Putting the New in New York: Some of the hottest new openings for your next Big Apple escape
Where to eat, what to see and where to stay in New York.
New York remains a thrilling destination like few others, filled with classic haunts and spots you’ll want to return to as well as exciting new openings to check out. (Photo: iStock)
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In the city that never sleeps, every season is a joy, but summer has a special allure. Yes, it can get pretty toasty, especially if you venture into the subway, but blue skies for perfect backdrops, lazing in parks and long evenings more than compensate.
Even after multiple visits, New York remains a thrilling destination like few others, filled with classic haunts and spots you’ll want to return to. Naturally there’s also always something new to check out, whether you’re sleeping or eating, watching or visiting.
One of the newest places to lay your head comes with the Warren Street Hotel in the heart of Tribeca, the third property in the city from hip British brand Firmdale Hotels. From the off, it’s a bold explosion of colour and vibrancy, starting with a striking blue exterior.
Designer Kit Kemp has filled it with fabrics, reflecting the neighbourhood’s history as a textile hub, while the hotel’s 69 rooms and suites are a jewel box of treasures, from record players to eclectic artwork, upholstered furniture to elegant tableware.
We loved the Garden Suite, an exquisitely designed one-off with its own lush and expansive garden, perfect for catching summer rays or evening aperitifs. By New York standards, it’s also one of the most generously sized suites we’ve seen, coming in at more than 800 square ft.
The hotel’s bar and restaurant has quickly become a local go-to, while breakfasts show British touches such as the option of HP sauce in addition to ketchup.
When you do pull yourself away, you’re in the heart of Tribeca, where yoga pants and labradoodles seem to be mandatory accessories, while every street has new cafes, boutiques or galleries to draw in the curious.
Just a three-minute walk from the hotel, Forgione is a friendly new restaurant which you’d be forgiven for assuming would be Italian, but in fact the intriguing menu from chef Marc Forgione spans multiple countries.
The amuse-bouche is a cute, tiny ‘everything bagel’ with vegetable cream cheese filling in homage to the New York classic, while well-crafted cocktails accompanied the Russian roulette of shishito peppers as we perused the menu, never sure if one would be a heat bomb.
Impeccable service with total knowledge of the menu was a bonus, as ‘Laotian sushi’ was a new one on us but bought slices of fluke atop little cubes of sticky rice. Mains included an excellent Elysian Fields lamb with a lamb croquette, hummus and panelle, a long rectangular Sicilian chickpea fritter.
Since my last visit, just before the pandemic, one key thing has noticeably changed – transport prices. Ubers are regularly US$40 (S$54) to US$50 for a 10 minute to 15 minute ride, even without surge pricing, so the subway really is the easiest and by far the quickest way to get around. That and walking, of course, a great way to counteract the culinary temptation at literally every turn and street corner.
Culturally, two new exhibitions have been packing in the visitors since their opening. The first comes at the jaw-dropping Morgan Library, one of the most underrated and under-visited sights in Manhattan.
The private library of legendary financier JP Morgan, it offers a glimpse into the collecting habits of America's Gilded Age elite, with rare manuscripts, works by Mozart, Dickens and Jane Austen alongside art by Rembrandt, Durer and more.
The building itself feels like an exhibit, combining the original 1906 library with a light-filled contemporary addition from Renzo Piano. Their latest exhibition is on the beloved British children’s author Beatrix Potter, creator of unforgettable characters like Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. Another celebrates drawings from the Clement Moore Collection, with works by Constable, Gainsborough, Rubens, Brueghel and more.
Far more contemporary is the brand-new Banksy Museum, celebrating the anonymous street artist responsible for some of the most memorable artworks of the past two decades. From murals to projections, more than 15,000 sq ft promises an immersion into his world like no other.
No visit to New York ever feels complete without a visit to the city’s magnificent green lungs of Central Park. Wandering in the sunshine lets you discover the lakes and cafes, the chess pavilions and yoga classes, while there’s no more elegant way to finish your visit then with an elevator up to cocktails at MO Lounge at Mandarin Oriental, New York, which overlooks the park as well as some of the city’s most iconic skyscrapers. Their afternoon tea is also rightly famous.
Talking of food, Williamsburg in Brooklyn has quicky become a culinary destination with few rivals. Just a short ferry hop over the Hudson – the only time we experience the legendary New York attitude from their harried staff – it’s a brilliant way to spend an afternoon and evening.
Sitting opposite the Brooklyn Brewery, itself well worth a visit, one of the biggest culinary draws comes at Crocodile, a restaurant in the achingly cool environs of Wythe Hotel. Packed out from 5pm daily, they serve top-drawer renditions of French bistro classics to a funky young crowd making the most of their natural wine list.
Jonah Crab brought a fabulous plate of white crab meat with apple, avocado and yuzu kosho, then leeks with vinaigrette reminded why it’s such an elegant classic. Most of all, however, it was their sensational roast chicken, a true signature, which had us oohing and aahing.
You’re also never far from somewhere to kick back with a drink in New York and the brand-new Little Dipper is a cute addition to the city’s drinking landscape. As their name suggests, there’s an astrology theme to the bar, so creative cocktails reflect your star sign and are served under starlit skies, despite being in a basement.
Other drinks venues to check out include the soon-to-open rooftop bar at the W Union Square, an iconic heritage building from 1919 which has been transformed with a recent top-to-bottom evolution. It promises stellar views with a drinks programme to match.
Elsewhere, for those seeking tastes of Japan, Zuma New York remains one of the most popular draws on Madison Avenue, a huge space with a Lounge for highballs, coolers and Martinis with Japanese ingredients.
On the entertainment front, Broadway has rarely been hotter and two new shows demonstrated how the Tony Awards know a brilliant production when they see it.
First up was Stereophonic which received a stunning 13 nominations, the most of any show in history, before taking home five including the coveted Best Play.
It follows the rollercoaster of emotions around a music studio where a 1970s rock band stands on the precipice of global fame. The electrifying production features original music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire and delivers three hours of stunning acting, singing and performing as the cast play all the music themselves.
Another celebration of music from a different era came with the dazzling Hell’s Kitchen, a biopic of 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys and her journey from being a 17-year-old girl searching for freedom and her place in the world in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen – just a couple of streets from the theatre where it plays. It’s a coming-of-age story which had us dancing in our seats. It also took home two Tonys.
Then, at the Tony Awards, stars including Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong showed how the lure of the stage is so strong for stars of screen. Check out The Broadway Collective for tickets to all the latest top shows.
One final point to note for anyone hitting up Broadway is that pre or post-show, be sure to check out Los Tacos No. 1 on W 43rd St – and other locations across the city. Some of the finest and most authentic tacos you’ll eat, standing only, for prices which are an insanely good deal and sees bankers line up next to construction workers. If that isn’t pure New York, we don’t know what is.
OUR FAVOURITE NEW YORK HAUNTS
One thing Asians love to do is eat. Here three expat residents give their takes on their go-tos for New York dining and more:
Stacey Chia, fashion publicist, Singaporean
“Like many Singaporeans abroad, I often find myself with serious cravings for the flavours of home. When the hunger pangs hit in New York City, I take comfort in knowing that Laut by Salil Mehta is close by, offering classics like Nasi Lemak, Hainanese Roast Chicken Rice, Laksa, and more. The food is as close as it can get to what you'll find back home, and the sounds of Singlish and Manglish make the experience extra homey.”
Denise Lee, founder & CEO of Alala, Singaporean
“My favourite restaurant in New York has to be Kimura in East Village. They do Japanese style shabu-shabu and izakaya style food for great value. You can order a two-person American Wagyu shabu set for US$32 a person and I also love their Chicken Skin salad with sesame dressing. They also have a charming back yard which is decorated like a Japanese garden. “
Aik Wye Ng, managing director at PR agency Bullfrog + Baum, Malaysian
