NYC Restaurants

Uncle Chop Chop is a restaurant willing to take risks. Cocktails come with names like the Choppalada, Passion Punch, and There Will Be Blood. The latter is a smoky mix of mezcal, cherry herring, grapefruit and vermouth that's garnished with luxardo cherries. It’s a well balanced drink and you may not want to stop at one. The food is equally experimental with influences from Thailand, Vietnam and China. The King Prawn, a single large shrimp, is served on a bed of pickled green mango, pea shoots and corn salsa. It is light and refreshing. Just be sure to drag the shrimp through the slick of hot sauce for the full package. Tuna and BBQ Watermelon is a play on poké. Here you'll find yourself trying to guess which is which. The sweet and savory play well off of each other. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Salt and Pepper Squid. At first I was thinking calamari. Then I ran into fresh mint, then grapefruit and fiery chile slices. Before you know it, the dish is firing on all cylinders. Other offerings include Dumplings with Rick & Morty Szechuan Sauce that is sweet, tart, spicy and fun. Crunchy Vietnamese Fried Chicken also makes an appearance along with Crab Fried Rice and Duck Pancakes, a play on Peking Duck with cucumber, scallion and plum sauce. Uncle Chop Chop is a true flavor adventure. >>

- Thomas Rafael