Nutella Heaven in Flatiron

So, I have grossly neglected my blog recently but a quiet weekend to myself has given me time to get back to it. 

I love Eataly, I used to work in the area and would pop in for lunch most weeks. They have the most amazing produce and its a genuinely enjoyable shopping experience with knowledgable staff and quality foods. So when I heard that Eataly was opening a Nutella bar, I was counting down the days until the opening.

This is any self respecting nutella fan's dream. So, as expected, there was a fairly sizable queue of fellow nutella enthusiasts. With nutella jar upon nutella jar stacked up to the ceiling, I definitely felt as if I had gone to nutella heaven. 

Prices are a little inflated I would say, even for New York, and stock was limited as they were struggling to keep up with demand. I decided to try the Crostatina con nutella.

Realistically this place is great but more for the novelty. Nutella is good on anything and the crostatina was good- but I can't really give it any more praise than that. 

There are also lots of nutella related products (recipe books etc.) so well worth a visit if you are looking for a nutella related gift for anyone!

City Bakery- Union Square

City Bakery has been on my to do list ever since I heard that it does the best hot chocolate in town. Now that we are entering spring and summer I knew that I had to try this out before the summer heat hits and hot chocolate becomes less tempting. 

Now, City Bakery may have built their reputation based on their hot chocolate but they also have a fantastic array of baked goods and salads. 

The decor- the main service counter dominates the room with little tables hugging the walls. It has quite an earthy feel with its wooden floors and metal structure. Inviting and spacious, it is a great place to hang out. 

I opted for one of their massive chocolate chip cookies (I will admit I had to share it in the end) and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is not massive but really is the perfect amount! Thick, rich and super chocolatey, this is for real hot chocolate enthusiasts. I normally like marshmallows on my hot chocolate but had been told to avoid this here and don't feel that I missed out on anything by opting for a marshmallow free treat.

Overall, this may not be the cheapest of places but a great stop off when you have a craving for something sweet!

The Basque Bakery in Soho

My family home is in the South West of France, deep in the Basque Country. So when I stumbled across a basque restaurant in Manhattan, I just had to go in for a taste of home. With two locations, one in San Sebastian and one in New York, this authentic restaurant is staffed by Spaniards and serves traditional basque food. 

I love gateau basque (traditional basque desert made with almond flour and pastry cream) but have to say I wasn't taken with their version of it. Heavy pastry and filling that wasn't quite light enough- bit stodgy. 

But their thick spanish hot chocolate was fantastic. I also tried a peach pocket and a freshly squeezed orange juice. 

This quirky little cafe/restaurant is perfect for a spring afternoon, its doors open up onto the street and the indoor plants climbing up the walls blur the line between indoors and outdoors.

London vs NYC

I originally intended for this to be a comparison between the US and the UK, having lived in a several places in both countries. However it then dawned on me that these are pretty big and culturally diverse countries. Comparing the two would be widely inaccurate so I decided to narrow it down to just NYC and London.

I should also probably admit that I am somewhat (ok, fairly) biased towards NYC. Not only am I currently living in the Big Apple but I have never fallen in love with London in the same way. Quite frankly, my heart belongs to New York. I would also note that I am specifically referring to Manhattan. 

With this being said, London may not be for me but I do recognize it is a fantastic city. And there are of course things that I miss. So here goes my London vs NYC list.

      1. Food

Ok so this has to be a tie. The UK has a reputation for having awful food and whilst I do see where this comes from (pot noodles and awful greasy spoons, I’m looking at you), the UK is home to a huge number of Michelin starred restaurants. NYC is a melting pot of a million cuisines, famous for its pizza and pastrami and bagels, there is always somewhere new to try, some pop up restaurant, some incredible and mind boggling fusion. But London is equally a melting pot of various cuisines, from China Town to Little Portugal, you can find everything and anything under the sun. And boy do I miss British chocolate. 

      2. Drinking

London takes this. Purely based on the pub scene. Yes the swanky NYC bars are fantastic, but you can find equally swanky bars in London. A good British pub? You have to go to London for that. Next!

3. People

NYC you got it. Londoners are renowned for being a tad moody. Cold, distant and reserved, Londoners are not a fun and friendly bunch to strangers and the general public (of course they are lovely to their family/friends/acquaintances, but on the streets you will not catch them cracking a smile). I find New Yorkers to be a genuinely friendly, down to earth and approachable bunch.

     4. Weather

Now I have yet to experience an NYC summer so I appreciate that voting NYC at this point is most likely extremely naïve of me. But so far, I am not missing the continual London drizzle. I am enjoying the sun on both warm and cold days. Granted, I am likely to change my tune when the oppressive summer heat and humidity hits. Watch this space. 

     5. Layout

London is obviously a much older city with a rich heritage and stunning buildings. However, I found the sheer scale of London to be pretty overwhelming. I never quite managed to get my bearings and certainly not as quickly as I did in NYC. Maybe it’s the grid system. Maybe it is the fact that I live and work in Manhattan and that I don’t venture off the island all that often, but I seem to have made sense of NYC faster.

6. Public Transport

It had to be said, NYC is just generally more convenient a city than London. Nothing embodies this more than the subway system. It is open 24/7. London's underground kills me. Aside from the fact that it is extortionately expensive, ridiculously overcrowded, consistently late/delayed/not working.... the underground shuts down around midnight. This baffles me. Say goodbye to drinking past 10.30pm. Taxis are unbearably expensive and the night bus is terrifying. NYC seems to have understood that a city that never sleeps needs 24/7 subway service. And you know what? Taxis are so affordable that if you can't bothered (and you're not going too far), hop in a cab! Sorted. 

So I give the win to: NYC. 

However, this is not to say London is without its many merits. London, I'll tell you what: I miss your good British TV, cadbury chocolate, pubs and sunny afternoons on the common. But no I do not miss your weather. 

Commerce- West Village

I had heard great things about this restaurant and had been aching to try it for a little while. So I was excited once I finally got round to making a reservation. Tucked away in a quiet unassuming West Village street, this cosy restaurant is very popular. And boy does that show on a Friday evening. Despite my reservation and arriving on time, we had over an hours wait before we were seated. I am not going to lie, this was not the most pleasant experience. We were crammed in by the hectic bar like sardines (imagine the Northern Line at rush hour). The delays and cramped conditions led to a few upset customers complaining but the staff did an amazing job working under high pressure with tempers flaring. We were given complimentary drinks and the food that followed then made up for the less than ideal start.

The bread, oh the bread. Normally I try to avoid eating too much before my food arrives so as not to fill up on bread. But the Commerce brings a bread-basket to end all bread-baskets, with a variety of hot, home made rolls that are impossible to resist. From freshly baked tomato and pesto to soft salty pretzels to cheese and bacon mini rolls… the bread-basket did not last long.

I opted for the Winter Vegetable in Thai Red Curry: fresh, delicate, aromatic and seriously tasty. The Steak Diane was elegant and cooked to perfection. 

For desert I ordered their famous Coconut Cake. While this is not normally my favourite desert, I had heard such good things that it just had to be done.  First of all, it is huge. Everyone at the table ended up trying it but even then I still left about a third (maybe I did eat a little too much bread after all). Second of all, it is delicious. Just go and try it. Be prepared for a moist slab of coconut deliciousness.

Their cookie was a great choice for those who want something sweet but who know when enough is enough (yes my eyes are frequently bigger than my belly). The Birthday Cake comes complete with a candle and is just as big as the Coconut Cake.

Overall, yes the hour wait standing in a seriously crowded room did initially put me off but the staff was fantastic, the atmosphere was good and the food was just amazing.

Brunch in TriBeCa

There is nothing quite so "New York" as a good brunch. So I felt it was pretty shameful that 3 months into my time NYC I still had not tried this late breakfast, early lunch. This weekend I decided it was time to get rid of my guilty conscience and hit the brunch scene.

It can be hard to narrow down where to go given the huge choice of restaurants offering brunch, from Mediterranean to Mexican, Danish to Vietnamese. I was in the mood for a traditional American Brunch and stumbled across Bubby's in Tribeca.

Let me start by saying, I have a feeling that I am going to be a regular here. 

Fantastic comfort food, great service and a buzzing, busy atmosphere. You cannot reserve for brunch but although the place was packed we were seated within minutes.

 Everything was incredibly fresh and ridiculously tasty. Bubby's prides itself on locally sourced, organic food made from scratch. Portions are big, so do make sure you're hungry. 

  

Roosevelt Island: Manhattan's smaller sister, confusing little place

Roosevelt Island is a tiny strip of land on the East bank of Manhattan that you can access by Air Tram. Which, if like me you are scared of heights, is great fun...

You could not exactly say this island has a strong identity. It is made up of a sea of concrete blocks of flats, some slightly flashier than others. 

The allure of Roosevelt Island lies in its difference to nearby Manhattan. And when I say nearby I mean quite literally a stones throw from Manhattan. Roosevelt Island feels almost suburban. Safe. Quiet. And yet amid these peaceful 1970s builds, you come across some historical gems. 

But lets start from the very beginning. To reach Roosevelt Island you can take the Air Tram. The great thing about this is that you can use your Metro Card. Super cheap, super accessible. The reason being for this is that a lot of people live on Roosevelt Island and commute into Manhattan on a daily basis.

You arrive at what is essentially a subway, but just not underground. And your board your Air Tram, which, as you have probably guessed, takes you to the island by air. Lovely. Have I mentioned I am scared of heights?

Ok so it really was not all that bad. 

Once off the tram, Roosevelt Island is a little confusing. With block after block of residential apartments, it is not clear which direction you should walk. Right, take a right.

After walking through block after block of almost communist looking apartments we came across a historical building looking awkwardly out of place. The Chapel of the Good Shepard of 1889 is in stark contrast to its surroundings (and the Verizon stand did not help). 

We also came across the The Blackwell House: constructed in 1796 - New York's 6th oldest farmhouse. Here they negotiated and agreed on the selling of the island to New York City in 1823. 

Despite all my complaining, I chose to go on the Air Tram as I had heard that the views are amazing. 

This is so true. 

It was fantastic to see New York from above. I cannot recommend the Air Tram enough. It is far less touristy, so much cheaper and so much more fun than any sight seeing activity I have done in the city so far! 

This was a truly different and memorable day out.

The Green Table at Chelsea Market: Food Fit for the Dalai Lama

Yesterday it was cold in New York. Very cold, and with this year's first snow I was looking for somewhere warm, to eat something fresh. 

We took refuge in Chelsea Market and came across The Green Table. An organic eatery that has produced food for the Dalai Lama himself. Devoted to organic food and local family farms, this quaint bar/cafe was such a find: the ultimate healthy and environmentally responsible restaurant. 

We shared a Red Quinoa Falafel Platter – tahini, warm chick peas, seasonal pickles, fresh herbs, naan bread. Super filling, full of flavour and ridiculously fresh!

Here, I also discovered Spindrift. A soda with a difference - using real, whole, fresh ingredients. I tried the blackberry soda and it was delicious.

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich(raw milk cheddar cheese & seasonal chutney, Orwasher’s Miche, market greens) was great for a cold day.   

For a seriously tasty and environmentally responsible meal, come to the Green Table.