Anvil Coffee Co (Artarmon Sydney)

On a day off to take the baby for her health check, wife and I checked in to the nearby Anvil Coffee Co for brunch. It is a place recently listed as one of the top 50 cafes to visit in Sydney.

Coffee was nicely brewed and the food was really good. The rueben sandwich was generous and 'Arabian' style egg was an innovative idea. The setting was industrial and no-frills - probably the reason to attract many tradies customers.

Details:
Anvil Coffee Co.
1/17 Dickson Avenue
Artarmon
http://www.anvilcc.com.au/

Cornersmith Cafe (Marrickville Sydney)

On a lazy Saturday, we chose Cornersmith Café at Marrickville for brunch. It is a popular café so do prepare for a 15 minute wait.

I had the ham sandwich on special and the highlight was the pickled vegetables which was a perfect complements to the main fillings. The freekeh salad with hazelnuts, pickles and a soft boiled egg was also delicious and made a great start to the weekend.

Details:
Cornersmith Café
314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
http://www.cornersmith.com.au/

Johnny’s Po-Boys (New Orleans)

On our first morning in New Orleans, we went around the corner from our hotel at French Quarter to visit Johnny’s to sample the Po-Boy sandwich – a local specialty.

Breakfast was extremely good value (from an Australian point of view) where for just over 5 dollars there was a stack of 3 hot cakes which are as big as a dinner plate. I had an alligator sausage Po-Boy which had a very generous amount of meat inside a foot long baguette-like roll.

We didn’t eat again until dinner time.

Details:
Johnny’s Po-Boys
511 Saint Louis Street
French Quarter
New Orleans, LA
http://johnnyspoboys.com

Gary Danko (San Francisco)

I took her to Gary Danko on her birthday, as part of our visit to San Francisco. The dining room has a really warm atmosphere which complements the friendly staff.

I loved all my 4 courses. Dungeness crab salad was nice and light with the sweetness of the crab really coming through. Roast Maine lobster was excellent. The best dish was the amazingly tender pork tenderloin. They wouldn’t tell me where to find pork that can be served medium rare – but it was magical.

And what a way to finish with not one, not two, but three macaroon ice-cream sandwiches.

Details:
Restaurant Gary Danko
800 North Point Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://www.garydanko.com

Momofuku Má Pêche (New York)

We arrived at Momofuku’s Má Pêche restaurant on a very wet New York morning for breakfast. Situated inside a Midtown hotel, it is very close to the shops on 5th Avenue.

The breakfast menu is consistent with the Asian theme and has a twist from the Momofuku’s classic. I had the egg bun with pork belly which was delicious especially with the crunchy fried potato bits. The rice cakes with fried egg and sausage was really rich and filling, great for a cold New York morning.

Details:
Momofuku Má Pêche
Located in Chambers Hotel
15 west 56th Street
Between 5th + 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

Carnegie Deli (New York)

Upon arrival in New York, first thing first – a deli sandwich. We strategically booked our hotel close to the famous Carnegie Deli. The menu has all the classic sandwich combinations that the deli is famous for. We decided to share ($3 extra) a corned beef sandwich, rather than going for the Woody Allen (corned beef + pastrami).

The sandwich was so big I struggled to hold it together. The 2 inch stack of corned beef was moist and tender, perfect with mustard, and most importantly not very salty. Pity we didn’t have room for a slice of strawberry cheesecake after.

Details:
The Carnegie Deli
854 7th Avenue at 55th Street
New York
http://www.carnegiedeli.com

Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel (Lagos Nigeria)

I have spent much time in Lagos, Nigeria for business. Due to the security restrictions, I was required to remain in the Radisson Blu Hotel complex most of the time. Hence I thought it is worthwhile to note my dining experience there.

After ordering from the same menu for more than 40 times, I thank the grouper fillet with curry and rice as well as the perennial hotel favourite Club Sandwich for keeping me going. I am not a fan of the traditional Nigerian fare – most dishes consist of intense heat from black peppers with no aromatics.

Details:
Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel Lagos
Ozumba Mbadiwe Ave
Victoria Island 101006 Lagos
Nigeriahttp://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-lagos

Katz's Delicatessen (New York City)

A day of leisure in New York City was all I needed to explore what the city has to offer. For Sunday brunch I headed to Katz's Delicatessen for the famous Rueben sandwich.

At the sandwich bar, the friendly staff offered a couple of slices of meat for sampling upon ordering. Make sure you give a generous tip to sample other cuts of meat. My sandwich was big – with a full inch worth of corned beef accompanied by sauerkraut and cheese. I didn’t feel hungry for the rest of the day while shopping at nearby SoHo.

Details:
Katz's Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street (corner of Ludlow Street)
New York City, 10002
http://www.katzsdelicatessen.com