NYC Part III- Eleven Madison Park

Posted on January 23, 2016 by missamateurchef

It has been two months since my visit to Eleven Madison Park, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. The visit was truly an amazing culinary experience that I will not forget for a while! When I think back to my memories of the restaurant, not only do I recall each specific bite of food, but I also remember the emotion of eating there, the unadulterated rapture of tasting great (not just good!) food…

The tasting menu which consists of 14 courses of creatively prepared dishes was a gastronomic experience like no other. The presentation, taste and service were top notch; the pacing was on point due to the attentiveness of the staff. Everything on the tasting menu was decadent and delicious. Highlights of the meal included a little egg filled with sturgeon caviar, sabayon and chives, a caviar and cauliflower take on Eggs Benedict and a custard dessert made with a ball that shattered to spill honey. The relatively mediocre dishes in the menu would suffice as good or great in any other restaurant, but deemed to be overshadowed by the remarkable dishes.

Overall a truly whimsical, innovative, daring and phenomenal food journey…I better let the photos speak for themselves!!

Savory cookies made with apple and cheddar in stylish B/W and Sturgeon sabayon presented in an egg shell that was perfectly cut on the top and emptied.

Oyster: pie and velouté. The velouté was creamy, and the crust on the mini pie was crisp.

Scallops marinated with black truffle and leeks

My absolute favorite! An upscale reinvention of classic Eggs Benedict made with caviar, cauliflower and ham, totally showcased the creativity of the Chef. The house made English muffins was a lovely accompaniment.

House made rolls along with butters and sea salt.

An interesting take on “surf and turf” made with perfectly seared foie gras with Brussels sprouts and smoked eel.

Waldorf salad. The original recipe was invented in 1896 by Oscar Tschirky who was the head waiter at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel at the time (which was later demolished in 1929 to make way for the building of the Empire State Building). The salad was prepared in front of you, combining multiple ingredients, such as celery root, walnuts, grapes and apple. The salad was served in a giant bowl which had two compartments, in the bottom there was a cold soup made of the same dressing as the salad.

The duck was roasted with honey and lavender; it was perfectly cooked and packed with flavors!

The cheese course totally exceeded my expectation. It was a beautifully melted Cato Corner cheese fondue sitting in a squash, you simply have to dip the homemade pretzel bread in to enjoy it. And guess what: it was divine!

Pre-dessert- Botrytis with Ice Cream, Bitter Almond, and Ginger Crumble. Inspired by the flavor of grapes lucky enough to have been infected with the fungus, also known as noble rot.

Milk and Honey Custard with Bee Pollen Ice Cream. Shattered the honeycomb shell and you’d be thrilled to discover the honey inside!

Dishes are playful and interactive from start to finish, the dessert ‘Name That Milk’- which came in an ornate wooden box containing four bars of specially commissioned Mast Brothers chocolate together with pencils and a card with four animal drawings totally blew my mind. Diners must taste each bar to determine which chocolate belongs to which animal: cow’s milk, sheep’s, goat’s or buffalo’s.

Eleven Madison Park (elevenmadisonpark.com)

11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

NYC Part II-Sweets in the City

Posted on December 25, 2015 by missamateurchef

I know what you are thinking, yea the title is very cliché but how can I write about NYC without paying tribute to my favorite TV series of all time! NYC has always been called the fifth major SATC character, alongside Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda. A decade has passed since the last episode was aired, surprisingly I can still vividly recall how I happily lost sleep over the show in my teenage years… How I went through numerous emotional rollercoasters while watching the fabulous foursome in their endless pursuit of the two “Ls”- labels and love. Just like the two “Ls”, dessert is essential in women’s lives (think of all the heartbreaks and PMS that you were able to get through because of it :p).
Life is uncertain, let’s eat dessert first!

1. Magnolia Bakery
1240 Ave of the Americas, New York, NY

Carrie tells Miranda about a major crush while scarfing down one of this bakery’s signature cupcakes. While Magnolia is famous for its buttercream-topped cupcake, it’s the bakery’s creamy banana pudding that impressed me most. Just a tip, skip the long line at the original Bleecker Street location and head to the other branches, e.g the ones in Grand Central Station/ Rockefeller Center.

2. Wafels & Dinges
W 35th St, New York, NY 10001

Originally started as a food truck in East Village, now it’s everywhere in New York. The waffles are soft, chewy, and caramelized along the exterior. Don’t miss the absolute best part – the spekuloos spread!!

3. Sprinkle cupcakes
Upper East Side, 780 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10065

Sprinkles actually first started in Beverly Hills, California, it then became so popular that it can now be found in almost all major US cities. All their cupcakes are topped with its trademark modern dots or seasonal decorations, bringing a cute sophisticated look to the American classic. I ordered my cupcake from the cupcake ATM, the cake tastes nice and moist and doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of frosting.

4. La Bella Ferrara
110 Mulberry St (btwn Canal & Hester), New York, NY

With the encroachment from Chinatown and expansion of SoHo, Little Italy is becoming Littler Italy. Though many claim that it exists mostly as a nostalgic memory or in the minds of tourists who still make it a must-see on their New York itinerary, I had some really good cannoli there.

5. Jacques Torres Chocolate
350 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

The chocolatier has long earned its place as a worthy detour for lovers of baked goods and chocolate. It also serves my favorite hot chocolate in the city! The intense cocoa slurry is thick and has a good hint of bitterness from the dark chocolate. They also offer to add in whipped cream, so that’s an added bonus!

NYC Part I- The Breakfast-loving Carnivore

Posted on December 18, 2015 by missamateurchef

I once heard someone says, “You live more life in one day in New York City than you do somewhere else in a year.” Coming home with a terrible jet lag, I do feel 10 years older after my recent trip to the Big Apple. Sitting in front of the computer at 4am in the morning, I can’t help recalling every single detail of my favourite trip ever. Perhaps that’s a big claim, but I can say without a doubt that NYC is my favourite city and I don’t think there is anything that will ever beat.