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Lip-Smacking Food

new york city

Hotel Chocolat

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I recently had the pleasure of attending a chocolate tasting at Hotel Chocolat, situated in Midtown Manhattan, close to Grand Central. Lisa Saraceni, the store manager, gave me 8 different chocolates to try and walked me through each one.

We started with the darkest plain chocolate first, and worked our way down to milk, and then white. Lisa got us to smell the chocolate first, then break it in half. Different varieties have their own unique ‘snap’ to them. Then we placed it on our tongue and allowed it to melt, while taking in all the flavours that came to mind. Quality chocolate contains complex and intriguing flavours that are not typically associated with chocolate (berries, floral, coffee, spice, citrus, caramel, etc).

Copenhagen Mermaid Milkshake from C Tea

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Brand new to the NYC tea scene is C Tea in NoLita. They are having their soft opening this week with 10% off all drinks. The menu includes milkshakes, fruit tea, cheese cream tea, and lattes. I chose one of their signature shakes, the Copenhagen Mermaid, a vanilla milkshake with butterfly pea tea, whipped cream and a fondant mermaid tail. So pretty and whimsical! And let me tell you, if you’re not a fan of fondant, don’t let that put you off. I generally don’t like fondant either, but this mermaid tail was unlike fondant I’d had before, and actually tasted great. It also made a great scoop for the whipped cream. At C Tea you can choose your sugar level, which I really like. It was suggested to me to go with 50% sugar for this particular drink, so I did. It tasted very delicious, the perfect level of sweet, and the vanilla flavour tasted real, not artificial. I really loved the interior of the shop, spacious and inviting, with cute stools to sit on and personal touches like the macaron decorations, citrus plates and tropical cushions.

Cherry Pie

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Cherries are one of my favorite summer fruits; as soon as they come into season I always make sure I have them in my fridge. So it goes without saying that cherry pie is my favorite of all fruit pies. This recipe is all from-scratch, and trust me, it’s worth it! I used to be intimidated by making my own pie crust from scratch, I thought the whole process was too involved and tricky. After doing it several times, and improving each time, I realized it’s actually very easy, you just need to understand the golden rule of keeping all the ingredients cold. Only use as much water as you need for mixing the dough. It also pays to make some room in your freezer for the pie, so you can put it in there 10 minutes before putting it in the oven. This will ensure that the crust stays intact and the sides don’t droop. 

Cha Cha Matcha

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It had been on my list for a while to try the ‘Special Swirl’ soft serve at Cha Cha Matcha. Every month they introduce a special flavor that is swirled with their matcha soft serve. This month’s flavor is vegan Tangerine Dream. Located on Broome Street in Nolita, the cafe showcases the flavor of authentic Japanese Ceremonial matcha. 

Cha Cha Matcha was founded by recent New York University graduates Matthew Morton and Conrad Sandelman. The two met while studying business management and hospitality and both had a fondness for matcha. Morton is the son of Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton. They wanted to see if a matcha bar would be viable in New York so they traveled to Japan to visit small, independent tea farms and decided to partner with one in Uji, outside Kyoto. The goal was to create a matcha blend that was smooth, with more caffeine (to appeal to New Yorkers) and less bitterness. Since opening in April 2016, Cha Cha Matcha has enjoyed great success, with long lines extending out the door every weekend.

Pancakes with Caramelised Bananas & Maple Syrup

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In 2010, 2 years before I came to live in NYC, I read about Clinton St. Baking Company and how famous they were for their breakfast items, especially the pancakes. I went on Amazon and ordered their cookbook so I could make these, along with other specialties, at home. These are quite simply the best pancakes you can ever have. Neil Kleinberg, co-owner and chef at Clinton St. Baking Company, perfected the recipe entitled ‘Neil’s Pancakes’ and made them classically authentic – something delcious, wholesome, truly satisfying and as natural as can be. Two flavors were put on the menu: blueberry, using tiny wild Maine berries, and banana-walnut. After weeks of experimenting, Neil came up with his now famous pancake base: fluffy, chewy and crispy on the edges, with all the complexity of a yeast-risen cake. 

I wanted to put my own spin on this amazing recipe, so I decided to caramelise bananas using coconut sugar, cinnamon and a touch of coconut oil for frying – keeping with the natural tradition of Clinton St. Baking Company

Portuguese Octopus from Al Vicoletto

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Sometimes the tastiest food is right under your nose. Case in point: Al Vicoletto which is quite literally across the street from where I work. My boss wanted to meet me for lunch and suggested Al Vicoletto, an Italian restaurant in Union Square. He chose a pasta dish, but I wasn’t really in a pasta mood so I scoured the menu for something else. The Grilled Portuguese Octopus ($15) caught my eye, as I love octopus when it’s done right, but it’s not a food I have too often.

Chicken Rice (Com Ga) from Bird’s Eye Vietnamese

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While looking around at all the lunch options available at the Winter Brooklyn Flea & Smorgasburg this past weekend, I was drawn to Bird’s Eye Vietnamese. I’m always eager to try something new, and I’m definitely not as familiar with Vietnamese food as I am with some other cuisines. I ordered the Com Ga ($11), which is basically chicken rice, with fresh sliced chicken, ginger fish sauce, herb aioli, cured egg yolk, Vietnamese herbs & pickled vegetables. Chicken rice sounds like a simple dish, but Com Ga is deceiving in this regard. It is anything but simple, with complex flavors making this one tasty meal. 

Chilly Penguin Religieuse

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This adorable little penguin religieuse ($7) from Dominique Ansel is almost too cute to eat. But make sure you do, because he is divine! This little guy is all bundled up for winter with his earmuffs and scarf made of marshmallow. His eyes, beak and wings are crafted from white and dark chocolate. The choux pastry is filled with  Mexican hot chocolate cream with a hint of chili.

Chocolate-Raspberry Croissant from Épicerie Boulud

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Colored croissants are not as common in the US as they are in Europe. This beautiful, striking Chocolate-Raspberry Croissant ($4) from Daniel Boulud takes 3 days to make. It is unique in the fact that the layers are so precise, you could count them, and the outside is crunchy, with a sweet, buttery inside. But be fair warned: this croissant is not for the faint of heart. It is sinfully rich and decadent. The brains behind this candy-striped creation is Francois Brunet, who is in charge of the bread and viennoiserie at all of Boulud’s restaurants across the city.