FDE

Haha… a bit off topic but funny and great idea! I can imagine David Chang saying: “Since I am passionate about food, I want all my dear diners to be as passionate as me. So, what’s better than cooking your own food! “Momofuku Self-Serve” is a professional kitchen where I will have all the ingredients ready along with my prestigious cookbook for you to use (but not to take home). Just enjoy cooking for yourself. There is a cell phone (cheaper than using blackberry) in the kitchen, so just text me if you run into problems and I will get someone to answer your questions as I will probably be traveling around the world (looking for better ingredients for my dear diners of course). The best part is you get to eat your own cooking afterward. Don’t worry, I will supply you with pairs of wooden chopsticks (it’s recyclable not because it’s cheap). For such a special dining experience, only 8 seats are available daily and only $200 per head.” Mitch, you can write a proposal to him. Since he has that many fans, he should be able to fill those 8 seats for at least six months. No chef, no server, not even a dining room, just a small kitchen for customers to cook and eat since his fans have lower priority on the dining room, cutlery, or service even at that high price. Then there will be people like us saying it is a rip-off, but there will be MORE people saying it is the best kitchen to cook, where is a better place to meet passionate foodies and fans of David Chang, and they will say we are totally missing the point of “Momofuku Self-Serve”! Sorry for being off-topic, but I think Mitch’s idea isn’t bad at all.

Yes, No words at all. It was placed on the table but clearly it's for us, so we took them. Yes, no expiring date indicated nor what temperature it should be kept. I did mention in the letter maybe there's a training issue. Haha, you are speechless... look at me, paid $546 a lunch for two! ($175 Lunch X 2 + $95 one beverage pairing + $6 water + $40 tax + $55 tips) Then at least 1 hr to write up the 2-page lettter! That's why I said, I had disappointing meals in my life but still glad that I tried them, but this is the first time I actually regret of going!

Fine, not necessary top-notch VVIP service, but paying $$$, I am sure you would expect good decent service right? And for the case of KO, I was just asking for a basic friendly service, which doesn’t cost them anything. As you mentioned earlier too, basically no servers, no linens, no forks, no backs to the chairs, no nice dining room, no good location, so where did my money go? KO: 15 tiny courses for $175 Again, it goes back to what Sethd has pointed out, why is KO so expensive? Here is the price of our other meals: SHO: 11-course dinner for $120 (69% of KO) Eleven Madison: 8-course lunch $78 (45% of KO) Both SHO and Eleven Madison had superb service, proper linens, high-end cutleries, comfortable chairs, nice dining room, and great location, but much cheaper than KO. Again, I am not saying all $$$ restaurant must have all those fancy aspects in placed, but where did my money go? Don’t tell me the food I had at KO (or the thinking-process of creating those courses at KO) cost multiple times of other top restaurants in NYC. If it is, they must be inefficiently spending their revenue from customers. My conclusion is that David (or the owner) is making a deep profit from KO. Which is great, he created a product that people are willing to pay the extra premium for. Many of you are willing to pay that extra thick premium just for the food AND even to reduce other aspects of a dining experience, but many others like me, don’t think the food is that special to a level that worth the extra thick premium AND a reduction in other aspects of a dining experience! That’s it. In any case, providing a friendly service doesn’t cost them anything. No, they just put the onigiri on the table right after I paid, they didn’t say anything at all! I assume it is for me to take home… oh, maybe they want me to eat it right away?! Anyway, right after the left KO, I took the taxi back to hotel. The more I think about it during my taxi ride, the more I felt like I got rip-off. Back in the hotel, started writing my 1st ever complaint letter, it was near the end, I calmed down a bit after writing it all out, then I saw that onigiri again resting on the table, so I unwrapped it and had a try, while reviewing that letter. Sure I am not a right person to ask about the quality of that onigiri with that complaint letter in front of me. But it must be within 2 hours max. There was a 3-week period that I almost had one onigiri per day in Japan. That’s what I am comparing that “tori meshi onigiri” to.

My original posting was talking about KO only. I did say I love the Ssam Bar and the Noodle Bar. Those two places, I felt I got more than what I paid for.

Hiroyuki, I am probably not a fair person to ask about that onigiri because I tried it in my hotel room while writing that complaint letter!!! But basically, it was chewy seaweed with chicken meat in a strong teriyaki sauce and sesame. That’s all I could remember. Thanks Ellenost and Bobster of providing possible explanations about the issues that I had, it is definitely better than KO’s “no reply” to my politely written complaint letter. Thanks Sethd and Marc (Oakapple) of providing more info about “is it rude to present the bill before the customer asks for it”! I guess Sethd summarized the fundamental issues here: “Why is KO so expensive?” Is it because they know they will be fully booked for the next 10 years so why not get more $$$ into David’s pocket? We had dinner at SHO that night and then lunch at Eleven Madison the day after. It was really a pleasure to dine there after our KO experience. Great locations, beautiful dining rooms, nice cutleries, smooth service team, high quality dishes, AND both meals were cheaper than KO. That question above really jumped out a number of times during those meals!

Yes, in a place there are no servers, no linens, no forks, no backs to the chairs, but STILL charges a 3-star price, I would expect 3-star service, wouldn’t you?? By the way, 2 servers for about 10 customers is not “basically no servers”! Also, being more friendly or making us feel we are customers (instead of someone begging them for their food) doesn’t cost them anything! Haha, what do you mean? So if I give you an onigiri as a gift and say you don't like soaky nori and find it terrible, you will continue to eat it??! I wouldn’t force myself to eat it if I don't like it, let alone I paid for it indirectly from my $500 lunch and it is an onigiri from a high-end restaurant.

Thanks Hiroyuki, you always able to provide valuable insights to Japanese dining. Cool! But in any case, I think it makes sense to use onigiri wrapping nowadays so the person eating it has a choice to wrap it just before eating OR wrap it and wait for say 2min until the nori becomes moist before eating it. Ellenost, yes, I understand your general observations and I see how embarrassed it could be. Just to recap my unfortunate experience at KO, maybe it is more an attitude issue rather than a service issue. They first asked us to prove our booking, then pointed us to our seats. The meal was alright but after dessert and just when we started having tea and chatting with the couple next to us, the server interrupted and said to us “here’s your bill”, gave us those soaky onigiri, we paid $500, then walked out. Let me tell you what’s more. Instead of exploring the big city on a sunny afternoon after the meal, I wrote my 1st complaint letter in my life (yes, I was that upset, felt like I got rip-off $500!) outlining our experience at KO and emailed to them. Since there’s no reply for weeks so I followed up. They said it was already sent it to management and if I didn’t get a reply, it means no reply!!!

I am sure your statements above wasn't particularly directed towards me, but still, I just want to clarify I did not make any "demands that are beyond childish". At the end of every meal, I would compare it with other dining experience I had of similar price. For a $$$ meal like KO, I just hope for a more friendly service and chefs that would plate my dishes with precision and extra care than a $ meal. (Especially KO doesn't have that great a location and fancy dining room, so I expect even more from other aspects of the meal. Otherwise, where did the extra money that I paid go?) But all those aspects were far below average and that's why I questioned. And just so you know, I did pay about 12% tips which is lower than a 15% standard I guess in NYC. You might ask why I still paid tips if I was that upset. It's mainly because I still respect what they did. I mean, the long hours that the full kitchen spent to prepare our meal, I fully appreciate that. In summary, I didn't ask them to polish my shoes nor pay them 0% tips.

Yes, I have noticed, and that's why I had a high expectation, and that’s why I was very disappointed. Maybe something occurred at the restaurant that they were upset or something... or maybe because we arrived 15min earlier than our reservation time… don't know... I am just trying my best to explain it. But sitting next to us that day was a couple (who flew from California mainly for the meal) and they felt strongly the same way… so it’s not just us. Wow Ellenost, you have been that many times in the last 2 years, so I guess no other restaurant in NYC you enjoyed more than at Ko, even at $175 lunch or $125 dinner (food only)? At that price, seems there are other superb choices in NYC for a meal. Is the “counter-seat small restaurant” setting rather unique in NYC? And you enjoyed the onigiri that they gave you at the end? Or they don't give it out everytime?

I went through the postings from the last 12 months and I am surprised that only two had commented on Momofuku Ko’s poor service. (decor, service & environment at very least - all of which I'd rate as "poor" at Ko). We had a great experience at the Ssäm Bar the night before, but we had one of the most depressing meals in our life at Ko the next day. Instead of giving us a warm welcome once we arrived, all this guy asked us was to show him our booking! He then just pointed us to the first 2 seats right in front and we never heard a single word from him again. Then came the lady who never learnt how to smile and two of them showed us the coldest service ever! It was extremely difficult to get a reservation here and I guess that's why they were extremely arrogant! I mean, providing a friendly service doesn't cost them anything. What’s wrong with them?! We spent a few days in NYC. The service was superb everywhere from coffee shop, to convenience store, to the guy selling hot dog across the street. It's hard to believe we got the most bitter service at the most expensive meal of the trip ($175 per head food only). Yes, everyone there had to go through a challenge to get a seat, but it doesn't mean that we are here BEGGING you for food! Other than the service, the plating was very rough as my quenelle was half falling apart, drops of sauce at the side, etc. etc. etc. Food alone, we loved the quail dish and the shaved foie gras, but the rest 13 courses were really average! Also, I know that David wants to keep his restaurant simple, but shouldn't customers deserve what they pay for? Not only was it uncomfortable to sit on a bar stool for 4 hours, most courses were eaten using the same pair of cheap Chinese take-away chopsticks. I don't understand why people go through the trouble of getting a reservation and pay through the roof for such a dining experience... Well, I guess I am one of those victims! So, is it because Asian flavours are new here? No, it's New York City with one of the most diverse food cultures. Is it because not many places in town offer multi-course tasting menu? No, it's New York City with countless haute cuisine, where you can sit comfortably with friendly service, and even cheaper price! So why is this place so special? I think it is all because of the difficulty of getting a reservation! If you don't know what "cooking without heart and soul" means, Momofuku Ko will give you a full understanding -- go in, prove to them you got a reservation, watch the robotic chefs assemble your food, eat and pay $500 for two, then get out! Many chefs in Japan run a tiny 8 counter-seat restaurant because they treat the small kitchen as their home and each customer as their dear guests. But this spirit, once might have been existed at Ko, must be long gone! It is now probably just a money-making machine for David! I had many disappointing meals in my life but still glad that I tried them, but this is the first time I actually regret going to a restaurant. Come on, someone out here must share the same thought as me right?? By the way, I don't know if David had a real Onigiri before. It always has a wrapping to keep the seaweed separate from the rice so that the seaweed remains dry and crunchy!!! I don't understand why he wants to give such an ugly wrapped soaky onigiri as a gift for us to take home! I had a quick taste then put it right into the bin! What an insult to Japanese food! Don't get me wrong, David's Ssäm Bar and Noodle Bar are genius creations, but charging the price of Jean George in a hole-in-the-wall cheap production Momofuku Ko, something isn't right here! Lucky for those who couldn't get a reservation here! www.finediningexplorer.com/NYC

Yes, they have a Classic and a Contemporary tasting menu. I am sure they can do you a "mixed" version if you want to try a bit from both. Or if you have a particular course that you want from the menu that I had, do mention it when you confirm the booking. But even browsing through the a-la-carte, there were quite a few courses that I want to try as well. I mean, one meal there isn't enough. I will be going back soon. I think it was around 160euro per menu but might change in different seasons. There isn't a fixed wine pairing but the sommelier will sure do a good job depending on your preference and consumption. Must go, you will enjoy it!

We were in Modena two months ago and had one of the most unforgettable meals. Here are some highlights: A miniature Fish Market with fresh raw seafood on ice - oyster, prawn, lobster, and sea bream from Adriatic Sea with a flick of sea water emulsion. The surprising part was actually underneath the ice! We broke open the ice before eating and found ourselves surrounded by an intense charcoal smokiness from this "abstract grill"! This is the only place you could have "grilled sashimi"! Another superb course was Eel swimming up stream in the Po river: Using eel from the main river in northern Italy, this is Massimo's version of Japanese barbeque eel but using Saba sauce instead! Served with an acidity distilled green apple on the left and a polenta cream on the right. The menu was well thought out that each course had its point! Here, Massimo reinvented a traditional Modena dish, Cotechino. Cotechino and Lentils in May It was a menu full of outstanding courses, but the desserts took the spotlight! Before the meal, they did ask us how opened-minded we were with dessert. It was foie gras with 40-year old balsamic vinegar spilling out, coated with crushed hazelnut and almond! The richness of the creamy foie, the deep flavour from the aged balsamic, the crunchiness from the roasted nuts, and the delicate sweetness from the Moscato... Exceptional, truly exceptional! Chef Bottura really has guts to serve foie gras as a pre-dessert, but the manager said they usually serve it much earlier as it could be too shocking for many diners. Regardless when you have it, this is a spectacular snack anytime of the day! Then, the most unforgettable dessert in my life! Not only was it impressive on the palate, but in my mind too. How could things that sounded so wrong for dessert be so right?! The warm baked aroma coming out of this sweet potato was appealing, the seductive fragrance from the white truffle was arousing, and without a doubt, the crème anglaise did a brilliant job of marrying them together. They first scooped out the baked sweet potato and then made a soufflé out of it. Even with the crème anglaise, this airy soufflé wasn't overwhelming at all and it did a good job of satisfying our sweet cravings. It was indeed a damn good dessert! This meal definitely justifies a special trip to Modena! For album of full meal, see HERE.

Finally had a chance to post our meal at the 3-starred Robuchon in Ebisu. It was a meal full of flavours using numerous Japanese ingredients. Not only did the 12-course tasting menu feature his classic creations, it also had a nice modern twist throughout. The service was still not as smooth as many European 3-star, but to have such a classy château with a crystal-sparkling dining room in the middle of the most modern city in the world was incredible! We have also been to the 3-starred Robuchon in Vegas. Similar price and similar menu, but this one in Tokyo has a much more spacious and impressive dining room. Here are some highlights from the Menu Dégustation: A Robuchon’s classic: Pâté of crab layered with fennel jelly then blanketed with Caviar. A wonderful flavour from the sea to begin our extravagant dinner. Sea urchin 3-way: Steamed, raw, and baked: White Asparagus velouté with a thinly sliced white asparagus, drops of passion fruit, dots of blood orange jelly, and a crispy water-drop shaped crouton: Crustaceans - The whole jumbo prawn wrapped in noodle then deep-fried was perfectly done, but the roll of king crab and zucchini was rather bland. This is the best course of the evening. According to our server, Robuchon chose not to use Kobe nor Matsusaka beef here as there are many premium quality beef all over Japan and no need to pay for those over-priced beef! They use beef from Ibaraki, just north-east of Tokyo. Tender, juicy, flavourful with a perfect marbling of fat! I have to agree with him -- it is on par with our Matsusaka or Kobe beef experience if not better!! Of course, they have a trolley for everything: Bread, Butter, Cheese, Infusions, and Petits-fours: For photos of the full 12-course meal, SEE HERE.

Yes, I had the same reaction and was in disbelief, but my recent meal at Les Créations de NARISAWA has cleared all my doubts! Being the highest ranked restaurant in Japan, and in Asia, for two consecutive years on The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, this is a restaurant where a passionate chef cooks with his heart and soul. We were the first to arrive during a weekday lunch service. Not only was chef Narisawa in the kitchen as usual, but he had started early that morning in preparation for his lunch and dinner service. The elegantly designed dining room allows diners to observe the intense action and collaborated teamwork in the kitchen. The menu, entitled Gift from the Nature, promises a full theatrical performance consisting of three categories: Forest, Mountain, and Sea. My first impression upon browsing through the menu was a merging of the style of Noma, the techniques of Mugaritz, the eye-openers of The Fat Duck, along with the strong seasonal flavours of Japan. However, once the meal began, I immediately sensed the originality of his cooking. This was neither Japanese nor French, but a Narisawa cuisine! A Forest bread-making demonstration was surprising and intriguing. This must be the first restaurant in the world to bake bread in the dining room and without using an oven! I thought the bread trolley of Robuchon was the epitome of bread presentation, but this freshly made bread beats them all! While waiting for the bread to bake, we enjoyed a short break to the Mountain for a tasting of fresh radish and sweetfish from the river before immersing ourselves into the Sea with a spiny lobster nested under a colourful garden of vegetables. I have never been a fan of poached foie gras. I don’t know how, but chef Narisawa poached it like nobody else, resulting in one of the best dishes of my life! Back to the wildwood for our main dish: roasted quail with a raisin reduction and an edible decoration of fried potato skin, sakura leaves, and a black stick of fried gobō sprinkled with cassava powder. Impressive stuff! Time to settle in for dessert after our fascinating journey through the Forest, Mountain, and Sea. ! A fresh strawberry topped with almond ice cream followed by an eye-appealing and mouth-watering trolley of petits fours. After sampling eight stunning creations by chef Narisawa, there is no question that he deserved a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Chef Narisawa is not only an inventor, he is a culinary artist who can transform “Gift from the Nature” to an experience of a lifetime, and that’s what sets him apart from his peers. You can find loads of top-notch sushi or tempura all over Japan, but there is only one place in the world where you can experience the cuisine of Narisawa! Click Here for photos and videos of the full menu.

Thanks for the info... something new for me. So the shape of the shells look very different but inside look very similar? I will update my website and make reference to your site. Thanks again

No no, click the link for full details. It was a full blown tasting menu!

Yes, I got your points. No list nor rating is perfect, but it is a good reference point. Say I am in S.Africa for a few days and already tried some locals recommended restaurants but what to do something different. Don't have much time to do research, well, on this S.Pellegrino 50Best list, there are two restaurants in S.Africa. I will give them a try. Out of the 40 restaurants that I visited on the list, I would say 5 of them are terrible, 25 of them are from good to excellent, and 5 of them are very special, and 5 of them are simply unforgettable experience. This is a good list isn't it? Very good in fact! I have followed restaurant suggestions from my local tour guides, hotel concierges, tour books, local ppl in the street, various magazines, and I was disappointed at most of them. Yes, MOST! Yes, I understand your point that the general public put a lot of faith in the list. I would suggest you just use it the way you see it fit and no need to over think too much. If you have been to 10 restaurants on the list and you don't like 8 of them, then this list is definitely not for you.

Drunk? Had something a bit stiffer? If you don't like the people here or the points made simple solution. Leave. Jamsie, yes, you are one of those someone who's wasting your career in this place. Just go home but I am sure you will be back here very soon!

NO, that's wrong. It is a very simple and achievable system, but it seems that you found it difficult to believe. You do NOT need a majority of the 800 voters’ vote to be Number 1. As long as you have the highest number of votes, you are Number 1. It depends on how many restaurants were there to "spread out" the votes. 800 voters voting on 5 restaurants each = 4,000 votes in total. They only published the top 100 but say there were a total of 200 restaurants that had any vote. Imagine the extreme case where votes got equally spread out, so each restaurant gets 4000/200 = 20. So all you need is 21 votes to be Number 1 in this extreme case! You get the idea now? There are 800 voters, so definitely achievable. To be honest, it is probably much easier to tally up the votes than to gather a group of experts and host a big debate on who is Number 1, who is Number 2, etc. etc. all the way to Number 100. Well, there can be arguments for why over 12 months? One of them can be that the voters are encouraged to dine at restaurants outside their own region because they can't vote for more than 2 places within their region. It requires travelling so 12 months is a bit too short to have a few travels done. Hmmm, chefs like Marcus Wareing will be in the kitchen almost everyday (at least that's what I hope). Chefs in his team do try out other restaurants and definitely give full feedback to Marcus. The way I see this is that votes from those chefs represents their kitchen team.

I know. It seems that the trend is moving towards casual dining. Most of those big French haute cuisines either dropped significantly or disappeared. Also, the top is more and more dominated by post-modern/molecular cooking. Ramsay is long gone since last year. French Laundry once was at 1st now at 32nd. Michel Bras has dropped from 7th to 56th! Ducasse’s Louis XV is at a shocking 98th!!! In addition, people get bored from eating at the same place again and again. It’s superb to eat at French Laundry once or twice, but probably you won’t go back after the third time or fourth time max. It’s based on a voting system, so it gets less and less vote after a few years and it will eventually come down.

Last night, it was a canapé reception before and after the event. No dinner. Today, Daniel Boulud hosted a lunch for all chefs at his new Mandarin Oriental site.

There is always a delay in any ratings. It took Michelin 15yrs to give St.John a star. (Well, it was more a change of Michelin standard rather than a lag in the St.John case.) But many of their 3* are outdated. Click HERE for a few photos in you are interested.

I went to French Laundry at the end of 2008, the quality compared to 2006 was lower... still surprise how much it is dropped on the list

Here is the official list released http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners

The World's 50 Best 2010 (1-10) 10. Per Se 9. Arzak 8. Daniel 7. Alinea 6. Osteria Francescana 5. Mugaritz 4. Can Roca 3. Fat Duck 2. El Bulli 1. Noma