I think I am dealing with jetlag the same way I deal with manflu, which is essentially not very well. As I write this I am in a catatonic state sprawled across my kitchen counter surrounded by a ridiculous amount of kitchenalia, which was accumulated on my visit to New York City last week. A scene which is something similar to the result of a string of wild nights in but instead of empty glasses and a sticky floor I have a pile of heavy sparkly plates, an array of baking goodies which would make a clown wince, and various implements of torture and food preparation.
The thing about a city like New York crossed with an avid foodie obsessive person like myself is that because of the ginormous population there is literally an endless supply of specialist shops for food freaks. This was certainly proved to be the case when I spent two hours in a baking supply emporium which had everything from spray can food colouring to giant plastic cupcake carriers. Not to mention my afternoon whiled away in vintage cookbook shop come living room run by a woman who proudly showed me her sprawling collection of cookbooks which had an eclectic mix from a Sopranos cookbook to an original cookbook from the 1800’s complete with original paper clippings.
Yes this is a city which oozes culinary inspiration like a drippy doughnut! I have a feeling the jetlag is most definitely not being helped by the fact that I forced myself into a food coma everyday. Being an extremely excitable and highly impulsive individual the sheer allure of having something new and fresh to try on every street corner resulted in the creation of a brand new eating pattern which I like to call the Hungry Sumo New York diet.
Not so much a diet as a way of life created with the sole intent to ensure that my stomach did in fact become as big as my eyes. A great feat by any matter of means but this diet is cleverly structured to allow for every interesting item of food to be consumed with no exceptions. On the Hungry Sumo New York diet a sample day allowed me fit in the following:
1. A cute and cosy breakfast of blueberry pancakes served with butter, maple syrup and an enormous side of salty bacon at Kitchenette a 1950’s style home diner complete with frilly red check curtains and a selection of homemade pies.
2. A stop for elevenses at the iconic Katz’s deli to devour one of their pastrami on rye sandwiches created right in front of me carved straight out of a hot boiler and slapped together on two pieces of authentic rye bread slathered with a wooden spoon full of hot mustard.
3. A visit to a new little shop called the Doughnut plant which serves up a selection of doughnuts with interesting flavours such as creme brulee, tres lechée and crystalized ginger, all three were ashamedly consumed, for testing purposes of course.
4. A lunch of Dim Sum at one of sprawling Chinatowns hottest little restaurants, the appropriately named, Dim Sum Go Go, where a platter of 10 varieties of steamed little packets of Asian goodness were guzzled down, in the company of local experts who happily shared their knowledge about all things Dim Sum.
5. A mid afternoon meal at hip restaurant The Spotted Pig where a giant burger served hot and dripping with roquefort cheese on a toasted brioche bun was devoured alongside an insanely large portion of shoestring french fries deep fried with garlic and rosemary.
6. A stroll to the Magnolia Bakery made famous by Sex and The City where not one but two of their melt in the mouth red velvet cupcakes were consumed washed down with some homemade lemonade.
7. A fingerlickin’ dinner at an authentic American style rib restaurant which was nicely rounded off by a dessert of wait for it… deep fried oreo cookies!!!
8. A hot dog slathered with mustard and ketchup guiltily eaten in Times Square on the stroll back to the hotel.
As you can see from what looks like a day my stomach will never forgive me for, the Hungry Sumo New York diet is an essential element of any dedicated foodies travel plans to the big apple. Speaking of apples, I think that may be all I will be eating for the next few weeks…. Ah who am I kidding anyone for another cupcake baked in the ring of a doughnut covered in maple syrup served on top of a deep fried oreo?
I have a long list of all the fantastic places we visited in NYC, so hopefully I will have finished editing the photos by next week so I can stick it up here, until then though: