theskyflyer's Profile
Upcoming NYC Trip
Thanks, guys! Maloney Porcelli.... that's a name from the past. I used to have their crackling pork shank for lunch back in 1996 1997. Great memories! I see that it's undergoing a renovation. I'll think I'll go back and revisit this one.
I heard really good thing about the duck at Momofoku Ssam. But isn't a reservation hard to come by? I wonder if I should replace THE DUTCH with SSAM?
Upcoming NYC Trip
I left NYC three years ago and am thrilled to be visiting it in a few weeks. I have some old favorites, but would also love to try new places.
This is what I've got so far...
Tue - Lunch at Eleven Mad Park. I haven't been since the menu was revamped.
Wed - Lunch at The Modern. Dinner at Sushi of Gari.
Thu - Dinner at Salinas. I am a big suckling pig fan, thus this choice.
Fri - Lunch at Nomad, for the chicken.
Sat - Lunch at Jean Georges. Been many many times, would love to go back. Pizza at Don Antonio pre or post theatre.
Sun - Lunch at The Dutch, for the fried chicken. Shake-Shack 8th avenue post theatre.
Mon - Lunch or early dinner at Maialino. Suckling pig, of course...
I am not that set on The Modern (was thinking of Gramercy Tavern, an old favorite), so am open for suggestions...
Has anyone been to Salinas? Is the pig dish really outstanding?
Brussels recommendations
We have 2 nights planned in Brussels, sandwiched between London and Paris. We'll be arriving Sunday night and leave on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately most of the restaurants we wanted to try are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
So far, I've only found BELGA QUEEN and LOLA from my list that are open on Sundays/Mondays. Do you guys have any other suggestions? We're looking for something modern, casual, European cuisine - preferably with very good mussels (are mussels in season mid June?). We'll be staying at Conrad at Avenue Louise - walking distance is great, but we won't mind short cab rides...
Thank you!
June in Paris - Pls help comment/critique
Five of us will be spending 5 days in Paris in a couple of weeks and we're very excited.
We have the following planned and I'm wondering if you guys could comment on them (too similar, too heavy for 1 day, there's better choice, better for lunch/dinner vv, etc).
Day 1
Lunch LE CINQ
Dinner LA REGALADE
Day 2
Lunch - LES BISTRONOMES
Dinner CHEZ L'AMI JEAN
Day 3
Lunch KEI
Dinner SEPTIME
Day 4
Lunch PINXO
Dinner L'AGAPE SUBSTANCE
Plus.... ANGELINA for hot chocolate, GENIN for pasties, HERME for macaron,
Should I substitute one of those for SPRING or FRENCHIE?
Bangkok- Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at Siam Kempinski
I went back for the 2nd time - for lunch, this time and was rather disappointed. No option for main course, only red duck curry. Appetizers were the same 3 things served as before, desserts were pretty good. I'll skip Sra Bua for future visits. :-(
Singapore - Indonesian Fine-Dining at Marina Bay Sands
We passed by Moluccas a few weeks ago. Didn't think to try it, but decided to go to db (Boulud) and had their burger (absolutely disaster and disappointment compared to NYC few years ago) and a Japanese restaurant on the same level as Moluccas.
But next time, will give Moluccas a try. The rendang looks divine! So, instead of cubes of meat, this is just one piece of steak?
BANGKOK - French/Italian/Steak
I love Thai food and on my next trip there, have already plan to visit KRUA APSORN and revisit BAAN KHANITA, Bo.Lan, SOMBOON and SRA BUA.
I want to throw in one or two French, Italian or steakhouse, but am a bit clueless. My options are D'SENS, BISCOTTI, ZANOTTI, DELICATEZZA and RIB ROOM AND BAR.
Any thoughts or comments, please?
Best Peking Duck in Shanghai??
Awesome! I will give Lao Beijing a try in a few weeks, having had dinner 3-4 times at Xindalu.
Truffle dumpings at Din Tai Fung
I had the black truffle version in DTF Shanghai. I am a big fan of truffle, but for some reason this doesn't work very well for me. I much prefer the liver/pork version.
KING OF DUCK in Shanghai
I just arrived in Shanghai last night and was taken by friends to what considered the best Peking Duck restaurant. My heart sank when the cab stopped in front of KING OF DUCK (Duck King?), as I went there last year and had a very underwhelming experience. Well, this time I can confirm that this is an awful restaurant. We had beef with black pepper (rubbery beef and thick bland gravy), some kind of shoe-string potato(?) vegetable, clay-pot bean curd and worst of all, Peking Duck. Unlike in Guandjuze (sp) or Dadong in Beijing, the duck was prepared differently. Usually top of the skin is sliced off very thinly and presented with a small dab of sugar. Not here. The skin was sliced off rather thickly, placed on the table with nothing. Then a small plate of thinly sliced duck meat came with a small plate of mixed meat/skin. The garnish for the pancake is only scallion and hoisin sauce, no sliced cucumber. It was awful.
That food and amateurish service (waiter threw a bunch of table clothes to Manager, Manager screaming at waiters, a female waiter kept dropping things and a busbuy who perhaps deliberately made so much noise when putting bowls into a cabinet behind us) makes this restaurant a miss. Never again! This ought to be called KING OF YUCK instead.
Bangkok- Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at Siam Kempinski
There are 2 dinner options at THB1800 (7 course) and THB2400 (9, I believe). I finally went there few nights ago and really enjoyed it. The standouts for me were The Harvest (the curry mouse was fabulous) and the frozen curry lobster. My least favorite was the Tom Klong soup -- I just do not get the jelly parts.
I had dinner at NAHM the night before and although the lemongrass salad at NAHM was incredible, I'd say I enjoyed SRA BUA better. I had a spare ribs green curry at NAHM that was so spicy, it was borderline inedible for me.
CHEZ L'AMI LOUIS
I guess until I go there myself, I can never understand the polarizing opinions on this restaurant.
Bangkok- Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at Siam Kempinski
KLYEOH - did you ever go to Sra Bua? I am here in BKK now and am thinking of trying it.
L'Ami Louis Paris review
I'll save up to be able to afford a meal there one day. Question for those who've been there. Is it OK for two people just to order ONE foie gras and ONE chicken to share?
HAJIME - Osaka
We had quite a divine lunch at HAJIME recently. After a heavy meal at IPPOH the night before, I thought it would have been too much to schedule a lunch the next day at Hajime. But that was the only day they could accommodate us during our visit to Osaka.
I wish I had known that jacket was required for gentlemen, even on weekend lunch. But the host was very gracious in giving us jackets to loan (mine was quite stylish, actually).
There is only one menu -- without prices.
Here's what we had:
(not listed on the menu):
Pastry-wrapped duck
Egg yolk with almond on egg shell
Pan-seared scallops
66 kinds of seasonal vegetable with shellfish foam
Foie gras with hazelnut pastry and pumpkin puree
Roast lamb with rosemary
Popcorn ice cream
Pear in brown butter with cacao sorbet
There is not a single dish that was not wonderful. Each one is perfectly balanced and at Y7875 per person, the lunch was quite a deal.
The restaurant has a darkish, contemporary feel. There are probably only 8 tables or so with a private dining room. Out of the 8, there were 4 tables celebrating birthdays. Service was fabulous.
High-end Tempura in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka
We went to IPPOH main restaurant recently. It's about a 15 minute walk from St Regis -- not the easiest restaurant to find, but we managed after being lost for about 5 minutes or so.
We were led to a private room. There was no English menu, but the waitress speaks adequate English to explain the menu choices. Both are identical, except one has sashimi course. We selected one with, one without.
The appetizers were interesting -- walnut tofu with uni (tiny), assorted vegetables, sashimi and the tempura course.
I've only been to Kondo for high-end tempura and I found Ippoh and Kondo completely different. The chef in Ippoh brought a tray with all the items to be fried. In Kondo, prawns were still alive when brought to be cooked, scallops were shucked in front of customers. In Ippoh, they did not change the oil once, while in Kondo, they changed it for each course.
The tempura course in IPPOH (if I remember correctly) -- 2 prawns, mushrooms, potato, daikon, gingko nuts, 2 types of white fish, eel, and finally mixed shrimp/vegetables with nice. Dessert was a panna cotta with sliced grape.
The shock came at the end. The bill for 2 (including 2 glasses of draft beer) was a whopping 42,000 Yen. Sweet Jesus!
Even Kondo, which I much preferred, only charged about 20,000 Yen for 2 persons.
Maybe my palette is just sophisticated enough to distinguish great tempura, but if I were to go to high-end tempura again, I'd return to Kondo. I'll scratch Ippoh from my list. Once is enough for me.
Butagumi: Haute cuisine tonkatsu
I had been looking forward to sampling Butagumi and finally went last night. I was slightly disappointed that the Iberico one was so fatty. It's very good, but maybe I shold'e selected a more lean meat. Out of the 20 or so types of pork they list on the menu, only a handful was available. We also tried the Hungarian meat (not bad) and one Japanese (sorry forgot the name). The Japanese one is the least expensive, most lean and tastes the best for me.
Best steak in Tokyo?
Has anyone had lunch at UKAI TEI? The price difference between lunch and dinner is quite great and I wonder if there is a limited offering at lunch, or the meat is less stellar than that served at dinner.
Perhaps not ranked among the best, but has anyone had steaks at HAMAYU, YEBISU (Westin Hotel) or AKASAKA (ANA Hotel)?
Best place for Khao Soi in Bangkok?
Wow, I can't believe there is no answer to this.
I've tried Just You and Mee at Hyatt and it's pretty good. The Sathorn Road branch of Baan Khanita is supposedly serving one.
COLLINS KITCHEN in Melbourne
The setting is a knock-out. The fireplace, the open kitchen and the lighting are gorgeous. We found the food; however, to be disappointing.
The three of us had Chinese Barbeque Sampler, King Prawn in Black Pepper, Tenderloin Steak, Mushrooms, Chinese Vegetable and Steamed Rice. With the exception of the Chinese Vegetable, none of these dishes was exceptional. Even the steam rice (at AUD6) was bad.
:-(
Bangkok - BO.LAN and NAHM
Has anyone tried these 2 restaurants? Is it too much (of same) to dine 2 nights in a row at these 2, considering chefs from Bo.Lan came from London's Nahm?
TORTA DE LA NONNA - Rome
URGENT HELP please! I have been having a hard time finding this cake and am running out of time. Anyone can help where I can get a good one? I may have to buy a pie to go and bring it on the plane with me!!!
LA REGALADE and CHEZ L'AMI JEAN
We're returning in a few weeks and would like to try La Regalade (St Honore one) and Chez L'Ami Jean. What are considered the 2 or 3 best dishes (starter and main) for these 2 restaurants? Thank you, guys!
Paris: Has anyone tried La Terrasse at the Park Hyatt..?
I stayed there recently. The terrace looks very pleasant. I didn't eat there, but if I were to judge by room service dinner I had, then the food should be very good!
For room service we had the cote de boeuf, chicken, cheeseburger and spaghetti bolognaise -- All were outstanding!
High-end Tempura in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka
Which Ippoh in Osaka is the main branch?
Michelin Osaka/Kyoto
I will attempt for a reservation at Hajime for my Nov trip. Can someone please recommend a tempura restaurant in Osaka? Which ones are considered best? My personal best experience so far is at Kondo in Tokyo.
Singapore - IGGY's or JAAN PAR ANDRE
Thanks for all the suggestions. We did go to IGGY's. The food was very very good, but not memorable. The setting is rather dull and I heard they are moving to a new location. I do hope the new space would add a little drama to the ambience.
Premium chocolate in Singapore
I saw the CHOCOLATE RESEARCH FACILITY shop too. Pretty packaging, but are they any good?
Premium chocolate in Singapore
THAT explains the Ispahan at Mezza9! I was there last week buying some chocolates and could NOT believe my eyes when I saw them. I said to myself "How the heck do they sell these beauties here???" I got 4 pieces, 2 for myself (piggy) and 2 for my friends who said "They're the best thing we've ever eaten"
I am going back to Paris next month, but it's comforting to know that my craving for Ispahan can be cured in Singapore.
