Chicken Topkapi — TRL 59
Set on the balcony of the first floor of the Çırağan Palace on the Bosphorus this elegant restaurant fuses old Ottoman dishes with their cometmporary counterparts. This particular dish is of the classic Ottoman style. It is comprised of roasted chicken breast filled with oriental pilaf (a type of rice) and topped with creamy spinach.
Ciragan Caddesi 32, Besiktas, 34349, Istanbul
Phone: +90 2123264646
Omakase of the Day (Chef’s Special) – 7,000 yen
Uobaka only offers two menu, Omakase (Chef’s Special) 5,000 yen and 7,000 yen. Both courses are entirely seafood, and changes daily depending on the fish caught in the morning. 7,000 yen course consists of Sashimi dish, Live Squid Sashimi, Grilled Fish, Nimono (boiled dish), Fried Fish, Soup, Sushi, and a side carefully prepared by a female chef Sae Iwamoto. They also have extensive list of Sake and Shochu.
In the picture (clockwise from center): Alfonsino, Moontail Bullseye, Octopus, Grunt, Bluefin Tuna.
2-2-19 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 104-0061 Phone: 03-3563-4100
Cheeseburger – Euro 20.00
Part of the freres Costes restaurants, Rival follows the same basic menu format as the others. Their cheeseburger is served in a lightly toasted bun, with bib lettuce, sliced tomatoes, peeled onions and of course a slice of american cheese. The dish normally comes with a side of fries but I opted out. Your fingers do get dirty while eating this, but on the bright side the burger does not fall apart, even though it is quite large.
20 Avenue George V, 75008, Paris
Phone: 01 47 23 40 99
Filet Mignon with Grenailles Potatoes – Euro 32.00
Presented at this new Parisian dining establishment is very standard menu but using the very best ingredients. This steak was extremely tender, breaking apart with the slight movement of my knife (which is also pictured above). The baby pebble like potatoes were also an excellent supplement. They were firm and did not crumble. One thing that was missing, in this reviewers opinion, was an option of sauces or mustards to accompany the dish. The sauce as shown above was merely as it seems for presentation purposes as it was stuck to the plate.
There are a list of side dishes you may choose from as well including: green salad, fries, quinoa, bushel of spinach, green beans, mashed potatoes, and grenailles potatoes. All sides were Euro 8.00.
37 Avenue de Friedland, 75008, Paris
Phone: 01 82 28 75 08
Crispy Southern Fried Organic Chicken – Euro 36.00
At this diners third foray at the Ralph Lauren restaurant in Paris, I ventured to try one of their poultry dishes. This classic came with home style mashed potatoes and sauteed baby spinach with cornbread on the side. While the food is excellent the service and attention to detail require some working on, surprising considering the 2:1 service to patron ratio. I realize it is not standard policy of HighTea to inject strong personal opinon but I feel three times in a two week span cannot be overlooked.
The outer layer of the chicken was crispy and the inside soft and tender. The accompanyments fit the dish superbly complementing the flavor of the dish with watery spinach and puree mashed potatoes.
173 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006, Paris
Phone: 01 44 77 76 00
Filet Mignon – Euro 36.00
The newest edition to the Costes family of restaurants, La Societe is hidden in plain sight with no signs or mention of the restaurant. Once inside patrons must take a side door to enter the restaurant which has been designed by Christian Liaigre, and is frequented by the Fendi family as well as Domenico and Stefano Gabbana. The filet mignon steak is presented simply with a portion of sauce bearnaise. The dish is also accompanied by a portion of mashed potatoes.
4, Place de Saint-German-des-Pres, 75006, Paris
Phone: 01 53 63 60 60
Ralph’s Burger – Euro 27.00
Ralph’s Restaurant in Paris is Ralph Lauren’s second venture into the restaurant business, with the first one located in Chicago. Ralph’s Burger is served with ranch style fries, American farmstead garden slaw, onions, pickles, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, cheddar cheese and crispy bacon. All the meat is flown in from Ralph Lauren’s ranch in Colorado. The burger itself was extremely soft with the sprinkles of bacon adding a bit of crunch to each bite. The burger itself, as well as the rest of the portion, are noticeably smaller from their American counterparts, which seem to have been adjusted for the French palate.
173 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006, Paris
Phone: 01 44 77 76 00
Hot Artichoke Dip with Crisp Bread and Endive Leaves – $10 plus $2 for Endives
It’s a perfect appetizer to share between 2-4 people.
Freemans is located at the end of an alley between two streets in Lower East Sides.
Extremely low-profile because it does not have any signs.
Go early to avoid long wait since the restaurant only takes reservation for parties of 6+.
End of Freeman Alley (off Rivington b/w Bowery & Chrystie) New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 420-0012
www.freemans restaurant.com (more…)
Yook Hwe-$14.95 (serves four unless you know you love it, then this may be good for two)
Yook (meat) Hwe (raw and edible) [pronounced: yuqwe] is an authentic Korean appetizer. The sesame marinated beef tartar is served with thin slices of garlic, Asian pear and cucumber, and with the raw egg yolk on top, nothing is cooked in this dish. The way to tackle this ball of thinly shredded meat is to break the yolk and mix all the ingredients really well so that each bite contains some spicy raw garlic, sweet juicy pear, crispy cucumber and of course some beef. I threw in some Kimchi and the flavors blend well. It is very raw, but with the strong flavors of the condiments and the heavy sesame oil base marinade, you cannot really taste the rawness of the beef. Though the sliminess, especially with the egg yolk mixed in, is inevitable. Give it a try, you will be excited by the adventurous textures and flavors if the idea itself isn’t enough. Even my sashimi-intolerant friend enjoyed multiple servings of it and said he will definitely return for more. Koreans know their meat and sauces but make sure you trust the quality and freshness, extra important when things are RAW, but from my experience, this is not something you have to worry about at Woo Lae Oak.
3201 Algonquin Road,
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-3830
(847) 870-9910
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte – $5.95 (1 slice)
Creamy, but not thick hazelnut chocolate ganache is sandwiched by a light hazelnut sponge cake. The sponge cake is airy providing a nice bounce with each bite into the cake. Finished with a hazelnut buttercream on the outside. The lightness of the ganache doesn’t make you thirst desperately after eating it, but a nice cup of tea or warm milk goes well with it.
92 Spruce Street, Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 861-5190
