Jean Georges’ Warm Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – $9

Nougatine at Jean Georges is on the first floor of Trump International Hotel at Colombus Circle, overlooking Central Park. Guests enjoy signature dishes from Michelin Starred restaurant Jean Georges in less formal setting. The signature Warm Chocolate Cake was part of our Three Course Brunch ($28), which can also be ordered as a dessert for $9. This chocolaty cake is crispy on the outside and filled with molten Valrhona chocolate. The cake was originally created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten himself, and copied all over the world.

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Phone: (212) 299-1000

Salmon a la Plancha – EUR 32

An establishment for excellence in Paris, located on avenue Montaigne features a variety of classic international dishes from the kitchen of Alain Ducasse. The salmon featured above was wrapped around from the center to form a circle with the top pan seared. The center of the salmon connecting the two ends is lined with spinach. Garnishes include ‘roseval’ potatoes and watercress. There is a flavor of French mustard present.

21  Avenue Montaigne, Paris, 75008, France
Phone: +33 1 53 67 64 00

Fried Chicken Dinner – $8.50 (4 piece with fries, slaw, and roll)

This tiny shop from a small town offers a variety of foods, but there is one outstanding item. Fried Chicken. All the people that I have introduced this fried chicken to, family and friends, are surprised by the simplicity of this common comfort food. The place uses quality chicken and fries them with a simple breading. The outcome is a mildly salty and extra-crispy fried chicken.  A simple mildly salty breading may seem inferior to the immense variety of wild flavors out there, but it satisfies the one of the basic human cravings of salt, sugar, and fat. Not to mention the tongue searing juices squeezing out of each bite into the chicken. Carnivore unleash.

653 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022
Phone: (847) 835-4900

Baked BBQ Pork Bun – C$3.95 (order of 3)

One of the typical offerings during the dim sum hours of a Chinese restaurant is the Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The reality is that few restaurants can masterfully produce this dish and majority fail only to get by with the unsuspecting customer. The beauty of this particular dish from Pelican Seafood Restaurant is the fluffy and chewiness of the bun without the teeth clinging stickiness. I hate it when I have to violently tongue the lodged dough from my teeth. Of course this review can’t be complete without mentioning the fragrant BBQ pork slowing baking inside the bun. The BBQ pork inside is juicy unlike many other restaurants that procure dried saucy BBQ pork. To finish it off, on top is a thin glaze of honey.

1895 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L1T3, Canada
Phone: (604) 251-3395

Grilled Thracian Beef Tenderloin — TRL 50

The steak has been butterflied as it was ordered ‘well done’. It was cooked with lemon and olive oil. The steak sits upon mashed potato with spinach and spring vegetables accompanying it. A demi glace sauce is also delivered with the dish.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Cheddar Chesseburger — TRL 34

Classic burger with buttered and toasted buns. The burger comes with french fries, lettuce, tomato and onions.

Ciragan Cad. No. 28, Beskitas, 34349, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 381 40 00

Turkish Red Lentil Soup — TRL 19

Classic Turkish dish served with buttered croûtons and lemon. The lemon adds zest to the soup, which is not actually needed, the soup would be fine without it.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Deluxe Burger — TRL 32

Grilled burger with swiss cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes and french fries.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

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

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

Purple Potato Skins – $9 (3 pieces)

This is the first starter listed in Lola’s fancy menu wrapped in real leather, $9 get you three pieces of purple potato skins and $3 for each extra piece. They are topped with sundried tomato creme fraiche, roasted garlic cloves, smoked bacon bits, chives, with American sturgeon caviar. This is an elegant take on the otherwise simple baked potato skin usually boringly topped with bacon and cheddar. The choice of purple potatoes was well-made as they matched the pretentious caviar. I thought this appetizer pleases the eyes more than the taste bud, the creme fraiche clearly dominates both the flavors and texture. You see many condiments, but you only experience one.

2032 Harrison Street,
Hollywood, FL 33020
(954)927-9851

Kurobuta – $10.00 (dinner)

This little dish is not a full entree, but one of many dishes to have at an izakaya. In Japan, an izakaya is a drinking establishment and a place to have pub food similar to Spanish tapas bars. At Shiki, its more like a restaurant than a pub. The Kurobuta is literally translated as black pig which is the same as the Berkshire pork prized by many chefs and regarded as highly as kobe beef. This grilled pork tenderloin can either be finished with teriyaki sauce or shioyaki (sea salt). To appreciated the natural fat marbling of the pork and taste, go with the shioyaki. Lime on the side for the extra citrus kicker. All together and you get this tender pork cutlet with a salted grilled crust on the outside with mild citrus acidity.

Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200