Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

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June 29, 2010 By cheryl

Totto Ramen: Noodles Worth Sweating Over


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This is my general policy on sweating: It’s disgusting. Don’t do it.

Well … unless there is good reason. Like, say, an awesome bowl of soup noodles.

On the hottest day of summer so far in New York, a scorching bowl of ramen seemed like an insane choice for dinner. But there we were in Midtown, just blocks away from the recently opened Totto Ramen — a new sliver of a noodle shop by the owners of Yakitori Totto, whose grilled rice balls coated with a crispy soy-sauce glaze have occupied more of my dreams than I can count. (Hey, Thomas Keller is a fan of the place, too.)

Since we were practically within sniffing distance of the new place, a visit was definitely in order …

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Filed Under: Japanese, New York, Restaurants Tagged With: Beer, Chicken, Chicken wings, Garlic, Kelp, Konbu, Miso, MSG, New York, Pork buns, Radish, Ramen Totto, Rice bowl, Sapporo, Scallions, Scallops, Shrimp, Soy sauce, Spicy miso, Thomas Keller, Tokyo, Toro mayo don, Umami, Yakitori Totto. Midtown

October 9, 2009 By cheryl

Fifty Three: The Young And The Creative


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Singapore can be such a by-the-book place that when you come across something truly creative, you can’t help but stop for a moment to marvel and think: This must be applauded.

Dinner at Fifty Three, a fairly new addition to the Singapore dining scene, is filled with moments such as these. From the amuse bouche of a crispy potato chip dusted with sour yogurt powder to the inventive finale of a melt-in-your-mouth gin and tonic gummy candy, the restaurant had me enthralled through and through.

Chef Michael Han, a former lawyer turned chef who’s an alum of the Fat Duck in the U.K. and Noma in Denmark, may only be in his early 30s but his hand is sure, his vision is appealingly playful and his dishes will remain with you long after you’ve left.

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Filed Under: Restaurants, Singapore, Tales From the Road Tagged With: Daikon, Fat Duck, Fifty Three, Jamon Iberico, Michael Han, Noma, Radish, Wagyu

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