New York: The Meatball Shop & other downtown bites

I've written about 3 great sandwiches from my recent trip to New York - but there's still much to tell. Today, it's all about some fun downtown establishments. Starting with The Meatball Shop:

The Meatball Shop - Lower East Side 

Choose your meatballs, choose your sauce and choose how it arrives in front of you. I take the classic, juicy beef meatballs smothered in spicy meat sauce, served simply and piping hot in a bowl with a slice of foccaccia for mopping it up. TPG goes for the meatball smash - 2 spicy pork meatballs on a brioche bun with spicy meat sauce, cheese and a side salad. Or there's a meatball hero (try beef, spicy pork, chicken, veggie or the daily special) served in a crusty baguette with cheese sauce. A range of sides include risotto, polenta, spaghetti or daily roast veggies.

Executive chef/co-owner Daniel Holzman trained for 4 years at super upmarket Le Bernadin, but is lighting up the happening Lower East Side with this simple but fantastic place that is what it says on the tin. It's a hit with all the hip and happening people that flock to the Lower East Side, an area heaving with similarly lively places to eat. Expect to work through quite a few drinks at the bar while you wait for a table - unless you arrive after 10.30pm (which we did, arriving late from our flight from London) by which time we only had to wait for the time it took to drink a beer. Pure gold.

The Meatball Shop, 84 Stanton Street, Lower East Side, New York, (Ph: (212) 982 8895) - open noon til 2am/4am






Fatty Crab - West Village 

I've reviewed it before, but when your feet are aching from pacing the cobbles of the Meatpacking District and the galleries of 21st Street, this is a great, casual little spot to refuel with some zingy, Malaysian inspired bowls of goodness. On my list to try (still) is Fatty Cue, the related Malaysian/BBQ joint which has opened in Brooklyn.

Fatty Crab, 643 Hudson Street, West Village, New York (Ph. 212 352 3592) (They also have a branch at 2170 Broadway on the Upper West Side).




Torrisi Italian Specialties - Little Italy/NoLita 

I've told my tale of 3 New York sandwiches already, but the chicken parmigiana schnitzel hero from Torrisi Italian Specialties deserves an honorable mention. There's minimal seating in this old fashioned, basic deli come restaurant, and many take away, but the big, juicy sandwiches are well worth the short wait. My chicken parma sandwich ($8) was crammed with large, succulent pieces of breaded chicken schnitz and a tasty tomato sauce. It's all so fresh and simple, so why is it so hard to find a sandwich this good?

The walk in only restaurant also has a daily changing, Italian family style dinner menu made from all American ingredients for around $50 per person - it allows for no substitutions (including for vegetarians or children) but sounds the goods to me.


Torrisi Italian Specialties, 250 Mulberry Street, NoLita, New York (Ph: (212) 695 0955)

The Stanton Social - Lower East Side 

If I didn't despise the overused phrase "achingly hip" so much, I'd use it to describe the Stanton Social. A large dark, seductive room with a mix of tables and alluring, round booths is humming with a big, boisterous, Saturday night vibe from early til late. The menu bears an intriguing mix of modern sharing plates with a twist - like Kobe beef burger sliders, red snapper tacos, Thai spiced baby back ribs and butter poached lobster pizzetta. However, the execution had more misses than hits on our visit - French onion soup dumplings are cheese drenched soggy balls and the "chicken and waffles" (brick pressed chicken, aged cheddar waffle, corn pudding and balsamic spiked maple syrup) is interesting but doesn't really hit the mark.

A fun place for lively drinks and sharing plates, but the food doesn't live up to its promise. (This was confirmed by the experiences of our New York friends also). And hereby heed my very annoying website warning.

The Stanton Social Club, 99 Stanton Street, Lower East Side, New York, (Ph: (212) 995 0099)

Momufuku Noodle Bar - East Village 

David Chang's casual noodle bar is definitely worth a visit. The momofuku ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg was good (perfectly cooked noodles, nice pork, subtle broth), but the ginger scallion noodles were fabulous - shiny, toothsome squiggles of joy, mixed with the delectable flavours of pickled shiitake mushrooms, cucumber and menma. The short menu is rammed with loads you'll want to try - steamed buns, roasted foie gras with almond, pear and smoked tea, smoked chicken wings with pickled chilli, garlic and scallions. The noodle bar is said to serve a fantastic fried chicken - call ahead to reserve it. The setting is quite spacious and modern, with blonde wood and long, communal tables. Momofuku Noodle Bar is good - one to go back to again and again.

Momofuku Noodle Bar, 171 First Avenue (Between 10th and 11th), New York



Finally, Momofuku Milk Bar (207, 2nd Ave, East Village, New York) - I've mentioned it before. But now they have birthday cake truffles - cakey, doughey balls of rainbow cake crumble, sprinkles and vanilla frosting. They sound ridiculous. They taste amazing. I'm addicted. $3 for 3.

For more on New York, see my earlier posts:

• A tale of 3 sandwiches 
• Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee 
• Lunch, Dinner, Everything in Between 

Still to come: More brunch spots and 2 nights of five star dining

Young Cheng: He's the man - China Town, Soho, London

It was the suggestion of 3 types of roast meat, a dish which was not on the menu, that first drew us hungrily to Young Cheng for Sunday lunch last weekend.

Sidled up next to the Mayflower on Shaftesbury Avenue, somehow Young Cheng had been completely off our radar. However, one glimpse in the window revealed a tiny but bustling hive of lively China Town action.

Young Cheng is packed with feasting and chattering Chinese people in every nook and cranny, tucking into bowls of noodle soups, roasted meats on rice and what seems like every possible Chinese "one dish meal" imaginable. It's no frills, super cheap, and I love it.

On both occasions I have dined there, we've found ourselves tucked into a tiny cranny downstairs. Not for claustrophobics (and quite amusing if you're dining with 4 burly blokes), but for the rest of us, this only seems to add to the atmosphere.

For Sunday lunch, I found myself crashing TPG's blokes' day. Over some manly banter about 1 armed push ups, we started with an absolutely delicious bowl of bone soup - swimming with hunks of meat off the bone, onions, carrot, potatoes and a moreish broth - and is always the free starter at lunch time. Nice work.

We followed up with the main draw card - 3 styles of roast meat on rice. Our plate of rice came loaded up with lashings of juicy roast duck, slices of roast pork and big rectangular chunks of crispy, fatty pork belly. With this we shared a plate of Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce, and endless Chinese tea. Now, this is what Sunday feasting is all about.

Tasty and satisfying, our bill came to less than £7 each.

TPG and I backed up lunch with a lazy Sunday night dinner last night (a week after our first visit). We had a hankering for noodle soup and Young Cheng seemed to be calling us.

I had been leering at the prawn dumpling soup of an old man sitting near the front door, and it did not disappoint - a plentiful and heart warming bowl of generous prawn dumplings, thin noodles and spring onions nestled in lovely clear broth. Exactly what the doctor ordered - for just over £5.

TPG had spied a laksa nearby (there are a handful of Malaysia options) and ordered it with pork (which is not on the menu but they happily offered to do it for him anyway). It was slightly too far on the oily side, but still completely delicious and mighty in size - for £6.

We could hardly eat it all, and our entire bill, with Chinese tea, came to £13. Service is fast, but helpful and on both occasions we've managed to enlist the service of a super smiley waitress - although their are some clearly more brusque options working the floor.

There are a couple of other branches of Young Cheng in China Town, some offering the dreaded buffet - I cannot vouch for them, and the Shaftesbury branch seems to be a cut above, so don't be confused.

For a cheap and cheerful taste of China, in the midst of the sometimes disappointing warren that is China Town, I heartily recommend Young Cheng - my new big man of China Town.

Young Cheng, 76 Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, W1D 6ND