The Travel Monologues

Ever since I’ve been to Germany, I’ve been trying to be thrifty for the second half of my Euro trip. Everytime I smell a big piece of steak grilling during those summer festivals, I go drooling inside and I think about the great restaurants in New York. I miss New York already. And of course Singapore and her great food culture. Tian Tian chicken rice, Beach Road Char Kway Teow, Katong Laksa…

But to regress, this is about 2 great restarants in New York I had the fortune of visiting before I left for Germany. First up is the world famous Jean-Georges at Trump Hotel. Jean-Georges cost an insane amount for dinner, so we settled for lunch which was a very affordable US$30 for 2 dishes. Every extra dish cost $12, I believe, and that will fill one up nicely. I think it’s a bargain to eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant for $50.

Since it was our first time at such a high end place, we were a little uncertain about photographing our food and we decided to play it safe. According to Chubby Hubby, it is perfectly ok to photograph your food as long as you ask the waiter and don’t act all fobby and disturb the other patrons. So expect more photos from my food adventures in the future .  We had a plethora of dishes and I especially love the squab which was cooked so tenderly and perfectly that you could feel the meat just melt in your mouth. The sea scallops with a caper emulsion was also extremely tasty and I love how the capers went with the natural sweetness of the scallops. However, the show-stealer was desserts. I love love love the home-made mushmallows and the granny smith apple ice cream. Oh and not to forget the home-made chocalates. That said, here’s the final on Jean-Georges:

Food: 1.8/2 thumbs

Service: 2 thumbs/2 thumbs

Value: 1.8 thumbs/2 thumbs

Overall: 1.8 thumbs/2 thumbs

Frankly, the reason why I love Jean-Georges was the desserts. The salty dishes were great and you could tell that they deserve their 3 stars, but they did not exceed my expectations as I hope they would. Maybe it’s because I had so high expectations, what with all the raving from friends, news reports and the Zagat guide. But I think for me, desserts exceeded my expectations in every way and I’m not a huge dessert fan. Oh, and interesting fact: Jean-George Vongerichten is credited for bringing the molten chocolate cake to the States in the late 80s, now a must-have on most menus.

Next up is Union Square Cafe.

What can I say about Union Square Cafe? Just that it was so so so good. From start to end, I loved every dish. I think my favourite has to be the mussels in that butter cream sauce (I’m not sure if it’s butter. I always had a problem recognizing flavours). The sauce was so good that I couldn’t help but mop it up with bread which was probably unbecoming but screw it. There was none of that fishy mussel smell most steamed mussel dishes have so props for that.

 The seared tuna was also great. Union Square Cafe did my tuna really well and I love it. I usually end up disappointed with seared tunas in most restaurants but this was an exception. So the final on Union Square Cafe is:

Food: 1.8/2 thumbs

Service: 1.8/2 thumbs

Value: 1.9 thumbs/2 thumbs

Final: 1.8 thumbs/2 thumbs

If it was a toss-up between Jean-Georges and Union Square Cafe, I would have to say I would go back Union Square Cafe again. Firstly, Jean-Georges was value for money only during lunch. I think dinner would be a different experience altogether. Secondly, I like the nice and casual atmosphere Union Square Cafe has. And Union Square Cafe has really some damn good food that will please anyone.