Momofuku Ssam – Whole Rotisserie Duck

We went to Momofuku Ssam Bar specifically for the rotisserie duck meal.  The trek all the way downtown was well worth it as the meal was amazing and the service and atmosphere were great.

The duck meal is described as one of the “large format” meals, which meant that “the meal includes a whole rotisserie duck, chive pancakes, bibb lettuce, hoisin, duck scallion sauce, crispy shallots and a choice of two sides”.

Not only is this a whole duck, it’s also stuffed with duck sausage under the skin before roasting… so it’s like a duck and a half!  Sides we got were the spicy fingerling potatoes with chilli blackbean sauce and broccoli with xo sauce.

Super yummy, super value, and yes if you try hard enough, 2 people can finish this meal.  However, in the epic battle of duck vs Jaime… the duck won!   Yep, I was unable to eat a meal for the next 3 days.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I booked this meal for 2 people… but I had to have it!

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Ma Peche: casual cool meets fine dining

Ma Peche was an interesting restaurant… it has a casual atmosphere, but fine dining food. Slight disjoint for me, but the food was delicious.

The fresh seafood available when we were there got us these lovely fresh prawns, served on ice and with a delicious sauce on the side.

“Scallops with coffee” sounds unappetising, but was really good! The scallops were coated in coffee and were lightly cooked, and tasted delicate and sweet. As you can see from the picture below, the presentation of the dish was pretty and perfect.

Another strange sounding combination “tetsuta age chicken with watermelon” again was surprisingly good. I was worried that the watermelon would make the diminish the crispiness of the chicken but it was all good. Again, pretty as a picture (sorry about mine, it’s a tad blurry!).

Last dish on the agenda was the acclaimed “steak with rice chips” which were fantastic! Steak was cooked perfectly, chips were thick and crispy. Ordered a side of “corn with seaweed and spring onions” and it was huge! By far the largest dish we had the whole evening and it was a side dish!

Lastly, as Ma Peche is right above the Momofuku Milk Bar, we got a few cookies for dessert! Had the “cornflake, chocolate chip, marshmallow cookie” and it was superb!

Overall, a good dinner but I have to warn you all it was the more expensive of the Momofuku’s. The food was delicious (as expected), my only criticism was that the dishes were not as generous in portion as I’d like. Would I go again? Yup, to try the new menu!

Date of visit: August 2011.

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Barbuto… amazing roast chicken!

I loved having lunch here so much that we came here twice during our 11 day stay in NYC.  Barbuto has that perfect mix of casual dining with great fresh food.   Dishes are the old favourites and priced reasonably.  We were there in summer, so it was really lovely sitting there with the blinds up and the cool breeze coming through.

For the tourists (like me!) this was also a great spot to lunch prior to shopping in the East Village!  Also, it’s close to Magnolia cupcakes.

The dish that we had each time we visited was the “pollo al forno” described as roasted JW chicken and salsa verde.  Succulent chicken, crispy skin with herbs.  Yum!

The “linguetinne alla carbonara” had pancetta, farmhouse eggs, black pepper and parmesan and was a well done version of the old fav carbonara.  The dish was massive!  I struggled through it for lunch as it was quite rich and salty.

The “insalata di bistecca” was a arugula salad with skirt steak, parmesan and vinegar.  It was a nice fresh salad with nice pieces of steak through it.

The “patate” side dish was fantastic!  The potatoes were super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.   It was served with pecorino cheese and rosemary.   If anyone knows how they make these potatoes, please let me know!

Last but not least is the dessert.  It was awesome!  Had biscuit bits, banana, cream, chocolate sauce and ice cream.  Great way to end the meal.

I loved everything about this place.  The location, the service, the atmosphere, the layout, and most importantly the food.  I’d happily eat here again and again and again…

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Dos Caminos… awesome Mexican food in New York!

I suffered from extreme jealousy whilst in New York.  They have Dos Caminos.  Melbourne only has one place for delicious Mexican, whilst New Yorkers have numerous Dos Caminos littered all over Manhattan. Not only that, you don’t have to queue up and wait for an obscene amount of time to get a table.  And, the food is fantastic.  And the cost is not ridiculous.

The traditional guacamole made fresh to order was delicious!  The ingredients were fresh and the perfect balance of creamy and tangy.  Came with a mild, medium and hot salsa on the side with crispy tortilla chips.

The Dos Enchiladas consisted of roasted chicken rolled in corn tortillas, chihuahua cheese (it’s what it says on the menu!), mole poblano and tomatillo verde sauces was basically two enchiladas served with two sauces (reminded me of yin and yang).  Flavourful and saucy.

The grilled shrimp quesadilla was so good, we went back for it twice!   An open-faced crispy flour tortilla topped with chile-marinated shrimp, mexican cheeses, smoked wild mushrooms and oven-dried tomatoes.  My darling boyfriend describes it as “almost a pizza”.

A lighter alternative to all the cheesy richness is the Tacos Camarones.  Soft flour tortillas  filled with sautéed shrimp, house hot sauce, pineapple-habanero pico de gallo and avocado.  After eating heavy meals every single day on holidays, this was a tasty light alternative.

Sigh…  I wish we had a Dos Caminos in Melbourne.  I would be having margaritas and tacos all day long…

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Momofuku Noodle Bar

First stop in New York was the original Momofuku Noodle Bar.   After the hype, the raves, the David Chang Melbourne debacle (most will remember it as momofukurage) it was the number one eatery on the list.

We had already had lunch, it was mid afternoon, so we popped in for a mid afternoon snack.   The pork buns with hoisin, scallion, cucumber were fantastic.  The pork was moist and tender, and the buns were the perfect consistency.

The “momofuku ramen – pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg” did not disappoint.  The soup was a outstanding with smoky stock flavour and it had two different types of pork – a slice of belly and shredded pork shoulder.  Note: I don’t eat eggs hence it’s missing from the picture below.

 

Last item we had was a potato side dish.   I don’t exactly remember what was in it but it was super delicious and tasty!   The potatoes had been roasted till it was crunchy on the outside and it was topped with a whole lot of tasty ingredients.

Considering the hype, and that it was a fair hike (from where I was staying midtown), it was totally worth it and did not disappoint!   Highly recommended, and if I had more time in NYC, I would have been back for more!

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