Antibes Bistro

Occasion: Abby's birthday dinner
Location: Antibes Bistro on Suffolk between Rivington and Delancey (antibesbistro.com)
Edibles: we got the roasted asparagus and some parmesan risotto for the table to start; I had two apps for my main course - the goat cheese and beet salad, and the marinated scallops; Jill also let me have a taste of her roast chicken

Musings: Happy birthday, Miss Abby! It was so nice to have all the girls together to celebrate!

Antibes Bistro has a charmingly rustic dining room that made me feel like I was in a farmhouse in the French countryside. The mismatched furniture, the soft amber lighting - it all added up to a great atmosphere for a relaxing, low-key dinner. As a bonus, there was a jazz trio playing live music! (I think the singer sang at Atticus and Kathy's wedding. Sadly, the cute clarinet player from that event was nowhere to be seen.)

The food. Generally good, but I had lots of little niggles. The asparagus was ho-hum. The risotto was overcooked. My scallops had an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. The goat cheese and beet salad dish was inexplicably served warm. I don't know why - it didn't enhance either of the ingredients and just came across as odd....

Ultimately, I think the chef falls a little short in the "attention to detail" department. However, I'd be willing to give this place another try. The space is great and the prices are very budget-friendly (apps $6-9, mains $13-18). I bet there's a great meal to be had off their menu - you just have to find it.

Ninh's Vietnamese Sandwich

Occasion: Lazy take-out dinner
Location: Ninh's Vietnamese Sandwich & Bubble Tea on 2nd between 31st and 32nd
Edibles: I had the chicken sandwich; Edward had the beef sandwich and a bubble tea

Musings: The bubble tea was terrible. Tapioca doesn't keep well and a place needs to either have enough business that they go through their batches quickly, or be committed enough to quality to throw them out when they begin to harden, and start over fresh. This place is neither.

The chicken sandwich was okay but they were a bit stingy with the chicken - Baoguette gives you a lot more per sandwich. And there was too much mayo. The beef was pretty tasty.

Because it's so insidiously close to my apartment, Ninh's will probably get some repeat business from me.

Sapporo

Occasion: Lunch with Kathy and Gerald
Location: Sapporo on 49th between 6th and 7th
Edibles: pork katsu and miso ramen

Musings: The pork katsu is actually a meal in itself, but I ordered it as an appetizer / side dish. It's two enormous pork chops, breaded in panko and fried to crispy perfection, conveniently sliced for easy sharing. Yum.

The ramen was okay, but not particularly memorable. (It certainly didn't help that I had already inhaled an entire pork chop and half a bowl of rice by the time it arrived.) Is Sapporo as good as my go-to, Minca? Sadly, no. It is, however, a decent midtown lunch option.

Note: If you only have an hour for lunch, get there early. We arrived just before noon and there were already people waiting; by the time we left, the line was out the door and down the block.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Location: Momofuku Milk Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th - there's a pass-through from the rear of the restaurant, but it also has a separate entrance (momofuku.com/milkbar/)

Musings: The compost cookie. Contains all sorts of alarming ingredients like coffee grounds, pretzels and potato chips. Interesting concept, but I thought they overdid it on the coffee grounds - it was all I could taste.

The blueberry and cream cookie is Robert's favorite. I found the unrelieved sweetness a bit cloying, but the chewy texture was nice.

Our third cookie was my favorite - cornflake, choco chip and marshmallow. The cornflakes gave it a great crunch and the slightest touch of savoriness without you having to taste actual grains of salt (like from the potato chips and pretzels in the compost cookie). I. Loved. It.

I bet you can make a reasonable facsimile of this cookie by taking the basic Nestlé Toll House recipe and adding a handful of cornflakes and mini marshmallows. Stay tuned for recipe-testing results in the not-too-distant future.

And finally, the crack pie. It's got a dense, sugary filling that reminded me of a pecan pie without the pecans. I looked at the ingredients and it's basically got the same things as a standard custard - sugar, eggs, dairy, etc. And yet there's some sort of magic (or witchcraft) involved because every time I finished a bite, I found myself wanting another. Aptly named, Momofuku.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (The Social Network) dinner with Robert, Ingrid and Judy
Location: Momofuku Ssäm Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th (momofuku.com)
Edibles: steamed pork belly buns; blackened bluefish sandwich; spicy pork sausage and rice cakes; tilefish with chai masala, squash curry and pumpkin seeds; amberjack with pearl barley, smoked marrow and chestnut

Musings: First, the good stuff. As before, the pork buns were magnificent (and not so fatty this time). The bluefish sandwich was another standout. Crispy, plump fillets of fish, creamy sauce, and a nice soft bread that didn't cause the all the fillings to squirt out when you bite into it. I hope they keep this on their menu - I liked it a lot.

The fish was likewise fresh and well-cooked in the two other dishes we ordered.

The Cons: The sides on both fish mains were terrible. Strange flavors, poorly matched to the protein, and parsimoniously portioned. At $27 and $23, I expected better and more. By comparison, the bluefish sandwich is a steal at $14.

The rice cakes I thought were too spicy and Ingrid thought were too salty. Which was a pity since it was the biggest plate of all the things we ordered. We had tons left over.

We considered but decided against ordering the clam chowder raviolo when we discovered that the $15 dish consisted of a single raviolo. Highway robbery! This, I think is the major failing of Momofuku - it's kind of overpriced. (Though it hasn't stopped my fellow New Yorkers from keeping this place packed day in and day out.)

Massive Top Chef DC Catch-up

Every remaining episode in this season. Dedicated to faithful readers Karen and Josie.

Ep. 9 - Restaurant Wars

Original Air Date: August 11, 2010

1) "EVOO" makes any Food Network viewer think of Rachael Ray. Maybe not the association you want for your fine dining restaurant? (Off-topic, but it's a real food peeve of mine that Rachael Ray's budget cooking show encourages people to cook with extra-virgin olive oil ALL the time. Heat higher than about 250° - namely, the temperatures at which you cook on a stovetop or in the oven - will damage and deteriorate extra-virgin olive oil. Use canola or lower grade olive as your regular cooking oil and save the expensive extra-virgin for cold dishes and salads, or for drizzling over stuff that's already cooked.)

2) Alex is total crap at butchering proteins. *I* could have done a better job. Why did they leave him at it for so long?
3) Alex is also rubbish at front of the house. I know you wanted him out of the kitchen, Red Team, but you also want to make a good impression on the judges and he is the only one they will see.

4) Classic fake-out ending by the editors. I think Blue Team was lulled into a false sense of security by the chaos on Red Team. Attacking Alex on the winning team was an inexplicable strategy to take at Judges' Table.
5) Shocker elimination. I thought for sure Kenny would make it to the finals. I bet it chaps his ass that Alex and Amanda are still around.

Ep. 10 - Covert Cuisine
Original Air Date: August 18, 2010

1) Loved this Quickfire. Those were some crazy ingredients they threw together. I mean, hominy and squid and passionfruit? Diabolical! I wish they'd taken the time to detail how everything was used in the dishes. I also wish Wylie had taken a minute to tell us what he would have cooked. Inquiring minds want to know!
2) Weird to hear "CIA" on a cooking show and have it mean the spy people, not the Culinary Institute of America.
3) Maybe Ed could have pushed his inside-out idea further and disguised the dish as sushi? You could use spinach to simulate the seaweed and both chicken and Swiss are pale enough to look kind of like rice. Beef Wellington - that's tough, there are only two main ingredients. Maybe a savory Napoleon? French onion soup has a lot of elements to play with. Maybe a kind of French dip sandwich with onion rings?
4) Annoying Amanda escapes to cook another day! Argh! Her dish looked like a stool sample and also failed to meet the basic requirements of the challenge. Though to be fair, Ed and Kevin biffed the disguise as well.

Ep. 11 - Making Concessions
Original Air Date: August 25, 2010

1) Loved this Quickfire too. I can't believe no one picked "Hide the salami." I though it would have been fun for Amanda play off her phrase and use rigatoni, so it looked like mac and cheese for giants. But I'm also okay with continuing to hate her for being boring.
2) Angelo was dumb to volunteer for orders - it's all downside, no upside. Maybe they could have rotated on orders? Or just cooked lots of food and set it out, since it was all free?
3) Annoying Amanda finally gets the axe! Tartare at a baseball concessions stand? Total wack-a-doo decision. Any knowledge of basic food safety would lead you to NOT chop the stuff the night before. The more surface area there is, the faster bacteria multiplies. (That's why hamburger doesn't last as long and is a greater food poisoning risk than steak.) Not knowing how to stave off oxidation was another huge blunder. Good riddance!

Ep. 12 - Gastronauts
Original Air Date: September 1, 2010

1) I saw Buzz Aldrin, and immediately pictured him dating Liz Lemon's mom. Love that show!
2) OK, this challenge made no sense. It should have happened earlier in the season, and the cheftestants should have had to actually freeze-dry and reconstitute their dishes. (Like the Season 3 folks, who actually had to serve their airplane food reheated on a plane.) As is, they just ended up with a bunch of nonsensical
"suggestions" like don't use too much sugar and astronauts like spicy foods.
3) Speaking of which... no sugar? I used to volunteer at Science World, and one of the most popular items in the gift shop was freeze-dried ice-cream.
4) Angelo really needs to stop talking about "making love" to his food. I mean, food and cooking can be sensual but I want to feel it in the dish, not hear it from the chef.
5) Ripert was hard to please this ep. I actually really like it when the judges disagree - food is so subjective, after all.

Ep. 13 - Finale, Part I
Original Air Date: September 8, 2010

1) Singapore? Pretty random.
2) I want a culinary tour of the city led by Seetoh. Incidentally, I think the Singaporean accent is very charming (unlike the majority of Asian accents).
3) Nice obstacle on the Quickfire with the Chinese labels. I'm actually kind of surprised that Angelo can't read a little, especially the food words - he seems to have quite the Asian fetish. (Which makes his Russian mail-order bride all the more inexplicable.)
4) Wow, toxic atmosphere in that kitchen. Doesn't take much success for Ed's Mr. Hyde to come out, does it?
5) Given the hot weather, why so many soups and no salads?
6) Kevin's egg and tapioca dish sounded like a slimy, goopy disaster. And yet the judges loved it. Where did the flavor come from? If he'd never cooked it before, I'm impressed Kevin aced the tapioca. A friend of our family has a bubble tea shop in Vancouver and, according to her, it's a very finicky thing to cook - they have to do a batch every few hours because the centers start to seize up if the tapioca sits too long.

Ep. 14 - Finale, Part II
Original Air Date: September 15, 2010

1) Michael Volt!! His presence reminds me that last season was out-of-the-park with talent, whereas this season was characterized by annoying people and mediocrity.
2) Slipper lobsters look like giant roaches. The first person to try to eat that must have been pretty damn hungry.
3) What exactly was wrong with Angelo? Migraine? Food poisoning? The latter seems most likely, but why would he get food poisoning when it looks like they all ate the same things?
4) Breakdown by course: 1st, veg - Ed's corn velouté was the clear winner; 2nd, rouget - Angelo/Kevin split; 3rd, duck - Kevin's was the favorite (though the skin looked hardly rendered at all in the glamour shot); 4th, dessert - another Angelo/Kevin split.
5) Congrats to Kevin and all - but I think he won through process of elimination. To me, Angelo's fatal flaw was his weird flavor combinations. Watermelon and mushroom and pork? Duck and cinnamon marshmallow? Ed's fatal flaw was clearly to let Ilan do the dessert himself.

Mmmm... Oktoberfest, Part Deux

Same deal as last year. Lots of booze, lots of würsts from Schaller & Weber.

Two new salads this year. They went pretty quick - always a good sign for a debut recipe.

Potato and Macaroni Salad
(based on a Martha recipe)

boiled and halved fingerling potatoes
cooked and drained macaroni
sliced raw sugar snaps
lots of bacon bits

Dressing: Greek yogurt, olive oil, S&P

A slight tweak for this one: I wasn't crazy about the sugar snaps - the pea husks were a bit fibrous. I did like the color and the crunch, so I'll probably try snow peas next time.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad

cucumber
avocado
yellow and orange bell peppers
(all roughly chopped)

Dressing: red wine vinaigrette with lots of mustard

Nothing could be simpler. I'd never put these three things together but I think it worked out well. I think it'd be tasty with some toasted nuts sprinkled on top - maybe walnuts or pecans.

Otto

Occasion: Dinner with Alfred, in from Toronto for the long weekend.
Location: Otto on 5th Ave at 8th (ottopizzeria.com)
Edibles: three veggies to start (I think it was the beets, the mushrooms and the summer squash); a prosciutto pizza; rigatoni with sausage

Musings: My love for all things Batali continues. I can't believe I haven't been here in over a year!

Otto is an old faithful. The food is reliably tasty and the prices are reasonable. It's casual, dim, loud. And I'm always tickled when they've got the train station schedule board (pictured above) going, that lets you know when your table is ready.

As I've mentioned before, the veg guy at a Batali restaurant is always top-notch. For $4, you get a nice ramekin of the vegetable antipasto of your choice. I recommend that you get several, and don't be shy about asking for more bread. It's always my favorite part of an Otto meal.

For the main course, we considered - but ultimately chickened out of - getting the lardo pizza. We were told by our waiter that it has no sauce or cheese; it's just a crust draped with lardo. Now, I like me some pork fat but it's quite a commitment for two people to split one of these babies. I'd definitely like to try a slice some other time. If you feel the same way, call me. Maybe we can get a group together.

[Note: I also recommend the pizza with the egg - it's simple, but intriguing and yummy. For dessert, the olive oil ice-cream sundae is a good choice. It's got lots of weird toppings but, somehow, it all works together.]

Happy Beef Noodle House

Occasion: Post-US Open (Sharapova def Benesova; Djokovic def Petzschner) snack with Yining
Location: Happy Beef Noodle House on Prince between 38th and 39th Ave in Flushing, Queens
Edibles: noodles with stewed beef and tendon

Musings: Generally speaking, a very good effort and hard to beat for the price. The highlight for me was the stewed beef. My mom couldn't have done it better, and that's saying something. Really flavorful and falling-apart tender.

Some minor critiques: 1) the tendon could have had a bit more bite to it, i.e. not been cooked quite so soft; 2) the noodles aren't as good as Lanzhou - if only they could combine their powers; 3) the broth was a little thin for my taste, though Yining liked it fine.

On the way out, we also discovered an interesting-looking food truck. There was a yummy-looking chop I thought was pork, though their menu only listed lamb chops. A mystery. We were both stuffed and sadly unable to sample the goods. Next time, next time....

La Pizza Fresca

Occasion: Dinner with Abby and Elizabeth
Location: La Pizza Fresca Ristorante on 20th between Broadway and Park (lapizzafrescaristorante.com)
Edibles: I had a half-portion of the orechiette with sausage and broccoli rabe; we also shared two pizzas, one margherita and one prosciutto

Musings: Thumbs down on this place. First, they need to get an AC. Or stop being so cheap about turning it on. It was sweltering inside.

Second, the chef really needs to get off his high horse. Elizabeth wanted the prosciutto baked into the pizza. The waiter returned and reported that the chef didn't think it would taste good that way. We maintained that that's how we wanted it. The waiter returned a second time and said the chef refused to prepare the pizza as we'd asked. (Let me clarify - the waiter was in no way at fault. In fact, the poor guy looked pretty miserable and apologetic.)

I was ready to march into the kitchen and give the chef a talking-to, but Abby and Elizabeth convinced me to wait until after dinner. I mean, when a diner wants his steak cooked to kingdom come, the kitchen is obliged to prepare it that way!

Ultimately, the pizza arrived with the prosciutto baked in. But what a hassle. Not like we don't have PLENTY of other choices for pizza in the city.

Mmmm... bingsu

Bingsu is a Korean hybrid consisting of Asian-style frozen yogurt (Pinkberry, Red Mango, etc. that you can get stateside) on top of shaved ice, with toppings. Shown below: strawberry, mixed fruit, and chocolate cereal versions.

Bingsu is actually quite genius because it's more refreshing than just fro-yo alone, and has fewer calories. I think US fro-yo places should look into this.

Seoul Wrap-up: My knowledge of Korean cuisine has been expanded dramatically. Thank you SO SO SO much to Kathy and Ron, for showing me your Seoul and being such thoughtful and unstintingly generous hosts! You guys are the best! Shack burgers on me next time you're in the City.

[unidentified Korean bbq place in Seoul]

Occasion: My last dinner in Seoul with Kathy and Ron.
Location: a Korean bbq place in Shinchon
Edibles: beef, more beef and all the fixins'

Musings: We went to this place on my insistence. As good as tofu and mandoo are, the meat-tooth must be satisfied!

Goes to show - even a seasoned foodie can be led astray by preconceived notions. The beef had a nice marinade and was generally tasty, but nothing you can't get in the US. Definitely not worth wasting a meal in Korea. Lesson learned: listen to your local hosts when you travel.

[unidentified noodle shop in Seoul]

Occasion: Lunch with Kathy
Location: this place

Edibles: Non-spicy noodles for me; spicy noodles for Kathy

Musings: This dish really is the perfect summer lunch - cool, tart and light. Cold soba vermicelli (an opaque grey-green color and chewier than regular Chinese vermicelli made with mung beans) in an iced broth, with a hardboiled egg. I gave it a generous squirt of white vinegar, a substance I had previously dismissed as only fit for glass-cleaning, but which provided the perfect unobtrustive acidity. Outstanding.

(There was some barbequed pork on the side but I barely paid any attention to it, so occupied was I by the noodles. Considering what a meat-tooth I am, that's saying something.)

I think I can replicate this at home.

Kathy had the spicy version. (Note: If you're not a spicy foods wimp like me, you will LOVE Korea. They appreciate a pepper here. And possibly also Red Dye #40.)

Tofu House

Occasion: Dinner with some of Kathy and Ron's friends
Location: Tofu House, somewhere in Shinchon (again, I can always appeal to Kathy and Ron if you're looking for an exact location)
Edibles: non-spicy tofu stew with red bean rice

Musings: I love this sort of peasant food (matter-of-fact, hearty, loaded with lots of carbs and cheap proteins). I ordered the only non-spicy tofu stew on the menu. It was lovely and mild, with a slight peanut-y taste. I can totally see why Kathy and Ron are regulars here. It was a yummy meal even in the steamy summer heat - I can only imagine how wonderful it is in the deep of winter.

For those of you who recoil at the thought of eating tofu, I ask you to reconsider your prejudices. I like tofu not because it's healthy, but because it's awesome and delicious. The silky wobble of it on your tongue can be almost sort of... sexy.

It's bland, you say? So are many other wonderful foods like eggplant, rice, polenta and even bread. They're usually meant to absorb the characteristics of the foods you cook them with, or provide a respite from other intensely flavored things you're eating in the meal.

Yes, some ungodly things have been done to tofu. Tofurkey, for example, just gives me the creeps. I personally think preparations that substitute tofu for meat don't do it justice. It's perfectly tasty in its natural state. We Asians know how to cook it right - give it a chance!

Old Tea Shop

Location: Old Tea Shop, 2F 2-2 Kwan Hun-dong, Chong Ro-gu in the Insadong neighborhood of Seoul (e-mail oldteashop@hanmail.net)

We stopped here for a spot of afternoon tea. The Old Tea Shop has a very charming décor. I don't know enough to say whether it was authentic, but I loved the colors and textures. There was also a strong natural element - we sat at a "table" that was a giant urn fishbowl covered with glass top.

The tea shop also had finches (or some other little cheeping birds) flying around freely.

I had a refreshing and unusual citrus-y iced tea. Our beverages came with these oblong sticky rice pastries.

For first-time visitors to Seoul, I highly recommend Insadong and the Old Tea Shop. The little artists' shops along the main street were perfect for gift shopping - I picked up a nice pieced linen wall hanging for myself, and some little condiment dishes with a leaf design. And when you're shopped out, the Old Tea Shop provides the perfect zen oasis.

Sinpo Mandoo

Occasion: Pre-shopping lunch with Kathy
Location: Sinpo Mandoo (sinpomandoo.co.kr)
Edibles: fried mandoo; steamed black rice mandoo; kimchi mandoo

Musings: Sinpo's seating area was the epitome of bland mass-market eateries but I didn't have to worry that it was some shoddy Korean fast-food chain. One, I trusted that Kathy would never lead me astray like that. Two, on the way in we passed a window into the kitchen showing a little old man making mandoo by hand. (There's nothing worse than a chain restaurant where all the food is delivered pre-made and frozen, in bags. This is why I find Olive Garden and its ilk so offensive.)

The fried mandoo were my favorite of the three kinds we got. Unlike Chinese potstickers, which are generally pan-fried, these guys were breaded and deep-fried to create the great crunchy crust. The perfect combination of flavor and texture.

The black rice ones were novel and the flavor was good, but they were a touch soggy.

The kimchi mandoo were bold and spicy.... alas, a touch too spicy for me. I had two of these and my mouth started to go numb. I had beat an ignominious retreat but Kathy was able to finish them off.

If I were to come back, I'd probably be boring and get a double order of the fried mandoo. All in all, an excellent lunch - cheap, fast, fresh and tasty.

[unidentified bar in Seoul]

Occasion: My first adventure in Seoul!
Location: a bar in Shinchon - location upon request (my hosts Kathy and Ron will know exactly where it is)
Edibles: big plate o' fried things; Korean fried chicken

Musings: The big plate o' fried things included such diverse items as zucchini, fake crab, spam, sausage and tofu, with a zippy dipping sauce.

The chicken wings were excellent, as I've come to expect from the Korean + fried chicken combination. It was somewhat saucier than the New York version, but with that characteristic batter-less crust. Yum...

There was also a jug of some sort of murky rice wine. It was sweet and innocuous-tasting. I tried to watch my refills, as I was dealing with a bit of travel fatigue. Also, I've known some innocuous-tasting Asian liquors that will knock you flat on your ass without any warning signs. Drinker beware.

From my quick stroll around, I already love my friends' neighborhood. I understand it's close to a university and that probably explains the active nightlife and proliferation of cheap, casual eateries. I'm excited for the next few days. Kathy and Ron have been in town long enough to develop a restaurant repertoire and I get the benefit of their experience!

Shanghai Expo 2010 - France

French food can be incredibly fussy and artistic, or it can be good, hearty peasant food. I love both for what they are. The restaurant in the French Pavilion featured neither, instead taking a middle-of-the-road approach with the sort of food you'd expect at a nice wedding, or on a business class flight (trust me, I'm not fancy - Cathay occasionally bumps me up on crowded flights).

I had the shrimp starter....

....the steak main....

... and the peach cobbler dessert.

Does that look like a French dinner to you?

Expo Wrap-up: It's a pity we ended up spending so much time in the European pavilions. New York boasts stunning representatives of all the national cuisines we sampled, and I've traveled to most of the countries to boot. The timid, indifferent efforts on display at the pavilions couldn't hope to compare.

Nonetheless, it was fun to wander around the grounds and gawk at the fanciful architecture of the various pavilions. It was also nice to see so many people gathered together to broaden their cultural horizons. Heartfelt thanks go out to the Lee family and entourage for their incredible organization and hospitality.

Shanghai Expo 2010 - Italy

Italian is my favorite absolute cuisine. I don't think anyone else has mastered the carbohydrate quite like the Italians. For breads, you've got pizza crust, ciabatta, focaccia, panettone, etc. For rice, risotto. And pasta..... ah, pasta - a staggering array of shapes and sizes, in preparations limited only by the imagination.

New York certainly has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fantastic Italian restaurants. Batali alone accounts for eight outstanding establishments.

The food I had when I was in Italy itself was fairly mediocre - didn't know where to go, I expect. (Though the tomatoes blew me away. You can really taste the difference when a tomato is naturally ripened in the sun. Pure bliss.)

The Italian Pavilion was, sadly, closer to my actual Italian experience than my New York Italian experience. We started with a ho-hum salad and a cured salmon dish with olive oil, orange segments, olives and capers.

We also had a potato and salt cod (baccalà in Italian) dish that confused me because I associate it so strongly with Spanish cuisine.

The lasagne was gummy and goopy. Mine is leagues better.

Very poor form, Italy.

Xinkaiyuan Hotel

Occasion: Dinner before the Zhang Yimou West Lake show

Location: Xinkaiyuan Hotel in Hangzhou, China (newkaiyuan.com)

Edibles: Our second Chinese feast of the day! Drunken chicken; marinated jellyfish; stewed bamboo and pork; spicy cauliflower; black wood ear (a type of edible fungus); raw crab; a sort of Chinese chowder; baby shrimp with vinegar; chopped spinach; baby peas; braised pumpkin

(click to enlarge - isn't Picasa Collage Creator great?)

Musings: A place clearly targeting tourists. Instead of a menu, they have photos or display versions of all their dishes. Just point and give them your money.

Dinner was a bit of a food flurry but a couple of things stood out. I thought the below dish deserved special mention. Yes, it is a dish consisting entirely of cured pork belly or as I call it, Chinese bacon. I could subsist on this dish and white rice (and maybe a vitamin supplement to ward off scurvy) for months.

Honorable mention goes to the spicy cauliflower stir-fry, garnished with chives and julienned Chinese bacon - it's the one in the silver wok. I can't think of the last time I was suprised by a cauliflower dish. It's a pretty boring vegetable but this recipe really makes it shine. (I think it's doable at home. Stay tuned for my recipe-testing shenanigans.)

[Postscript: Zhang Yimou's "Impression West Lake" is AMAZING. They built some crazy infrastructure into the lake so the performers all look like they're walking on water. A tragic love story, really interesting lighting effects, great costumes, great music. If you find yourself in that part of China, I highly recommend you check it out.]