2020

This list is more than just the most incredible food I had this past year. It represents my happiest, and most loving memories, that I will be looking back on when I think about this year.

How is it that each of these meals represents an incredibly significant memory?

Funny how that works.

Is it the food that happens to taste better given the company you are with and the conversations being had, or is the social aspect, the company you are with, the purpose behind the meal, etc, affected by the quality of the meal, the service at the restaurant and the overall atmosphere of the dining environment you are in?

I'll explain more below. The list follows in no particular order.

1. Artemis

This was our first restaurant after circuit-breaker. It was Father's Day. This has become our family favorite since then. The food initially is what made this restaurant so special. However, as we have celebrated various occasions since our first visit, such as my father passing his financial regulations exam, me completing my first week at work, my parents' 26th anniversary, and a few other special dates, our experiences at Artemis are characterized by the occasion we are celebrating, as well as the incredibly thoughtful staff, who always go out of their way to ensure we have a wonderful experience. We come here to celebrate something joyous, momentous, significant; an occasion we are determined to enjoy, an occasion we could have enjoyed anywhere, in any setting, with any food. The food being extraordinary just happens to be a perk of coming to Artemis. This is an example of how the setting, and purpose of the meal determines the significance of the food we order and enjoy, and of the restaurant itself. Artemis will forever remind me of a happy moment, because it is where so many have been celebrated.

2. Mott 32

This is a restaurant we enjoy, not as much for the food, but rather the setting and what it means. My family and I would go to the Mott 32 restaurant in Hong Kong every weekend since it opened in 2014, and until we left Hong Kong in 2020. It was my mother's favorite restaurant. She dreams of the iberico barebeque pork, which is slowly roasted with the most delicious manuka honey, and so tender that it can barely be held by chopsticks. I dream of their king prawn har gow (steamed shrimp dumpling), with the sweet prawn marinated with ginger and encased in the most delicate, thin rice paper that just melts in your mouth. We visited their Singapore branch, and were immediately greeted by the same comforting interior that is trademark to their brand and reminiscent of our beloved Hong Kong restaurant. It was comforting. It felt like home. We ordered exactly what we used to order every Sunday during lunch. While the food tasted different, and the staff was different of course, we couldn't help but feel that we were back home for those few hours. I miss being home in Hong Kong.

3. Anassa Taverna

This was one of the final meals I had in the United States. My best friend Elizabeth and I were in New York City for a few days, and I reserved lunch here. This restaurant has been a family favorite since our first visit to New York several years ago. While the pandemic was looming upon us, this was one of the few days where there was still some relative peace and normalcy. Little did Elizabeth and I know that it would be the last time we would be eating lunch together. This genuinely is one of the best meals I have had all year. From the mezze, to the red snapper, to the generous slice of baklava and assortment of sorbets, everything was outstanding. Even all these years later, I fail to know what exactly is in their complimentary dip; I just know that it is delicious. The fish was flaky, tender and doused with this simple olive oil, lemon and caper sauce. The spicy feta dip was creamy, with hints of sweetness from the roasted red pepper. The baklava...truly the best I have had. In hindsight, I couldn't have asked for a better last lunch than at Anassa Taverna. It was perfect really, considering Elizabeth and I are fiends for Greek and Mediterranean cuisine and anything that has feta.

4. Pasta Bar

Pasta Bar; a restaurant where the food spoke more than the company, the occasion and the purpose behind visiting. Convincing my parents to eat pasta is far more challenging than you would think. I still believe their aversion to pasta is because they haven't had enough good pasta. I'm working on it, because I for one love pasta. Pasta Bar is significant for several reasons, the most important however being it introduced us to pastas beyond the usual aglio e olio, pomodoro and pesto that are so characteristic of an Italian restaurant. Their "lagane chickpea" is what amazed us the most. As well as their "cacio e pepe". This is a restaurant where with every bite you take, you are able to appreciate the technique that went behind creating the dish. From the chew of the pasta, you are able to recognize that it is fresh and hand-made daily in the open kitchen that dominates the center of the restaurant. Their cacio e pepe, simply made with pecorino romano and freshly ground black pepper, has this incredible depth that leads you to believe that there is simply more than the two ingredients listed. However, it is just the technique and meticulousness that went behind making the dish that provides that assumption. You can truly taste the love, the warmth and the care that is behind each and every dish here. This is a very special place for me as it taught me how to appreciate more than just the taste of food, helped change my parents' opinions of pasta, and has become a place where many more significant, happy and loving moments were shared.

5. Tatsuya

Without fail, every Sunday from the months of June to August, we would be seated at Tatsuya, in front of Chef Felix, toasting with Junmai sake and finishing our fourth plate of negitoro (tuna belly) maki. Tatsuya and Chef Felix introduced my family to the art that is Japanese cuisine. The masterful technique, and the incredible precision that goes behind creating any form of sushi and sashimi is commendable. There is a formality and custom that comes with eating sushi, and it is very important to honor the Chef by respecting how the sushi is meant to be eaten. Previously, we would ignorantly mix the wasabi in our soy sauce, and dip the maki in the soy without a second thought. However, that is not how it should be done. Chef Felix was kind enough to explain how the condiments should be used, how only the fish side of a piece of nigiri can be gently dipped in the soy, why the pickled ginger is given, as well as the other traditions associated with this type of Japanese cuisine. I am grateful to have learned so much about Japanese food culture through our many, many visits to Tatsuya, and our conversations with Chef Felix. I have so much respect for their craft, and I strive to be as savvy, and as symmetrical with my cutting as they are.

I am thankful for what this year has brought. I am grateful to the restaurant industry in particular for the memories, the conversations, and the relationships that is has brought. This is an industry that not many of us acknowledge as being fundamental, in spite of it always being the background of our most important events, and moments. Unfortunately, this year has not been very kind to the hospitality and service industry. As you can see from this list, it is sometimes less about the food itself, and more about where you are enjoying it, and who you are with.

A very warm thank you to all of the restaurants that have brightened what has been a challenging year.

Here's to a better 2021, with more delicious food, beautiful moments and Sauvignon Blanc.

I mean, I had to.