Shake Shack - New York City

Before going to NYC, I had done my research regarding burgers. One of the highly recommended places for a burger was 'Shake Shack'. Amazingly for us, there was one right underneath our hotel (wasn't intentional I swear!).

Shake Shack

Because Shake Shack was right underneath our hotel, we were able to go multiple times :) We tried their chocolate shake and that was simply superb - rich, thick, creamy and chocolately. On a different night, we opted for their "concrete". We tried one of their specials - the chocolate coco-loco concrete. This was chocolate custard blended with coconut dulce de leche and brownie chunks and this was like... omg thick and super super rich. I think we got through around half of this and we both gave up - it was too crazily thick and rich~

chocolate coco-loco concrete

One time, we tried their Shackburger and a Shack-cago Dog. The Shackburger, though small for American sizes, was packed filled with flavour. Super juicy and delicious beef patty with melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato and their special "shacksauce". This was soooooo good - we were both reminiscing the flavours the whole time we were in NYC (and also now, that we're back). The Shack-cago Dog was a Vienna all-beef sausage dog in a really soft yummy potato bun. This was topped with Shake Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickles, tomato, pepper, celery salt and mustard. This was amazingly deliciousness too!!! Mmmmm.... Amazing. I'm salivating just at the thought :)

Shackburger

shack-cago dog

The fries here were crinkle cut. This time - we chose to have cheese melted on top - resulting in a cheesy deep fried starchy heap. So yummy but sooo sooo sooo unhealthy feeling :)

cheesy fries

Upon our first visit, we eyed our neighbouring tables who seemed to have this huge stack in their burgers and hence, that was definitely on our agenda for our next visit. The Shack Stack was a cheeseburger and a 'shroom burger combined. The Shroom burger is a crisp-fried portobello filled deep fried patty with muenster and cheddar cheese melted throughout it. So this cheesy mushroom patty plus a juicy beef patty was combined with lettuce, tomato and shacksauce to give us a monster of a shack stack. It was extremely tasty - a little too big to put into your mouth all at once - but yum nonetheless. My partner preferred the normal shack burger to this, but both were good.

shack stack

Shake Shack is one burger joint in NYC that is definitely worth a visit :)

Ratings:
Food - 9.5/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 30.5/40

Shake Shack (the one under Intercontinental)
691 8th Ave,
Southwest Cnr of 8th Ave and 44th St
New York City
Tel: (646) 435 0135

Casellula - New York City

On recommendation by a friend, we had decided to dine at Casellula, a Cheese & Wine Cafe in the Hells Kitchen area of NYC. Being quite a small, cozy yet popular cafe, the place was packed full of people and we had to wait a little while outside in the dark and cold.

Nonetheless, when seated, we could see the charms of this place. Cheese cabinet in full display, lots of people chit-chatting over a glass of nice wine. The whole thing made the place comfortable - like your just chilling at a friend's after work.

For the night, we decided to order 2 entrees and 2 mains. My partner's pick was the Spanish white anchovy fillets which were served with fennel fronds and pickled shallots. Small crusty bread accompanied the salty/sour combination which really, kind of opened your appetite to try other things.

Spanish White Anchovy Fillets

The entree of my choosing was the chistorras in a blanket. Super yummy sausages wrapped in a soft tortilla like pastry and topped with slices of raddish. Not bad... but so far, the dishes were quite small - leaving me wanting.

Chistorras in a Blanket

The first main was the seafood taco. Lots of seafood - calamari, squid, prawns - with red cabbage slaw and a lime cilantro dressing. I have to saw, of the night, this was my least favourite. Not because the flavours of the seafood was wrong. But because the "taco" wasn't really to my liking. Although I am a fan of soft tacos, the consistency of this flour wrap just didn't seem right.

Seafood Taco

My partner's favourite of the night was the Pig's ass sandwich. Super yummy ham thinly sliced, with 5-spoke tumbleweed and fol epi cheese, pickles - all pressed together in the toasted turkish-style bread, with super yummy chipotle aioli on the side. Kind of like an upscale ham and cheese toasty :)

Pig's Ass Sandwich

Being a tapaz style cafe, it was kind of weird seeing food in normal proportions once again (as opposed to American sizes). I have to say, I miss American sizes - but only when it super yummy good food.

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 6.5/10
Overall - 29/40

Casellula Cheese & Wine Cafe
401 West 43rd Street
New York
Tel: (212)315-2121

New York Slice - New York City

We had done our research and noted that the New York Slice is one of the 'must eat's in NYC. Instead of just jumping into any pizza joint (which are everywhere in NYC), my hubby decides - NO! Let's go out of our way to find a net-recommended one. So at the risk of missing the sunset views on the Empire State Building, we went pizza-slice hunting.

It was a tough trek, made tougher by the fact that my hubby forgot to bring the name and address of the joint. We almost didn't find it. We almost missed it, and gave up after 1/2 and hour of walking. Just as we were about the run back to the Empire State Building, we saw it! Bleeker Street Pizza.

Bleecker St Pizza

There was a window full of yummily ovened "pies" (ie. pizzas). Some with very tempting toppings. But to be traditional, we had to go with the margherita. A large, wide, thin, foldable pizza topped with tomato sauce and stringy mozarella. The base is what makes the new york slice a new york slice. It's thin and chewy in texture, yet crusty and crunchy all at the same time. How can something so thin and simple be so yummy?

Margherita pizza slice

The New York Slice does not disappoint. Yumminess to the core.

Ratings:
Food - 9/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 6.5/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 29.5/40

Bleecker Street Pizza
69 Seventh Ave South
New York, NY 10014-4043
Tel: (212) 924 4466

Lukes Lobster - New York City

So we were talking around, casually exploring NYC and trying to look local. It was lunchtime and we were hungry and just as we were debating about what to eat, we noticed this HUGE line that extended pretty much the whole block. What were they lining up for?!?!?

My partner's theory - if there is a line, join it. And so we joined. After joining the long long long line, one of us scouted out what in the world we were lining up for and bingo! One of the thing's we had yet to try - the lobster roll.

We were informed by others in the line that a recent fad in NYC was these pop-up lunch spots where food trucks would just park somewhere in the city selling specialised foods - be it lobster rolls, cupcakes, icecream or anything! Foodies from all around NYC would track down these trucks (line up for ages) and try their foods.

epic line of foodies lobster truck

The line was epic. By the time we got to the front, anticipation for this lobster roll had sky-rocketed. We ordered a Schooner meal each. This comprised of a drink, a packet of chips (cos everything comes with chips), and a lobster roll (or a crab roll or a shrimp roll).

schooner meal

The lobster roll was massive!!! Served "maine" style, there was a heap of chilled lobster chunks, coated in mayo, lemon butter and some spices sitting ontop of a freshly toasted and buttered new-england style split top bun. ZOMG YUM~ It was like eating a whole lobster in a bun! Hahaha. The lobster was super fresh, the meat was so subtly sweet and the buttery soft bun was a perfect accompaniment.

Lobster roll

So they have actual stores around the city - but who want's to buy this from an actual store when you can chase it's mobile truck around the city and eat like a bumb in the nearby park?

Ratings:

Food - 9/10

Service - 7/10

Ambiance - ?

Value for money - 7/10

Overall - 23+?/40

Lukes Lobster

follow the truck:

http://www.lukeslobster.com/nauti

Jean Georges - New York City

2 course lunch meal at one of the best 3 michelin star places in NYC for just $32 per person? Why not?

During our honeymoon on our non-budget, I was researching all the good restaurants and cafes to check out in NYC. I came across Jean Georges which had really good reviews from heaps and heaps of blogs and seemed like AMAZING value! And hence - we just had to try it.

Located opposite Central Park and in the Trump, it felt like a really chillaxy type restaurant. There were two sections in the restaurant, one appeared more casual, and the other, slightly more dressed up. As I had mentioned in the reservation that we were on our honeymoon, we were quickly and effortlessly escorted to the more formal side of things the moment we got there.

Complimentary bread - a choice of a few, but the ciabatta was the winner for me. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside - perfectly accompanied by creamy room temperature butter :)

complementary bread

The amuse bouche came out not long after we were seated. I have to say, my memory slightly escapes me. As much as I recall, the orange liquid was a chilled carrot soup with some fancy vegetable salt encrusted on the rims of the small glass. The carrot juice was really really sweet but then because your lips and tongue are touching the salt, there's the element of that melting and melding in with the sweet carrot liquid. It was slightly wierd - something that you don't really like at first, but then the taste grows on you and before you know it, you've downed the whole thing. I think the others were a crunchy raddish bit on buttered wholemeal bread and a ricotta pasta thing? I have to say - I don't remember anything about them ... which probably means that they weren't bad nor outstandingly good.

amuse bouche

As the first course, my hubby chose the foie gras brulee. This was a really well oiled, perfectly browned, really rich and smooth foie gras cylinda accompanied with a blob of pineapple-meyer lemon jam, just to balance out the richness of the foie gras. It smelt amazing. And I think it tasted quite delicious as well.

foie gras brulee

Mine was a little bowl of sea trout sashimi, which is hidden below a lemon, dill and horseradish dressing (which was nice and thick) with a heapful of trout eggs and crispy tiny bits of deep fried trout skin on top. It was asthetically pleasing and a whirlpool of flavours. It was sour (due o the lemon), rich, smooth yet subtley fresh and sweet (due to the trout) then you get the saltiness from the trout eggs and the crispiness of the bits of skin. It was altogether a bit confusing... but in a good way. Odd yet beautifully so.

Sea trout sashimi

As for the main, my hubby and I both opted for fish. I ordered a salmon and him a snapper. My salmon was slow baked to perfection. A warm potato salad with liquified horseradish sauce and sugar snap peas accommpanied the fish which made it uber palatable. Really well cooked fish!

slow baked salmon, warm potato salad, sugar snap peas and horseradish

My hubby's red snapper was encrusted with nuts and seeds and was swimming in a sweet and sour jus. I believe that his fish was cooked to perfection too! (though I thought mine was better)

red snapper crusted with nuts and seeds, sweet and sour jus

After all this (for lunch)... we were both stuffed. However, I still kind of wanted something sweet and the dessert menu was so enticing! Luckily, we decided against it because we were soon met with a massively tempting array of petit fours.

A variety of chocolates were presented - the best is probably the caramel one - with lavendar macaroons. Wow! To top it all off, we got super fresh fluffy marshmellows...So fresh that they cut it at your table! Hecticness!

petit fours- macaroons, assorted chocolates, fresh marsh mellows cut at your table

Service here is impeccable. The value speaks for itself. Everything was just as it was meant to be (apart from the epicness of the tips you're meant to give in US restaurants). Definitely would recommend it, and for the value, definitely worth a return visit.

Ratings:
Food - 9/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Value for money - 9/10
Overall - 34.5/40

Jean Georges
1 Central Park West
New York 10023
Tel: (212) 2993900