Take me to the Sea

The newly revamped Montauk Yacht Club situated in the marina offers the classic with a twist for your next event. Whether a cocktail party, rehearsal dinner or wedding, the fresh, breezy setting with spruced up nautical themed overnight rooms, sprawling green lawn, and sliver of private beach, presents a sophisticated but relaxed feel for a daytime or evening event.

Follow the Brick Road

Thai chile paste is to heat what Szechuan chile oil is to fire. Both fiercely pump natural endorphins and can challenge Red Bull’s synthetic energy any day. And both are equally addictive. I think my lips are still burning from the meal I recently had at Shui Hu Ju in Hong Kong’s SOHO district. Just up the hill from a boisterous intersection on a narrow brick-laden slope (a treacherous path for pumps, ladies…) this small gem of a restaurant, is a clandestine, sultry and spicy hideout.

Hot and sticky from the summer heat, the carafe of Vodka, Prosecco and Lychee cocktail chilling in a bucket on ice devilishly smiled at me as the onset of Northern style Chinese dishes arrived: Abalone served in their glistening shell with pickled threads of black seaweed, okra with wasabi and soy sauce, fiery crunchy squid served with golden garlic aioli, and deep-fried sliced lamb shank with a crunchy layer of fatty skin (still dreaming about this). Nestled in a corner table amidst traditional Chinese wood carvings and artifacts, I felt like I was dining in someone’s home. And, each dish was served on a special antique platter which furthermore enhanced that sentiment. Already heaving from the crispy squid and generously drinking my lychee elixir to cool off, a big bowl of deep fried black chicken with Szechuan chili arrived (pictured below) and the games continued – round two. A plate of green crunchy melon with ginger shreds was placed beside the chicken for palate chasing amidst bites, which I thought was wonderful. I had eaten a similar Szechuan chili chicken dish in New York before, and without the heat and at laughably expensive prices, I can’t say that I was inspired to order it again. And, it wasn’t prepared with black chicken the way this one was. Literally, skin, bones and meat of this special breed called the silky fowl are black (though it has white feathers), and it is believed to be healthier than other breeds with its additional dose of anti-oxidants. Though I couldn’t really determine whether or not the chicken was that much tastier than white chicken because of the overpowering chili flavors, its an alluring idea and made for a both an aesthetically pleasing and mouth-teasing, delicious dish. With a bit more room left, we polished off mango custard for dessert and prepared ourselves for the teeming Friday night madness on the streets below, endorphins still bursting!