My first-ever visit to New York was with my sister and it flew by. It’s been four years since we travelled together and she’s always so much fun — we do a lot of laughing, shopping and, of course, eating. This time was no exception as we raced through the city to meet our friends for brunch, lunch and dinner. As a family of mixed-Japanese origin, I’m rather proud to say we started and ended our short holiday with ramen (we had no choice, it’s in our blood.)

MOMOFUKU NOODLE BAR

Ramen is booming in London at the moment but it took root in the States way sooner in a more tighter, deeper way — from instant ramen so beloved of college students to the more artisan kitchens for the truly addicted.

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*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

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Though I created such a scene when I wrote about a certain four-star restaurant some time ago, I must write about my experience at Eleven Madison Park. Why?  Because it was above and beyond my expectations, and made me fully understand Daniel Humm‘s genius-ness. Plus it was lunch, over a glass of wine, hence I still remember what I ate.

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I just got back from the most lovely weekend in New York City. A dear friend from college is getting married this summer so we threw her a “Spice Shower” dinner party in our friend’s backyard in Brooklyn. It was a warm evening so we passed out fans (which we needed!!) and served summery drinks.

We made Basil Lemon Cocktails with basil syrup, vodka or gin, seltzer and a lemon slice (for the basil syrup, just make some simple syrup and toss it in the blender with fresh basil).

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I recently became a permanent resident of this country, and to celebrate my newly acquired freedom, we went to Le Bernardin. Though I know a lot about food, I haven’t been to many top-notch restaurants because I end up bitching about its flaws. If you are paying $250 a person for a dining experience, don’t you expect it to be superb, from food to decor to service to every tiny aspect such as the flower arrangements, or how the tables are set up?

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Did you know sake officially became Japan’s national booze? It was announced in April I didn’t know there was such a thing as a “national liquor”, but I guess it’s similar to vodka for Russia, and whisky in the UK?, what’s for America? Budweiser?

Anyhow, Japan Society’s annual sake tasting event is coming back next Tuesday evening. I don’t know if you remember last year, but the topic was the most basic stuff — hot vs cold, daiginjo vs ginjo, etc.

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“Now, alcohol makes a big man small and can lead to life of crime.
Drinking rum makes you skin-and-bone, and you cash in before your time.
Bootleg gin for your Mickey Finn till you don’t even know your name.
You’re a basket case right on your face, there’s only one guy to blame.
Oh Mister Booze, Mister Booze, Mister B, double O, Z, E, …”

- Mr.

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My most recent obsession is making anko (sweet bean paste) from scratch. As I wrote in my strawberry daifuku post a couple of weeks ago, using bean paste as dessert doesn’t really exist in the west. But I am trying to find ways to mix this into my future baking. After all, it’s gluten-free, and with all the gluten-free dessert shops popping up in the city, I want to find a brand new way of incorporating anko.

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Spaghetti alla Chitarra prepared by chef Dan Kluger at The Core Club. He is now the chef at ABC Kitchen in NYC.

Photo by Erin Gleeson.

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Drunken noodles at SriPraPhai in Woodside, Queens. From Umamiventure #4 in 2007. The savory hot sweetness of the dish still hovers in my memory.

Photo by Irwin Chen.

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