NYC Bites: Shake Shack @ Grand Central Station

Day one in NYC and I decided to start with a lunch at famous Shake Shack.  This branch was situated in the iconic Grand Central station.  Shake Shack to me is a cross between a boutique burger place and a chain store with a established reputation for its fluffy half open bun packed with a yummy patty.  This makes it sort of fall in the middle.  Meaning was it legendarily unique? or just you know, just plain old good.

Whilst their menu was a page long I decided to go with the fan favourite, the Shack Stack.  True enough, it was stacked the American way with a generous crumbled portobello stuffed with mozzarella, a slice of cheese burger patty, lettuce and tomato.  It was pretty damn big!

Taste wise, I felt a little hesitant to say that I was entirely bowled over by the combination.  The patty was tasty and the shiny bun was really a class over most but I did not quite like the stuffed portobello.  The mushroom by itself was quite bland and with a cheese like Mozzarella, the taste of the mushroom became less apparent.  To taste a real Shake Shack is to start with the basic cheese burger I believe :)!

Then came to the fries, and Shake Shack really shine in this department.  The fries were clearly less processed and tastes more original will little meddling with the potato.  It came out crisp and very yummy!

On a later occasion, I also managed to have a go at their famous milkshakes.  This time, at their very first location in Madison Square Park.  I have to say, their peanut butter shake is the best I have tasted.  The chemistry between the salty nuttiness of the peanut butter and sweet vanilla really won me over.  That was one bad ass shake which was super rich. I died halfway and will insist on sharing where possible.  

Legendary eat?  Perhaps not so, but definitely a good NYC essential.  Something that keeps your appetite as happy as your wallet :).  Also, never forget the milk shake! Its super yummy!

WenY

Bites: Winter Brunch @ Harvest Espresso, Victoria Park

Wet, cold mornings are a hard thing to enjoy but with the company of a hearty meal and friends, comfort is never too far away.  Before I flew off to Houston, my sister and I decided to have breakfast together at Harvest Espresso. As expected another season of creativity began to welcome winter.  The newly introduced Macha Latte started my morning.  Talk frothy milk layer paired with freshly whisked Macha, and I am sold.

At Harvest Espresso, interesting meals are seen aside a long list of sandwich staples.  However, I never go with the staples and always crave for the little experiments Harvest presents.  Today, we had the; 

Lamb Meatballs, cumin yoghurt, preserved lemon, apricots, couscous salad, toasted Turkish bread 

A large serve of meatballs for winter?  You bet.  With a side of couscous and bread, you could enjoy the meatballs whichever way you prefer.  I was a bigger fan of the Turkish bread and dipping it into the meatball sauce was absolutely delicious.  The hint of cumin brought back memories of the delicious summer Shakshouka and made me crave for a thicker, more acidic base for the meatballs.  

Salmon Gravlax, two poached eggs, watercress, potato hash, yuzu kosho hollandaise, togarashi croutons.

Sister’s choice was the salmon.  A pretty combination with nice colours to fend off the wintery gloom. In terms of taste, the salmon was salty on its own, but when you had a bit of everything together, it worked. But enough of me, this was not my dish.  So how did my sister find it?  She said “Ok, quite nice”. =.=!!  

Harvest Espresso still sets the bar for creativity on a plate.  But has inflation caught up too quickly in this Victoria Park institution?  I remember prices starting very early at around $17, and the prices have now crept to $22.50 in 2+ years.  If you solely look at the prices, it would be a clear yes.  But when you consider the creativity, effort and portions, it was every bit worth the money.  In fact, the meal my sister and I had could feed 3.  Yay or Nay? 100% a Yay.

WenY

Bites: Tapas Brunch @ Duende, Leederville

Breakfast is all about enterprising takes on the usual suspects (bacon, sausage, and eggs).  Whilst some people love sticking to the usuals, I am totally the opposite.  Last week I met up with Jordo, Bel and David for breakfast in Duende. This place known for its Tapas during dinner serves breakfast in a similar way which starts as early as 8am.

The drinks were the standard fare.  You name it, they have it.  Juices, hot chocolates, pots of teas and different concoctions of coffee.

Big time coffee drinker/critique Bel dissess the coffee here. She calls it very “typical” and not very good.  Drinkable nonetheless.  But that was ok as it did not concern me in any way.  The word coffee never quite made it to my dictionary - something most or all of you would know :P!

The interesting part for me will always the food.  

First up were the Jamon & Leak Croquettas with Manchego.  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside? Checked.  Flavour? Checked.  I am not quite sure how Duende does it, but our first course not only looked sensational but tasted very good.

The potato in the croquettes had great texture with the Manchego giving the dish a lovely fragrant.  After that I tasted the little pieces of Jamon giving me a slight sensation of saltiness.  You could say that that we all agreed that this dish was brilliant as we kept going back to the plate to scoop the Manchego sauce on the croquettes.  Simply stunning.  

My concern about the pairing of a strong cheese sauce with deep fried croquettes so early in the morning was put to rest. 

Simple pleasures at its best would be the best way to describe the next dish.  Sautéed mushrooms, rocket salad and toast.  To describe, buttery sweet mushrooms with a hint of parsley.  Each mouth full is usually greeted by the variety of textures coming from all the different mushrooms.  Some mushrooms were smooth, and some a little more spongy/chewy. Sounds like the perfect dish to have when you are all holed up on your couch in a cold winter’s day!

“Today’s Special”  - Pulled Pork Potato Cake was one of our other orders.  This felt to me like a reinterpretation of a bubble and squeak.  It was OK but felt a little flat because the pulled pork was not very flavoursome .  In fact, the sauce unlike the Machengo just did not feel impactful.  I was hoping for something a bit more flavoursome =/.

We also had an order of corn cakes which was yummy.  Another simple yet hearty dish.  Last but not least were the salted cod tortillas.  Not my personal favourite but it was ok.  I think it felt a little dry.

The food as Duende was a little bit of a mixed bag.  We had the good, the ok and the bad.  Fortunately, none was really bad.  A little fixing of sauce would have easily made all the difference.  But more importantly for me is to come away from a breakfast not consisting of the usual suspects.  With respect to that requirement, Duende excels.


WenY