Saturday Lunch at Kin Shop

Sometimes, in this brunch obsessed city, I forget that there is such a thing called lunch.  Despite how much I love eggs, there’s nothing wrong with having a little something more traditional for this midday meal.  One great restaurant for this is Kin Shop where they offer up an exciting lunch that mirrors the favorites of their dinner menu.

How about starting with a light tartar of Montauk Fluke, studded with lychee that blends in well with the fluke and chili jam and fried garlic garnish.  These refreshing bites sit on top of a betel leaf and they make quite the edible vehicle for the fluke.  The steamed pork meatball soup will warm you up nicely on a chilly afternoon.  The meatballs are a little dense but no filling at all – 100% pure pork.

Now that your appetite is nicely piqued, it is time to move to the next part of lunch.  If you are feeling for something meaty, go with the pork chops.  They come grilled with beautiful marks and the pork dumplings underneath are glazed with a sweet soy sauce.  For a bit of that Thai heat, the jungle with skate and calamari comes with a rather explicit warning on the menu for being the spiciest dish and they are not kidding.  This might not seem like it at the first sweet sip, don’t let your guard down.  Each subsequent sips of the broth with hints of crab paste will bring more layers of flavor and heat until your mouth and throat are warmed through and through, making you sweat.  But you just can’t stop – one more bite of the tender calamari, one more fork of the flakey skate and one last sip.

Next time, maybe one less dish in exchange for some room to enjoy one of their exotic tropical ice cream flavors.  A scoop of Thai Ice Tea ice cream or perhaps a refreshing calamansi?  That will have to be for another day…

Kin Shop | 469 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 | http://www.kinshopnyc.com