NYC Hotels: Uptown (The Lowell) vs. Downtown (The Bowery)

It might be a sign of age or that I've become spoiled and attached to certain conveniences, but as the years have gone by, I've found myself gravitating more and more towards hanging out in the Upper East Side. Back when I was an intern at Barbara Gladstone Gallery in my college days, back when the gallery was still in SoHo rather than Chelsea, when SoHo wasn't overrun by chain stores and when Dean & Deluca was hardly itself a chain, I rarely ventured beyond Midtown (and that was only to stay with a friend who was living there).

Fast forward a decade and some years later, and now I can barely leave the comfy confines of the 60s. I've been spoiled by MH's hospitality, where I've not had to venture more than a few blocks for my morning yoga or Central Park run and Starbucks. If I'm feeling more Continental, I head to Le Pain Quotidien and there's also Alice's Tea Cup, which serves up more hearty breakfasts. There are at least 3 yoga studios that I know of within a 2 block radius (Some Like It Hot and Jivamukti are my favoured studios). As for shopping, there's Banana Republic, Gap and Club Monaco when I'm in need of extra T-shirts and jeans or Madison Ave for gifts and more fashionable fare. All my doctors are nearby as well. For dinner, there's Daniel (the lounge is MH's canteen), Jo Jo, Fig & Olive. I can walk to all the museums I like to visit: MoMA, Met and Guggenheim.

So this time around, I decided I would try to find a hotel in the 60s. The closest I've stayed is Four Seasons (on 57th/58th). While I love the Four Seasons for the experience within the hotel (their signature scent, the VIP treatment and the roomy rooms), I'm not so keen about stepping out the front door and being in the thick of the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhatten. MH had suggested Affinia Gardens, just off 3rd Avenue on 64th Street. But then I decided to check out The Lowell, just off Madison Avenue on 63rd Street; I thought it would be nice to be closer to the park. I had been hoping that The Lowell would be a more intimate (only 70 rooms and suites) Four Seasons in the 60s. Suffice it to say, I was disappointed. While the King-bedded room (US$550++/night) was spacious and comfortable, the hotel felt lifeless. This feeling was exasperated by the rather listless front desk staff who would barely acknowledge my presence as I walked by, dropping off or picking up my room key. The exception to this poor show of congeniality was the waiter at breakfast in the Pembroke Room and the bellman. But in general, I did not feel a warm welcome, let alone any real hospitality. Compounded with the grown-up, fussy Frenchie decor (think an abundance of silk fabrics, Louis XV-style furniture, canopied beds etc.), checking into the hotel was akin to visiting a very old family member where joy and smiles are checked at the door. This was actually one of the very, very few hotel rooms where I couldn't bear to stay in the hotel because it just felt like the life of me was being drained. And usually, I love staying in hotels.

Fortunately, my love of hotel living was restored when I checked into The Bowery Hotel. Interestingly, after my stint in Gramercy Park Hotel last summer, I had actually expected to enjoy Lowell more and not be too impressed with Bowery. But it was Bowery that made me smile this time. As expected, the staff at Bowery were better-looking than the staff at The Lowell, but they had none of the "I'm just doing this to bide time and pay the bills before my big modelling/acting/super-stardom break" air of Schrager hotel staff. They were all very sociable, friendly and helpful (when the bellman saw that there was some lighting equipment that did not belong on the rather large terrace to my room, he was very apologetic and arranged for maintenance staff to clear out the equipment despite my protests that it was not a bother since it was raining and I would not be using the terrace). The decor of the Bowery is mod-Vic, but in no way feels old. It's all done with a wink. There's some great details like the swirl of colours inside the closet and the crackle-glazed celadon tile in the bathroom. It was raining hard the next morning, and I didn't mind just hanging out in the room till check-out. It was a shame that the terrace was left unused, because it would have been great to have had breakfast on the terrace.

And I was amazed that the room, being only US$375++ per night, actually had such a sizeable terrace! Location-wise, it's not the Upper East Side. And when I asked for directions to La Esquina, I was actually told me to walk down Lafayette instead of Bowery, because the Bowery gets "a bit dodgy" in parts. Had it not been raining, I could have easily walked to SoHo. The gym in the hotel is not yet open, but there are gyms and yoga studios nearby. Granted, the walk around the neighborhood is nowhere near as gentrified as the 60's; you don't have the tree-lined, clean, wide sidewalks of the Upper East Side. There isn't anywhere I'd really want to run to. Barney's and the museums aren't within walking distance, but I suppose the amount I save in room rate can more than pay for countless taxi rides uptown and back down. More importantly, though, staying at the Bowery is actually a fun experience. But most important is that I don't feel as old as I feared I might be, that I can still enjoy life in the Bowery.

[NOTE: I did take photos of the room at The Lowell, but ironically, they all turned out too dark to post!]

I heart New York

I always thought that if I could wake up every morning, go for a run, swim or yoga and then sit down to a big bowl of cappuccino, freshly-squeezed juice and crispy, brown waffles and sausages at a wonderful neighborhood street-side cafe with a copy of the New York Times and watch the world wake up, then that would be the ultimate Little Cream
Life. Well, this morning saw a slight variation. I woke up in HB's Hamptons house, went for a run down to the windy, pebbly beach in Noyack. Got back to a house that was still sound asleep, went and soaked away any aches in my knees in the salt water hot tub. Only thing missing is the breakfast and NY Times. I could try and make myself a coffee, but the Miele machine looks just a little too complicated.

Arrived in New York on Wednesday afternoon. [ooh! BM just woke up and offered to make coffee, yeah!] Fortunately, jet lag hasn't been too bad. Might be because I didn't sleep the night before getting on the 1015 flight or the morning Central Park run I did Thursday morning. Whatever it was, I've managed to stay awake and alert throughout the day since arriving.

Saw Iphigenia 2.0 (showing at Signature Theatre until 30 September) with AD & CS. I was interested because it's a modern adaptation of a Euripedes tragedy I had never heard of. AD told me afterwards that it was the second project he had to design for at Yale. He explained that it's actually quite an important play because it explains why Clytemnestra is such a bitch (she kills her husband) later on (because Agamemnon sacrifices their daughter to appease the gods so that the army can set sail for war with Troy). This version placed the story in the context of the current Iraq war. A good production, but took a bit too much liberty by changing the story to have the soldiers demand Agamemnon's sacrifice rather than the gods.

Breakfast is being served up now, so better get going...

- Sent from my iPhone

Yummy!

It's really annoying getting KF's emails on upcoming EVE Supper Club dinners, because the menus always make me wish I could be in NYC for those dinners. On 19 June, they're doing a dinner at the lush boudoir setting of Kiki de Montparnasse that's sure to please the senses.

8 June 2007 update: just got email from KF with link to a review of eveSUPPERCLUB in Gourmet's Choptalk blog! Well done guys! Hope to make it to a dinner soon!!!

New York City Update

The highlight of my New York trip was seeing Voyage, part one of Tom Stoppard's Coast of Utopia trilogy with Ethan Hawke playing Michael Bukanin and Billy Crudup playing Vissarion Belinsky, just two of the lead characters. Tom Stoppard is by far my favourite playwright. His plays are brilliant not just because he manages to entertain, but also because he manages to dilute the mosts complicated of subject matters to a something easily digested by the average audience member with the utmost wit and humour (a great example is Hapgood where quantum physics is made entertaining when set in the context of an entertaining spy comedy). In the Coast of Utopia, the heady subject matter is Russian literature, philosophy and politics (or rather, the people behind them) during 19th century Tsarist Russia. As with most of Stoppard's plays, the topics are presented with a light touch and trademark quirky sense of humour. Can't wait to see Shipwreck and Salvage.

Aside from the play, I also had a lovely dinner at MH's neighborhood restaurant, Daniel (the lounge is much more casual and laid-back than the main dining room with the food being just as delicious), a meeting in Philadelphia with Anthropologie's home buyer and a breakfast meeting with an editor at Knopf at Four Seasons Hotel (love their breakfasts). And here I'd like to dispel the myth that editor's don't have the time of day for mere plebes like me. SW, who is the editor for such luminaries as Joan Didion, is one of the most generous people I've met in any industry. She's been a great person to chat to and gain a deeper understanding of the publishing industry. I had a pretty packed schedule, but I still managed to squeeze in a morning yoga class at Some Like It Hot, where I ran into the soon-to-be wed JK. Had wanted to check out the new Bowery Hotel (Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson's new hotel since Maritime) and Waverly Inn (Goode and MacPherson own that this too along with Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter), but didn't have time since I was staying with MH uptown. There's always next time!

I also had a surprisingly quick and pleasant visit to dermatologist Dr Marc Grossman. I highly recommended him (actually he had been highly-recommended to me from PT's aunt). I'm one of these people who dreads seeing any kind of doctor or dentist and Dr Grossman had a manner that put me at ease from the get-go. The wait in his office actually created more anxiety than the actual examination. It took him all of 3 minutes (perhaps even less) to evaporate all my melanoma fears. The rest of the time was just spent chatting and taking my medical history since it was my first visit. I suppose I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, but with so many friends diagnosed with some form of cancer over the past couple of years, one can never be too cautious.

Well, now I'm back in Hong Kong with piles of work ahead of me, which means I'm staying put until Easter.

Funny: Overheard in New York

I can't believe I didn't hear about this site from my NYC friends. Instead, I heard about Overheard in New York over Japanese lunch in Hong Kong with AW, who heard about it from JC, who's Dutch and is addicted to the site. Basically, people post tidbits of conversations they've overheard. Some pretty funny stuff.

For New Yorkers: This Friday's Project by Project 8th Annual Food & Wine Tasting Benefit for Asian Cinevision

Can't believe I forgot to post about Project by Project (a group of social entrepreneurs that works to raise money to benefit the Asian-American community) earlier, especially since we sponsored a couple sets of Little Cream Book for their silent auction as well as copies of Goodwill for their celebrity goodie bags.

Anyhow, Project by Project's Food & Wine Tasting Benefit is tomorrow night (Friday, 29 September 2006) from 7-10pm at Copacabana (560 West 34th Street). Tickets are US$200 at the door (VIP tickets including entry to the VIP reception from 6-7pm are US$300 at the door). Proceeds from the event benefit Asian CineVision.

There will be celebrity sous chefs cooking with the chefs and team from participating restaurants. One celebrity sous chef, in particular, caught my eye: Georgia Lee, director of Red Doors, winning-film at the Tribeca Film Festival 2005. CT had sent out an email inviting his friends and family to join him at the film's opening screening and party in San Francisco last Friday. Alas, I was not in San Francisco, but it sounded like a blast. Wish I could see the film too. It would be cool if I could buy it off of iTunes.

If you can, please go and help Project by Project raise lots of money for Asian CineVision (to benefit Asian-American filmmakers) by bidding lots and lots of money on our Little Cream Book sets as well as other cool items such as round-trip JFK-HKG business class tickets on CX, Sony PSP, Armani Exchange Moto Jacket!!

NYC: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

I had eaten at Paris' L'Atelier when it first opened and remember not being very impressed with the EUR50 lunch I had there. So when MH & HB suggested checking it out, my reception to the idea was a bit lukewarm. Not to mention that it was difficult to get in. When I checked into the Four Seasons hotel, where the restaurant just opened, I had asked whether the front desk could make a reservation for me. The reply was: "Oh, you'll have to take your chances. They're not taking reservations yet and they're very popular". Basically, she couldn't help. Yesterday morning, I decided to try my luck and called the restaurant. Et voila! I got a reservation. They even asked me what time I would like the reservation for! I requested to sit at the counter, because that is where all the action takes place. While counter seating is not very social if the group is larger than 3-4 people, sitting at tables takes some of the drama, excitement and intimacy out of the whole L'Atelier dining experience. One way to solve the problem is to sit on the corner if you have more people.

The food turned out to be stunningly good. There was a sea urchin in gelee (we all agreed that was made from a lobster broth) with cauliflower cream and beautifully-dotted parsley cream. The flavours just burst in my mouth. While I couldn't eat the oysters, judging from the "mmms" and the wide-eyed looks on my friends' faces, it was a hit. The other hit, although sure to be a cardiac-arrest inducing one, was the signature mashed potatoes. I had just a taste and it was pure cream and butter, but absolutely delicious. It was a perfect compliment to my lamb. If I weren't on my low-fat diet, I would have ordered the quail stuffed with foie gras, seared toro tuna belly and wagyu beef. Actually, there were just so many dishes I wanted to taste! We were three diners and ended up ordering 11 tapas and there were still dishes we wanted to try (they also have regular-sized appetizer and mains, but the tapas makes it easier to share and taste more dishes). Then there were the desserts (we were joined by three more people for this, so we got to order three desserts). My grapefruit and white cranberries with yuzu foam (or was it jelly, can't remember), mint sorbet was a symphony of light, refreshing flavours.

We got to meet Yosuke Suga the executive chef. NK, who is Japanese and in the restaurant biz struck up a conversation with him. He's 29 years old, but looks not a day over 16 (apparently, that's when he started apprenticing under Joel Robuchon in Tokyo). There is a Japanese influence on the dishes, like the smoked foie gras and eel that we tried and the use of yuzu. Perhaps that's why I warmed to this version of the L'Atelier menu more.

I'm so glad I went. It's great food and one of those places where it would be fun to dine alone. The rest of the group have already made a booking for their next visit this weekend!

NYC: Zaha Hadid @ Guggenheim

Zaha Hadid is a genius. The way she conceives and visualizes buildings and translates that vision into graphic, abstract paintings is breathtaking. Her current retrospective at Guggenheim Museum runs until 25 October 2006. The exhibition displays paintings, drawings, models, photographs and furniture. I always wondered why Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (i.e. The Peninsula hotels), the developers of The Peak in Hong Kong didn't actually build her competition-winning entry. Instead, they built what I like to call the big wok by Terry Farrell. I wonder if they are regretting that decision today.

To be honest, I find it difficult understanding her paintings as representations/schematics for her buildings or urban planning projects, but they make beautiful, rhythmic, poetic works of art. In terms of her built buildings, I really liked the BMW Plant Central Building in Leipzig, which is not only a brilliantly-executed, user experience-enhancing environment, but also a successful example of social/corporate engineering through architecture. The building brings plant workers and management together. It reminds everyone working for the company what each person is working towards -- delivering quality, high-performance, luxury automobiles.

Hadid's buildings always make a statement. They are never bland or boring, conventional or safe. Instead, they aim to challenge and push the envelope. Oftentimes, the end result is quite moving. The exhibition is a great retrospective spanning 30 years of Hadid's career that has led to her being the first female architect to be awarded a Pritzker Prize in 2004. Displayed all along the Guggenheim's spiral, it makes for a great journey.

Midtown NYC: Four Seasons Hotel & Per Se

After 2 nights at Gramercy Park, I moved back up near Central Park to the I.M. Pei-designed Four Seasons Hotel. The first thing I noticed was that the doormen, bellmen and other staff aren't hired from the portfolios of modelling agencies. The moment I walked into the grand lobby, I felt like I had entered a decidedly more serious, adult world; one of bankers and consultants rather than starlets and playboys. Likewise, the staff carry themselves in a more formal manner. The attitude is more "we're here to serve you and serve you well" rather than "welcome to our popular, little clique; you're lucky to be here".

I was in the lift coming back up from the gym with two other guys who had just worked out and one was raving about the little touches. In this instance, it was the refreshing menthol in the refrigerator stocking cold, water bottles (they also have water bottles at room temperature). While I was working out, gym staff were always on hand passing out bottles of water and towels. This is the Four Seasons level of service that I have grown accustomed to -- anticipating guests' needs before they realize what they need. Compare that to Gramercy Park where there was no staff on hand at the gym and when I called down to front desk with a question, they said they would send somebody up. Nobody ever showed up. A comparison between these two hotels is a bit unfair, because their approaches are so different. But I just wish somebody could come up with hotels that marry the two approaches -- something fun, hip AND serious about serving its guests.

The room at Four Seasons was a Deluxe king-bed Room with a sliver of a park view (I was given a corporate rate of US$495++ with a complimentary room upgrade). It was very spacious, a real hotel room -- practical and comfortable. Even though the decor is nothing spectacular, it is tasteful, well-executed and maintained.


The bathroom had the signature tub that fills up in under a minute, separate shower and TV.


Only complaint is that it only has one sink. The wardrobe/dressing area is roomy as well.


There's ample space to hang clothes with ample hangers as well as drawers. Likewise, the sitting area consisted with two armchairs, an ottoman, side table facing a swivel TV. While there is no wi-fi, there is high-speed ethernet connection, with the outlet by the desk. The charge is US$10/day compared to US$14.95 at Gramercy Park Hotel. I actually have an issue with hotels, especially of this calibre, charging for internet connection. If motels or run-of-the-mill hotels can offer free wi-fi, surely a 5-star hotel charging much higher room rates can afford to do the same.

At the moment, the hotel's brand new restaurant, L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon, is still in soft opening stages (since 9 August) and is not taking reservations yet, but diners are welcome to pop by and try their luck. This is the fourth installment of this particular restaurant (the first opened in Paris' Hotel Pont Royal, second in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex and the third in Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel). However, I made a call to check availability for dinner tonight and got seats; can't wait to try it!

In the meantime, I went to Per Se for dinner and asked for a healthy, low-fat dinner. My foodie friends thought it a bit sacrilegious to go to Per Se whilst on a low-fat diet, but the nearly 16-course menu came out very healthy (with the exception of cheese, which I skipped and dessert, of course). As always, a meal at Per Se is always very memorable. I always walk away remembering every single course I have. It goes without saying that a meal at Per Se has never been disappointing. Service is always attentive without being overbearing or overly stuffy. The staff are extremely knowlegable and accommodating to special requests. Some of my low-fat favourites were: Sevruga caviar served with cucumber sorbet (the non, low-fat diners got the signature "Oysters and Pearls", a "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Russian Sevruga Caviar); Citrus Cured Fillet of Hiramasa with "compressed" summer melons, yuzu sorbet, Molokai Black Sea Salt and "Petite" Mint; butter poached Nova Scotia lobster tail braised torpedo onion, Matsutake mushrooms, "Emince" of scallion and Matsutake broth. Everything was perfectly cooked, flavours perfectly balanced, beautifully-presented and portions were perfectly-sized -- just a taste -- so that by the end of the dinner, I did not feel like I had binged on a huge meal, though it was a 4-hour dinner. Those that indulged in foie gras and wagyu beef courses felt a bit more stuffed though. We were presented with a platter of 10 salts (5 from Hawaii, 1 from Japan, 2 from France, 1 from England, 1 from Montana) and two butters (one French, the other from California). Our table had fun tasting the various salts with the butter and bread. Our favourite was one of the salts from Hawaii, black in colour from being infused with charcoal. The best part, though, was the kitchen visit. I had previously visited the kitchen when the lunch service had been completed. Everything was already spic-and-span, squeeky clean. I could hardly believe that they had just churned out 15 tables of long menus. This time around, with the last seating at 10pm (our seating was at 7pm), I got to witness the kitchen at work. It bears no resemblence to Gordon Ramsey's drama-filled kitchen on the FOX reality show, Hell's Kitchen. It was a picture of perfect order and even calmness with Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno at the helm of this expertly-crewed ship. Everyone was busy at their stations, but nobody seemed to be under pressure. It was like a well-oiled machine. Stations were very clean -- no spills or even drips, no stacks of dirty pans or dishes or other equipment. The video link between the French Laundry kitchen was also up-and-running, so could watch both kitchens in action. All in all, I am happy that Per Se managed to prove the foodies wrong; that great French-styled cuisine need not necessarily mean a fatty, butter-and-cream laden meal.

NYC Wrap-Up: Shows & Restaurants

Got back to Hong Kong early Monday morning and headed straight to the office after a quick stop home to drop off bags and shower. Oddly enough, it doesn't feel like I've been away for 2 months. New releases of Little Cream Book: Architecture, Romance and Golf arrived on Tuesday and it's been crazy ever since. The last few weeks in New York, I was on the phone with the printer nearly every night. Orange, my mobile phone provider, finally called to tell me that I had exceeded my roaming quota and that I would have to pay my HK$8,000+ bill immediately to avoid suspension of my roaming privileges. Am still missing NYC though, so though I'd do a final wrap-up of all the things I missed in my previous posts.

Hotel
Mercer -- I got to check out one of the rooms at Mercer when I visited A&K. They have their own architectural practice, Naga Concepts, based out of Phuket and were in town working with Andre Balazs on his new resort/residential project in Anguilla. Interiors will be by Christian Liagre and there will be a John Pawson-designed spa. I was really excited for them, because it sounds like an awesome project to work on. And I had previously stayed at Hotel QT, and liked it very much -- it's great value for money in a very convenient Times Square location. The rooms, though not exactly spacious, are sensibly and practically thought out. And I love the bar pool (the major disappointment at Four Seasons was that it did not have a pool!). So I had high expectations when I visited Mercer, especially since I knew it was another Liagre-designed hotel. I was in for a disappointment though. While the room I saw was spacious by NYC standards, the decor looked much more bland than I had expected. The bathroom (without a tub) was standard-sized and looked like a bathroom in a medical clinic with its white tiles. All in all, not the level of luxe I was expecting, but its location in the heart of SoHo cannot be beat.

Shows
I managed to catch three shows this time around. But August is not really the best time for shows. I was so sad to read that my fave playwright, Tom Stoppard's trilogy, The Coast of Utopia, doesn't start until 17 October. I'm hoping I'll be able to schedule a trip to NYC to coincide with one of the marathon Saturdays next year so I can watch all 3 plays (Voyage, Shipwreck and Salvage) all in one go. And then there's Butley, starring Nathan Lane, which AD is designing the set for. That runs from 5 October (previews, opening on 25 October) to 14 January 2007 at the Booth Theatre, so it will definitely be hard for me to catch that one. Anyway, here's what I did get to see:
Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway -- On until 10 September 2006, this cabaret act is a riot! Kiki is absolutely outrageous: "I always thought, if you weren't molested as a child, you must not have been very attractive". It's a fun show though.
Absinthe -- On for the rest of September in the Spiegel Tent down in South Street Seaport. This is definitely one of the sexiest vaudeville acts I've seen. Make sure you see the finale! It's kind of a child-unfriendly Cirque du Soleil. Although the night I was there, there were at least 2 children in the first row. If you go, get there early, because it's free seating
The Lieutenant of Inishmore -- Ended 3 September. Could have skipped the first act, but the shocking and funny second act more than made up for the slow first act.

Restaurants
Wajima -- 134 East 61st Street (b/w Lex and Park) 212 813 9065. I had passed by this restaurant a couple of times and thought it looked interesting. Then MH told me that her mother had been for lunch and they had great lunch specials for US$10. I decided I had to go check it out and it was definitely worth it! For US$9.80, I got one rice bowl with sashimi, one rice bowl with 3 pieces of tempura (2 of which were shrimp), a bowl of cold soba, a bowl of miso soup and an egg custard! Definitely great value for money and the food was good. At lunch time, the place was packed with Japanese.
Raku -- CS and I paid Ray a visit after seeing Kiki & Herb. It's a great pre- or post-theatre joint since it's on 47th b/w Broadway and 8th. ML, Ray's wife, had told me that their specialty is rolls, with its multiple combination of fishes, are not that popular in Hong Kong. Raku comes up with roll combinations in honour of its best clients, Morgan Stanley being one of them.
Bar Masa -- This was the fall back option after I walked all the way down to Sushi Yasuda only to find out it was closed for lunch on Saturday. I had a sushi sampler. One of the few sushi places I've been in the US that actually serves up Japanese-sized sushi. All the fish was very fresh and tasty, but because I was on the phone with a friend, I didn't get a chance to ask what each fish was before finishing them off. A bit pricey, though certainly not as pricey as Masa.
A Voce -- SP who worked with Andrew Carmellini at Le Cirque took me there the first time around. I loved it so much that I booked dinner there for friends 3 nights later. We got to try a lot of dishes. All were light (worked for my diet, i.e. not heavy with butter and cream) and fresh Italian dishes. My absolute fave was the sweet corn ravioli. I had a dish all to myself the second time around. At dinner with S&A, both chefs, I learnt that a creme brulee at Le Cirque uses 6 egg yolks, shocking!
BLT Fish -- Had some very sweet clams there. Definitely prefer the less formal shack downstairs to the more formal upstairs dining. Others had all-you-can-eat mussels, but nobody asked for more after the first bowl. Everything was served with plenty of fries, which I did not touch.
Am really bummed I did not get a chance to check out Sushi Yasuda; that's going on the top of my list of restaurants to try next time! It was a S&A recommendation. MH, seconded it, but added that she no longer patronized the restaurant on principle. Apparently, the sushi chef is a real chauvanist.
Magnolia Bakery -- 401 Bleeker Street 212 462 2572 Yes, I was on a low-fat, low-sugar diet, so cupcakes weren't exactly what I was supposed to be eating. But I got BL to buy one just so I could have a teeny, tiny bite. Absolute happy food! It would be awesome if they opened shop here, definitely beats Krispy Kreme (an outpost of which has just opened up downstairs from my office here in HK)!

Work-in-Progress: The making of a Meatpacking photography studio

Decked out in a baseball cap, baggy khakis and flip-flops, K, a B-school classmate who is working for a company that just IPOed in Toronto and London, asked, "Do I look the part of the poor, starving artist?" as he excitedly ushered me into his space above the Rubin Chapelle shop on West 14th. It was quite a mess. He and P are doing much of the work themselves with help from friends, converting the space into a 1,000+ square foot photography studio: eveNYC. It was fun to check out a work-in-progress in Meatpacking, especially since I had just come from visiting two other apartments (the first near Gramercy Park, the second in Chelsea) that were more-or-less complete. On 18 August, this is how the space looked:


By 23 August, it was already looking much better!



The studio should be ready in early September. Can't wait to see it then!

NYC: Ian Schrager's New Gramercy Park Hotel

I traded proximity to Central Park, Museum Mile and Madison Avenue shopping for keys to Gramercy Park yesterday. NC, my rebounder instructor, had tipped me off to a really bad review of Ian Schrager's new Gramercy Park Hotel in The New York Sun by James Gardner. So before I checked in, it seemed that word on the street was that Gramercy was a major disappointment.

I have previously stayed in three of Schrager's properties -- Hudson, St Martin's Lane and The Clift. My favourite has been, and still remains, St Martin's Lane. Unlike the other two hotels, St Martin's Lane has a proper bathroom that doesn't get treated like the poor hillbilly cousin. For me, Schrager's hallmark is his ability to turn the lobby, restaurants and bars into one of the city's most happening scenes, while the rooms are actually secondary. If you check into a Schrager hotel, you are not so much paying for a room to sleep in, but entrance to a club to party in. Hence, the oftentimes annoying habit of requesting that hotel guests produce their room keys before allowing them entry into the hotel.

Thus, it came as no surprise when I walked into my "Loft" category room (The introductory rate until 4 September is US$340++. The rack rate is expected to more than double after that to US$805++, with special rates at US$645++) and found nothing more than what normal hotels would simply call a Deluxe room. There was no loft bed and the ceiling height is by no means lofty. However, relative to usual Schrager rooms, the "Loft" room was quite spacious. There was a seating area with sofa and leather desk (with a medieval-looking upolstered chair that was a tad too high such that you have to hunch over the keyboard of your laptop) as well as a red armchair with ottoman. There was a king bed with two nightstands and ample room to maneouver. A nice touch was a small vase of fresh flowers by the bedside.


This time Schrager did not use Philippe Starck to do the interior design for his hotel. The painter Julian Schnabel (of broken plates fame) has had a hand in the public spaces, while the bulk of the interiors is by Michael Overington and Anda Andrei. To me, it's a Jacques Garcia wannabe. It's a tarted up version of the Costes Brothers' Hotel du Bourg Tibourg in Paris' Marais (the wood-panelled bathroom really reminds me of HdBT). It's got that Adams Family feel, with a lushness, or perhaps louchness, that comes from an abundant use of richly coloured crushed velvet (robes in royal blue, sofas in olive green, armchairs in scarlet red, curtains in lobster rose, side table in goldust).


There is a very well-stocked in-room bar complete with red, cut-crystal goblets and all manner of gourmet snacks (at super gourmet prices, of course). All this is a mahogany and mirrored bar a la Las Vegas party limo. In addition to the flat screen TV and DVD/CD player, my favourite in-room accessory is the JBL iPod speaker dock (even though the sound is not so great, it's fun. Note to self: remember to unplug from dock when leaving!!).


The one-bedroom suite (Introductory rate is US$400++; rack rate will be US$875++, with special rates from US$655-705++) does not feel as spacious as a suite should. The bedroom is typically Schrager small.


In the bathroom, there is only one sink, no bathtub. The shower and toilet are separated by a door from the sink, which is exposed to the bedroom.


The sitting room is separated from the bedroom by a door. I actually prefer the layout of the Loft to the one-bedroom suite.


All in all, it's a fun hotel and its location on Gramercy Park (with guests getting keys to the private park) a plus. But there were signs everywhere that the hotel opened in haste. For example, poorly fitted door handles:


The restaurant and rooftop club are not yet open. So a simple breakfast is served in one of the meeting rooms facing the park. Main complaints include a lack of electrical outlets for guests who now need to charge phones, laptops, cameras etc. In my room, there was only one available outlet in the lamp, with the other free outlet in the bathroom (definitely not charging my laptop in there!). The windows are neither double-glazed nor sound-proofed. At night, you can hear the ruckus from the street (and there will be lots of ruckus as the bars become the next IT spot post Labour Day). In the morning, I was rudely awoken by construction racket at 8am.

At the current rates, GPH is a fun hotel (it's convenient to Union Square, Chelsea galleries, Meatpacking scene etc.). But as two ladies chatting on the treadmills in the gym commented, they would never pay the increased rates. It's just not worth it; there are too many better accommodation choices in this city. Unless, of course, you want to party on the rooftop with the IT crowd.

Here's a tip: Skip the hotel breakfast. Instead, headd to 71 Irving Place cafe (T: +1 888 710-3844) on the other side of the park. Grab your paper and a park key on your way out, get your breakfast and have it in the park.

NYC: Upper East Side workout spots, Fig & Olive, Shake Shack, etc.

I've been in NYC for a little over a week now. It's been great. Been staying at MH's place on 65th and 3rd, and been absolutely spoiled. The neighborhood's been so convenient. I've had a smorgasbord of workout experiences -- got a temporary one week membership to Sports Club/LA on 61st & 1st where there's a dizzying array of group sculpt classes and the facilities are great, another one-week trial for US$25 at Some Like It Hot Yoga on 63rd & 3rd, Jivamukti Yoga Studio is just around the corner on Lex and a INShape, a private exercise studio on 68th & 5th that offers rebounder (workout routines done on a mini-trampoline) and pilates. Of course, the park is also right nearby. In addition to working out, I've spent some time working at the public library on 67th & 2nd (also has free wi-fi, but a bit of a small neighborhood library so the hours are a bit short).

Despite all that, the highlight of New York is meeting people over meals. The first dinner I had was at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park on 23rd. Started by the same people as the famed Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack has become something of a phenomenon. The website has a live feed of the lines queuing for their delicious burgers, hot dogs and shakes. I arrived at 6:45pm and did not sit down with our group's order until 8:25pm. But it was a very pleasant evening, so the waiting was bearable. And the food was sinfully delicious. I had a bird dog (chicken dog) with the works and a coffee milk shake. I was later advised by CH, who lives nearby, that the best time to go is around 4:30pm.


AW had sent me on a mission to check out Whole Foods, but MH & CR both tipped me off to an even better neighborhood find -- Really Cool Foods on 3rd & 63rd. The place is great for people who want to eat in, but don't necessarily want to go through all the hassle of preparing a delicious home-cooked meal. Really Cool Foods prepares all the ingrediants, offering single (and larger) serving packages of meal components such as sauteed sliced mushrooms, sauteed ground turkey with chillis, grilled chicken pieces or strips, steamed asparagus etc. as well as other food items. It's a great mix-n-match food concept. I prepared a delicious salad with a ceaser salad package with the ground turkey and mushrooms, which I reheated in the microwave in 30 seconds and then tossed everything together. I didn't even need any dressing.

So far though, my favourite neigborhood restaurant has been Fig & Olive on Lex & 62nd. It's been great for healthy eating, but that place is always soooo packed. They always do a complimentary olive oil tasting of 3 different olive oils, one each from France, Italy and Spain. Their pastas (penne with mushrooms and truffle oil and crabmeat & ricotta ravioli) are cooked just perfect and I love their Fig & Olive salad.

Through MH, I was invited to a dinner party at HB's beautiful Tribeca flat. She had just gotten this incredible exercise machine called ROM (Range of Motion) that promised the benefits of a 45-minute workout in just 4 minutes! Both MH and I thought it sounded too good to be true, but were still very curious to give it a whirl. The machine is huge. It allows you to workout the upper body while seated; it's a bit like rowing, but instead of just pulling front to back, you pull and push in sort of a circular motion. Hence, increasing the range of motion. On the back end of the machine, you can work your lower body and abs. The lower body workout is a bit like a stairmaster workout where you take incredibly huge steps up. I want my gym to get some. It's sure to be a hit!

ROM and delicious Mexican food aside, the most fascinating part of dinner were the people. Because HB's friend film producer friend MC was in town from LA, there were a few film industry people around. P is working on a film about an American woman who marries a Korean-American and decides to have an affair with another Korean man so that she can conceive a child for her husband's family. The film was in the middle of shooting in NYC. MC herself was working on a film about her mentor, Shin Sang-Ok, the Korean filmmaker who was kidnapped, along with his wife, by the North Koreans to make propoganda films. And then there was BD whose book, Closure, which he co-authored, has just been released. The book is about the 9/11 rescue-and-recovery from the perspective of Lt William Keegan of the Port Authority Police Department. BD had many fascinating stories to recount, which made us all want to go out and buy the book.

NYC: Chambers Hotel, Bouchon Bakery

Arrived in NYC this afternoon. Checked into Chambers Hotel on W 56th and 5th; great location. The room I checked into is a decent size (has enough room for a closet and luggage shelf in the hallway, queen bed, desk, side table, reading chair, reading lamp, television and minibar). The desk is set-up like a draughtsman's table, tracing paper unrolls from one side with sharpened pencils and coloured pencils ready for doodles; nice touch. The bathroom failed the JR Luxury Hotel rule (i.e. no separate shower & tub. In fact, no tub at all.). But I kind of expected that of a "design hotel" and at US$295++ per night in midtown Manhattan. I could pay nearly US$400++ at Hotel on Rivington in the Lower East Side and still not get a tub (but you do get a view that makes you smile when you wake up if you get a corner room and despite what people might think about the foam mattresses, they do make for a great sleep). The one grip I do have about Chambers is the lack of service, and I suppose this is the gripe I have at most design hotels. I checked in hungry a bit before 3pm. Between 2:30-5:30pm, neither TOWN, the restaurant, is open nor do they have room service. I asked the front desk where I could print out a confidential document and they asked me to email to their reception email address. And now, as I write, I am calling down to TOWN for room service and nobody is answering (The menu says it runs till 1am, it's only 12:30am right now. Front desk just informed me that room service does not run until 1am on a Sunday, but they'll send up a menu from a nearby deli). But I suppose these things are easily solved by its convenient location.





For my late lunch, I walked over to Time Warner Center for a bit at Bouchon Bakery (where they sell freshly-baked gourmet doggie biscuits!). On the way there, I noticed the LV shop has the exact same window display (currently, it's a collage of vintage hotel luggage stickers set against a blue background) as the shops in Hong Kong! I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I didn't realize window displays were determined internationally. I think the building that the shop is in, but is it just me or does the LV facade look a bit like an obscene hand gesture??



Be careful when you order a bottle of water by yourself, because you will get a 1-litre bottle. The bread here is really great. I had the Rillettes aux Deux Saumons. It was delicious; as I cleaned up the jar with every last remaining crust of bread. Not good for my diet though, as its quite heavy on the butter and I ended up ordering a nice glass of Pinot Noir (can't remember if it was from Sonoma or Oregon) to wash it down. As I was enjoying my late lunch, I could hear people cheering from the Samsung showroom. The World Cup Final between France and Italy was on. When I finished at Bouchon Bakery, I walked over to watch the penalty kicks. I stood next to some French people. I'm not much into World Cup. I totally lost interest when the US team lost to Ghana. But if I had to choose a team to root for, I was rooting for France. The year I was in France, they won the World Cup. Unfortunately, we all know that France lost to Italy by 1 kick. I really felt for the French, they looked utterly dejected. I headed downstairs to pick up a couple National Geographic Trail Maps for Yellostone and Grand Teton National Park. I only have a morning to drive around Grand Teton before I start my pack trip, but I've been told by my uncle WW, that I have to stop by Jenny Lake Lodge.

Can't wait...next stop, Jackson, Wyoming! The Wild West!!

Chambers Hotel ADSL: Free

Hong Kong Restaurants for a Visiting Chef and His NYC Tips

For some reason, I have a reputation among my friends of not liking Chinese food. This really isn't true. What I don't like about dining out at Chinese restaurants has more to do with ambiance than food -- the noise, the thoughtlessness of the decor, the clutter and hygeine levels (too many stories of cholera found in the fish tanks of Hong Kong's Chinese-style seafood restaurants). But when there are visitors in town, it just makes sense to take them to Chinese restaurants.

I recently got an email from MH introducing me to SP, a chef who would be in town for a week and would like to sample what Chinese cuisine has to offer. So I had a think and came up with the following list with the goal in mind of showing that Chinese food is not just about fried rice, spring rolls, sweet-n-sour dishes or peking duck (even though Hong Kong does have the best Peking Duck):

1. Xi Yan Sweets -- I picked this for dinner, because it was just the two of us so we wouldn't be able to go to Xi Yan. But at least SP would get a taste of Jacky Yu's cooking style. I love the dan dan noodles here; the texture is perfect, nice and chewy.

2. Hutong -- This one's great for out-of-towners, you get the stunning view of Hong Kong island and if you get there around 8pm, you'll catch the Symphony of Lights show, where the Hong Kong Island office buildings perform a laser and light show. I love asking guests to try their shark's lips as well as "Jade" vegetable in ginger oil, crispy de-boned lamb ribs Hutong style and their dumplings.

3. Bistro Manchu in SoHo (lots of great, little restaurants around here as well) serves up great northern-style dumplings at 33 Elgin Street (T: 2536 9128).

4. Victoria City Seafood Restaurant in either 5/F CITIC Tower, 1 Tim Mei Avenue (T: 2877 2211) or the one in Repulse Bay (T: 2803 1882) for dim sum.

5. Bo Innoseki -- For a sort of Ferran Adria meets Chinese food experience.

6. Crystal Jade -- For Shanghainese noodles, dumplings and other dishes. Lots of outlets including Hong Kong Station (T: 2295 3811) and Harbour City Shopping Mall on Canton Road (T: 2622 2699).

7. Happy Valley wet market (top floor) for a great local food stall experience. The chicken with fried garlic at Sheung Kee (T: 2882 2994) is awesome.

8. Moon Garden Tea House -- A great place to sample all sorts of Chinese teas and snacks at 5 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay (T: 2882 6878).

I had a great dinner chatting with SP. I had thought he was in town researching for a new restaurant. Turns out, he's a chef that doesn't like the restaurant biz. Which is why he switched to private chefing. He's the chef for a family in NYC. The way he tells it, he's got an awesome job cooking for 2 adults and creating exciting meals for a baby and dogs that also allows him time to explore other business ideas such as a gourmet, organic baby food shop. I think it's a great idea and hope he gets it going soon!! Part of his job is also to try out different restaurants and learn about different cuisines (which is why he is in Hong Kong, to learn more about Chinese food) so that the family he cooks for don't get bored eating the same dishes. His wife is also a chef who apprenticed as a pastry chef at El Bulli. They both worked together briefly at Lumière in Vancouver. Since I'll be in NYC for 2 weeks this summer, I couldn't resist grilling him on the restaurant scene there. Here are just some of the recommendations I remember:

Chef on the rise: Andrew Carmellini. A Voce, on 41 Madison Avenue (T: +1 212 545 8555), is a laid-back, modern Italian restaurant. Carmellini was awarded the Best Chef in New York last year by the James Beard Foundation.

Chef, whose meal can turn a bad day into a good one: Mario Batali

Other recommendations: Blue Hill, Luarent Tourondel's BLT restaurants (SP likes BLT Fish, but there's also BLT Steak and BLT Prime) and Upstairs at Bouley