NYC: Battery Park to Columbus Circle

Quite an eventful (and somewhat stressful) weekend in NYC - experiencing apartment hunting at its finest... or worst. Fingers crossed it all goes well! Made up for it with an abundance of good eats :)

Sushi, North End, and the Mandarin

After a long morning of apartment-viewing (seven different buildings to be exact), my cousin and I were craving light Japanese fare. Unfortunately, our first choice, Ootoya, was about to close for its lunch/dinner transition break, so we began walking towards the Gramercy area looking for a place to eat. Almost by pure luck, we happened upon Momoya, and after glancing at the menu posted on the outside window, we decided to try it out.

As we are both big sushi and sashimi fans, we both ordered the chirashi bowl, which is offered at lunch for only $16 (compared to $20+ anywhere else). It was actually amazing to see at such a nice restaurant ($$$ level on Yelp as a reference) and the cuts of fish were not only super fresh, but very meaty. The rice was also seasoned in a type of soy sauce and shallot mixture. So good!!!

Complimentary miso soup with our meal

Chirashi bowl - SO many fresh pieces of sashimi, such a great deal!!

Had a lovely dinner later that evening at North End Grill with the boyfriend - the view of the sunset next to Battery Park made it the perfect way to relax after a very long day :)

My lamb, his fish, our funnel cake :P

Lunch the next day at the lobby lounge of Mandarin Oriental:

The menu is asian fusion-focused, so we had wagyu beef sliders, the korean short rib sandwich, and a blood orange-lychee-pineapple juice. Pretty pricey though, and spotty service - not sure we'd consider going back.

+ 1 Michelin Experience: Marea

So excited about this!! Been wanting to come here for ages, and it definitely did not disappoint. The ambiance was very classy, but slightly more casual compared to the French places like Bouley and Le Bernardin. We decided to go for the 4-course prix fixe menu, which actually left me stuffed to the point of slight discomfort lol. But another one to cross of the list, woot! And thank you to the best boyfriend ever for the belated birthday treat :)

Amuse bouche - don't remember exactly what it was (there was shrimp), but a great start to the meal! + multigrain and rosemary olive foccaccia

Course 1: Sgombro crudo, pacific jack mackerel (hamachi), tomato, fennel, trout roe, potato chip
Ostriche (oysters), Kumamoto, Hammersley Inlet, East Beach Blonde, Peter's Point, Point Lookout, Shinnecock

Course 2: Risotti Mare, lobster, turbot, sea urchin
Fusilli, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow

Course 3: Anatra, roasted long island duck breast, duck sausage, lentils, figs, roasted endive, foie gras jus
Ordered this at the suggestion of a friend when I mentioned that I was afraid the portions at the restaurant would be too small... the duck was cooked perfectly and was extremely rich, so the fattiness definitely was what filled me up - I would say this is the way to go if you are very hungry. Unfortunately I was not, and was sadly unable to finish.

Course 3: Spigola Nera, local black bass, favas, confit potato, italian wheat beer, spring onions

Course 4 (dessert): pistachio and chocolate strati (very decadent), vanilla semifreddo with dark chocolate and orange, petit fours (raspberry candy, cherry bon bon, blueberry marshmallow)