City Lane: Photos From Around The World

New York: 21 October 2011

2012-01-23T05:53:00.003Z

Today, I decided to explore a different part of Brooklyn. In my mind, Brooklyn was supposed to be gritty and industrial (well formerly industrial to an extent I suppose these days), however I was completely unaware of the more "upmarket" part of Brooklyn.

Around the Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill areas is the "Cobble Hill Historical District", which is full of beautiful houses and architecture dating from the 1830s to the 1920s. It is a very nice area. Even outside of the historic district, you can tell that the surrounding area was different than the other parts of Brooklyn which I had visited.

There are lots of little bars, cafes and family run stores, as well as the usual suspects of chain stores and lots more parents with prams (note the specific use of parents rather than nannies).

I saw a few houses in New York that had this mosaic tile art done one them, but it was not a big thing. When I post up my Philadelphia photos, you'll see just how much this was a feature of that city.

As you would know if you are a regular reader of my blog, I'm not generally one for chains, by virtue of their poor price to quality ratio, however when it comes to Starbucks I will admit that they do the flavoured coffees in a way that sometimes you just want. The Pumpkin Spice Latte really did hit the spot on more than one occasion. Perhaps the novelty of not being able to get the flavour outside of the USA had something to do with it?

The Brooklyn Bridge. I actually almost considered not walking across the bridge because to be honest I couldn't really be bothered and didn't particularly think it would add anything to my New York experience. I was wrong, and am very glad that I did cross the bridge on foot. The views are great, you learn some interesting facts by reading the plaques on the bridge about the construction of the bridge, the context in which it was built, how New York and Brooklyn really were two separate cities at the time etc. Highly recommended, even though to look at, it is, in my opinion, less impressive than the Williamsburg Bridge just up the river.

I couldn't really capture this properly. It was, as far I could tell, a gutted old warehouse with a temporary installation in it. Each of those red tubes was glowing red - fluorescent tubes I assume. It looked much better in real life. This is all sort of just behind the East River, on the walk towards the stairs up to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Of course it's logical once you think about it, but being such a big bridge with multiple lanes of traffic, the onramp actually beings a not insubstantial distance from the river.

City Hall, just after you've crossed the bridge into Manhattan.

After various bits and bobs, we walked over to Chelsea and checked out the High Line, which was one of the highlights of my trip. A 21km (13mi) rail line that used to connect the docks and factories of the lower Westside to businesses along West Manhattan, the line stopped being used in 1980 and stayed abandoned, with calls for its demolition occurring.

In the 1990s, certain people noticed that nature had, in effect, taken over the line, and that there were lots of plants and wildlife on the line. In 1999, a group called "Friends of the High Line" was created, who lobbied for the retention of the line, hoping to have it converted into an elevated urban park. They succeeded, and in 2009 the first stage was opened. The second stage opened in 2011 and plans are underway for a stage 3 extension. There are several "hop on/hop off" points along the line and it's unlike anything I've ever seen.

What I really liked about the High Line was that it's the perfect example of what can happen in a city where ideas and creativity are allowed to thrive. In so many cities around the world, the line would have been demolished however a great park has been created. You walk through it and get a really unique perspective of the city. There are viewing platforms, chill out areas, bird feeders and all sorts of things along the line. It's the kind of place that inspires you to want to do something worthwhile with your life.

After the High Line, I checked out out the West Village, which is another cool little district in Manhattan with a great selection of bars and restaurants, amongst other things.

Union Square subway station. A maze of lines and tunnels.

New York: 20 Oct 2011

2012-01-19T00:29:00.000Z

The Upper Westside of Manhattan has some of the tourist sites, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aside from that though, I didn't really connect much with the area. It's (for New York) very quiet and mostly has nannies with strollers spending time with the children of their affluent employers. An expensive part of the city, but lacking that buzz that the other parts of the city have.

Would you believe that I didn't actually eat at one of these the entire time I was in New York. A hot dog and papaya juice whenever I'm next in New York is on the list.

While the Guggenheim is worth visiting for the building, I wasn't overly impressed by the collection of art in there - just not my thing I guess, with MoMa containing more of the stuff I'm interested in.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is, on its own, certainly worth visiting as it has a lot of artefacts from all over the world. If, however, you have been to Europe and seen, for example, the British Museum or the Louvre, there's not much new to see here.

Central Park is, as would be expected, a really beautiful park and great just to wander through and relax. All these photos are from the "bottom half" of the park

The park contains a zoo for children.

Back on 5th Avenue.

Times Square by night. It's worth going there both during the day and at night.

To me, this photo is just so "New York".

Macy's was great. A good selection of mid range items and decent prices.

Korea town, which from what I could tell was really just the one street.

The Empire State building is a mighty fine piece of art deco architecture and is well worth visiting, not just for the building itself, but for, of course, the amazing views.

Walking through the West Village towards the Spotted Pig, we passed through a semi-seedy area. Something was going on on the street in the bottom photo and there were stacks of cops and bystanders but I wasn't game to start snapping pics as the situation hadn't yet settled.

New York: 19 Oct 2011

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000Z

It's tacky, touristy, fake, over-the-top, and if I lived in New York I doubt that, apart from when I wanted to go to the theatre, I'd ever venture near it but despite all that Times Square is a complete assault on the senses and absolutely awesome to be in.

A view from MoMA that I really liked.

Avenue of the Americas (officially that's what it's called, however most New Yorkers still call it 6th Avenue).

What I said earlier about likely never visiting Times Square if I lived in New York - scratch that. I think that if the daily grind of life was getting me down, being in Times Square, sitting on the raised stairs in the middle and just taking it all in would remind me that I was somewhere which feels like the centre of the world, and would give me an uplift - similar to what being in Picadilly Circus did when I was living in London.

New York: 17 Oct 2011

2011-12-26T10:11:00.000Z

Another day of beautiful weather in New York, and we decided to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Clearly the two attractions need little explanation. On Liberty Island is the 125 year old Statue of Liberty, gifted to America by the French, and on Ellis Island is the Immigration facility which, for a long time, was the final hurdle that immigrants had to pass before being given permission to start a new life in the United States.

Manhattan Skyline.

Manhattan and Brooklyn Skylines.

Ellis Island

Back on Manhattan now, and below is City Hall.

Back in the East Village

This typifies exactly what I love about New York. A tiny space in between a store and a bar, and it's used to broadcast a radio station. The whole space was literally just this, and what the DJ was spinning is what was on air live.

Chinatown in New York is amazing. It's so huge and full of everything you could want. There was one place that looked like a tiny storefront, but when we walked in, the entire ground level of that block was a market - I thought I was back in Hong Kong such was the vibe and what was on sale.

This is the entrance to Manhattan from Jersey via the Holland Tunnel.

Little Italy has been reduced to barely more than one street across two blocks within Chinatown and is completely tourist focused. Chinatown, on the other hand, is all about the locals.

This entire building was probably the most run down, intact building I saw in New York. Drug Den was the first thing that popped to mind, which could possibly be the case given that the area (back in Bowery) epitamised the "crime city" that New York was back in the 1970s and 80s.

I really wanted to check out the New Museum, which is full of modern art, but it was closed for re-installation when I went :( The materials used to clad the building are really cool and it looks amazing in real life - very metallic.

There's nothing particularly special about this convenience store, but it's typical of the kind of convenience stores you see all over the city.

New York: 16 Oct 2011

2011-12-09T11:45:00.000Z

In a first for my New Yok blogging, a post with no Brooklyn photos at all! This is quite a focused blog, mostly being around 5th Ave, Madison Ave and side streets. These images are what a lot of people associate with New York and although vibrant, bustling and exciting, I didn't feel as much of a connection with this area as the others I have discussed, simply because it's quite generic. There are a lot of cities around the world with office towers and high end international brand shopping, and there's nothing that really differentiates this part of New York from any other similar area in other cities around the world. Still great, don't get me wrong, but not particularly unique.

Grand Central Terminal is a truly amazing train terminal. Completed in 1871, t is the largest station in the world by number of platforms. The terminal really fell into decline over the years and, by the 1980s, was covered in grime and billboards. In 1998, a 12 year restoration programme was completed and today it looks as amazing and beautiful as it did when it first opened.

About a minute after I took this photo, just up the road a crazy homeless lady started abusing me because she thought I was taking a photo of her. I was walking and my camera was off. She was crazy.

The New York Public Library

The Rockerfeller Centre is a complex of 19 commercial buildings built between 1930 and 1939. The biggest building is the GE Building. The whole centre was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

If you think this is familiar, it is. This is turned into an ice skating rink during the winter and it's always in movies.

Saks 5th Avenue. Beautiful old interiors and fit-out and a huge range of things to buy - overpriced though, as would be expected.

Radio City Music Hall was the largest theatre in the world when it opened in 1932.

I was amazed that they managed to squeeze a building in between these two.

Steve Jobs memorial outside the Apple Store on 5th Ave.

Columbus Circle

The Foster designed Hearst Tower (the building with the triangles) was completed in 2006. It was New York City's first "green" tower, and won the international skyscraper of the year award in 2006.

The original6 story Heart building at the base was actually completed in 1928, but the tower that was supposed to go on top of it was postponed because of the Great Depression. I took them a little while to actually finish the job!

In the 1950s and 1960s, 17 blocks of ethnic tenements were bulldozed to make way for a complex of buildings which together are known as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

New York: 14 Oct 2011

2011-12-02T17:59:00.003Z

To be honest with you all, trying to figure out how to sort through all of these photos and post them has defeated me, so I will be taking the lazy way out and just updating day by day, each post being an accurate reflection of what I saw on a given day.

This post starts off in the now familiar Williamsburg, and shows what the area I was staying in was like. We were staying in a very Jewish part which was very interesting as, not being Jewish, I got to see a lot of stuff I didn't know about.

Everyone was walking around with cloaks/gowns/capes of sorts, and these big furry hats like you expect to see old school Russians wearing. All of the Jewish run shops in the area were closed, people were walking around very quietly at all hours of day carrying these plants and with wooden boxes being constructed on balconies and on the sidewalk. I knew that there was some sort of religious celebration going on, but a few days into my trip, actually asked a Jewish guy what it was all about and he kindly told me all about "Sukkot". From Wikipedia:

"Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October). It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The holiday lasts seven days. The first day is a sabbath-like yom tov when work is forbidden, followed by the intermediate Chol Hamoed and Shemini Atzeret. The Hebrew word sukkōt is the plural of sukkah, "booth or tabernacle", which is a walled structure covered with skhakh (plant material such as leafy tree overgrowth or palm leaves). The sukkah is intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the holiday meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many sleep there as well. On each day of the holiday, members of the household recite a blessing over the lulav and etrog (Four species)."

Interestingly, at the end of our holiday, when this Sukkot also finished, the whole area changed. All the shops were open, great smells from all the Jewish bakeries surrounded the area, and there were people and traffic everywhere. It was unrecognisable from a few days earlier.

Just across from the Jewish area, everything becomes Latino. Ads, shops, the works - in this area lots of stuff was either bilingual, or not even in English. I love how New York is such a melting pot of cultures and you can experience so many of them in the same city - everyone is just free to do their own thing.

With Halloween just around the corner, there were shops selling pumpkins all over the city. There's no real wasted space in New York. Everywhere you look, be it a side street, next to rail lines, there's something going on.

Over the Williamsburg bridge and finally into Manhattan!

St Paul's Chapel is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan, being completed in 1766. It is the church that, despite being across the road from the Twin Towers, survived completely intact.

One World Trade Centre under construction.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters, before being violently evicted by their own government.

City Hall. I love this photo.

The East Village and area around it is an amazing part of New York. If I could live anywhere in New York, this would probably be where. It has an amazing history. It used to be a Dutch owned farm, with wealthy townhouses, then from the 1850s to the early 20th century, it was known as "Little Germany", and was New York's first foreign language neighbourhood. In the 1950s, it was home to many beatnicks, and then became a hotbed for hippies, artists, musicians and alternative types in the 1960s and it's where New York's Punk music scene originated.

During the 1970s and 1980s, it was considered one of the most dangerous parts of New York, with rampant homelessness, crime and drug use.

Since the 1990s, the area has gentrified and, in a theme which I have brought up in many previous posts, this has its pros and cons. It's no longer unsafe, and along with the still present counter culture and arts scene in the area, there are great cafes, bars, restaurants and shops - independent and international. Of course because of this, it's not quite as "real" as it used to be. In fact Williamsburg (which is now gentrifying itself) was the area that many of the poor artists moved to once the East Village became too expensive (it has had one of the highest increases in property values over the past decade). In any case, all I know is that I really loved hanging out here, and spent a lot of my time in New York in the area. You'll see lots more photos in upcoming posts - especially of the great street art around it.

Broadway, downtown as opposed to midtown where all of the theatres are, is quite a vibrant area with lots of name brand shopping.

Heading off Broadway into SoHo and NoLita. For someone who isn't a New York native, it gets hard trying to figure out where a neighbourhood ends as they all kind of blur into one another. SoHo, NoLita, Chinatown, East Village etc - it all feels very fluid and organic.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York: Oct 2011

2011-11-28T11:42:00.000Z

Brooklyn. My hotel was in Brooklyn as there was a really good deal going at the time and I am so glad that I stayed here. So many tourists never venture beyond Manhattan, however Brooklyn has so much to offer. This blog update just covers a part of Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn and even then it's just scratching the surface. A week could easily be spend exploring just Brooklyn, and my advice to anyone who visits New York is to, even if just for one day, get yourselves over to Brooklyn and discover another side to New York.

It's quieter than Manhattan, and is a really cool area. Williamsburg has been undergoing gentrification over the past few years, and is an eclectic mix of old industrial buildings, some abandoned, some operational, some apartments some retail, some offices etc. Pockets are very residential in nature - and there are large Jewish and Mexican communities amongst others.

In recent years, a lot of hipsters, alternative types, creatives and young professionals have moved into the area, giving it a very random and exciting vibe. As I mentioned in my food post, there is a real push in New York towards locally sourced and produced food, and that is very evident in Brooklyn, with a lot of the stuff coming from here. Along with food, there are also lots of independent clothing stores and all kinds of other stores. There is something new and interesting to explore on almost every street.

New York, Food Guide: Oct 2011

2011-10-30T18:15:00.002Z

I spent two weeks in New York at the end of October, and will be doing blog updates over several posts as I get time as there are simply so many photos to sort through. People are always asking me for tips on places that they should go and eat when they travel to cities to which I have been, so for New York I decided to take a bit of extra time and catalogue some of the food highlights to create a post that I can refer people to when they ask in relation to this amazing city. Some of the photos I spent time on, others were just quick snaps before digging in so you'll have to excuse the sub par photography in places on this post. I'll leave my commentary on New York in general for my next, more city and "usual" style of update but needless to say, I expected it would become one of my favourite cities in the world, and I was right - it's a truly amazing place - and it's deep and varied food scene is just one of it's many facets. There is a real focus on fresh, seasonal, local produce and supporting independent and local businesses which is great. Prices range from cheap $, to medium/affordable $$, to expensive $$$.

Diner $$
85 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(http://dinernyc.com/)

Dineris a [really] small bar in that serves food that is anything but typical for a small bar. The ingredients are fresh and local, and the menu ever changing and very innovative. It is literally and old refurbished diner caravan on a street corner. As the menu changes daily, I can't search back to find out exactly what it was that I ate here, needless to say it was all great.

Some kind of ravioli with a bacon broth. I don't usually go for bacon in these sorts of dishes as I find the flavour overpowering however the balance was just right in this dish, and the bacon flavour was very subtle and balanced with the rest of the dish.

Again, I can't remember the specifics, but it was essentially slightly salty beans with flaked razor clam and buttered toast. This was amazing.

Grilled duck heart on buckwheat salad. The heart was extremely tasty and the chewyness of the buckwheat added an amazing texture to the dish. I cannot remember what the sauce on the side was. This was my favourite dish of the night.

Momofuku Ssam Bar $$
207 2nd Avenue, New York
(http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/ssam-bar/)

If you like food, you have probably heard of David Chang. He does amazing things with simple ingredients and has really made a name for himself with his Asian fusion food. Fusion can so often go wrong, but he makes everything work, and the food was worth every bit of hype. He is a self proclaimed pork nut, but at Ssam bar it is duck which is given top billing

Rotisserie duck over rice with lettuce. I love roast duck and this is by far the best I have ever had. The meat was succulent, the fat melted in my mouth, and the skin was super crispy.

David Chang is famous for his pork buns howeer, and at Ssam there is a pulled duck bun with sauerkraut and smoked mayo. Again, worth every bit of hype it has received. Everything about this bun was amazing.

Duck dumpling soup with garlic scapes, bok choy and jicama. Also unsurprisingly brilliant.

Rice To Riches $
37 Spring Street, New York
(http://www.ricetoriches.com/puddy.aspx)

We just stumbled upon this place randomly and decided that it looked interesting. A different take on the frozen yoghurt craze, Rice To Riches sells apologetically full fat rice pudding in a huge variety of flavours with toppings to match.

A terrible photo, but I got the "Possessed By Espresso Choc Chip" with Espresso crumble. It was very nice and filling, but could do with a tone down of the sugar levels.

Pinkberry $
Various Locations
(http://www.pinkberry.com/)

The Los Angeles chain that kicked off the recent frozen yoghurt craze has several stores across New York, and the US for that matter (and even one in London at the Selfridges food hall as of September 2011).

It's great tasting, with a range of flavours and toppings and not overly sweet. The thing I love is that they aren't stingy on the toppings - they will cram on as many as you like until there is literally no room left. Word of advice - the small (not mini) is the perfect size. Anything bigger is too much.

Keste Pizza & Vino $$
271 Bleeker Street, New York
(http://kestepizzeria.com/home.html)

The question of "who makes New York's best pizza?" is a decisive one at best, with a variety of opinions depending on who you talk to. What was not in dispute though, was that this new place was either at, or very near the top of every reputable list that I found.

The pizzas are not the typical "NYC Slice", but rather traditional Neapolitan style pizza done to absolute perfection. Roberto Capousicio, a cheesemaker from Pontinia just outside Napoli really knows his pizza.

I got the Regina Margherita - Tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, grape tomatoes basil, extra virgin olive oil. Up there as one of the the best pizzas I have ever eaten.

My fiancee got the Pizza Insalata - Pizza sandwich filled with spring mix, prosciutto di parma, artichoke, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

Blue Bottle Coffee $
160 Berry Street, Brooklyn
(http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/)

New York, in recent years, has really started to take its coffee seriously. Sure there are Starbucks everywhere, but more and more as the years go by, are lots of great independent cafes. One of the best is Blue Bottle, which have a handful of locations around the US, with the Williamsburg outpost being our ''local''. They roast coffee on site and have an obsession with their technique and equipment. The end result is, unsurprisingly, amazing coffee.

We went here three times, but on this occasion got a Bench Maji (Ethiopia) filter drip and a FB80/MP Blend macchiato. The pastries all looked amazing but every time we went we couldn't go past the Brooklyn Bootleg S'mores which was just amazing. It is made from Mast brothers (a chocolate factory literally up the road) chocolate, house made Graham crackers, and Kings county distillery bootleg marshmallow. You seriously have to try this thing.

Five Leaves
18 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn
(http://www.fiveleavesny.com/)

This was a place we just stumbled across in the Greenpoint part of Brooklyn. It had a great vibe and the food was really tasty. Below looks like just a great burger, but the fries are actually truffle fries. I don't know why I haven't seen anyone do this before - French fries and truffle oil are very tasty match!

Only while eating and looking up the place did I find out a very interesting fact about this venue - it turns out that Heath Ledger (from Perth like me!) lived in this area and he, along with his close friend that taught him how to skateboard, were going to open a bar on this corner. After Heath Ledger died, Heath's dad got involved and the bar was opened as intended. Here is a really interesting article about it (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/a-new-restaurant-in-heath-ledgers-memory/).

Ai Fiori $$$
400 5th Avenue, 2nd level Setai Hotel, New York
(http://www.aifiorinyc.com/)

The dish we came here for isn't actually on the lunch menu, but not to mind, as the two course $36 prix fixe was amazing. Ai Fiori is unashamedly fine dining and, if you look at the reviews it has received since it opened earlier this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Michelin Star coming its way next year. The food was very rich, very tasty, and all kinds of amazing.

Vellutata - Lobster velouté, périgord black truffles, chervil.

Trofie Nero - Ligurian crustacean ragoût, seppia, scallops, spiced mollic.

Spaghetti - Blue crab, lemon, bottarga, chilies.

DeKalb Market $
138 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn
(http://dekalbmarket.com/)

Shoddy photos I know, but the DeKalb market is essentially bunch of shipping crates and some tables, which is home to various food stalls, shops and the occasional free performance. We went there quite late and everyone seemed to be there for the performance, with most of the shops closed down for the day (I went again a few days later during the day and it was much busier but I didn't take any photos).

Southern style fried chicken with hot sauce. The sauce was actually really interesting - both spicy and sweet (and tangy) at the same time.

A local band, with the singer being from New Zealand. There's even an independent radio station that broadcasts from one of the shipping crates here!

Momofuku Noodle Bar $$
171 1st Avenue, New York
(http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/noodle-bar/)

The original Momofuku - and everything that I said about Ssam bar applies to this place too - there's more of a focus on pork and ramen here.

Supposedly Moxie is a real traditional American soda. Personally I thought it just tasted like carbonated cough syrup - not recommended!

Pork Bun - Hoisin, scallion, cucumber. So succulent and amazingly tasty.

Kimchi stew – Braised kimchi, pork shoulder, rice cakes. This was super tasty, and so filling that I couldn't even finish it and barely felt like dinner that night, which ended up being quite late as a result.

Goat ramen – Piquillo, red shiso, soy egg. Also super tasty.

Roebling Tea Room $$
138 Roebling Street, Brooklyn
(http://www.roeblingtearoom.com/)

Started by one of the original chefs from Diner, Roebling tea room is in the similar vein food wise, although in a clearly much larger space. The food and ingredients are all top notch. The menu is an interesting mix of American cooking with a definite French influence. This is another venue with an ever changing menu so again you'll have to excuse the less than detailed descriptions!

This was probably my favourite dish here. Miniature crab and corn cakes with Chipotle tartar sauce.

Salmon and something - all I know is that it tasted great.

Mac and cheese. Simple, but excellent with the best ingredients used. Needs to be eaten while hot though as it's not as great once the cheese starts to solidify!

Cockaleekie - Breast and Drumette / Dark Meat Chicken Meatballs / Lavender / Dates / Corned Beef / Champ

The above dish came with a side of Mashed potatoes. Really generous servings here - neither of us could finish our meals.

Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian $$
119 West 56th Street, New York
(http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php)

Another one of those devisive questions is "What's the best burger in New York". After a bit of research, we found a few places to try, and Burger Joint was by far the best. To find it, you have to walk through the lobby of the Le Parker Meridian hotel and then turn into the alcove to the side of the red curtain. Behind the curtain is something completely unexpected in such a fancy hotel!

The burger might not look like much, but when you bite into it you'll see why for almost 8 years it's been considered one of the best in this city. A succulent meat patty cooked exactly the way you want, with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard in between two white buns, and then a combination of the following ("the works" if you want it all): once piece of white and one piece of yellow cheddar, onions (not cooked).

About as simple as you can get from a burger but the quality of the ingredients, and how it comes together is just amazing. We ate here three times and even at 4pm on a weekday, during their "quiet" period, all the tables were full. At dinner, there was a line to get in.

Shake Shack $
Various Locations
(http://shakeshack.com/)

Shake Shack is a place that's become a chain in recent years due to huge popularity and expansion in this city. My thoughts about it were mixed. it was certainly cheap which I guess is part of its appeal as for the price it's clearly better than your standard burger chain, but the burgers themselves, especially after eating at Burger Joint, just didn't really make the grade in my opinion - primarily because they were too greasy.

I would, however, recommend going their for their drinks - shakes, concretes, custard/soft serve etc. I had a pear and ginger custard (which is like soft serve and custard combined) and it was very tasty and had a good balance of flavours.

The Spotted Pig $$
314 West 11th Street, New York
(http://thespottedpig.com/)

This place is pretty well known and widely regarded as kicking off the Gastropub scene in New York. It's often frequented by chefs, part owned by Iron Chef Mario Batali - you get the drift. Does it live up to the hype? Yes.

Chicken Liver Toast. I've had a lot of goose and duck liver in my time, but had never actually tried chicken liver until now. It's got its own thing going on and is very good.

Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad with Lemon Caper Dressing. I must admit I was surprised when this dish came out and literally had an entire pig's ear on the plate. Can I please recommend that you be a bit adventurous and try this dish, as the crispiness, texture and gelatinous portions of the pig's ear really are something amazing.

Prosciutto & Ricotta Tart with Marjoram. Not as "adventurous" as the above, but brilliant nonetheless.

Shoestring fries. Probably the best fries I had on this trip. So thin and crispy, and ultra tasty.

Cafe Peddlar $
210 Court Street, Brooklyn
(http://cafepedlar.com/)

Another one of this city's great little cafes. We came here for the coffee, but the pastries are really nice too. The coffee is roasted at Stumptown Roasters up the road (if you see a place in New York advertising that they sell Stumptown coffee, it means they care and most of the time you'll be assured a decent cup of coffee) and the milk is local and organic.

Cappuccino and Macchiato to drink. Buttermilk Biscuit (like an English scone, but softer on the inside and crispier on the outside) and Olive Oil Cake.

As an aside, the owners of this place also own a place called Frankie's Spuntino which is known for it's seasonal, light, traditional Italian food. I didn't get to try it out but did grab a copy of the cookbook which looks like the kind of thing that I can use on a daily basis, being full of modern, fresh, simple,healthy, easy to prepare Italian recipes.
(http://www.merlinmerchant.com/product_p/manual.htm)

Co. $$
230 9th Avenue, New York
http://co-pane.com/

Another pizzeria that constantly came up around the top of my list in my research, the pizzas from Co. are less "traditional" than those at Keste, but not at the expense of being amazing. Co.'s Roman style pizzas have a beautiful crispy, wood fired base and quality ingredients - you can't really go wrong.

Ribollita soup - Tomato, savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, cannellini beans, parmesan, mirepoix, chili.

Chicken Liver toast.

Meatball pie (Co. call their pizzas "pies") - Tomato, mozzarella, veal meatballs, caramelized onions, olives, aged pecorino, oregano.

Doughnut Plant $
379 Grand Street, New York
(http://www.doughnutplant.com/)

Seems like cupcakes are old news in New York, and the current emerging craze is doughnuts. Certainly something that America has always been known for but, as with most things, the new places are focusing on the quality of their ingredients and the depth of their flavours. The doughnuts from here were really great - you'll never want to eat a Krispy Kreme again after coming here - in a completely different league.

Fatty 'Cue $$
91 South 6th Street, Brooklyn
(http://www.fattycue.com/home)

I didn't actually know what to expect from this place, which can best be described as Texas BBQ meets South East Asia. Odd yes, but boy does it work. These guys are really obsessed with their technique, and have a smoker out the back which they use to work magic when BBQing their meat. The South East Asian touches - a bit of chilli here, a touch of citrus there, are all used for a reason. For those who don't want to go across the river to Brooklyn (your loss!) a second outpost has just opened up in the West Village in Manhattan.

Smoked Brisket Sandwich with garlic butter, fresh cheese, salted chili, mustard greens.

The Smoky Johnson - Local grass-fed beef, sheep’s milk cheese, mustard aioli, b&b pickle, bacon.

S'mores tart.

Mile End Delicatessen $$
97a Hoyt Street, Brooklyn
(http://www.mileendbrooklyn.com/)

This place is described as "A Montreal Jewish Delicatessen In Brooklyn", and that's what it is. Traditional jewish food, spruced up and done to perfection.

A few places sell sodas from the "Virgil" brand. They are really good sodas.

Pickles.

Smoked Meat Sandwich - Cured & smoked beef brisket, rye, mustard.

The Ruth Wilensky - Smoked beef salami, mustard, onion roll. This was a real highlight. It was so tasty.

Korilla BBQ $
Depends on the day
(http://korillabbq.com/)

This place won NYC food van of the year 2011 and for good reason. Korean Tacos originated on the East Coast, and kBBQ has really made them popular in NYC. It's what you think, and then it isn't. Essentially it's what you eat when you go out for Korean BBQ, in taco/burrito form. It works - brilliantly. Being a van, it's location depends on the day - you check their website or twitter to find out where it's going to be that day.

We asked for the most popular thing on the menu and got the Ribeye burrito with bacon and kimchi fried rice, red kimchi and Korean BBQ sauce. This thing really is bastardised food done right, and unlike anything you've tried before, although really it isn't!

Marea $$$
240 Central Park South, New York
(http://www.marea-nyc.com/)

This was our splurge for the trip. Two Michelin starred, high end Italian restaurant with a focus on seafood and pasta that is considered "genius". It completely lived up to the hype and was an amazing meal. The menu also changes slightly depending on what's fresh and in season, so a few things that we ordered are currently not on the menu.

Not sure what the appetiser was - you drink it and it was delicious.

Scallops on something pears with something.

Sea urchin on something.

The much hyped Fusilli - Durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow. It was every bit as amazing as it's hyped up to be.

Capesante - Roasted sea scallops, polenta crocchettes, speck, braised mustard greens.

Branzino - Wild striped bass, roasted cauliflower, charred scallions, marble potatoes.

Sorbetti - Saffon Pear, Concord Grape, Raspberry Rose.

Nocciola Pralinato - Hazelnut, dark chocolate, lemon, mint.

Petitt fours

Caracas Arepa Bar $
93 1/2 East 7th Street.
(http://caracasarepabar.com/index_2.php)

I'd never tried Venzuelean food before, so decided to try this place I'd heard about. They do a few different things, but the main menu item is the Arepa, which is a kind of cornflour pita which is baked and grilled as to have an ever so slightly crisp outside and a soft, fluffy inside. They are filled with a variety of flavours. It was a really good meal and quite different to what I'd expected.

Tinto de Verano - Sparkling wine based cocktail, similar to Sangria.

De Pabellon Arepa - Shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese and sweet plantains.

Reina Pepiada Arepa - Chunky chicken and avocado mix salad.

We enjoyed the food so much that we tried out the second branch in Brooklyn (291 Grand Street) two days later.

Roberta's $$
261 Moore Street, Brooklyn
(http://www.robertaspizza.com/)

Roberta's is a very interesting place. In some ways it's two types of venue. You can go their for great beer and pizza, or you can go there for some really innovative food. We went for lunch so the beer and pizza option was what was available. Roberta's is in a really odd location - it's literally a shed on a side street in a super industrial part of Brooklyn behind some warehouses/factories. Definitely not a place you can just stumble across but very cool and very popular.

Beer has also been caught up in the trend we noticed in this city, and Brooklyn, and New York (and well the USA in general) is full of great micro breweries producing a multitude of really great beers of all varieties. For example, this pumpkin ale. Pumpkin is really popular in America - in cakes, lattes and everything else you can think of, there always seems to be a pumpkin option. If you're the kind of person who likes cinnamon (also hugely popular in the USA), carrot cake etc, then you'll love the pumpkin based stuff.

Lamb, cucumber and mint sandwich. A tad on the greasy side, but very tasty nonetheless. The lamb was slow cooked to perfection.

Guanciale & Egg Pizza - Tomato, mozzarella, guanciale and egg. Very tasty pizza. Although not at the same level as Keste and Co., still excellent with a really great woodfired base.

The rest:

A few places which I actually didn't take any photos of but are still worth a mention:

Joe, The Art Of Coffee $
Various Locations
(http://www.joetheartofcoffee.com/)

This place has a few locations around New York, including one at the DeKalb market, and is a good option for those of you who won't be venturing out of Manhattan too often. We went to three different locations, and each time the coffee was very good.

Mast Brothers Chocolate $$
105A North 3rd Street, Brooklyn.
(http://mastbrothers.com/)

You'll see the chocolate that these guys make pop up at a few places around New York and for good reason. The guys are obsessed with producing excellent chocolate, and it tastes amazing.

Smorgasburg $
East River Waterfront (between North 6th and 7th Streets)
(http://www.brooklynflea.com/2011/04/25/smorgasburg/)

This has now closed but will be reopening for the summer/autumn next year. Basically a lot of the great food places in Brooklyn set up stalls here for a huge outdoor food market. It was a great way to see a lot of great stuff in one spot, with a view of Manhattan from across the river.

Madrid: 13 - 14 August 2010 / 23 - 24 September 2011

2011-10-08T22:26:00.001+01:00

Madrid is one of my favourite European cities. When I first visited in 1999, I had no idea what to expect but enjoyed the city so much that I went back again in 2010 and once again in 2011. It has a very different vibe to Barcelona, which is a city that I also love. It's certainly less of a tourist destination and feels like it is more catered to locals and Spaniards. The people are very friendly, it's sunny, warm and affordable, the food and drink is great, and it's got a very chilled out vibe about it. At night, things, as is the case all over Spain, don't get started until quite late, and the partying and great vibe continues into the early hours of the following day. Food is valued just as much as drink and both are in plentiful supply and consumed accordingly. Similarly to when I was in Lisbon, people seem to just be out to enjoy themselves, and despite it not being uncommon to see people street drinking in the night spots, there is a complete lack of aggression and "bad" behaviour. The photos below are a combination from my 2010 and 2011 visits.

I love Jamon, and in Madrid is is everywhere. A simple snack is a few strips of jamon in a crispy bread roll. Simple and brilliant.

Sangria can be found everywhere, but one of the best places to get it in Madrid is a place called Las Cuevas de Sesamo. It is a very small, literally underground venue, there is an old guy playing piano, and waiters providing table service. It has a very homely vibe and the sangria is a cut above that of any other I've had.

Another thing which can be found all around Madrid is churros. One thing that I've never been able to understand is, why, apart from in Spain, are churros not done correctly. In Spain, the churros are not oily, and the chocolate dipping sauce is not overly sweet. It's a perfect combination of something so simple yet when you get churros outside of Spain the dipping sauce is always too sweet and the churros are greasy. Chocolateria San Gines is an institution in Madrid, and has been serving chocolate con churros since 1894. It's open until the early hours of the morning and is a great option after a night out.

In August each year, the La Latina district of the city is home to the fiesta for the Virgen de la Paloma. It's been going since the 1700s and the entire district comes alive with food stands, outdoor bars, live bands, boom boxes and everything else. The best thing about it, is that even very late at night, you have a mixture of teens, families, old people and everyone else just mingling amongst each-other, enjoying the celebrations.

El Retiro park is the largest park in Madrid and is stunning, situated in the middle of the city. Come siesta time (generally seems to be between 2-4pm), it's one of the most popular places in the city to relax in.

The Mercado de San Miguel opened in May 1916 and sells all kinds of regional delicacies. It fell into disrepair and was restored and re-opened in 2009. It's a mixture of eat in stalls and fresh produce vendors. Sure, it's an attraction that tourists visit, but it's equally full of locals - and on weekends it's open until 2am. I loved it.

Chocolates Valor have been making chocolate since 1881 and have a few locations around Madrid, they do all kinds of amazing chocolate delicacies, and their churros are a close second to those at San Gines. I especially liked the option of 4 intensities of chocolate to dip the churros in.

Yorkshire: 27 - 29 August 2011

2011-10-06T23:29:00.001+01:00

For the summer bank holiday, my fiancee and I decided to do a road trip up to Yorkshire, basing ourselves in York and travelling around. After 2.5 years in the country I finally got behind the wheel in the UK for the first time. Driving in London was as scary as everyone says, with the narrow roads, intense traffic, and constant activity everywhere. It's no wonder people who have lived in London their whole lives all say that they hate driving in London! Outside of London though, it was basically the same as driving in Perth back in Australia, except that the motorways in the UK are much better than those back home. Drivers over here are much more considerate, and there are very good services spaced very well all the way along the motorways.

Although I didn't take any photos as it was literally a stop for lunch, I did see Nottingham. I'd love to go back and check out the city properly sometime as it seemed like a great place to spend a weekend with lots of interesting museums and galleries.

As for York itself, I honestly didn't have too much in the way of expectations and was happy to just go with the flow and plan the trip as the weekend went on. I was very impressed by the city, and was amazed at its history. It was founded by the Romans in 71AD as "Eboracum", and was the capital of this part of the world when it was part of the Roman Empire. As such, there is a roman wall around the old city, and lots of ruins scattered about. Emperor Constantine The Great was actually proclaimed Emperor in the city.

So many people from overseas come to the UK and only ever visit London and maybe something close to London, but these road trips that I have done reinforce time and time again that England is such an amazing and diverse place, and truly deserves more time in the traveler's schedule than many allow.

The York Minster is a Gothic cathedral which was completed in 1472, but construction of the current cathedral actually began 200 years earlier, and there has actually always been a church on this site since 627!

In the 1920s, a Swiss immigrant, Frederick Belmont, opened Betty's Tearooms which aimed to combine the best of Swiss chocolates and delicacies with the best of the the English tea room and high tea culture. Betty's has been a Yorkshire institution ever since and it is evident when you go there that they are proud of both the quality of their products and of their Swiss/English heritage. I got the "Fat Rascal" which is their signature scone. This thing was a beast, and I was not hungry until much later that day after eating it!

The Yorkshire Museum Gardens are beautiful, and contain the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, which date back to 1271.

Just north of York is the North York Moors National Park. This area is stunning and it was great to have a car to be able to drive through and see it. The hills and rolling fields are covered in purple wildflowers and my pictures do not at all do it justice. It's truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.

In the Moors is a town called Goathland. Those of you who have heard of the show Heartbeat probably know the town by it's TV name, Aidensfield. My mum and dad are big fans of Heartbeat so I stopped by to take some photos and have a pint. The whole town is just a handful of buildings on one street. You have to go through some steep hills and winding roads to get there, and there are sheep just wandering around. It's a bit tacky with 1960s and Heartbeat memorabilia but I suppose nobody would come here otherwise.

Finally, we arrived in Whitby. To Australians, the town is most relevant as the port where Captain James Cook sailed from, at the start of his journey to Australia. It's also famous as being the town where Dracula spent some time in after fleeing Transylvania in Bram Stoker's novel. Whitby is a really nice town and I could easily have spent more time there. Everyone buys these crab buckets/nets/bait, which only cost a few quid and go crabbing for these little crabs which are in the water. My fiancee and I had far too much fun crabbing and spent a few hours doing it - we even caught some big ones which impressed some of the locals!

The Magpie Cafe is an institution in these parts and is widely recognised as having some of the best fish and chips in the region, if not the whole of the UK. I usually don't go for fried fish as I find it too sickly and greasy but I must say the Magpie Cafe deserves its accolades. First, you can choose from a huge range of fish (as well as lots of other non-fried, fresh seafood), and when the fish and chips comes out, it's not greasy at all, just crisp and tasty. I've never seen fish and chips where after eating them, the dish barely has any grease or oil on it. I also tried a really nice local ale from the Captain Cook brewery.

The next day, we drove to Harrogate. This was a bit of a disaster as one wrong turn ended up taking us to Leeds, which is a nice city but I've already been! Anyway, back on track on the way to Harrogate, we saw a sign that read "Harewood House". Why not? We thought and down the side road we went. Turns out there was some family fun fair in the grounds of the estate which to be honest didn't really interest us. The estate however, did. It is owned by the Earl and Countess of Harewood, and the showpiece is Harewood House which dates back to the 18th century. There was an interesting exhibit in the house about the slaves and servants that used to work there and you walk through the quarters and see lots of things from those times. All over the UK countryside you see these estates which are open to the public, as it is the only way that the families can afford to keep them maintained and running. Most of them are now home to exhibits, events and even available to hire for weddings, parties and the like.

Finally we got to Harrogate but unfortunately it was much later than we had anticipated and we had to get all the way back to London and drop the car back so literally only a few streets and quick snaps is what I had time for. It's a shame as Harrogate is famous for its ancient Roman spas, being home to natural sources of spring water. It is a very beautiful town, and outside of the city centre, all of the "suburbs" look quite grand and well maintained.

The Fat Duck: 7 July 2011

2011-07-17T18:11:00.001+01:00

Everything you thought about the potential awesomeness of eating a the Fat Duck is basically true. As you know I've been to a few fine dining restaurants over the past year, and although all of them have been amazing, the Fat Duck always promised to be something more, with it's three Michelin stars and status as one of the best restaurants in the world.

If you've seen Heston on TV, you'll see how he likes to use science and psychology in the food he creates, and throughout the meal, he drew upon all of our senses to provide an experience that was absolutely sublime.

The thing about dining experiences such as this, is that your mind is opened to so many new things. Preconceptions about certain flavours and ingredients are turned upside down. Things that you thought you'd never like, you discover can actually be amazing.

I really can't over emphasis just how good this meal was. It's certainly an experience, with flavours and sensations that simply cannot, and will not be created by anyone else at any other restaurant. There was no pretension either, just excellent service, and a genuine desire by all working there to ensure that you were enjoying your food; and more importantly, enjoying the experience.

To start was a crunchy beetroot biscuit type thing with an horseradish centre. I'm not usually a fan of horseradish but the proportions were just right.

The true first course was Nitro Poached aperitifs. You could choose between Vodka and Lime Sour, Gin and Tonic, and Campari Soda. It's almost like a macaron without the filling, poached in nitrogen that is bubbling away at -168 degrees Celsius. The air above you is sprayed with the essences of the flavour that you chose, and then you eat the aperitif. The sensation was something else. It's obviously extremely cold, and almost as soon as you put it into your mouth it literally disappears, leaving a burst of flavours in your mouth doing all kinds of wonderful things to your taste-buds.

Next was the Red cabbage Gazpacho with Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream.

This was probably my favourite dish of the night. Jelly of Quail, Crayfish Cream, Chicken Liver Parfait, Oak Moss and Truffle Toast.

The four layers, combined with the ''toast'' were just so amazing, and depending on what combination of the four you had in your spoon, the dish could taste completely different.

Nitrogen was poured over this grass to give an amazing effect on the table.

This was like one of those Listerine tongue strips you used to be able to get (still can?). You had to have it before you ate the following dish as it did something to the flavour.

Next was a Snail Porridge with Iberico Bellota Ham and Shaved Fennel.

Roast Fois Gras with Barberry, Braised Konbu and Crab Biscuit.

Next was another of the real highlights of the night. The ''Mock Turtle Soup'' (c. 1850) with ''Mad Hatter Tea''

You put the gold leaf teabag into the water...

...stir, and put it into the dish. Brilliant!

Next up was ''Sound of the Sea''. There was an iPod in this shell that was playing, quite literally, ''sounds of the sea''.

You listened to the sounds while eating this dish. I cannot remember what each of the fish pieces was but it was supremely fresh and tasty.

Salmon poached in a licqorice gel, with Artichokes, Vanilla Mayonnaise and Golden Trout Roe

Lamb with Cucumber (c. 1805), Onion and Dill Fluid Gel.

I cannot remember exactly what this was, it came between the savoury dishes and the desserts. They were cubes of meat with a crumbly, pastry type thing.

The ''Hot and Iced Tea'' was amazing. It was literally both hot and cold, in the same cup. When you were drinking it, you'd get cold tea entering one side of your mouth and hot tea entering the other, at the same time!

Earl Grey icecream that came with the strawberries.

Macerated Strawberries with Olive Oil Biscuit, Chamomile and Coriander. This was a brilliant dessert and, big call, better than the chocolate one that followed.

The ''BFG'', which was Kirsch Ice Cream and the smell of the Black Forest. The texture of the icecream was amazing, and the chocolate concoction kept giving slightly different flavours with it's layers and surprises.

Whisk(ey) Wine Gums, with the alcohol boiled out of the whiskey, leaving the intense flavours of the whiskeys themselves behind. These just sit on your tongue and released their flavours slowly. My favourite was number 3.

''Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop'' was a fun way to end the night. The bag contained four goodies.

The Queen Of Hearts.

Coconut Baccy

Apple Pie Caramel

Aerated Chocolate with a mandarin jelly.

Gothenburg: 2 July 2011

2011-07-17T17:29:00.001+01:00

2 weeks ago, I went to Gothenburg for the weekend. I'd been to Stockholm 2 years prior and really enjoyed the city, considering it one of the highlights of my European trip back then so I was very keen on seeing what another Swedish city would be like. I don't know if this little snippet of information is true or not, but I read a few months back that Gothenburg had the highest number of cafes per capita of any European city, so it seemed as good a reason as any to visit. Given the quality of the coffees, I was not disappointed. I didn't have one bad coffee that weekend, and I tried quite a few at various cafes.

It's a small city, and a weekend is really all you need, it was very nice and compact - very walkable and they have a bike hire scheme which is great and easy to use. Also, just as was the case in Stockholm, everyone was super friendly and customer service was excellent.

There are lots of design shops and clothing shops in the city. If you like Ikea, you'll love all the little design shops with various useful bits and pieces for the house.

Östermalms Saluhall is a neo-gothic red brick building, and is home to an amazing food market, which is full of food stalls serving all kinds of great fresh produce and meals. It's been around since 1888 and is still going strong, serving the same purpose that it always has.

There are quite a few parks and lots of greenery in the city.

The Haga district near the university has lots of bars and cafes. It was rather quiet, but I'm assuming that's because it's summer break.

There is quite a mixture of dock related activity, industrial (mostly seemingly empty) activity just outside of the centre.

There was quite a lot of this style architecture in the ''suburban'' areas. The ground floor is concrete and the upper levels are painted wood. It must have something to do with insulating against the cold during winter.

There was a path to the side of one of the housing units that led through some bushes to this. I'm assuming it's used by druggies to shoot up, but I wasn't going to investigate any further. It's times like this I'm glad I have a long zoom lens! There were little things like this dotted around - proof that even the quaint, nice cities have an underbelly.

Some warehouses around the dock area.