We'd been planning our Italy trip for close to a year. Arriving from opposites of the globe (us in Hong Kong and our friends in Boston), we landed in Milan for 48 hours before heading to Modena and Alba for the next part of our trip.

Our dinner that first night in Milan was at Andrea Aprea, a 2-Michelin starred restaurant located inside the Luigi Rovati Foundation (an Etruscan art museum). Originally from Naples, Chef Aprea was the first to earn a Michelin star for a hotel restaurant in Milan back in 2011. Today, he holds two stars and focuses on taking traditional Neapolitan flavors and reimagining them using modern techniques.

We opted for the Signature 8-course "Prolong Experience" (€290). While we waited for our table, we grabbed a drink at their more casual Caffè Bistrot downstairs, which they kindly brought up for us when our table was ready.

Chef Aprea focuses a lot on “the fusion of memories”. A lot of our experiences involved the memory of a particular dish, but experienced in a new way, perhaps a new texture or form that is only made possible with modern techniques. 

The Welcome & Snacks

Case in point: the meal started with a playful nod to childhood. We had a snack featuring pop rocks, orange, and savory oyster leaf. It was a total surprise—the popping sensation definitely brought back "memories," but the flavor was sophisticated and refined.

Cheesy Pillows: These were a huge hit with my friend's family. What I nicknamed “Bolobao” (because it reminds me of a Hong Kong pineapple bun!), was a crunchy, sweet-and-savory bite that was absolutely delicious.

Olive Bomb: A burst of olive flavor perched on top of a delicate pie shell.

The "Burrata"

This dish was brilliant. It looked like a standard burrata, but it was actually a light burrata foam encased in a thin candy shell to give it shape without the heaviness. Served with an intense tomato "paste" and basil, it was a completely different textural take on a classic Caprese salad.

Seafood and Land

Smoked Duck Pastrami & Raw Langoustine: Thin, delicate slices of smoked duck pastrami came topped with a cube of apple sauce and a cube of raw langoustine. On the perimeter, meticulously placed dots of walnut and lovage leaf. Lovely dish, though I would have preferred the dish with just a bit less apple sauce (a bit too sweet).

Duck Liver Mousse: Served with a perfect, buttery brioche. (not pictured)

Cuttlefish “Diabola Style”: This was intense! It featured a dark, mole-like sauce with a good kick of chili heat (thus the "Diabola" style) and a thin slice of apple on top to cut through the richness.

The "Silver" Potato: This looked exactly like a baked potato . . .

. . but was actually a mini potato coated in silver leaf.

Inside, it was creamy and savory—very tasty.

The Middle Courses (The "Heavy" Part)

The middle of the meal felt a bit more polarizing.

We had the Submarine Risotto, which was served half-and-half: one side savory with mussels and scallops, and the other side "sweet" with candied orange peels. The rice was very al dente—slightly under for my taste—and the sweet/savory combo was a bit hit-or-miss.

We also had a Tortellino with guanciale and ricotta. The sauce was incredibly intense and a bit too salty for us, though it was served with a side of cube pork fat bread which was dangerously good.

The Main Events

The meal smoothed out again with the main proteins:

Turbot: Perfectly cooked. Bryan said it strangely (but fondly) reminded him of biscuits and gravy.

Pigeon: This was a standout—perfectly cooked and paired with a lovely almond cream and orange sauce.

Palate Cleanser + Dessert

To clear our palates, we had a 🍋lemon sorbet served with a lemon fragrance via dry ice. It came in these cool magnetic lemon-shaped containers. (Note: Ziva actually found a hair in her dish, but the staff replaced it immediately with no issues).

The final dessert was a beautiful mix of vanilla ice cream, cheesy dollops, and raspberry. It was salty, sweet, and crunchy without being overly heavy, which was exactly what we needed after such a big meal.

Andrea Aprea - Final Thoughts

The tasting menu at Andrea Aprea was designed to showcase some of Chef Aprea's most famous dishes through the years. Although I won't disagree that the individual dishes were very impressive, the flow of the meal was a little choppy. The meal started with an impressive sequence of snacks and also ended on a very strong note. The middle felt a little weighed down by heavy sauces, making it feel more like a collection of "greatest hits" rather than one fluid story. However, overall we still very much enjoyed the meal. The creativity and the stunning museum setting make it a very cool Milanese experience overall.

Andrea Aprea Milan Italy
Corso Venezia 52, 20122 Milano
Presso Fondazione Luigi Rovati

The post Andrea Aprea Milan Italy appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

We were staying in Midtown and on the hunt for good bagels. Having seating would be a major plus. After some research, we landed on Liberty Bagel and Best Bagel and Coffee. Though both had excellent reviews, we decided to try Best Bagel and Coffee first, since it had more seating and we would have a shot of actually being able to sit there and each enjoy a bagel sandwich!

At Best Bagels, all bagels are "hand rolled and kettle boiled". Additionally, they make ALL the bagels right on the premises, so you know you are getting a freshly baked one.

There are many options! Just look at the photos of the different bagels hanging from the ceiling. They run an efficient operation. You order and then wait to pick up your sandwich.

Perhaps it's the current NYC trend, but they have some fun colored bagels . . .

and LOTs of different types of cream cheese.

I got a semi-class salmon and lox bagel, but with avocado! It was FANTASTIC. The bagel was perfect, and all the ingredients inside were fresh and high quality. We did have to sort of "hover" in order to grab seating. Thankfully, it's a high throughput kind of place, so seating opens up pretty quickly and pretty frequently.

We came back with a friend, and managed to grab one of the few outdoor seats. Since the weather was warm, we really enjoyed it out there!

Best Bagel and Coffee

The post Best Bagel and Coffee (New York City) appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

I have always loved New York Bagels. Bryan and I used to bring a dozen H&H bagels back to Boston from New York for YEARS. So of course when I finally had the chance to return to New York after (gasp) 10 years, I had to get some bagels.

Interestingly, the New York bagel landscape has shifted quite a bit since our last visit. H&H closed in 2010 (the founder was jailed) and then re-opened in 2014 under new ownership. At the same time, many new bagel shops have opened, including Liberty Bagels in 2018.

Liberty Bagels has gained a massive following for sticking to the "old-fashioned" way of doing things—hand-rolling their dough and kettle-boiling each batch to ensure that signature chewy exterior. While they are arguably most famous for their viral Rainbow Bagels, they are equally respected for their traditional flavors and massive selection of house-made cream cheeses.

Just look at this cream cheese spread. It's like an ice cream parlour!

The line can be quite long, but it moves pretty fast. Walk past the huge crowd to the cashier to order, and then wait (with the crowd) for your number to be called. You can also order ahead online and pick up right near the entrance.

Smoked whitefish bagel sandwich

The bagels are delicious, and we came back multiple times. The very last day, we bought a dozen to take back with us (to Hong Kong!).

Bryan painstakingly cut each bagel in half with a knife before immediately freezing them. They reheat beautifully (just put it directly in the toaster or under the broiler in a toaster oven).

Liberty Bagels
multiple locations throughout New York City

The post Liberty Bagel New York City appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

There was a time when I went to New York City atleast once a year. Bryan and I started the ritual back in college. My aunt had a small apartment in Manhattan, and she was kind enough to let us (poor college students) stay with her whenever we visited.

After graduation, since we lived in Boston, it was easy to visit regularly. We visited our relatives, sampled exciting food, and just enjoyed the city. For work I would attend the annual black tie Judge's Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, which was always exciting.

I even went once to attend the Saveur Best Food Blog Awards ceremony, where I won Best Restaurant and Dining Coverage in 2012 (yes, a loooooong time ago).

Fun memories, such as meeting Eric Ripert from Le Bernardin, being introduced to a secret "speakeasy" bar, discovering the best fried chicken Bryan's ever had, and seeking after food trends like Dominique Ansel's CRONUT® (or better yet, the DKA), the best NYC bagel, Thanksgiving turkey at a 3 Michelin star restaurants, and more . . .

So imagine what it was like to suddenly stop going to New York when we moved to Hong Kong. Suddenly New York City was thousands of miles away, not just a quick trip from Boston. So you can see . . . the blog sort of went silent on New York after the Girls Trip I took in 2016.

Never would I have imagined that a global pandemic plus other reasons would prevent me from going back to New York City until almost a decade later.

I had seen Hudson Yards on my IG feed during the pandemic, so I told Bryan I really wanted to see that. It did not disappoint! The High Line has had many updates since 9 years ago, and I really really enjoyed exploring that whole area!

Of course we had to get bagels.

We tried Best Bagels and Liberty Bagels in Midtown, and both were excellent!

Bryan stopped by his favorite camera store, B&H for old times' sake.

After never being able to get a reservation at Brooklyn Fare back in the day, we finally got to taste Chef César Ramirez's food at his eponymous restaurant, César.

The food was exquisite.

I'll be adding to this New York City series to write in more detail about some of the places we visited. Enjoy! So excited to be back after 9 years!

The post Hello New York! It's been WAY Too Long appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Our friends who live in Boston (a couple) highly recommended that I try Amar in the Raffles Hotel. The wife is from Singapore, and therefore was quite familiar with the original Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

This Raffles Hotel in Boston is the first one in the US. It includes many signature items from the Raffles Singapore (a historic hotel that has been open since 1887!), including its famous cocktails!

A Bit of Cocktail History

The most famous cocktail at the Raffles is called the “Singapore Sling” , made from gin, Luxardo cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Bénédictine, and pineapple juice. The Singapore sling was originally inveited at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore by legendary bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. He later invented the “Million Dollar Cocktail”, made from gin, dry French vermouth, orange juice, grenadine, and an egg white.

The Boston location recreates the Long Bar, on the same floor within the Raffles Hotel but on the other side of the hotel from Amar. You can order these famous cocktails at the Long Bar, or at Amar instead, if you so fancy.

Or you can get your favorite classic cocktail, like Bryan's dirty martini.

Amar's space is stunning, with floor to ceiling windows and panoramic views of the Boston skyline. We came during sunset, and I couldn’t help but get up from my seat to take photos out the window.

The Food

The food is "Mediterranean-inspired" but also has quite a decent selection of Boston's famous fresh seafood (think seafood tower, raw oysters, and the like). To me, it leans a bit Spanish, but also feels a lot like a typical New England farm-to-table restaurant.

I came here twice. Once with my friends, and once together with Bryan. Below are some example dishes we enjoyed. As the dishes are seasonally focused, the menu will change regularly, but these photos can at least give you a general sense of the types of food coming out of this innovative kitchen.

Main Course

Dessert

General Thoughts: Amar Raffles Hotel Boston

I mentioned I came here twice. The first time we actually booked the chef's table, which allows you to sit inside the kitchen and enjoy your meal while watching the action. It's interesting, but you lose out on all those amazing views. The second time, we sat in the main dining room. Personally, I recommend trying to dine in the main dining room. It's overall a much more relaxing space. Plus the views are really nice.

The food is good. I found the starters to be more creative an interesting compared to the mains, but overall everything was enjoyable. If you need to conduct a business dinner or celebrate a birthday, the combination of good food, beautiful views, and a central location makes this place a good choice.

Amar Raffles Hotel Boston

The post Amar - Raffles Hotel in Boston appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.