Jung Sik Yim, the chef-owner of the restaurant Jungsik has an incredible talent; his two stars in the Michelin guide are well deserved.

Jung Sik Yim’s cooking is a marvelous combination of orient and occident, it’s well thought out; from the ingredients to the products, from the visual presentation to the design of the dishes. Every dish is sublime and has the incredible lightness of being. Starting with the amuse bouches from his wonderful Tasting Menu of nine dishes. We were delighted by his technical prowess and his mastery of spices and flavors.

The restaurant is a beautiful and spacious place with two rooms, the back room more private and seemingly designed for lovers and romantic dinners.

The wine list is extensive and eclectic with a good choice by the glass or by half-bottle.

The service is professional and competent however there was one misstep: they put truffles in one our dishes even though we had alerted the maître d' that we were allergic to truffles...

This address should be on every serious foodie and gourmet's must go list.

JUNGSIK

2 Harrison Street
New York, NY 10013
+1 212 219 0900

jungsik.kr

We had the chance to discover the cooking of Shaun Hergatt in his new address on the ground floor of the Chandler’s Hotel.

We went with my mother who’s been a regular at this place since the chef moved to the Hotel Chandler. Shaun Hergatt's cuisine is both technical and intellectual, at the same time very elaborated and structured, but with a kinky side too.

The $39 lunch menu is a gem in NYC and a good introduction for first-timers like us. The presentation of the dishes was not only a marvel for the eyes, but also the best way to open our appetite.

The food was exquisite and tasteful; Desserts were delicious and original. Juni’s pastry chef, Mina Pizarro is talented and a good match to Shaun Hergatt's culinary skills.

The wine list is eclectic and well selected from different countries and producers.

We were lucky enough to meet the chef at the end of our meal. We congratulated him on his outstanding cooking and told him that he highly deserved his one star in the Michelin guide. He, however, thought he should have two! We almost totally agreed with him and let him know that, in our opinion, the way to get there was by improving service which is currently quite nice but definitely not on par with the standards of excellence of a two-Michelin starred restaurant.

Opening schedule : 12:00 – 14:00, 17:30 – 22:00

Wow! This is probably one of the cheapest lunch menu offered in a Michelin starred restaurants we know. The 25 USD lunch menu (starters, main course and dessert) is a knock-out. Besides the prices, the setting is grandiose, the place can serve up to 150 guests at once. It’s located next to the famous Flatiron building.

Now, let's turn our attention to the food offered for our lunch on April 27^th 2015: the starters were all savory and refined, especially the Piri-Piri Shrimp and the Lashooni Gobi (Crispy floret and cauliflower with chili flakes and tomato chutney). The main courses we had were Murg Lababdar (Chicken Tikka), Lamb Kolhapuri (lamb simmered in spicy curry) and Chanda Pindi (stewed chickpeas marinated in onion and ginger) were tasty and elevated. The whole meal was served with incredible naan and Pulao Basmati Rice. The desserts, Coconut Pudding with Ginger Sorbet were perfect for a nice ending.

The wine list is amazing for an Indian restaurant, the list is very diverse and cosmopolite, it travels from Austria to Australia, from France to the USA, from Spain to Argentina, from Italy to New Zealand. They have also an incredible cocktail list and delicious lassies.

The service is extremely friendly and professional, the host made us feel right at home.

Vikas Khanna and his pastry chef, Shoukut Hussain deserved their first Michelin star and our praises.

New York, New York,

The most overrated city in the world. New York now is a city for billionaires - the 1% of New Yorkers, the other 99% left to struggle to survive or just get by.

Everything is more expensive than ever, from clothing to eating, from entertainment to culture. Even millionaires are careful with their spending when they plan to go out to dinner or see a show.

Fortunately, for New Yorkers, there are still a few places that remain affordable in terms of quality and prices.

Here are a few places we went to and were very enthusiastic about:

Junoon is the first Indian restaurant that obtained a Michelin star.

Juni is where the chef Shaun Hergatt received his first Michelin star.

Jungsik, a high end gastronomic Korean food, has two Michelin stars.

Overall, we found that fast-food and street food in New York is overpriced and ranked from not good to barely average.

For the adventurer foodies looking for innovation and original cooking, they will be better served in cities like Paris, Lima, Copenhagen, Kyoto, Barcelona, Berlin, Singapore and Hong Kong.