Modern Korean Cuisine at Hanjan, New York City

During a trip to New York City, I had the absolute honor of trying out Hanjan, a modern Korean restaurant.  The food was was utterly stunning with contemporary twists on traditional flavors.  I'm so thankful for the experience. 

I didn't look at the menu so I can't say for certain which dishes these were, except absolutely delicious.  The tofu pictured above was cool, firm, yet silky and creamy.  The sauce on it brought back nostalgia like no one's business. 

For the kimchi enthusiasts, this offering is sure to please.  Not only was the kimchi perfectly executed, the perfectly stacked and aligned leaves were nothing short of perfect presentation. 

Get some skewers.  Like all of them.  Korean grilled meats some of my favorite dishes. 

This is probably the best seafood green onion pancake ever.  The seafood and green onion were enclosed in crispy wonderfulness.  This is like traditional green onion pancake on crack. 

I think these were the spicy dumplings.  They were wondeful pillows of spicy goodness.  Eat with the egg yolk to truly experience what it feels like to be rich. 

And more skewers. 

And this fried rice was just done well.  Really well.  There were little crunchy caramelized bits at the bottom, which indicates you did it correctly. 

And for dessert, some sorbets and red beans.  I was in food heaven when I tried these.  They were slightly sweetened, clean, and refreshing.  Thank you, Hanjan, for the hospitality!  I will be back in the future. 

An Epic tasting at Eleven Madison Park, New York City

You probably think I'm a little spoiled.  That is true.  When in New York City, I had the great fortune to meet up with the talented chef Tim Dornon for dinner at Hanjan, and then a quick happy hour to check out his new establishment, Eleven Madison Park.  EMP is can only be described as grand and epic.  I mean EPIC.  Take a look below to get a full understanding of epic. 

This is a photo of the luggage check tab.  I took a photo of it because I'm partial to the Swiss shield.  I happen to have Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, so I feel partially Swiss.  My house is already decorated with Swiss items. 

This bread looks beautiful on the outside.  You can see the delicate layers from the top, and if you could feel it, the outside is like a fragile faberge egg.  Once you break into the bread, you'll discover that it is like butter meets clouds.  That is the only accurate way to describe it.  The bread was already epic, and it was the first thing I devoured. 

Before we jump into the next dishes, order some cocktails.  They are exceptional.  This one is the Prince of Humbugs. 

Next up was the foie gras with pear and balsamic.  This is one rich, yet incredibly balanced and interesting dish. 

I really don't think that words do this dish or the following dishes any justice. 

Lobster salad, razor clams, kale, sea urchin, and gelee. 

The pristine presentation is a beautiful piece of art. 

The lobster salad inside was sealed in the claw with lobster custard.  If there was anything that might make me feel as spoiled as the characters of Downton Abbey, this would be it. 

Poached lobster and razor clams in sea urchin foam and kale. 

The attention to detail and obvious high level of execution here is mind blowing.  Also, morphing familiar flavors into different textures in both of the seafood dishes was an interesting treat.  This dish was layers of ocean flavors in a variety of mediums - poached with meaty textures and elegant foam.  Yes.  This was epic.  

And here's a view of the inside of Eleven Madison Park.  It is beautiful.

And Grand.  A big thanks to Chef Tim Dornon for making my visit to NYC extra epic!

China Cafe in New York City

During my tour of New York City with Pichet Ong, we had dinner at China Cafe with some friends.  China Cafe is a very small establishment, so reservations are appreciated with their 2013 Michelin Star. Some people waited quite a while, but we called ahead and booked a party of four.

Here's some of the dishes we tried, minus the scallion pancake (B4).  It was really soft in texture and incredibly flaky.  It was delicious! 

We started with dumplings (B11).  These were very delicious, just like mom made.


This was the crispy tea smoked duck (C8).  I wasn't in love with it though it was tasty.



Now this dish is my absolute favorite of the evening.  Pan fried lamb with scallion (C19) served with rice is amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  It was so good that it made all the other dishes seem just okay.  The sweet scallions covered with meaty drippings is amazing.  The lamb was also perfectly cook, tender and sweet.  I could probably eat that entire plate by myself.

There you have it: B4 and C19 at China Cafe.  Get them both and thank me later. 

Yuji Ramen in New York City

I recently took a trip to New York City - one that was right around 24 hours long from touch down to take off.  Even in my short time frame, I was able to stuff myself silly.  When I got there, who else but Pichet Ong took me for an eating adventure of the Big Apple.

Yuji Ramen, owned by Yuji Haraguhi, was one place that he insisted on.  He didn't just suggest it.  He insisted.  So off we went to Whole Foods on Houston Street.  Yuji was supposed to be a rotating pop-up on the second floor of this Whole Foods.  But I guess they became so popular that at they stayed.

Here's another write up of Yuji Ramen by Serious Eats.


Something you might find curious about Yuji is that he didn't eat ramen growing up.  It wasn't a part of his comfort food or college food for that matter.  As a result, he says that his ramen is unique and different because he doesn't have an ideal ramen that he's trying to emulate or replicate.

Yuji's history starts with an education in business and then sales at a seafood supplier.  He has no official culinary training so he says, with a shy grin.  I have a plethora of respect for those in the culinary arts who learned it on the job or out of passion - and you can taste that passion.

While we were there, admiring fans would come by for a bowl and smile cheerfully at him.  He's pretty darn lucky as I saw many, many young women exploding with giddiness at the counter.  Oh, what is it like to be a Ramen God? 


The first dish I ordered was the salmon and cheese mazeman (ramen with little to no soup) - a pretty amazing dish.  The goal of his seafood offerings is to "showcase seafood through ramen."  And he hit the nail on the head with this one.  The cured salmon is sweet, savory, and has the flavor of the sea.  The texture was tender yet had structure that said "someone took great care of me!" 

I can't really find words to explain the flavor of this dish.  I can only describe it as a mashup of subtle gastronomy on a bed of noodles.  You just need to try it.  And then you'll understand my inability to describe it.  

The second dish I got was the daily special, a clear fish broth that was beautifully clear and flavorful.  This dish does have the comfort feel of soups that my mother made, and the careful execution that would can impress even the pickiest of ramen connoisseurs.  If I'm back in New York, I'd definitely visit Yuji Ramen again!