Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, New York City…relentlessly noisy

Wolfgang’s is far from a pleasant, relaxing place to spend a lot of money. It attracts a boisterous clientele, bursting with crowds which prefer bellowing at the top of their lungs to conversations and therefore is relentlessly noisy.

I loved the texture of the dry-aged beef – a little crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle – but was underwhelmed by the taste – the surface would have fared better with a more chargrilled twang.

Given the food and the noise levels, your meal won’t measure up, and at these prices, these days, you should get more for your money. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Twin Anchors, Chicago…get a taste of what Chicago ribs are all about

According to its website, Twin Anchors has hosted Frank Sinatra and countless other celebrities and has been featured in both Return to Me and The Dark Knight.

The baby back ribs are Chicago-style, meaning it’s not even technically considered barbecue. The ribs are slow-cooked rather than smoked, so the sweet and sloppy meat droop lifelessly in the classic Chicago fall-off-the-bone fashion. And, oh yes, I love the “zesty” (really tangy) sauce which elevates these bone shiners to finger lickin’ good.

Charmingly dingy and as neighborhoodsy as can be, the space is small and it’s a no-booking restaurant, so you might have to queue. I am not sweet-natured. I’m getting old. I might be dead soon. The food really has to be worth it. Happily, at Twin Anchors, it is.

If I lived in Chicago, I’d have a hard time staying away for too long. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Lattanzi, New York City…Perfetto!

Unlike a bastion of French haute cuisine or an upmarket sushi den, the very best Italian restaurant, by my estimation, must be a  place you can roll into with minimal forethought and  order some well-sourced salami and cheese or a perfect plate of pasta, and let the worries of the day dissipate with a bracingly bitter Negroni. You can do all these things at Lattanzi.

When it comes down to it, you judge an Italian restaurant on the strength of its pasta, and based on its merit of its Linguine alla Vongole – homemade linguine and little neck clams with garlic and extra virgin olive oil, Lattanzi is up there with the best. This is the kind of food that will stay on your mind long after you’ve left.

There’s nowhere better to become a regular. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Hakkasan, New York City…you’ll die poor but happy

New York’s Chinese food scene is a diverse beast. There’s pork ribs to sweet, stir-fried-whatever-you-can-think-of, Hong Kong Dim Sum, the classic Peking duck and of course the comforting staples including noodles and fried rice (and way, way more) at eateries both high end and super casual.

With its innovative Cantonese cooking, Hakkasan is still the benchmark against which all high-end Chinese restaurants should be judged. Their stylish interior and moody lighting attracts all kinds of beautiful people.

We started with hakka steamed dim sum platter – scallop shumai, har gau, prawn and Chinese chive dumpling, black pepper duck dumpling. The pastry was perfect in give and texture, just elastic enough to encase generous bites of flavour-packed meat and seafood. The stir-fry black pepper beef ribeye with Merlot was equally good, the melting tenderness of top-quality meat turning the clichéd staple into a luxury – Chinese takeaways should weep with shame. We also enjoyed the hot and sour soup with chicken, shiitake and pomelo, spring onion and fried egg rice and the tofu, aubergine and Japanese mushroom claypot with chili and black bean sauce

You’ll die poor but happy. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Disney Magic of Animation The Exhibition, Singapore…it tells a story

There is  much to admire here. Disney’s drive, the museum demonstrates, was relentless. Having mastered the basics of animation in the ’20s, Disney kept pushing at the possibilities.

Disney entered a new era with his first sound cartoon, “Steamboat Willie,” the third starring Mickey Mouse. We take it for granted now, but at the time the work meant selecting an expensive technology, developing a technique for coordinating music and image, and convincing distributors the cost was worth it. Nothing about it was easy. By the time he created his first feature-length work, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” he had transformed the very notion of animation. Other exhibits cover the war years and postwar animation movies

Disney lovers, rejoice! The exhibition is almost leisurely in relating its narrative, and while children will quickly pass by many sections that will fascinate their elders, there are more than enough thrills for everyone.

This just may just be the happiest place in Singapore. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Dadong, New York City…nobody should pay this much money and be sad

If one wants terrible food delivered quickly, accompanied by several other unappetising dishes you hadn’t ordered but other diners are currently waiting for, Dadong in midtown New York is for you. While I didn’t get ill after eating at Dadong, I did feel sick about how much I’d spent on a substandard meal.

I’m a massive Dadong, Beijing fan, and can wolf down a peking duck faster than you can say “Times Square”, so I awaited my Dadong “Su bu ni” roast duck – served with sugar, pancakes, crispy sesame buns and special sauce with some level of excitement. The duck was bland, dry and actively repellent. I like to think the staff made it up as a prank, and were watching to see if I would be an obedient foodie and play ball. Let us never speak again of the prime chili diced short ribs

Dadong in New York, well, just don’t serve very good food. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…