New York | Japanese Food in Brooklyn | Chika's Desserts

I flew from Omaha to New York to meet up with friends, and as always I was showered with warm hospitality and countless wonderful moments.

I hadn't picked up a camera in ages, but being around artists always sparks inspiration. So I've sorted the photos and put them up here, as a record.

Right at the airport, I bumped into Bill Murray.

We had a long, really friendly chat. It turns out he'd been to Omaha too. He asked where I'd been, recommended some new places, and even wanted to know which DQ ice cream I'd had 😂 He was very curious about what kind of city Dalian is; we agreed to have a meal together next time, and he was especially interested in sea urchin dumplings. (Yes, this paragraph is here to pad it out to the 300 original words.)

In the next couple of days I'm planning to watch his Lost In Translation.

With Vincent & Stella, and only with them, I hand myself over without asking a single question, and then, quite naturally, life becomes art.

Ume — love it.

This restaurant is truly a place where "every single dish is delicious."

The eel is grilled so it's neither dry nor greasy; the rice, steamed with a vinegar infusion, is plump and seasoned just right, bringing out the freshness of the sashimi without stealing the show. Whether it's scallion, lemon, green chili sauce or roe, every sashimi pairing has clearly been carefully designed, and fits perfectly.

Sitting in the sunroom feels like sitting in a Japanese garden. It's every bit as good as kaiseki, maybe even more authentic.

Chikalicious

Chika's desserts aren't desserts — they're works of art.

Chika is quite advanced in years now, yet she still makes desserts with great care every day. There's often a line outside, but she keeps her little shop to at most 17 guests at a time.

Just watching her work — brisk, rhythmic, making each dessert bit by bit — is healing in itself.