I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can’t decide what I want to eat. Ordering out or going to dinner can be tricky when you’re not in a mood for anything particular. There are the creatures of habit, who have a couple of favorite spots, and then there are crazy foodies like me, who constantly want to try something new. I always look for the next great bite. So, I tried Fusion Food! It’s pretty much the best of two worlds. Below you find an account of my experiences at some awesome Fusion restaurants here in New York City.
Kimika
All I can say is wow. Kimika serves a fusion of Italian and Japanese cuisine under the watchful eye, concept creator and culinary talent of chef Christine Lau. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this restaurant and their delicious food! The cross of these two very different cuisines was masterful, and I practically inhaled everything. The restaurant is located on Kenmare Street in Nolita, it’s modern, relaxed and casual. I had a really good evening with my side kick Sasha.
We ordered an array of dishes, just to be able to really try a little bit of everything that evening, curious and excited to try these dishes, certain we never tried anything like it before. We started out with Burrata (of course) with marinated tomatoes, super fresh and delicous. Next we had an order of Fried Potatoes, which were nice and crispy, and we especially loved the Mentaiko Mayo with it, absolutely scrumptious. I’m a huge Pork Belly fan, so when I saw the Porchetta with Crispy Pork Belly on the menu, of course I had to order it. The Miso Mustard was the cherry on top, it was outrageous. We then split the “Rice Cake”, which is essentially a rice cake/lasagna combination, with Italian sausage added into it, and sweet Baby Jesus, not only did it work, we absolutely loved it. My favorite dish that night, possibly my favorite dish all year, was The Pork Ragu with Cavatelli, Sorana Beans, and Buffalo Ricotta. Are you serious? It was so creamy and delicious, I could have had two orders of it easily. It is a must try when visiting Kimika.
Hortus
Hortus is located in the Flatiron District in Manhattan, probably my favorite area in the city. The cuisine is considered Asian Fusion, which basically means that it is an accumulation of dishes from numerous Asian countries. The restaurant itself is very, very pretty, we ended up dining on a covered patio full of greenery, so pretty. We actually ate here during Restaurant Week, which is luckily back after the Covid break.
We started out with the King Crab Noodle dish with jalapeño pesto, tomato, lemon oil and mala sauce, what an appetizer, it was bursting with flavor. We wanted to also try the Fluke Crudo, but they ran out, so we got an order of Salmon Crudo with lime and charred spring onions. This was probably my favorite dish that day, the freshness and flavor were outstanding. For the main dish I went with the Ribeye Steak with veggies, wild mushrooms and galbi sauce. The steak was fresh and high quality, the sauce put a new twist on a classic, it was a good choice on my part, if I might say so. Sasha chose the Salmon dish with a yuzu miso glaze, egg yolk and black truffle. She loved it so much, I was only allowed a little bite…. All in all I adore this restaurant, great food, great atmosphere.
Calle Dao
Located on 23rd Street, right by 10th Avenue, Calle Dao brings us a fun experience with a delicious fusion on Cuban and Asian cuisine. It’s a lively spot with great music and great cocktails, and even greater food. My girlfriends and I celebrated the birthday of one of our tried and trues that night, and we all appreciated the mix of Cuban and Asian cuisine. The mix is always a great idea, thank you to whomever came up with this notion. We had such a great time here.
These were our dinner choices between the four of us: Chicken Empanadas with Curry Mojo sauce, potato, peas, carrots and Cilantro Crema (nice and crispy, great sauce), Cuban sandwich Spring Rolls with Roast Pork, Ham, Salami with Mojo Lime Mustart (amazing combo), Papas Rellenas with Beef Picadillo, chopped cilantro and Garlic Aioli (addictive), Fish and Shrimp Ceviche with onions, bell peppers, cilantro, scallions, sesame ponzu and plantain chips (very fresh and tasty), Char Siu Pork Belly with sweet potato puree, grilled pineapple escabeche and char siu sauce (my favorite of course), 5-Spice Skirt Steak with Rice and Beans and Maduro (nicely cooked and seasoned), and a Black Rice Seafood Paella with clams, shrimp, musses, calamari, Chinese sausage, mojo verde and sofrito (so different yummy). Everything was on point, imaginative and different.
