Pure Food and Wine, New York, America

A recent visit to New York revealed a surprise to me - this city is vegetarian and vegan heaven! Many times I found myself sitting down to breakfast or lunch on the lower east side, quickly scanning the menu to find my one option (I'm usually the fastest to decide on my meal due to narrow choices!) only to realise that I was sitting in a vegetarian establishment. It seems like theses places often don't even advertise that they're vegetarian, as if to say "So what? We make great food and by coincidence it's meat-less". I was expecting to find the steak capital of the world, and instead I found my own personal oasis and a plethora of choices that I wasn't accustomed to.

So where better to have a purely vegan, raw food fine dining restaurant that my new favourite city of New York? Pure Food and Wine is frequented by the celebrity vegan crowd of Bill Clinton and Helen Degeneres et. al. and certainly holds it's own as a reputable food establishment with fellow vegetarians and meat eaters alike. My guests who are happy omnivores were just as satisfied with the end result as we were - it's so exciting to see a vegan, raw food restaurant that actually caters for everyone and embraces all eaters in the culture.

We had a seven course tasting menu, and between the four of us I think we almost had the opportunity to try everything on the menu. (It might not sound polite, but each plate was passed around the table anti-clockwise so we each got to try everything!). Seven courses sounds like a lot, and it was, but when you're only eating plant-based fats, raw foods, good quality produce and natural sugars you tend to fill up in a comfortable and pleasant way. 

I was glad to have the tasting menu, as I discovered that there were several dishes I wouldn't normally have chosen (a perceived safe bet of zucchini and local heirloom tomato lasagne for example) that turned out to be the prize pieces of the night. In addition to a beautiful variety of seasonable vegetables, we also got to try an array of nut cheeses, creative mouses and reductions, as well as truffles, pesto's and edible flowers: so many ingredients that usually don't get the thought they deserve!   

 

To accompany the meal we had a fantastic bottle of vegan, bio dynamic wine from a US producer. I was surprised to find that the waitstaff were knowledgeable about the food and wine they were presenting, but hardly enthusiastic. Perhaps their audience is usually in rapture to find this place, and they find it a bit overwhelming night after night as a result? Or perhaps they just didn't catch our Australian and Canadian humour as an invitation to interact? (I can give them leeway on that one). Overall, our main waiter was warm, but the servers explaining each dish were hard to crack a smile from. 

The room is dim, with crimson highlights and beautiful candle lit mood lighting, lush cushions and exposed brickwork. I didn't get to see the outdoor garden, but I imagine it's lovely in summer. Our table was a little small for the procession of food and wine we received (and not too convenient for our plan of passing plates between dinner-mates while ooing and ahhing!) but all of this added to the hustling atmosphere - who wants a boring vegan restaurant to proliferate a concept of a boring vegan lifestyle? No! The chatter of diners and clinking of tableware made the restaurant feel alive, and certainly represented a vibrant community of food-lovers.

Desert put us over the edge, yet we mustered the courage to take care of most of it - only the dark chocolate semi fredo managed to escape a well-humoured scraping of the bottom of the dish. It was rich and delicious, but more heavy on the palate that the other items, and left us wondering if Pure Food and Wine really was exclusively vegan! Delicious.

Thank you for an enjoyable evening, and a noble culinary venture. Your establishment deserves all the press it is receiving - the only problem as forerunners in the vegan, raw food, fine dining space, is that I hope you have more competition to please us with soon!   

Address: 54 Irving Place, New York, USA
Phone: +212 477 1010
Website: http://www.oneluckyduck.com/purefoodandwine/

Maialino, New York, America

For my best friends 30th in December, we took a trip to New York. I wanted to book her something with a bang for the big day, and without a local recommendation, I did what every modern girl does: a google search.

Putting yourself in the hands of google means you often yield only the most likely, optimised results. It's hard to get a credible recommendation, without knowing the motives of the writer. So I don't recall exactly how I stumbled across Maialino - but I booked it, without even knowing where it was in relation to our apartment, solely based on the promise of the chefs private table in the wine cellar. . . 

I dreamed about the meal in the months leading up to the birthday, and as soon as we arrived, I knew my hopes had been warranted. I'd called ahead to warn that we'd have two vegetarians in the party, and was warmly received. I think the chef appreciated knowing our taste in advance, however it seemed they were prepared to improvise on the night - the first question we had upon sitting was "Now. . . you're not vegan, are you?". When we replied in the negative, we got a resounding "Thank goodness! Italian is hard for vegans." I got the impression that they would have made it work, but they were pleased to be able to open up their bag of tricks a bit more for us.

The next questions were about the wine package, and the white truffle options - both of which received a resounding yes - we were there to celebrate!

The chef's table is literally a small bench inside a glass cellar, just off the main entrance to the restaurant. You're surrounded by wine, and curing food hanging from hooks. Because it's a working cellar, waitstaff pop in and out to retrieve bottles throughout the night. It's cool in there (literally, not figuratively, so bring a shawl or spring jacket), and perfect for a small private party of four, but you still feel like you're part of the atmosphere of the wider venue with the waitstaff coming and going.

Outside of the wine room, the restaurant has a rustic feel, with textured woods, country patterns, and clean lines. The earth tones and tiled floors make you feel right at home. I got the sense that even from the main dining floor, you still feel like you're surrounded by wine.

Our waitress was theatrical, knowledgeable, and went out of her way to provide us a unique and candid experience, even finding us an ipod doc so that we could play our own music in the cellar. Her wine recommendations were incredible - I've never tasted wines like the ones she selected before, and the fact that she could pronounce the names and varieties in what seemed like perfect Italian made the experience all the more enjoyable. This team are pro's.

We had several courses, all at the discretion of the chef. Each diner had their own unique experience and line-up of dishes. My succession included Cavolo Nero of kale, hazelnuts and kohlrabi; Agnolotti with squash and sage butter; Tonnarelli with butter and truffles (more on that later!); and Contadino with poached eggs, buttercup squash and brussel sprouts. Each plate surprised and impressed me - the presentation was no-fuss Roman style, but each plate sparkled in it's simplicity. The courses were hearty without being heavy, and the home made pasta shone through.

The only plate I entered into with some trepidation was the eggs, which were runny once pierced (as per standard 'poach'). I'm not a personal fan of runny eggs, as having lived in Asia for so long, the real risk of salmonella has left a permanent mark on my palate. But this is personal taste / slight phobia, so I reminded myself that when you eat from the chefs table you need to have some margin for adventure outside of your usual choices! The meal was creamy and the vegetables were delicious.

My husband also had a vegetarian procession across his table, including Puntarelle of dandelion, currants and raisins; Chitarra and roasted romanesco; Risotto and Treviso; and Fried egg, mint and tomato. He was suitably impressed all night!

The climax of my meal was my white truffle experience. The waitress told us that these particular truffles had caused rapture in the kitchen when they arrived, so I was eagerly anticipating the unique, total-mouth sensation that comes along with truffles. This was my first 'white' experience, so I didn't know what to expect, but out came the famous box and I sat like a kid at Christmas while my pasta was dressed with shavings. The cellar was immediately filled with their unmistakable aroma, and even the waitstaff couldn't hide their excitement. To my surprise, the flavour was . . . very nice. Much more subtle that black truffles, very pleasant and round, but I found that it was the aroma that was so intoxicating, and in comparison to the heady smell, the flavour washed away. I hope I'm not offending anyone here - perhaps my palate needs more maturing to catch up with my nose! I will research white truffles before I try them again so I know a bit more about what I'm looking for.


We cleansed with a delicious apple cider sorbet before diving in to desert, which included chocolate gelato and poached sour cherries, and poached pear upside down cake with salted caramel gelato. The cake was moist and light, and the gelato was so flavoursome and satisfying. Matched with beautiful desert wines, we were all converts to the Maialino cause by this stage.

It's amazing what good food, expressive wine, and genuine service can do - it makes a 30th celebration exactly what it should be. Thank you Maialino!

Address: 2 Lexington Ave, corner of 21st St, overlooking Gramercy Park. New York, USA
Phone: + 212 777 2410
Website: http://www.maialinonyc.com/ 

The Principal, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

I took my parents to The Principal for my Dad's birthday in mid-January. I was running late after suffering an endless Hong Kong taxi line, and then a cranky driver, before becoming slightly perturbed trying to find the place, but from the time I approached the door, Principal was a fantastic experience. The doorman greeted us, and I was glad to find that Mum and Dad had already been happily employed with 2 cocktails.

The Principal is dressed with white walls, white tablecloths, cream brick accents around the doorways, oil paintings, and copper light fittings. As an Australian, I felt very at home with this palate, although the restaurant is sited as "African / Spanish". There are a variety of seating settings, including a large private dining room, booths clad in brown gingham/plaid, and smaller round and square tables for 2's and 4's. There's a long serving bench in the center of the main dining room, giving the feel of a clean, relaxed working kitchen in a friends home. It all came together well - the only detail I wasn't sure about was the gingham, and I noticed one couple request to be moved from their booth as the lighting was a bit intense for them, but from my centre-stage round table, the atmosphere was perfect.
 
Upon sitting down, I was presented with a complimentary glass of champagne, gold-leaf nuts, home fermented olives, and a gold embossed menu that felt firm in the hand. I'm pleased to say that the menu was the right size for the table, and I wasn't maneuvering my glasswear, or learning back in my chair with head tilted away just to open it, as I need to do with fashionably oversized menus (I've knocked myself in the nose trying to open a few lately!).

I hadn't called ahead to book veggie, and was pleased to see that there were multiple entree's and one vegetarian main on the regular menu by default. I ordered a squash soup with pumpkin seeds and prunes, a rice dish for main, and a 'Violet' for desert. We were then presented with complimentary hors d'oeuvres which included cheese puffs, foie gras, and a beautiful round bite topped with cheese and anchovies.  Although these came after we had ordered, the wait staff hadn't picked up on the fact that we'd chosen vegetarian options, so I believe the tasters came out as planned - we didn't mind as Mum and Dad were more than happy to take care of the foie gras and anchovies - when it comes to complimentary additions, I don't think it's polite to be too picky, however an astute waiter might pick up on this? The cheese puffs were delicious.

We were served numerous rounds of bread (3 options) to our hearts content, and had 2 olive oils on offer - one unfiltered from Spain, and one filtered from France (or it might have been the other way around?). Both oils were flavoursome and grassy, and the tasting variety became a talking point for our table.

My soup arrived, and was poured to the bowl in front of me, creating a nice theatrical touch. The prunes and seeds were a taste surprise, adding texture and variation of flavour to the soup. I noticed my soup spoon was a little small in proportion to the shape and depth of the bowl, making it hard to maneuver, but I more than managed!

The main rice dish was not a stand-out for me. It was very pleasant, and I was satisfied, but didn't get a warm tingle from a once-in-a-lifetime experience (how often can you get that I suppose?). The desert however was a huge hit - 'Violet' includes violet coloured ripped sponge cake, small squares of violet crumble-like honeycomb, some additional small squares of vibrant jelly, and a beautiful yoghurt gelato. The ensemble was presented in an arc shape, off to the top left hand corner of the round plate - the colours and pattern were visually appealing, and likewise the flavours followed suit. Some of you might question eating jelly, so I will leave this up to you, however I found the desert to be the crowning jewel of the night.

We were again presented with complimentary desert bights, and kindly instructed about the order to eat them in - our hosts couldn't do enough to please us.

We had a beautiful bottle of Chianti throughout the meal, and found the Sommelier to be very friendly. Likewise the General Manager was out on the floor, beautifully presented, keeping conversation, making sure everyone was enjoying themselves, and adding to the relaxed and smooth operation of the environment. At the end of the meal my Dad was so happy that he kissed her - I bet she's never had that happen before in Hong Kong?

The Principal has only just opened in the past 2 months, and I assume people are already lining up for reservations based on the quality of the experience we had. We recognised at least one other notable chef doing reconnaissance work while we were there . . . it seems all eyes are looking towards The Principal.

Address:
The Principal, 9 Star St., Wan Chai Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
Phone: +852 2563-3444
Website: http://pressroomgroup.com/