New York Series - Momofuku Noodle Bar

http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/

New York is a city that is filled with great restaurants, chefs and restauranteurs, many of whom are well known and/or celebrities in their own right.  David Chang is a chef that is transcending the current concept of a chef and taking on the world while doing so.  Chang is the owner of the Momofuku group, which is not only dominating the New York scene with various restaurants and cafes, has also started a worldwide expansion, with his Sydney restaurant Momofuku Sieobo winning three prestigious chefs hats.

While chefs hats are well regarded in Australia, it's Michelin stars that matter in this part of the world and Chang is well known for his East Village gem Momofuku Ko, which has two Michelin stars and has an outstanding three restaurants ranked in the top 100 in the world.  These are some serious achievements for a guy who is not even 40.

While we were not going to visit the better known and highly accredited Momofuku restaurants while in NYC, we did find Momofuku Noodle Bar in our travels.  (I had a general rule while here, if I could visit a restaurant in Australia, I would not do its equivalent here).  SC and I were wandering around the East Village and found a very nondescript restaurant and after careful inspection saw that it was a Momofuku.  It was early in the day and the joint wasn't open just yet, but I added it to our list of must dine places and we continued on our way, with a plan to return in a few days.

New York Series - WD-50

http://wd-50.com/

There are few restaurants around the world that excite me as much as WD-50.  I love experimental chefs and restaurants that push the boundaries of food and one's perception of dining.  Of course there have been the better known restaurants that are seen as the absolute pinnacle of experimental dining, such as elBulli, Fat Duck and Noma, but I personally put Wylie Dufrense's self named restaurant, WD-50, in the same category.

Located in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the restaurant is named WD-50 after Wylie's initials and the street number, 50 Clinton Street.  It's not a huge restaurant, seating around 65 people, but it is a very intimate restaurant that is only open for dinner, seven days a week.  There is an exciting vibe in the area that feels gritty and real, with narrow streets and lots of action occurring at all times of the day and night in any of the great restaurants or bars and clubs.

I had always planned to visit WD-50 and early on in our trip to Manhattan, we had scoped out the restaurant when were were checking out the Lower East Side.  There is so much to explore, I was pretty stoked when we first 'found' WD-50.  It's very unassuming from the street with an exposed brown stone facade with the only clue that this was one of the cities best restaurants, a small neon sign that barely lights up in the daytime (but as I would find out, was like a beacon when the sun finally set).

New York Series - Katz's Deli

http://katzsdelicatessen.com/

As an Australian wandering around New York, there are so many iconic things to do and see that you almost become immune to them.  American culture has dominated our TV and our consciousness for a long time and pretty much everywhere you look, there is something that you have heard about or seen on TV.  One of the most iconic, both for international tourists and American tourists coming to New York, is Katz's Deli.  Most people simply know Katz's deli from that scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' (see it here).  This place is even iconic for New Yorkers!

SC and I first came across Katz's deli by accident when were were wandering around the Lower East Side, just getting a feel for the area by walking around the streets (we also came across WD50 the same way).  We had already eaten lunch on that day, so after taking a few photos we moved on, determined to come back another day to check it out.  One thing that we noticed when we wandered by was the large queue of people waiting to get in, which seems to be almost standard for any well known place of interest in New York.

The Lower East Side is a neighbourhood located in the southeastern part of New York and was traditionally an immigrant, working class neighbourhood that began to go through a rapid gentrification which started in the mid 2000's.  More recently, it has become home to upscale boutiques and hip restaurants, in particular along the well known Clinton Street 'restaurant row'.  The Lower East Side is just across East Houston Street from the East Village and is now considered one of the most dynamic and sought after neighbourhoods in Manhattan.