Best Drink

Morir Soñando is Spanish for “to die dreaming,” and is a popular drink at Dominican restaurants in New York City.  This unique experience was the first stop on an epic 4 hour eating tour with Famous Fat Dave which we had booked previously after discovering him through an Anthony Bourdain 'No Reservations' episode.  We were driven in style, in a vintage white Checker cab, to Reben Luncheonette in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which has been serving Morir Soñando for at least 45 years.  The guys behing the counter did not speak a word of english but their friendly smiles and cheerful banter made us 3 aussie girls feel right at home in what we were told was a mostly working class, Dominican neighbourhood down under the Brooklyn Bridge.  Dave went in and did the ordering and we watched as they blended fresh orange juice, regular milk, vanilla extract, sugar and carefully mixed and cooled the concoction down by pouring the drink from one cup to another with lots of ice cubes. These simple ingredients combined to make a drink that was surprisingly refreshing and delicious, and had a lovely creamy and tart taste. It was the perfect breakfast drink on an empty stomach and would be great on a hot day too. 7/10

Best Pork

According to my sister, one of our first culinary stops had to be Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village. Although not exactly the newest thing on the New York dining scene having opened in 2003, there is still a major buzz around chef/owner David Chang who is continuing to expand his mini Momofuku empire with a fifth restaurant in the works (rumoured to be called Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar's Crack Pie, Cereal Milk, and Compost Cookies!)  According to the website, momofuku means 'lucky peach' in Japanese, however good ol' wikipedia says it's most likely a reference to Momofuku Ando - the inventor of instant noodles.

After arriving late and slightly frazzled, we slid into our seats at the front of the restaurant and were immediately struck by the cool, calming, minimalist interior design of the place. The room was small, but long with a bar along one side with stools for single diners and larger tables with square wooden blocks for chairs on the other side. The pork buns arrived and we were surprised by the open buns - this was definitely a new twist on the traditional pork bun.  It also allowed us to see the two thick slices of delicious pork belly and the shape and size made it really easy to hold. Biting into the bun, we knew at once this was incredible - the flavour of the roast pork, the softness of the bun was balanced perfectly with thinly sliced cucumbers, fresh spring onion and a beautiful, sweet and light hoisin sauce. It was like the best peking duck pancake you ever had taken to the next level! Needless to say, we immediately ordered two more servings.  And still wanted more.  So Momofuku's pork buns definitely lived up to the hype - perfect! 10/10.