Shang

Last night Ry and I ventured out in the cold and post-snow slush to celebrate what might be considered my favorite holiday: Restaurant Week. This time we tried Shang- Chef Susur Lee's NYC spot at the Thompson Hotel on the LES. After watching him on Top Chef and reading up on the restaurant, I was prepared to try some amazing things, including the dish in the photograph- Singapore Slaw.

Singapore Slaw is a salad with 19 ingredients, and though I could not follow as the waiter rattled them all off, my tastebuds were tickled and thrilled-really- by every last one. I don't know if I can name every flavor I came across, but the basics: a crispy, crunchy mee-krob style noodle, with lots of ginger, plum dressing, daikon radish, edible flowers....and at this point, I'm going to have to cheat and google for the rest.

Ohhhh yes: post, googling, I totally remember tasting the pickled onion, the peanuts, the microgreens, and the carrot.

Ryan ordered the restaurant week menu, and his appetizer was a satay trio of chicken, shrimp, and steak. The skewers were topped with a spicy massaman curry and a mint chutney. Ryan thought it was really good, though he enjoyed the shrimp the least.

For our second courses, Ryan ordered the hanger steak which came with wasabi mashed potatoes. Ryan wasn't blown away, and declared it tasty, maybe a little salty, though not the best he's ever had. I tried the mashed potatoes and was disappointed- they were a bit cold and not creamy.

I on the other hand really liked my entree- cantonese wok fried pearl noodles with vegetables. The veggies were crisp- asparagus and pepper and spicy peppers. The noodles were a little heavy and greasy, but it didn't ruin the overall effect of the dish. (Though between the slaw and the noodles, I waaaaay overate.)

Washed down with some sake for Ryan and cava for me, we finished off with a chocolate cake dessert that was actually pretty tasty for a few bites.

I think next time I'd sit at the bar, have a glass of wine and the slaw, and perhaps sample the sushi or other appetizers...