Speakeasies may be hard to find, but secrecy is exactly what they thrive on. Thankfully tonight I tracked down one of SoHo’s hidden gems – a Russian vodka bar. I’ve been to a few speakeasies since I’ve been here, but none have given me quite the same surprise as when Helen and I walked into …
Read MoreTag / Food
July 24, 2013
…ate a Turkish feast
Last time I had a dinner date with Katia, we went to Africa. The time before that, it was Malaysia. And tonight we decided to pop a little further north to Turkey. We met at Peri Ela, a skinny slice of a restaurant in the Upper East Side. As a vegetarian whose only knowledge of …
Read MoreJuly 16, 2013
…feasted at Chelsea Market
When I went to Seattle at the beginning of the year, Pike Place Market entertained me for hours. I tasted samples, grimaced at googly-eyed fish, admired teeny tiny cakes and enjoyed rustic slabs of pie. It was an indulgent, leisurely treat – one I’ve also had in London, Philadelphia and Boston. And yet, the whole …
Read MoreJuly 14, 2013
…cooked with homegrown produce
I feel like I’ve had a truly rural visit to England this time around – taking in the Sussex hills while chugging along in a steam engine and visiting a vintage tractor show – and today I concluded the trip with another countryside classic: Picking and cooking with homegrown produce. I’ve been in New York …
Read MoreJuly 11, 2013
…tasted bubble tea from Chinatown
My lunch jaunts can get pretty repetitive, so today I decided to shake it up – and headed to Chinatown for a cup of bubble tea: A mysterious – but popular – drink with black balls bobbing around the bottom. Before I went, I had to check the stuff was vegetarian. I was suspicious that …
Read MoreJuly 3, 2013
…tasted gelato in Little Italy
I lived in Little Italy for 18 months but I never tested its wares, if you can believe it. I spent all of my time elbowing tourists, dismissing restaurant hecklers and tutting at street vendors plonked right in the middle of the sidewalk. I never actually looked up to take it all in. Little Italy …
Read MoreJuly 1, 2013
…ate poutine for Canada Day
Today is Canada Day. But trying to find a Canadian-themed place in New York is like trying to find a Welsh bar in London. For a city that has restaurants and supermarkets for every nation possible, it’s bizarre that New York seems to have entirely ignored its nearest neighbour. I could hardly track anything down …
Read MoreJune 16, 2013
…ate dinner at the cinema
This evening, I met my friend Dave at the Nitehawk cinema in Williamsburg. The venue is famous for its midnight showings of classics and also its original take on cinema snacks – you can order and eat dinner while you watch. So it seemed like a perfect Sunday activity sheltering from the threatened rain. We …
Read MoreJune 14, 2013
…finally went to 16 Handles
When I’ve told people I’ve never been to 16 Handles before, they’ve recoiled in horror and distrust. Today I finally decided to visit this New York Institution… mostly because I am still a little sore from last night’s festivities and could not muster myself to do anything else. For the uninitiated, 16 Handles is a …
Read MoreJune 9, 2013
…rode Jane’s Carousel
For the last stop of Bree’s New York Bachelorette Weekend, we went to Dumbo. While Smorgasburg visits Williamsburg on a Saturday, on a Sunday it comes to this gorgeous spot across the Brooklyn Bridge. I’ve never been to this neighbourhood before but it’s beautiful – rustic buildings, colourful coffee shops, a beautiful waterfront. While there, …
Read MoreJune 8, 2013
…picnicked in Central Park
A group of lovely ladies has come to the city for Bree’s bachelorette party (you remember Bree), and today, ahead of our no doubt raucous activities this evening, we headed to Central Park for a picnic. We stocked up on breads, meats, dips, chips and vats of cookies for the feast, and Janessa even had …
Read MoreMay 25, 2013
…had lunch in Jersey City
Today was crammed with lots of activities – walking across the Williamsburg Bridge, a brilliant movie, terrible karaoke – and thankfully I was ready for it all after a delicious lunch in Jersey City. I go to Brooklyn a couple of times a week, but I’ve not ventured in the other direction – heading east across the …
Read MoreMay 24, 2013
…noshed a knish
Last summer, I discovered I’m allergic to blueberries. Today, I stupidly decided to test whether I still am – and I learned that I really, really am. After a painful day at work, some moaning, groaning and a nap, I woke up famished. I needed something comforting but reasonably bland. I needed a knish. I’ve never had a knish before, …
Read MoreMay 16, 2013
…went to Hooters
I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building, hollered at a baseball game and eaten my bodyweight in nachos while watching the Super Bowl. But there’s one American tradition that I’d avoided until tonight: Hooters. Elektra and I decided to pay a visit after walking past the chain’s New York spot in Midtown West last …
Read MoreMay 13, 2013
…went to Madison Square Eats
‘Tis the season for outdoor food markets and because I’ve obviously not done enough food posts recently, after work I headed to Madison Square Eats – a snug food market opposite the Flatiron building. I’d never heard of the market until Meghan, who lives close to the park, told me about it – and promised me there …
Read MoreMay 11, 2013
…fell in love with Japanese desserts
Today’s torrential rain cancelled a tour I had planned and left me craving some comfort. I decided to head to Minamoto Kitchoan, a Japanese bakery by the Rockefeller Center that I’d spotted on my way to the Easter Parade, and which I’d been saving for a rainy day. The store was ridiculously serene and lined …
Read MoreMay 6, 2013
…tried an egg cream
As Rachel and I walked home tonight, we made a stop at Gem Spa, a scruffy bodega in the East Village and just one of the many eateries in the city claiming to sell ‘New York’s best egg cream’. Even though we have zero experience to draw from, we decided to see what they had. Now, I’m still not …
Read MoreMay 4, 2013
…sneaked snacks at Smorgasburg
The sun is out, which means one thing in the summer: Time to head to Smorgasburg. Smoragsburg is a huge flea food market held every Saturday in summer along the East River in Williamsburg. There are food stands selling snacks to be enjoyed in the sunshine, while others sell beautiful jars and tins to take away. The …
Read MoreMay 1, 2013
…went to the world’s largest bake sale (and broke a world record)
Being back at work for two days is just too much. It’s time for some treats. This evening I pegged it up to Grand Central Station (you know how I love my activities there) for the World’s Largest Bake Sale – a one-day event organised by celebrity chef Sandra Lee, and co-chaired by other famous foodies, …
Read MoreApril 23, 2013
…celebrated St George’s Day in New York
I’ve been going all out with my New York experiences, but today I got the day off: Today it was St George’s Day, and time to celebrate the motherland. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever actually celebrated St. George’s Day in England, but this year, being so far from home, I was really keen …
Read MoreApril 12, 2013
…celebrated National Grilled Cheese Day
Gooey cheese squished in a sandwich used to sound like my worst nightmare, but since semi-overcoming my fear a couple of months ago, I was ready for National Grilled Cheese Day. Plus it’s pretty much America’s national dish. This is New York, so of course they have specialist restaurants for these sorts of things. After …
Read MoreApril 8, 2013
…ate at an African restaurant
Tonight was my monthly goss-a-thon over dinner with Katia. Whereas last time we gave so-so Malaysian food a go, this time we hopped across a continent or two to Africa. Now, ‘Africa’ obviously encompasses a lot, so I didn’t really know what the menu at Ponty Bistro in Gramercy Park would look like. As it turns out, it had …
Read MoreApril 5, 2013
…bought Girl Scout cookies from a Chinatown troop
What better to line my stomach for a Friday night out than a batch (or two) of Girl Scout cookies. That’s a good way to teach these girls about responsibility. After work I headed to Chinatown, where Troop 3197 were selling cookies at the True Light Lutheran Church. They were such a brilliant bunch of girls …
Read MoreMarch 26, 2013
…bought dinner for a stranger
I’ve been spending like a maniac recently. Today I paid for rent, phone bills, airline tickets and vats of cheese crackers. It means I have about $23 in my U.S. account until payday. Which I will no doubt spend on beer tonight and then coffee tomorrow or something I convince myself I really need, like …
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