Travel bites: The New York dining hall with a hidden Chinese restaurant

New York is arguably the greatest food city in the world, where slices of greasy cheese pizza are held in the same esteem as Michelin-starred dishes from the world’s top chefs.

It is believed there are around 20,000 eateries across the boroughs. It’s impossible to say you’ve eaten your way around the city in one fleeting visit, but there is one multi-venue option where you can give it a pretty good shot.

The Tin Building is an upscale food hall by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the French celebrity chef known for his lengthy roster of critically acclaimed restaurants, 16 of which can be found in the Big Apple.

His latest project is a 4920sqm two-storey marketplace, retail space and dining hall, said to be a tribute to the city that made him. The precinct is located a stone’s throw from the Brooklyn Bridge in the Seaport district in what was the home of the historic Fulton Fish Market until its relocation in 2005. After the lease changed hands, it took more than eight years to be transformed into what is now dubbed “New York’s culinary epicentre”.

The exterior gives you an idea of what to expect before you enter the building; words like pasta and wine, breads and bagels, meringues and caramels are printed across the facade and windows. It sounds like a heavenly spot for lunch, but the advertised delights are just the beginning of what’s on offer.

Entry on the bottom floor brings you to the retail marketplace, home to a green grocer, fishmonger and butchery packed with specialty ingredients and fresh produce. There are tins of sardines perfectly assembled in order and grapes so shiny it looks like they’ve been individually scrubbed.

Small candy shop the Spoiled Parrot is the most striking space; through an archway of lollipops awaits confectionery of all shapes, sizes and colours displayed under glowing bauble lights.

You can also eat on-site. There are six full-service fine-dining restaurants, six fast-casual eateries and three bars offering something for every taste and wallet size. There is the Fulton Fish Co., a counter service raw bar where oysters and clams are shucked to order; the dimly-lit sushi bar Shikku where you can pick and choose sashimi or sit down for a 12-course omakase feast; and T. Brasserie, where Vongerichten’s hit-list of French dishes can be sampled in an elegant dining room.

House Of The Red Pearl isn’t your average Chinese restaurant – its dining room is hidden out the back of an Asian grocery store behind velvet curtains.

From a menu tasting covering all 12 eateries in the space, my pick from the sprawling venue was the thin and crispy preserved lemon and ricotta pizza from Italian restaurant Frenchman’s Dough. This unique take on an Italian classic is lighter and fresher than what you’ll find on the streets – and perhaps the cheapest meal from a celebrity chef in this dining destination.

Find the Tin Building on Pier 17 at 96 South Street, New York. See:

Qantas operates four flights per week from Auckland to New York's John F. Kennedy airport. See:

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