Orgasmic eats at another NYC classic - Katz Deli

Jewish Deli food is a serious must for anyone staying in the Big Apple. Chicken noodle soup, creamy chopped liver and sky-high pastrami sandwiches are all typical dishes in these much-loved NYC institutions, perfect for a quick bite during the day or a sobering snack at the end of a long night out.

The Classic NY Deli, Katz

Katz Deli, year upon year, tops lists as the number one deli in New York. Their pastrami sandwiches draw in locals and tourists the world over, who come in the hope of leaving as pleased as Sally was in the famous scene from the well-known and loved rom-com, When Harry Met Sally.

 

While I refrained from reenacting the scene, it was fair to say my pastrami sandwich was, well...pretty orgasmic. Flavorsome, soft rye bread encapsulates the two-to-four week cured beef, which is salty, soft and filled with flavor.

The famous Katz deli sandwich, and me working how quite how to conquer it

The beef used to make these serious sandwiches has been cured, rubbed, smoked, boiled, and lastly steamed for ultimate flavor and texture. The results of this laborious process? Some absolutely beautiful meat covered in a peppery skin with a melt-in-your-mouth softness for texture. The selection of pickles which come along with your sandwich add a great vinegary tang to each bite, and with a touch of mustard I'd say this sandwich reaches its peak of perfection. 

Pickles + pastrami = paradise

Despite the gigantic portion of pastrami I had just confronted, I was eager to try out some of the desserts on offer. New York cheesecake was a no-brainer, but I was left curious about a noodle pudding, also know as a  kugel or lokshen pudding. My mum told me it was a traditional Jewish dessert made up of cooked pasta, and that she had only ever know herself and her own mum to be fans. Given that it got the thumbs up from none other than mama and grandma Bidmead, I felt it was only right to give it a go, despite how weird it sounded. 

Kugel or Lokshen pudding, and the classic NYC cheesecake

The noodle pudding was pretty much as described - thick, pasta-like noodles cooked and compacted together, mixed in with raisins and baked. Obviously that isn't all there is to this dish, and the addition of tasty and health-giving things such as cream and butter resulted in what turned out to be quite a tasty dessert. Perhaps I wouldn't jump to order it again, and may potentially prefer to keep my pasta as part of my main, but I did actually enjoy it. As for the cheesecake...it didn't stay around long. With practically no biscuit base, it was a slice of pure, unadulterated cream cheese delight. 

Katz Deli was as much a cultural activity as visiting a New York city museum or gallery. From the packed out dining room to the chaotic ticket system used to pay the bill to the cashier out front, it felt like we were seeing some real New York City action. Who cares if it's mainly filled with foreign tourists staring hopelessly at their 7-inch sandwiches and the fact that the process of getting served is a bit chaotic? Sit down, roll up your sleeves, and have what she had in New York Cities number one deli. 

A NYC classic - Nom Wah Tea Parlour (and some dodgy deserts)

Another day in New York, and there was much more exploring to be done. On the only really sunny day of the holiday, we decided to walk around Manhattan with my Mum's friend Jess and her daughter Emma, both who know the city like the back of their hands. Starting off the lovely park Washington Square, we soaked up some April rays and people-watched as many chose to lunch al fresco in the park. We, however, had our own lunch agenda and headed off to Chinatown to Nom Wah Tea Parlour - New York city's oldest dim sum house.

It may not look grand, but here lies the finest dim sum in all the land...

Outside it doesn't look like much, and you get the feeling it hasn't seen much redecoration in its 95 years of existence. But that, along with the less than friendly wait staff, is all part of the charm of this Chinatown institution. Arriving hungry and excited to try as much as we could, we fired off the orders.

Steamed Chinese vegetables in oyster sauce, aubergines stuffed with shrimp paste, snow pea and shrimp dumplings and salt & pepper prawns

Dumplings were a must, and we opted for an array of fish, meat and veggie. The shrimp & snow pea dumplings were potentially my favorite, although they were all pretty damn tasty. The salt and pepper squid was another stand out dish for me. And no picking off the skin or head- I ate every part and loved it. One thing I liked less were the taro balls we had ordered, but more on taro later.

Steamed taro balls and my personal order of chicken feet

Being the offal lover I am, I ordered a portion of chicken feet for the table to share. Turned out they were just for me, as no one actually fancied giving them a go. It's a shame, as my mum even said they smelt really good, but I think the idea of eating a chicken's extremities isn't for everyone. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed them - they came steamed in a black bean sauce and were delicious!

Sucking on ma chicken feet

This lunch was one of my stand-out favorite meals of the trip. The restaurant had a great atmosphere, and I liked that it wasn't in the least bit fancy or pretentious, despite how highly praised it is. In the past I've never been keen on Chinese food, always winding up feeling quite ill after eating it. However now I have learnt the difference between a dodgy chicken chow mein from a chippie in Leeds and an authentic, traditional dim sum meal, I'll be sure to eat it again.

Not quite finished eating just yet, we glanced at the dessert options: fried sesame balls and some almond cookies. We passed this up, and headed to the traditional Chinese bakery Fay Da, which was recommended on one of my favorite websites, Serious Eats. 

Now the thing is...I already knew I didn't like Chinese pastries. In my humble opinion, red bean curd has never seemed like an appealing filling for cakes or pastries. I'm also not so keen on taro, the root vegetable which was in my pork dumpling at lunch, and also seems to worm its way into a lot of Chinese sweets. 

Taro Puff, we will not be meeting again.

Therefore why I would feel enticed to buy myself a taro puff, which is just sweet taro puree in a flaky puff pastry casing, is a good question. It is also, perhaps, unsurprising that I did not like it. It's just not a cake as I know it. I'm not quite sure what it is. Good to have tried it, but I think next time I'll just order an extra dim sum and skip the sweet.

Chinatown was a brilliant trip, and I highly recommend the Now Wah Tea Parlour to anyone in NYC. By no means is this the end of my Big Apple bites, so keep reading for what's yet to come - yogurt bars and a goat curry anyone?