When I first stepped into Wong on Cornelia Street, I was immediately filled with a
warm, cozy feeling. The softness of the candlelight coupled with the prominent use
of wood in the floors, tables, bar, and shelving- created a rustic breath of fresh air.
The open kitchen was another nice touch and as Chef Simpson would later mention,
was a key element in the creation of Wong’s deliciously imaginative menu. When
Chef was busy in his home kitchen on a Friday night, dreaming up the menu that
would become Wong, friends would come over, watch him cook, and sample his
latest creations.

As I took my seat facing the window to Cornelia Street, I briefly took note of the
school theme present in the elementary school chairs and worn, yellowed books
on social studies, arithmetic, and grammar on the shelves overhead. My partners
in foodie crime soon joined me- Chef Max, Easy Mac, Ramen, and our special guest,
Anna Kuchma. After surveying the menu, I knew we were in for a foodie night of
epic proportions.

We started off with an array of appetizers and with everything on the menu looking
so mouth- wateringly stellar, it was hard not to order all of it. My favorite of the
bunch was the Duck Bun. The succulent roasted duck was lovingly laid between two
halves of a deep fried roll. The celery and cucumber added a delicious crunch and
texture. I could have had two orders of this but knowing there was so much more
to try, I refrained. Next on my list of favorite appetizers was the Scallops with Crispy
Duck Tongue, Cucumber, and Jellyfish. I know some of you may be reading this with
slightly raised eyebrows, but the duck tongue complimented the scallops divinely,
and the flavor was so unique, it created a sensory memory I will never forget.
Actually, I can honestly say that about most of the dishes at Wong. Each and every
one of them has a character of its own and is completely one of a kind, unforgettable.

After sampling a few more appetizers and refilling my wine, it was time to move
onto the larger plates. I chose the Lobster Egg Foo Young. Chef mentioned to me that
it was his favorite dish because it blended high- brow and low- brow beautifully.
Egg Foo Young was a delicious but very inexpensive dish in China and as a child, he
dreamed of what it would be like to have something as expensive as lobster in his
Egg Foo Young. A few years later and voila! Dreams do come true. This was quite
apparent as I took my first bite of the Lobster Egg Foo Young. The first word that
came to my mind was “rich,” but in the most beautiful, buttery, someone- please-
rub- my- belly- after- this- meal, kind of way. This dish had me grinning like a
Cheshire cat.

Next it was onto dessert and I opted for Wong’s famous Duck a la Plum, which was
roast duck ice cream along with a dollop of star anise plums (think bubble tea balls
soaked in a plum syrup) and a five- spice cookie. This may have been the most
balanced dessert of my life. The duck fat added a rich, buttery element to the ice

cream and enhanced its vanilla flavor. The added bonus of sweet and soft textures
with the star anise plums alongside the crunchy, satiating spice of the cookie made
this dessert perfect.

Overall, my experience at Wong was extraordinary. If I were a school- teacher, I
would give this restaurant an A++ for serving food that is not only eye- roll worthy
delicious but imaginative at the same time. It would be impossible to recreate the
magic at Wong and I can’t wait to go back. – Jennifer Logue

Upon walking through the doors at the Park Avenue South location, I was immediately immersed into a world of color and Latin rhythms. The crowd was polished, energetic, buzzing. Every order, every drink being prepared seemed to move along to the beat of the Bossa nova pumping through the sound system,

I met up with the Grinding NYC crew at the lounge area reserved for us in the back. We started off the evening picking lovely cocktails from Sushi Samba’s signature cocktail tree. Tonight a selection of Japanese chu-hi’s were ripe for the sipping, my favorite being the Chu- Cumber, made with shochu, St. Germain Elderflower, and cucumber.

Shortly after, head chef Fernando Navas joined our party to chat about Sushi Samba’s unique fusion of Japanese, Peruvian, and Brazilian cuisine as well as the food he had prepared for the evening. We began with Shishito, grilled spicy peppers with sea salt and lemon, Portuguese Octopus a la plancha with potatoes confit, aji panca, and botija olives, Yellowtail with jalapeno and lemongrass and the Crispy Taquitos served with fresh lime. These dishes complimented each other beautifully and I highly recommend enjoying them with Sushi Samba’s fantastic Caipirinha.

Perhaps my favorite dish of the evening was Sushi Samba’s creative take on Gunkan, a nigiri sushi dressed in many different ways including the Wagyu, with quail egg yolk, potato paille, and sea salt, the Salmon with ikura and cilantro, theScallop with tobiko and jalapeno, and finally, the Foi Gras, with nashi pear and eel sauce. Never in my wildest dreams would there be Foi Gras wrapped in a nori sheet, but at Sushi Samba anything is possible I suppose.

Finally, we ended the night with a delicious stew of Moqueca Mista, made with shrimp, squid, sea bass, crayfish, coconut milk, roasted cashew, dendê oil, and chimchurri rice. This was perhaps the best moqueca I’ve ever had in New York City. The quality of the ingredients and the sheer beauty of the dish amounted to a sensory explosion.

I look forward to my next visit to Sushi Samba on Park Avenue, perhaps for the Happy Hour Special with $6 bites and $6 cocktails. Who knew such a magical place could exist in Manhattan?