Brad Farmerie, the Executive Chef of Double Crown was in a good mood. They were opened in the morning because of the world cup and both US and England just won their matches. That day when we there talking about his last trip to South East Asia he fed us soft, starchy pau's filled with shredded duck, a refreshing watermelon rind pickle and Shishito peppers. These are addictive, just seared on a flame until they blister and pucker up releasing their natural sugars, then salted. This is the ultimate bar snack. "I love them, in every ten you get one that's super hot, it's like food Russian roulette," Brad grins.
Double Crown is one of those places that has a little of that ambience of a time when people had a g&t before tea, wore bush hats and took their rifles to the local watering hole. High ceilings, exposed brick wall, deco collected from all over South East Asia and a menu inspired from former colonies. I suppose the closest term is Anglo-Asian. Ever so often Brad and Chef de Cuisine Christopher Rendell travels down our way, trawling through markets and street-side eateries bringing back copious new ideas and ingredients for their menu.
And what a menu. Incredibly interesting to read and almost tactile in the ideas of flavours it evokes in your mind. Dishes like Miso-glazed bone marrow with orange-olive marmalade, Chinese five spice foie gras, halibut jungle curry and a Singapore style lobster, baked in the shell with chillies. Fusion in the finest way.
So don't expect authentic dishes here folks, instead you can sip a delicate Coconut Laksa from porcelain cups. Not hardly hot enough for me (I ordered a side of chilli paste) but subtle and fragrant. On Sundays he lays out a Nyonya Dinner borrowing liberally from the Strait States.
"It's like food Russian roulette..."
It was a brilliant summer's day in Manhattan and the light food, spicy and sour with a little taste of home was perfect. In a mood for grazing we also had salt and pepper squid with a green chilli dipping sauce and tofu cooked sweet and sour style with eggplant and beansprouts. And yes did I mention the delectable duck buns? Starchy, a little sticky and finger-sucking good- I didn't even mind the coriander bits in it.
The next day, Double Crown was at the Astor Center serving tendon beefballs from the recipe we gave them for our film screening. It's soft and ginger-licious (perhaps it might appear on their next menu?) They also served up their coconut chicken salad with snow peas and mint- tasty Thai by way of Vietnam.
Brad took us for a tour of the restaurant pointing out various furniture coups he got around our region (his brother had a hand in designing the restaurant). Near the toilets are gorgeous wood carvings from Sumatera. "I know we're not supposed to do this, but when we put the panels up, they look too orderly so my brother sawed it into strips and mix and matched them." Some poor Indonesian wood-carver would be bawling his eyes out if he knew, but it undoubtedly gives the corridor a surreal quality.
And what is a New York restaurant without a hidden bar at the back? Madame Geneva is uber hip with delicious concoctions like their homemade lavender soda and gin served straight up with a silver spoon of glossy marmalade just like the colonials used to do back in the day to sweeten their afternoon tipple.
Very cool. Very New York. And the food ain't bad either.
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