HAN KANG

In the little alley that also houses Hakkasan lies a small Korean restaurant called Han Kang. I was introduced to it a few years ago, and it was a very welcome addition to local restaurants near my university. I’ve been there quite a few times, but only recently did I discover an amazing dish, their fried chicken. Turns out Koreans really know how to do it well. Only a little bit spicy, and crispy and soft at the same time. Make sure you order the wings and not the nuggets though, as the nuggets are a bit squishy. Some of the typical Korean dishes, such as Bi Bim Bap are flavourless aside from the chilli sauce, and too healthy-tasting for my liking, so I tend to go pick whatever seems the greasiest from the menu. The fried seafood pancake is a hit, and everything is better alongside the house hot sake. Downstairs are karaoke rooms with K-Pop, which indicates that this restaurant is authentic enough to be popular among London’s Korean society. Each table has an integrated hot plate where the waiters cook thin slices of meat from the BBQ menu. However, I’ve found that if I order anything from the barbeque and I am not accompanied by any Korean friends, they just cook it in the kitchen, which takes away from the experience a little. The flavour is still as great and fresh though. Han Kang does cheap lunch deals, and the prices overall are very fair for the quality of this restaurant.  It’s always busy at dinner time, so I recommend booking if you are in a large group.

 16 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UE

NORMA'S

After hearing so many rave reviews about the great breakfast Norma’s serves I decided to put it to the test before making my way onto Madison Avenue for some much needed shopping. My very first impressions upon entering the restaurant were very good as it is located in the beautiful and ever so chic Le Parker Meridien on West 56^th Street. The restaurant layout is a large open plan dining room, which is directly exposed to the double height marble lobby of the hotel, so the restaurant retains a busy and truly New York City vibe. Without any reservations we were seated within 10 minutes and were offered a large selection of newspapers and magazines to read while waiting, alongside a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I was definitely impressed by the great service and super friendly staff. Once we were seated we were given our menus, and were further offered a refill on our orange juices. The dilemma however was choosing what to order as the menu offerings all sounded delicious, and the yummy smells coming out of the kitchen didn’t help us make our decisions any faster. After much careful thought I decided to opt for the highly recommended Egg White Frittata of Shrimp, as well as a cappuccino. Along our chosen dishes we were also served a basket of toasted bread that came with butter and jam. The frittata itself was delectable and in one word: perfect. It came served with oven roasted potatoes, tomatoes and spinach. The shrimp offering was also generous and left me very happy and full. Overall Norma’s satisfied my hanger and certainly lived up to its hype. Norma’s isn’t cheap at a price of $75 a head for breakfast, but with all its extras and great service it is well worth the visit for the perfect breakfast or brunch. 

  

Le Parker Meridien New York,  119 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

GRAY'S PAPAYA

A classic New York destination, Gray’s Papaya serves the best hot dogs in New York at really cheap prices. My trip to Gray’s Papaya wasn’t planned as I only stopped by for a quick bite while I was making my way through the Upper West Side. It was 11:30 in the morning and thus I avoided the busy lunch hour queue and managed to be served within 10 minutes. I ordered a plain hot dog with relish, mustard and ketchup and a soda to drink. The hot dog itself was simple and unpretentious and tasted fantastic. With each bite I had the biggest smile on my face; it was that good! At a total price tag of $5 I was even more ecstatic. What’s amazing about Gray’s Papaya is the simplicity of the product and the fact that something so simple tastes so good is a true testament to the high quality of the beef that go into the hotdogs. An absolute must when in New York. 

2090 Broadway  New York, NY 10023

THE PANTECHNICON

After a gruesome long winter, it seemed that spring had finally arrived in London last weekend with sunny, clear blue skies and people outside basking in the sunshine. Having walked from Kings Road to Knightsbridge, we decided to make a pit stop for some afternoon dessert at one my favorite local eateries: The Pantechnicon. When we arrived it was really busy, but since we were only a party of two we managed to find a small table in the corner. In this heat we both decided to have a glass of their amazing iced tea, and I topped mine with some Schweppes lemonade to make it an Arnold Palmer. We ordered the milk chocolate mousse which came served with a dark chocolate ganache and mint sauce. It was epic, the taste was superb and the mint sauce perfectly complemented the bitter dark chocolate taste of the ganache, and the mousse itself was soft and delightful. What blew my mind however was the rosemary crème brûlée with a honey citrus salad and lemon iced gelato. Never mind the spot-on texture of crème brûlée, the taste itself was perfect. It was so unique and refreshing; it excited my palette with every bite. It was the perfect light dessert for such a nice warm day. The Pantechnicon has never disappointed me; mainly known for their amazing burger and great Sunday roasts, their desserts are also well worth taking note of. 

 

 

10 Motcomb St  London SW1X 8LA

TARO

Taro has become one of my main cravings these days, and not only because it is close to my home. In fact, I have gone to this sushi restaurant so many times that I need a break to make sure I don’t tire of it. It is a small, simple Japanese place located on the busy Finchley Road. People certainly don't come to Taro because of its charming location or for the hip décor, but simply for the good sushi. It is crowded every night of the week, so reservations are recommended. My usual order is the Salmon Avocado Maki, Scallop Nigiri and Nasu Dengaku, which is fried aubergine with miso sauce. The Prawn Tempura is also one of my favorites, and comes with little flakes of some unidentified crispy substance on top. Everything at Taro tastes very fresh and homemade. The sushi pieces aren’t perfectly rolled or presented, but that only adds to the feeling of this being home cooked sushi. The fish comes fresh from the local market, and the scallops are truly amazing. My friend once tried to experiment and order outside of our usual maki repertoire, but found that the Ramen Bowl was bland and boring. The Miso Soup is perfect though, and along with the other dishes, works great with the house Hot Sake. It is not a place for imaginative and contemporary dishes, but rather straight-forward, quality food. Taro has a delivery service, but only in the North West London area. Even though this restaurant is quite a random destination if you don't live nearby, I would actually recommend the trip.

293 Finchley Road, London NW3 6DT

KATZ'S DELICATESSEN

A Manhattan legend, Katz is a place of pilgrimage for any meat lover and exemplary New Yorker. Katz arguably offers the best beef pastrami in the city at great prices and overly generous portions. The presentation of the deli is uncomplicated; you can either choose self service at the very long deli counter or table service. Upon our visit it wasn’t very busy and thus we opted for the self service, which is usually the most popular alternative. When it came to ordering it was no question that we would have the classic pastrami on rye with cucumbers on the side. When ordering at the counter you are invited to sample slices of pastrami in order to give the nod of approval that you are satisfied with the quality and taste of the pastrami (a sort of deli equivalent of a wine tasting). The sandwich was simply sublime; the pastrami melted in my mouth and the spicy Dijon mustard flattered the texture and taste of the meat. With a side of their signature cucumber pickles and a Pepsi this proved to be quite the delicious meal at a great value and price in the Lower East Side of New York. 

205 E Houston St  New York, NY 10002

ED'S LOBSTER BAR

New York, USA

Ed’s Lobster Bar is the quintessential emblem of New England style seafood. On every visit to New York I make it a point to stop by this very charming and delicious restaurant located on Petrosino Square in Soho. On a lovely sunny day while shopping on Prince Street I decided to pop in for a quick bite solo, and managed to get a seat at the bar. The layout of the restaurant is quite simple with a long narrow bar at the entrance with a few tables towards the rear; the casual and warm vibe is that of a classic New England fish shop that you would find along the coast of Maine or Cape Cod. It is every bit authentic down to the delectable menu offerings. When eating at Ed’s, I always look forward to their mouth-watering Lobster Roll and the Shrimp Cocktail. The Shrimp cocktail is to order per piece of shrimp and comes served with a cocktail sauce that is the perfect dipping condiment for practically anything. The Lobster Roll itself is quite simple and comes served with a side of fries and pickles. I can confidently say that this Lobster Roll goes down as being the best I have ever tried. The brioche bun was perfectly toasted and the lobster offering was generous and was not over-dressed with mayonnaise as is often the case in other restaurants. The fries were also crispy and tasted even better when dipped into the cocktail sauce. To quench my thirst I ordered a classic Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade) which was as yummy and refreshing as the food. Ed’s Lobster bar is a gem in Manhattan and stands out amidst the surplus of restaurants in the city. It’s not cheap, but it is worth every penny and I will definitely always keep looking forward to their delicious food. 

222 Lafayette St  New York, NY 10012

POLPO

London, UK

I had two very different experiences at Polpo, the Venetian bàcaro. The first time I went to the Soho branch, we waited for a table at the Campari bar downstairs, which was dingy and quite charming. I also didn’t know that Polpo was a mini-chain at the time, which also helped my impression of it. We had some Chicheti, Pizzette and Meatball Spaghettini. I really like the latter because of its simplicity and the fact that it reminded me of the spaghetti and meatballs that the Lady and the Tramp share in the 1955 Disney movie. I always wanted to eat like that, and this is the closest thing I’ve been able to find. The second time I went, I ate at the Smithfield restaurant, a larger space, which was also very busy and popular. We shared some dishes, and quite a few of them were disappointing. The Cuttlefish & Ink Risotto with Gremolata was decent, but I wouldn’t have wanted to eat the whole dish on my own, as the texture is quite heavy. The Prosciutto was very poor and tasteless, and the Foccacia was more like a dry baguette than the moist Italian bread it should be. The Sliced Flank Steak with White Truffle Cream simply tasted strange and too much of charcoal. My friend rightfully pointed out that her drink was the smallest Negroni she ever did see. The serving of wine was generous though, in a cute little carafe. I was very happy with my Aperol Spritz as the size was decent and it came with an olive in addition to the usual orange slice, and I love any drink with an olive. I guess Polpo is one of those places that will draw crowds every day of the week because of the interior and atmosphere, and not so much because of the quality of the food.