A Gastrorgasmic Food Guide to New York

New York holds a special place in our hearts because it has been the setting for many life-changing events – me going to college, us getting engaged, and most notably, ET’s induction into the wonderful land of sashimi. (Yes, he didn’t eat sashimi for the first 27 years of his life.) This list is special to us because it is OUR personal list of favourite restaurants that we’ve tried, tested, can’t stop thinking about and make a point to visit every time we go back to the city. So whether you’re visiting the Big Apple for the first time or tenth, you must check out our gastrorgasmic food guide to New York!

Morimoto

Even though they haven’t changed their menu much in the last 5 years, the namesake restaurant of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto serves amazing Japanese food at very reasonable prices. If you’re there for lunch, order the unagi, foie gras and avocado bop as it is an absolute steal with its generous servings of fresh eel and melt-in-your-mouth chunks of foie gras and is almost guaranteed to send you into sweet food coma. Their wagyu beef carpaccio is truly sublime and remains the best carpaccio I’ve ever had. For dinner, the braised black cod is an excellent choice. You also won’t go wrong with any of the fresh sushi and sashimi options or the desserts.

88 10th Avenue (between West 15th and 16th St) New York, NY 10011 Open all weekdays for lunch from noon to 2:30pm and every night for dinner

Jean Georges

There are many JG restaurants in NYC but the original Jean Georges remains the best. This is one three star Michelin restaurant where you will not need to break the bank at because they have incredible value-for-money set lunches that start from USD 48. You are guaranteed an exquisite fine dining experience with truly exceptional food that is inspired by French, American and Asian influences. It is difficult to make a recommendation because  their menu is seasonal so there are always new options (granted you don’t end up visiting every week). But if you go in Winter and come across the Skate with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Spaghetti Squash in Soy-Yuzu Broth, order it please. I was privileged enough to order that 4 years ago and haven’t forgotten it since.

Reservations necessary
1 Central Park West
Open everyday for lunch and dinner

BCD Tofu House

This is my number one go-to restaurant for Korean food and it’s usually one of the first meals I have when I get back to the city because I spend nights dreaming of their tofu soup, or soondubu. There are many soondubu options to choose from but in my opinion, their seafood soondubu is the epitome of comfort food. The awesomeness starts right from their appetizers and the special fried fish that none of the other restaurants offer. While they don’t offer as many dishes on their menu, you can be assured that each dish is of high quality My personal favorites are their bulgogi and galbi.  5 West 32nd Street (between 5th Ave and Broadway)
The best part: OPEN 24 HOURS which makes it an awesome supper option (:

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar

This dessert bar is one of the few places I know that serve a 3-course prix fixe menu at $16. Diners squashed shoulder to shoulder in a little hole-in-the-wall are treated to a visual feast of dessert preparation. It is easy to understand why there’s a perpetual long line once you get a taste of their exquisite sweets. Wine pairings are also offered to enhance your experience. Best tip? Wait patiently! ChikaLicious is closed from Mon to Wed.
You can only make reservations from 3-7pm from Thursday to Sunday and after 10:45pm.
203 East 10th Street (between 1st and 2nd Ave)

Pylos

This is another gem in the East Village that serves excellent and authentic Greek food reminiscent of rustic home-cooked goodness. Although I’m no expert in Greek cuisine, I found the avgolemono me sampania – egg lemon soup with chicken stock and orzo – unforgettable and so comforting.  Their grilled marinated octopus in a balsamic reduction sauce and “light-as-air” meatballs are a must-order. But really, it’s one of those restaurants where you really can’t go wrong with whatever you pick.

128 East 7th Street (between 1st Ave and Ave A)
Open for lunch Wed to Sun and for dinner daily

Pure Thai Cookhouse

This is for all the Asian food lovers and people looking for an awesome (and inexpensive!) pre-Broadway meal. This restaurant is so aptly named because it instantly transports you back to the land of smiles when you find yourself grinning from ear to ear as you indulge in their Sukhothai Pork Noodles Soup. Its authentic interior decor reminds you of being in Chatchuchak (sans the heat), and its delicious array of fried rice and noodle options will satisfy any carbo cravings.  Their wok basil with chicken and wok curry paste with chicken are also excellent options for sharing. They’ve added quite a few dishes since the last time I’ve been there and I honestly can’t wait to go back and try them all.

766 9th Avenue (between West 51st and 52nd St)
No reservations but they do delivery!
Open daily from noon onwards

Blue Hill Stone Barns

We’re cheating a little here because this is the only restaurant in the list that’s not in Manhattan. Located an hour away from the city in Pocantico Hills, the charm of Blue Hill Stone Barns lies in how it is located within a farm that guests can explore. Dishes are served with the freshest of ingredients sourced from the farm and the surrounding fields and pasture, and what makes the experience all the more enticing and exciting is the fact that there is no menu at the restaurant. Leave it to the chefs to work their magic (just make sure to tell them what you don’t eat or are allergic to!) and you will definitely not be disappointed. This doesn’t come cheap though, as the 8-course meal will set you back by USD 198 (without beverages). It is, however, truly unique and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime (: That being said, the original Blue Hill Restaurant is located at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, so for those who are lazy to travel out, this might be a good replacement.

To enhance the experience of diners, Blue Hill Stone Barns doesn’t allow professional photography so this was the best we could manage. Food so fresh you eat it off the soil! Early reservations required 
630 Bedford Road Pocantico Hills, New York 10591
Open from Wednesday through Saturday, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm and Sunday, 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Marea

If you’re like me and love Italian cuisine and seafood, Marea is perfect for you. I’ve a weakness for homemade pasta and Marea does this beautifully, blending it with the freshest of seafood. Any seafood lover would be spoilt for choices here. I personally loved the red wine braised octopus and bone marrow with fusilli. Absolutely divine.

Reservations required
240 Central Park South
Open daily for lunch and dinner

Ippudo New York

I thought for quite a bit about whether to include this since Ippudo is a franchise, but decided to in the end because it is the ramen joint we go back to time after time. (In our last trip, we even went twice!) The Akamaru Modern Ramen is one power-packed bowl of awesomeness and the Hirata pork buns are simply out of this world. Just think of succulent pieces of pork, drenched in a mesh of mayonnaise and special Ippudo sauce, enveloped by the soft steamed buns. It does not matter whether you choose to begin or end your Ippudo experience with the bun – just make sure that it is part of your meal! The Singapore outlet just doesn’t measure up for some reason, and I haven’t tried the Tokyo one, but for now, the New York franchise has left me more than satisfied.

65 4th Ave (between 9th and 10th St); 321 West 51st Street
Open daily for lunch and dinner

Sushi of Gari (Upper East Side)

I’ve saved the best for the last. Now, there are a whole bunch of Sushi of Gari restaurants but you really want to go to the one on East 78th Street because this is the life-changing one. I’m not kidding. Case in point: Eng Tat had never had sashimi before going to New York and he was so resistant to it that he insisted on ordering Salmon Teriyaki instead of getting the omakase with us. Watch how he regrets it here:

Eng Tat’s Life Changing Experience at Sushi of Gari from ETSY Explores on Vimeo.

You will be given a menu with lots of dishes to choose from. Ignore them. Go straight for the omakase, aka Gari’s Choice. The more gastrorgasmic options included the halibut sushi with poached quail egg and seared fatty tuna with garlic ginger. There was even a seared foie gras sushi that came with a Moscato pairing. Be prepared for little explosions of flavor in your mouth! These little bits of heaven don’t come cheap with each piece costing an approximate USD 10, but you will not regret it. We actually felt we would have died happy after that meal.

Reservations required
402 East 78th Street (Between 1st and York Ave)
Open daily for dinner from 5pm to 10:45pm

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Here’s a map to help you locate and plan for your visit to these amazing restaurants in NYC! You can even customise this map with your own picks (:

To be honest, there are still so many more noteworthy restaurants that we love, but the ones featured here are really on the top on our list and restaurants we would not hesitate to visit again and again. What is amazing about New York is how it has high quality food that caters to all possible palates and budgets, so please enjoy your gastrorgasmic adventure there and update us on whether this food guide to New York was helpful for you (: