pages. I’ve never had octopus cooked as well as this and the chorizo crumble provided a big burst of flavour in each bite that was complemented by the slight acidity of the lemons and contrast in textures of the potatoes. Probably my favourite dish.

Octopus braised with lemon,
chorizo & potato

Rabbit was served as a rillette with cherries, a pistachio encrusted ball of cherry sauce, caramelised onions & mizuna (a peppery Japanese leafy vegetable) and a couple of crispy wafers of pistachio & cherry bread. When the pistachio ball was cut it yielded the wonderful dark, sharp cherry sauce within. I only had a little sample but the unctuous rabbit was an excellent partner to cherries. It’s a combination I’ve never had but it works extremely well.

Rabbit rillette with cherries,
pistachio & pickled onion

My brother’s seared Lou de Mer with fennel, lemon and confit cherry tomato was a clean and subtle plate but was probably the most forgetful dish of the day.

Loup de mer seared with
fennel, tarragon & tomatos 

On the other hand my lobster lasagna with lobster and lemon verbena bisque, summer squash, zucchini and lobster oil was an exquisite rich bisque uplifted by the undertones of citrus and of course, a pasta of perfect thickness and correct daintiness.

Lobster lasagna with
zucchini & lemon verbena

As for the mains, both of us chose the pork so we requested for them to be different. Both were the belly and loin with a pork jus. I had mentioned that we liked chanterelle mushrooms (they were in season) so our dishes had a different accompaniment containing chanterelles. 


My brother’s was a pistachio and bacon crumble, roasted apricots and spinach with fresh chanterelles. Mine was a sweetcorn and chanterelle farro ragu. Both of these were outstanding and my brother’s in particular contained a contrast of textures and flavours. However I preferred my farro ragu for its sheer depth of flavour. A little dampener was when I experienced a bit of cross-table envy at the lady on next to us. When she received her main course a little later on, her piece of pork appeared substantially larger.

Pork roasted with apricots,
bacon, spinach & chanterelles

Pork roasted with farro,
sweet corn & chanterelles

Then another little surprise came our way when the waiter wheeled over a huge trolley and made a traditional New York egg cream whilst he explained the origins of this drink. I had never seen nor heard of an egg cream before so watching the process was particularly appealing. It contained vanilla syrup, milk, a splash of olive oil (specially created for the restaurant) and soda water. I don’t now how closely this sticks to a classical egg cream recipe but it was bloody good, a weird combination of sweet, creamy bubbles.

Egg cream

Now for desserts and my apricots arrived roasted with lemon thyme, olives, almond bavarois and a crumble. A refreshing combination of sweet, tangy, smooth and a little pang of salty. Olives made for an unlikely but welcome source of saccharine goodness.

Apricot roasted with almond
bavarois & candied olives

Chocolate was accompanied with espresso as a chocolate sorbet, espresso sponge & chocolate gianduja (sweet chocolate containing hazelnut paste) in the middle, which looked like a tubby Kit Kat. Oh and of course, more crumble.

Chocolate gianduja with
hazelnut, espresso & caramel

Petit fours were sunflower tuiles, earl grey and blueberry macarons & raspberry jellies. These were all pleasant without really being outstanding.

Sunflower tuiles, earl grey &
blueberry macarons
& raspberry jellies

Another little surprise arrived before the bill (or cheque as they'd say). A long thin box adorned with the restaurant's motif slid open to reveal a little fruit cake. My brother had told them that this was my birthday meal and this was their little treat. The dense syrupy cake was sweet but never cloying. A tasty little touch.

Then as you leave they present you with some envelopes containing your printed menus including the date and each ingredient you chose is filled in with the rest of the dish. Mine also contained a little message saying 'Happy Birthday!'. It seems as though they really do think about every detail at this place.

Service throughout our meal had been slick and personable if not slightly constrained. Each member of staff carried out different jobs in an efficient manner. I even saw waiters constructing cocktails tableside from their trolleys, which added to the theatre. There was a noticeably long time between each course, however they did ask about any particular time constraints. Despite the grand room and class of the venue, there wasn’t that distinct lack of atmosphere you often find when fine-dining. The place was full and people were not restrained in their conversation.

Eleven Madison Park is currently in experiencing a rather rapid ascent in its reputation and it’s not hard to see why. It’s unusual slant on the menu builds anticipation that is supported by service that was not overbearing. Like many fine-dining restaurants in London, it’s hard to exactly define the type of cuisine that is served here so in these situations I always give it that rather flaccid title of ‘European’. Fortunately the food I ate was anything but disappointing. Maybe I am easily pleased but when the dishes arrived, each one was alluring in its design and complex on the palate. Due to particularly dynamic nature of its menu, everyone eating at EMP at one time is likely to have a unique experience. All this resulted in a particularly memorable meal that I find rather difficult to fault.

Price: 4 course lunch $74

Where to go before/next: Fancy some leisurely sightseeing before/or after your lunch? Maybe check out the striking & unusual Flatiron Building (175 Fifth Avenue), The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) or Tibet House (22 West 15th Street). If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, the Museum of Sex is around the corner (233 Fifth Avenue), that isn't some sort of euphemism.

Website: Click here

Location: 11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010

Nearest Subway: E 23rd St Broadway


Opening Times: Lunch 12.00 - 14.00 (Mon - Fri). Dinner 17.30 - 22.00 (Mon - Sat)

WD~50

You might have heard of WD~50 from last year’s Masterchef when the eventual winner Tim Anderson was placed with the chef Wiley Dufresne in his restaurant. WD~50 and Wiley Dufresne himself have won several awards and has also consistently flirted in and out of inclusion in Restaurant Magazine’s World’s Top 50 list. Dufresne’s penchant for deconstruction of classics, atypical compositions and utilisation of molecular techniques meant that when I decided to visit New York, WD~50 was right at the top of my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, due to the last minute nature of the visit, I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d be able to get a table during my trip, considering WD~50 is usually booked out a month in advance. Once again though, I struck lucky and there was space midweek at 10pm. Quite late for a tasting menu, but sometimes you’ve got to make sacrifices right?

WD~50 is located once again in the Lower East side (I was starting to realise that despite its initial appearances, this is quite an up and coming area full of quality restaurants) and I found myself back on Clinton Street.  Inside was a very lively atmosphere with a generally young crowd and one of the first things I noticed was the attentive and affable nature of the staff. Any questions throughout the meal were eagerly answered. As I already alluded to, I had checked out the menu online beforehand and already decided that I had to do the tasting menu here. This was an opportunity I just couldn’t allow myself to miss.

Dining Room

Bar

Just reading the menu itself you get a feel for the unconventional outcome that lies ahead and this was signalled further by the bread service, which was copious volumes of crispy sesame flatbread. First up were slivers of almost translucent scallops with peppercorns, leeks and barbeque vinaigrette. The sweet and subtle sauce accentuated the soft, slightly gelatinous scallops. A tasty dish but nothing too memorable.

Sesame flatbreads

Scallops, corn, leek,
barbeque vinaigrette

However, the next dish was certainly remarkable. Titled ‘everything bagel, smoked salmon threads and crispy cream cheese’ this was the classic sandwich staple completely reinvented. The ‘bagel’ was made from bread ice cream and rested atop crispy fine shards of dried-out smoked salmon (arranged in a shape reminiscent of a fish). A sheet of crispy cream cheese shielded the sweet red onions beneath. The conventional flavours were there but the complete alteration of textures was a wonderful shock to the system.

Everything bagel, smoked
salmon threads, crispy
cream cheese

‘Foie-lafel’ was another playful twist on a familiar dish of falafel in pitta. This wonderful dish smacked of the very essence of your post-night out saviour food. The falafel was actually balls of creamy foie gras with a falafel coating inside a superb warm and soft pitta. The tahini sauce and bulgar wheat tabouleh with romaine (cos) salad were fresh accompaniments.

Foie-lafel

Sweetness from beansprouts and Caesar dressing cut through a rich and gooey poached egg. But the cheeky addition to this was the delicate but edible ‘shell’ made from brown butter.

Poached egg in the shell,
pumpernickel, caesar
dressing, bean sprouts

The fifth dish was supposed to be some King oyster udon but they had run out. Its replacement was a dish of cold fried chicken, one that I have previously read about online. I had been quite looking forward to see what this dish could provide. Cold fried chicken was unusual and came with cold ricotta whilst the Tabasco honey sauce injected some mild heat to lift the dish. Unfortunately it reminded me of the post-school oven-made food I used to consume as a child and was one of the more disappointing and forgettable dishes of the evenings.

Cold fried chicken,
buttermilk-ricotta,
tabasco, caviar

Thai snapper with cubes of cucumber, coffee crumble and an onion and Asian pear tart was sometimes overpowered by its smoky tomato sauce and was a bit lukewarm. However the sweetness and various textures provided some sort of rescue.

Tai snapper, onion tart,
coffee, asian pear

Quail was expertly cooked and full of gamey flavour whilst nasturtium yoghurt was a slightly sweet and a surprisingly good accompaniment.

Quail, nasturtium yoghurt,
turnip, nutmeg

The lamb dish with ‘red beans and rice’ was an absolute triumph. Perfectly cooked and tender lamb was superseded by the ‘beans’. These were pine nuts cooked in a pressure cooker so that they became soft and the same texture as beans, with the addition of bacon and shallots. Rice was rolled out into thin sheets to form crunchy crackers whilst the chayote squash was pickled and added a slight sweetness to cut through.

Lamb loin, 'red beans
& rice', chayote squash

Our first dessert contained the Scandinavian whey cheese called gjetost. I have only previously encountered this unusual and special ingredient once before on my visit to Noma. This creamy and slightly salty entity carried the intensely sweet Himatchi plum with panache. A frozen piece of watermelon on top was excellently paired with smooth sweet & sour cream soda sauce. Olive oil came in the guise of a streusel (a crumb topping) for further textural enhancement. This dish was described by our waiter as the bridge between sweet and sour and he did not lie.

Gjetost, watermelon,
plum, olive oil

Apricot and rhubarb dessert saw two strong flavours in the apricot (served as a purée) and sour rhubarb competing on an even and tasty keel. Mouthfuls of a green tea foam and powder, along with a wonderful buckwheat sorbet helped to placate this battle down into a smooth and captivating dance on the palate.

Apricot, buckwheat,
rhubarb, green tea

When the final dish arrived it reminded me of a Kandinsky on the plate. A velvety thick chocolate ganache and luscious beet parfait had much needed injections of cold from ricotta ice cream. Whilst the long pepper shortbread helped vary the texture, I felt that maybe this luxurious dessert just needed one sharp element to penetrate through.

Soft chocolate, beet, long
pepper, ricotta ice cream

Petit fours of deep fried rice pudding with Calamansi lime and rice krispies with a marshmallow meringue ice cream were a great way to round off the meal, providing some cherished childhood memories with a contemporary and adult twist.

Marshmallow meringue
ice cream with rice krispies

Deep fried rice pudding with
Calamansi limes

A lovely touch at the end was that they gave us a copy of the menu to take home. I wish more restaurants did that for their tasting menus.

Overall I must admit I really loved WD~50. Particularly because such playful and peculiar combinations of food is the type of cooking that truly excites me. Mr Dufresne's ability to create one food stuff from another (e.g. his bagel made from ice cream or his beans made from pine nutes) is the delight for both the tongue and the brain. Not every dish worked, but I found it very easy to forgive such oversights because the majority were bang on the money. If you don’t like your food to test and intrigue you then I would advise you to stay away from WD~50, but if you look forward to wacky attempts and moments of pure inspiration then this is one that’s worth the trip.

Price: 11 course tasting menu $140. Main courses $27-37

Where to go before/next: Try and score yourself a reservation at the infamous & exclusive Milk & Honey on Elridge Street or check out the more casual & reasonably priced Pianos or Max Fish, both on Ludlow Street.

Website: Click here

Location: 50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

Nearest Subway: Delancy St & Essex St

Opening Times: 18.00 – 23.00 (Mon – Sat) 18.00 – 22.30 (Sun)

Shake Shack

Shake Shack is a restaurant chain that started in Manhattan, from the famous restauranteur Danny Meyer. It has sprouted several branches in New York other parts of the USA and now there are even a couple outlets in the Middle East. Delivering a concept of what appears to be ‘proper’ or ‘posh’ fast food, its popularity is substantial and critics seemingly agree, even winning the ‘Best Burger’ award from New York Magazine in 2005.

Shake Shack

There was one located near me in midtown so I popped in for a quick pre-lunch snack. Inside is full of sleek lines and spotlights, lending itself to pseudo-glamorous Hollywood feel. You queue up to place your order at the till (and yes, even 15 minutes after opening time the queue was substantial) and receive one of those vibrating, flashing buzzers to inform you that your food is ready to collect.

Counter

Inside

Menu

I liked the curt nature of the menu, with 5 burgers and 4 hot dogs to choose from. However these were mostly beef (as is often the case with hotdogs and burgers in the USA) so my options were a bit limited. Their milkshake and drinks menu was rather extensive (as the name would suggest), particularly their ‘concrete’ concoctions. These are frozen custards with various additions such as marshmallows or pretzels. I went for the Second City Bird Dog; a smoked chicken hotdog with relish, onions, pickles, mustard, cucumber, tomato, pepper and celery salt. It was a good hotdog in a soft doughy bun. However it was often lost amongst the mountain of (tasty) condiment and disappointingly on the small side (considering my expectations for American portions plus the $5.40 price tag). Regrettably I didn’t try any of the shakes or concretes but they looked pretty tasty, with daily specials such as basil or caramelised peach.

Second city bird dog

I was unable to try much here, but judging by the popularity and atmosphere of the place and given the not-so-unreasonable prices, I’d say that Shake Shack is worthy of a quick visit to refuel the tank whilst sightseeing.

Price: $3.50 - 8.50 per hotdog/burger

Where to go before/next: Times Square & the theatre district are within walking distance, as is Madame Tussauds (on 42nd street & 7th avenue).

Website: Click here

Location: 691 8th avenue (between 43rd & 44th streets). There are several locations throughout NYC

Nearest Subway:  42 St


Opening Times: 11.00 - 00.00

Northern Spy Food Co.

A current fashion in the dining scene that I noticed whilst I was out in NYC is the concept of ‘farm to plate’, which is pretty self-explanatory. It’s not too dissimilar to the revolution over the past few years by British chefs to champion local produce. A important cause it is too.

I was meeting a friend who lives in New York and is quite the foodie. She had heard good things about one of these ‘farm to plate’ restaurants called Northern Spy so we decided to check it out. It’s once again located in the East Village down 1^st avenue, not far from Momofuku Ko. 

We got there relatively early so the restaurant was pretty empty but half way through our meal it was full. This was fortunate because we were able to catch the end of happy hour where cocktails are half price (16.00 - 18.30 in weekdays). It’s fairly small, must be about 20 – 30 covers, with a casual, slightly rustic and buzzing atmosphere. It’s one of those down to earth places where conviviality and the food reign.

Inside

Bar

An extremely attentive waitress took our orders and was happy to talk us through recommendations. I ordered a squid ragu and my friend the papardella with pork belly, spinach and porcini mushrooms, which was one of the daily specials. The ragu looked very appetising and was rather flavoursome however the squid, despite being cooked well, was all too often lost. Whilst that was pleasant, the papardella was a triumph. I only had one taste but the pasta was of the highest quality and the pork gorgeous (I unfortunately forgot to take a photo though).

Squid & mussel ragu. Navy
beans, cherry beans, jalepeno,
country bread 

My peach cake for dessert was soft and sticky with strong fruit flavour and a slightly crispy base. Chocolate and cherry is a perfect marriage in my opinion so my friend’s thick chocolate terrine was rich (however not too rich as to get sickly after a while) and enjoyable.

Peach cake

Chocolate terrine & cherries

Northern Spy is one of those solid neighbourhood restaurants that turns out unfussy, well executed and flavoursome cooking of well-sourced ingredients. With its reasonable prices and warming atmosphere you should not be disappointed if you visit.

Price: Starters under $15. Mains $20-25ish

Where to go before/next: After dinner a must is to check out the speakeasy Please Don't Tell (113 St Marks Pl). You have to call 212 614 0386 in the afternoon of the day you want to visit to make a reservation. Go to the hotdog restaurant Criff Dogs on 113 Saint Marks Place and on the left as you enter is a phone booth. Pick up the phone, dial any number and tell the person on the line that you have your reservation and  the back of the booth will open up to reveal the intimate bar inside. The cocktails were an absolute treat and it's no wonder that amongst its many awards, this highly rated bar was recently voted the world's best bar by over 100 bar professionals.

Website: Click here

Location: 511 East 12th street

Nearest Subway: 1 Av

Opening Times: Lunch 10.00 - 16.00, Dinner 17.30 - close (Mon - Fri). Brunch 10.00 - 15.30, Dinner 5.30 - close (Sat & Sun). Walk ins only.

Momofuku Ko

I have never seen so much literature surrounding a restaurant’s booking system as I have with Momofuku Ko. Ko is the 2 Michelin starred jewel in the crown of New York’s darling David Chang’s Momofuku empire. When Ko opened in 2008, people were going crazy trying to get a place there. There are only 12 seats in the place, all seated around a bar surrounding the kitchen where the chefs prepare your meal in front of you. With two sittings for lunch and dinner that means there are only a total of 48 seats available per day. But to explain, each day at 10am an online booking system opens with 7 days worth of reservations in advance and people with the fastest fingers (or internet connection) are able to reserve one of the coveted places.

The furore has died down slightly (and prices have increased by nearly 50%) but it still almost impossible to get a place. I was somehow fortunate that somebody cancelled their booking the day before I flew out and the grid of red crosses suddenly contained one green tick. With the timer counting down the couple minutes or so I had to confirm my place and provide my credit card details (should I cancel without 24 hours notice they can then charge me) I made the quick decision to go for it before somebody else nabbed the spot. These weren’t the only restrictions here. The only menu is a 12 course tasting menu (but about 16 or more courses at lunch and $50 more expensive) and is already decided, you are only able to write a note regarding any allergies or dietary restrictions and they will try to accommodate them. There is also no use of mobile phones or cameras allowed (I therefore have no photos available for this review).

The hassle to get a reservation, plus the reputation of David Chang’s empire added substantially to any excitement so there was a lot to live up to by the time we arrived through the inconspicuous mesh metal door on 1^st Avenue, the orange Momofuku peach being the only indication as to what was hidden behind. Inside is a tiny rectangular space with plain wooden interior and dominated by the kitchen/bar in the centre.

The couple waiters that were there seemed slightly frosty but were amicable enough and seated us at the end of the bar on the wooden stools. If you have a back problem be prepared to make do with sitting there for two hours. We were the first ones there as each duo is given a time slot to arrive ten minutes apart as to stagger the menu for everyone. Maybe that’s why I felt a bit cheap and exposed only asking for tap water in such an intimate environment, but hey, I’m paying enough for the meal so I’m entitled to stinge on the beverages if I wish (need) to.  There are three chefs in the kitchen and they were friendly guys but not always the most talkative, which is guess is understandable considering they were non-stop busy making our dinner. As each dish was plated up they would be served and explained to us by the chef. Due to the number of dishes there were I’ll just list each one and write about some of the memorable ones:

1) Tataki of Spanish mackerel (where the fish is briefly seared and marinated) with beet puree and Mexican cucumber

2) Morel with chanterelle  mushrooms and preserved lemon

3) New Jersey diver scallop, country ham, water chestnut, basil seeds and pineapple vinegar

4) Mushroom (king oyster, chanterelle, morel, mitaki) salad with pickled red onions, cilantro (coriander) & pickled jalapeno puree

5) Kimchee consommé, oyster, grilled pork belly, Nappa cabbage and charred beansprouts

6) Lightly smoked duck egg, fingerling potato, huckleback caviar, Japanese sweet potato vinegar, onions

7) Wild pickled ginger watermelon, lobster mushrooms & tortellini with Korean finger chilli puree

8) Steamed halibut, corn velouté, corn tempura, XO sauce, cherry tomatoes and scallions

9) Pine nut brittle, shaved Hudson Valley foie gras, riesling jelly, lychee

10) Stuffed lamb's ribs, leeks, Greek yoghurt, Thai basil (there were some pickled ingredients that I did not manage to note down)

11) Coconut lime sorbet and caramelised curry popcorn

12) Buttermilk spruce pana cotta, peach compote, peach sorbet, caramelised white chocolate, shortbread and spruce powder

As you can see each dish contains a complex combination of ingredients. The whole menu was remarkably enjoyable, practically every dish drawing out murmurs of delight from everybody around the bar. A particular favourite were the pork belly and oyster; the pork belly literally melted in my mouth into an unctuous meaty puddle and the consommé was immeasurably delicate and fresh. This dish was only surpassed by the pine nut brittle with foie gras. Whilst the chef was preparing the dish by shaving the block of foie gras I kept guessing as to what it was, thinking it was some sort of chocolate. The combination of buttery sweet foie gras with the brittle, jelly and lychee is one stand out gastronomical memory from the whole trip to NYC. The only disappointment of the evening was the tortellini dish, whilst the watermelon was curiously exciting, the tortellini was slightly overcooked and the chilli puree was completely lost. I later asked the chef what his favourite dish was and he instantly replied with “the tortellini, easily”, hm, slightly awkward. One thing I noticed throughout the superb menu was that in every single dish there had been particular attention paid to ensuring there were contrasting textures, something, which always worked incredibly well.

Momofuku Ko was an experience of numerous contrasts. Usually with a meal at this level, service and the surroundings tend not to be so muted and curt. One usually associates such refined food with a little more opulence. This is by no means a bad thing, just unusual. This theme of contrasts follows through into the cooking, be it flavours or textures. The atmosphere can at first be slightly off putting, if not daunting, but actually such exposure works well for it allows you to concentrate on the food itself as the star of the show. With resplendent presentation and delicate combinations of exotic ingredients designed to intrigue and delight, Ko is worth the hype, but more importantly the inconvenience and planning it takes to actually get a reservation.  

Price: $125 Dinner. $175 Lunch (served Fri - Sun)

Where to go before/next: Reward yourself for managing to make it to and getting through such a fabulous meal with some cocktails at the highly rated and award winning Death & Co. bar on 433 6th street.

Website: Click here

Location: 163 1st avenue (between 10th & 11th streets)

Nearest Subway: 1 Av

Opening Times: Dinner 7 days/week. Lunch Fri - Sun