Die, die, must try! -- Eating outside Singapore

[jhm]

I tried a new sushi bar in London (Clerkenwell near Farringdon) yesterday night called "Sushi Tetsu". It was only the 6th day they've been open (during this first soft opening week) - they don't have a website yet and they didn't even have a phone number until very recently (it wasn't printed or to be found anywhere and I had to ask them when I was there - it's 020 3217 0090).

By London standards at least, it's tiny - 7 seats at the counter in front of the sushi chef and 2 tables of (I think) 2. There are currently only two staff/owners (both Japanese) - the sushi chef, Toru Takahashi who started in Kobe and last worked at Nobu London for 6+ years; and his charming wife (Harumi). Takahashi-san's English is very good (he graduated from a Japanese university with an English/British culture degree) and he's more than willing to talk and banter.

Everything is still new so, for example, there are currently no desserts (although they did offer me something of their own which of course I tried to decline but they insisted), there are only four sakes on the list at the moment and they had run out of egg (tamago) by the time I arrived (near the end of the night). They do have a menu but rather than waste time with that, I went for "omakase" in the true meaning of the word as I understand (rightly or wrongly) it's used in Japan (and not how some restaurants use the word to describe a set price for a set menu, albeit perhaps changing from day to day), i.e. not only did Takahashi-san decide what to give me (taking into account as the meal went along my preferences and my reaction to what I was given) but also how much to charge (I had no idea of the cost at all until I got the bill at the end but - with omakase - I trust the chef totally).

I indicated a preference for sashimi first and then sushi so that's how it went. The flavours of the fish were left to speak for themselves with only things like a few drops of juice, some salt, a lick of sauce or a quick blowtorch to complement/enhance the flavours. It was sushi in a traditional but refined form (no fusion) and similar to what can be found in many good sushi places across Japan (even in airports like Haneda in Tokyo which I had once whilst waiting for a flight) and in countries like Hong Kong (e.g. Sushi U in Central now closed) but very rarely in London.

As far as I'm concerned for best sushi in London, Tetsu's only other contender is "Sushi of Shiori" which I love (I've lost count of how many times I've been there but certainly somewhere in the region of 50-100). Shiori is more refined than Tetsu (Shiori's sushi chef, Takagi-san trained in Kyoto and it clearly shows) and Shiori's plates of food are works of art unlike Tetsu which is simply "raw" (in a nice way). None of the other places in London work for me. "Dinings" is fusion and doesn't have the fresh clean taste which I prefer (sometimes it works but other times not). It's the same for "Yashin" plus they have their frankly silly hangup about providing soya sauce (please just give it to me and let me decide) and their prices are ridiculous due to their location. (Tetsu do provide soya sauce without having to ask.) Finally, there's "Mitsukoshi" which is traditional but lacks refinement (i.e. fish with a dab of wasabi on top of rice - no exceptions).

What I found pretty unique in London about Tetsu last night was the connection I had with the sushi chef, Takahashi-san. He made each piece individually, put it in front of me, I devoured it and (with any feedback from me) the process repeated. The sushi didn't all come together on a plate (but I assume this will happen in Tetsu if sat at one of the two tables although I was told that customers would be moved to the counter as space became free). The food at Sushi of Shiori does come on a plate (rather than piece by piece) but that's probably unavoidable due to their configuration (only three seats in front of the chef). It does come piece by piece in Mitsukoshi but whilst the longstanding sushi chef there, Oshima-san does do omakase for sashimi (i.e. he gives me a plate of his choice for whatever price he decides), he seems unable to do it for sushi (always asking me each time what I want).

Having sushi in Tetsu was the closest I've come so far to what I experience when eating sushi in Japan. My personal favourite in Tokyo (not a famous restaurant such as Sukiyabashi Jiro which I've never been to and probably never will because they seem to me to have a serious attitude problem regardless of how good their sushi may be) is located in a posh residential neighbourhood (Nishi-Azabu; where various embassies are located). The restaurant is difficult to find even for Tokyo taxi drivers who a few times have had to ring for directions after getting lost. Eventually I end up being driven up a steep hill with narrow roads (so that if a mistake is made the taxi has to reverse backwards downhill) and dropped in what seems like the middle of nowhere. However, walk inside what looks like a house and it's a tiny sushi restaurant! Tatami flooring, only a counter with seats (no tables) and another husband/wife team (who live upstairs) plus a single helper. True omakase - I have no idea of the price, I can't speak Japanese, they can only speak very basic English and I get fed things which often I have no idea what they are (I've been twice in two days and got given different things). I eat, I pay whatever is asked for, I roll out happy and return the next time I'm in Tokyo. I've been maybe around 10 times over the years and when booking, a hotel only needs to tell them that it's their customer from England.

Tetsu doesn't match my Tokyo experience (for one, the fish available in London is something which they can't do anything about) but it comes closer than anywhere else in London and that's what made the experience last night special for me.

My feeling is that Tetsu will - once word gets out, e.g. newspaper reviews appear - be rammed with customers. I'm already thinking about my next visit!

Finally, an excellent writeup from someone who went to Tetsu last night also (before me) and with photos:

http://theskinnybib.com/2012/06/17/s...enwell-london/

[jhm]

I go to Shake Shack Madison Sq Park whenever I'm in NYC. It was a recommendation from a friend of Taipeiflyer. Great burgers. Possibly the best I've eaten. Succulent juicy meat, sweet buns, nice cheese.

My first time trying a Shake Shack burger (which I understand is a mixture of brisket and sirloin) and the burger was well worth braving the elements for.

For my 19 hours in NYC mileage run this weekend just gone, this was my first stop for a Shack Burger. I turned up at 6pm on Saturday, there was no queue to take my order, I had to wait about 10 minutes and there were plenty of free outdoor tables. I sat on the 7-hour flight to NYC thinking about that and it was well worth waiting for!

I then had dinner a few hours later literally round the corner at Eleven Madison Park (another restaurant in the same group as Shake Shack). I was very lucky as I only checked the reservations site (OpenTable) the day before and they had a free slot at 8:45pm.

There's not much to say about this restaurant as it's one of the only half a dozen in NYC with the New York Times' highest rating of four stars (but oddly only 1 star from Michelin). The chef is Swiss and the food is nominally French (but not exactly). The options range from a 3-course dinner prix fixe (for a reasonable US$88) to a 11-course tasting menu (with optional wine pairing). I'd read online that some people take 4-5 hours for the latter so I e-mailed to ask whether there's a cut-off time for ordering and they replied to say that it can be ordered whenever the reservation time (presumably even a booking for 10pm!).

So I went for it naturally. They ask whether you have any likes/dislikes but otherwise, the choice is entirely up to the chef. You don't even have a menu before/during the meal but they do give you one afterwards (together with - in my case at least - a pack of the restaurant's sugared fruit jellies to take away). I was surprised to reach course 11 (with a wine for each) and find that it was still only the cheese course. I was told that the 11-courses description shouldn't be interpreted literally (!) and there were in fact two more dessert courses to come (each again with a wine pairing; and all for the price as indicated on the menu).

The courses for my menu that night included liquid spheres of salmon and sturgeon together with caviar; a dish of beets; foie gras; a black truffle beignet (which had a really earthy flavour); a winter in Provence soup assembled beside the table by the chef from different purees and sauces; an interpretation of bouillabaisse; lobster; frogs' legs; veal cheek; and quail.

(Edit: I didn't bother with photos as the restaurant is so dark (even with the large windows).)

I managed to finish it all in 3 hours by midnight but that was going at quite a quick pace (as I had a flight at 9am from Newark). It was not cheap but I thought the meal was exceptional and it's definitely somewhere I would like to try again (perhaps with time for a more leisurely experience). By comparison, a restaurant like the Fat Duck near London costs 40% more but even leaving aside the difference in price, it was not somewhere which I left thinking I would like to repeat.

[jhm]

maps in Japanese - which is unfortunately not helpful. Let me think of a way to sort this out. Suggestions welcome

Just post a link to the map in Japanese and people can work it out.

(What I do is e-mail the concierge at any hotel I'm staying in and ask them to give me a map together with Japanese instructions for a taxi driver.)

[Kyo]

For Japanese maps, I suggest 'pointing/flagging' out the equivalent on Google Maps

[kelvgoh]

Hi All,

Okay, I realise that there's quite a fair bit of requests for Tokyo, and although I tend to stay within the Roppongi area for food, I hope this list helps.

I've been conscious to try to name only restaurants which have English menus, so it'll be more accessible generally.

Japanese

Tonkatsu dishes (cutlets in breadcrumbs)

Katsukobowako - B2F, Metro Hat, Roppongi

Tonkatsu Musashi - B2, Yebisu Garden Place, Ebisu

Ramen

Akanoren - 3-21-24 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Ippudo - Roppongi or Meiji-dori (near Ebisu)

(maps in Japanese - which is unfortunately not helpful. Let me think of a way to sort this out. Suggestions welcome)

Jangara - Akasaka

(maps in Japanese - which is unfortunately not helpful. Let me think of a way to sort this out. Suggestions welcome)

Torikamameishi and Yakitori (chicken cooked with rice in a steel kettle - Japanese speciality)

Torigin - Ginza

http://www.torigin-ginza.co.jp/eng.html

Teppanyaki and Yakitori

Teppanyaki Ten

Tel: 03.5474.5820
Kobayashi Build. 1F, 7-8-19 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

http://www.tradina.com/0354745820/map.html

Izakaya

Sake-Tomo

http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13041724/

(map at the bottom of the page)

[jhm]

Ooops, one other thing I should have mentioned about Xi Yan. I didn't make the booking but understand that, like other "private kitchen" restaurants, they have a minimum number required to get a table. We had five in our group. [Edit: only two required it seems]

Whilst the food was good, I was a bit disappointed that it's not as "private" as I thought it would be! My previous (and only other) experience of a "private kitchen" restaurant was a few years ago in HK and that was the real deal - only cash accepted, no advertising, not licensed (i.e. illegal) and it was literally in someone's flat converted into a restaurant (so we ate in their living room - just one table for us and nobody else - and used the flat's bathroom). I'm told by HK friends that such real "private kitchens" still exist but their numbers are much less than before.

Edit: I found this:

http://www.timeout.com.hk/restaurant...-kitchens.html

[9V-SIA]

Some recent places which I like:

Xi Yan Private Dining - a so called "private kitchen" restaurant by HK celebrity chef, Jacky Yu (who was there cooking on the night I went). I ate at the original/flagship restaurant in Wanchai (located in an anonymous office block). He also has some other places in HK and an establishment in Singapore. It's relatively inexpensive at only about US$60 each and you don't have any choice about the menu but for that, we had a very tasty dozen courses. The food was wow! Some pictures (not mine) here. Unlike Bo Innovation (2 Michelin stars; run by the so called "Demon Chef", Alvin Leung; an Asian version of El Bulli/the Fat Duck) which cost several times more and which I'm in no hurry at all to go again, I wouldn't think twice about eating at Xi Yan again. Highly recommended.

For sushi in HK, I tried Sushi U in LKF for lunch by myself and it was good. Not up to standards in Japan but much better than what I can get in the UK. I sat at the sushi bar, had omakase and let the chef take care of me (very well). They have a large selection of sake and sake sommeliers to help you choose.

Thanks! Will try them in March.

W Hong Kong still has stay 2 nights 3rd night free offer.

Plus 3x starpoints now... I think! ( I'm very bad at deciphering the T&C)

As far as sushi in London goes, it's disappointing..

One of the problems of having eaten the real thing in Japan I find!

Anywhere else has been anti climatic...

[jhm]

Some recent places which I like:

Xi Yan Private Dining - a so called "private kitchen" restaurant by HK celebrity chef, Jacky Yu (who was there cooking on the night I went). I ate at the original/flagship restaurant in Wanchai (located in an anonymous office block). He also has some other places in HK and an establishment in Singapore. It's relatively inexpensive at only about US$60 each and you don't have any choice about the menu but for that, we had a very tasty dozen courses. The food was wow! Some pictures (not mine) here. Unlike Bo Innovation (2 Michelin stars; run by the so called "Demon Chef", Alvin Leung; an Asian version of El Bulli/the Fat Duck) which cost several times more and which I'm in no hurry at all to go again, I wouldn't think twice about eating at Xi Yan again. Highly recommended.

For sushi in HK, I tried Sushi U in LKF for lunch by myself and it was good. Not up to standards in Japan but much better than what I can get in the UK. I sat at the sushi bar, had omakase and let the chef take care of me (very well). They have a large selection of sake and sake sommeliers to help you choose.

As far as sushi in London goes, it's disappointing (although I haven't tried glitzy places like Roka, Zuma and Umu) and HK is better let alone Japan. I have tried places like Sushi Hiro in Ealing (weird opening hours; cash only; difficult to get to but widely acclaimed), Sushi Say in Willesden Green, Cafe Japan in Finchley, Dinings in Marylebone (modern/fusion sushi - the chef is ex-Nobu but it's not really to my taste), Matsuri etc. My personal favourites are:

* the sushi bar at Mitsukoshi off Piccadilly Circus - it's a branch of the Japanese department of course. About a dozen seats at the sushi bar and (currently) just one sushi chef who's worked there for many years. Traditional and good quality sushi (for London) at fairly reasonable prices.

* last night's discovery - Sushi of Shiori near Euston/Warren Street. A tiny sushi bar in a street of Indian restaurants - 3 seats at the bar and 6 seats facing the window. Run by a husband and wife team. Very friendly service. The sushi is not too different from traditional but beautifully presented and with some small twists, e.g. a slice of truffle on the scallop sushi or a dab of plum sauce on others. I had the chestnut ice cream which was very more'ish! I intend to go back.

[jjpb3]

They say that in a hundred years, English and Americans will not be able to understand each other.

Very much doubt that. You might be surprised by the penetration of American phrases among teenagers and business folk on this side of the Atlantic. I think as long as Hollywood exports films and TV shows and US corporations have clout, American English will be understood by the English.

Nice pics, phaleesy and jhm. I miss the NYC restaurant scene.

[KeithMEL]

Looks fab, jhm and phaleesy! Gotham is now next on my list of places to try in NYC!

phaleesy - I am glad you have now found time to write up these wonderful reviews, as it is apparent you have a knack for it. Keep it up please!

[StarG]

Everything looks good jhm & phaleesy... hopefully I'll get to try them on my next visit (whenever that may be).

[9V-SIA]

I always think of biscuits as cookies. No wonder HUGE AL and another American friend were slightly confused when I told them that I wanted to eat chocolate biscuits several months ago. They call biscuits cookies in America. Biscuits are these things on the plate now. Just like scones in the UK.

They say that in a hundred years, English and Americans will not be able to understand each other.

Even now I use the English subtitles watching US movies and TV.

Who names their kid Randy?

But thanks for a truly useful in NYC eats.

I'll be trying your list next June, jhm and phaleesy.

[jhm]

Butter Poached Lobster
Artichoke barigoule, smoked bacon, Meyer lemon and sauce Américaine



Roasted Squab and Foie Gras Rossini
Jerusalem artichoke purée, Swiss chard and sauce Salmis



Époisse
Prune Armagnac and cocoa nibs



Rome Apple and Black Truffle Tart Tatin
Vanilla yoghurt ice cream and sauce caramel



I thought the food was great (the egg and truffle dish was to die for!) but I understand someone HUGE can make it all (better) himself! When do I get an invite to his kitchenette equipped suite ?

[jhm]

Gotham Bar and Grill - NYC

Gotham Bar & Grill is a few streets away from Union Square and made famous by Alfred Portale, one of the chefs on SQ's International Culinary Panel.



Chef's Tasting Menu

Champagne Oyster Bisque
Leek custard, safran épice, caviar and oyster croustillant



Knoll Crest Farm Egg "Cocotte"
Périgord truffle, cipollini onion, broccoli and pumpernickel crouton



Roasted Maine Diver Scallop
Brandade de morue, Burgundy snails and escargot butter

[phaleesy]

Applewood Brooklyn

Applewood is located at 501 11th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in
Park Slope Brooklyn, the closest subway stop is the 7th Avenue stop on the
F train.







Brunch - 10am to 3pm
Only hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and poultry used.



No reservations taken. Just turn up and wait. So we waited at the bar counter.


Organic sour milk pancakes and honey maple syrup. Fennel-pork sausage on the side. Now we know sausages come in all shapes and sizes!


Crispy braised vermont pork belly omelette, charred brussels sprouts, pickled sweet potato. Applewood smoked bacon, grits and biscuit on the side.


Three organic eggs, with biscuit and grits on the side.


The cowboys in my romance books are always eating grits. I finally know how grits should taste like. Rather starchy and heavy. Nice and comforting but not something that I would eat too much of.
I always think of biscuits as cookies. No wonder HUGE AL and another American friend were slightly confused when I told them that I wanted to eat chocolate biscuits several months ago. They call biscuits cookies in America. Biscuits are these things on the plate now. Just like scones in the UK.

Sauces - ketchup, cream?, jam. Used the latter two for my pancakes and biscuit.



Food was excellent. I ate so much that my stockings which were a perfect fit just the week before got too tight and started slipping… so I spent the whole afternoon/evening pulling up my dress and adjusting the uncooperative stockings (in dark corners and behind the bushes). By 6pm, I gave up and pulled them off.