Chef’s Table alumnus Ivan Orkin had a less conventional route to success than most. The Long Island-born chef first made his name in Tokyo, where he opened a ramen shop as an outsider and, against all odds, went on to win hearts with his bowls of precise, technically flawless noodles and broth.
These days, he splits his time between Japan, the US and London, doing research for the two outposts of his quirky, eponymous ramen restaurant, Ivan Ramen, in New York and London.
Here, Orkin shares where he eats and drinks when he’s in London and New York – from to surprise fish at St John to caviar sandwiches at Grand Central Oyster Bar.
Is there anything happening in London’s food scene that’s getting you excited at the moment?
I like the London dining scene a lot. It's really different from New York, which I enjoy. There's a lot more live-fire cooking here. I'm due to dine at Impala soon, which will be nice because I've been to Kiln a bunch of times. I also think that ethnic cooking is integrated in a very exciting way here, a little more so than in the States.
And what about New York – what's happening in the restaurant scene there that you're excited about?
To tell you the truth, I'm a little down on dining out in New York because it's so expensive. It's gotten to the point where a glass of wine is $20 or $30; a beer is $16 a cocktail is $25. It's a little out of control. Though, it's not just expensive for the diner, it's expensive for the restaurant too, to be fair.
But there are a lot of young people opening interesting, fun restaurants. They’re figuring out how to get their places open, even if it means only being open a few days a week, doing it in funny shaped spaces, or being in neighbourhoods that are a little hard to get to. There is this couple who has done a lot of pop-ups in London – Sadie May Burns and Anthony Ha – they just opened their second place. They have Bistrot Ha and Ha’s Snack Bar on the Lower East Side, which is quite good and really fun. There's also a place in Crown Heights called Bong, which is Cambodian.
If you’re only visiting London for a day or two, where are you going for dinner?
St. John Smithfield, always. I’m an offal guy, so if there's any kind of brain or sweet bread, or testicle, or something, that's what I will get. But I love game birds. I'm often confused because you [British people] have funny names for meat, so sometimes I think I'm getting pork but I end up getting fish because the names sound similar.
What’s your go-to for a quick takeaway meal?
Well, I've actually never had takeaway. Why? Because it's not good.
Apart from Ivan Ramen, where in London or New York is doing interesting ramen and/or other Japanese cuisine?
To tell you the truth, I'm very spoiled. I go to Japan a lot. I haven't been to a Japanese restaurant in New York in years. Why bother? I go to Tokyo every three or four months. So when I'm there, I eat Japanese food and then I eat Japanese food at home. Though there's supposedly a really good sushi bar in this neighbourhood [Clerkenwell], Sushi Tetsu.
You want to go all-out – where are you booking?
I want to go to A Wong. I haven't been there yet – I haven't had the time commitment. I've never been to any of Clare Smyth's places Core and Cornucopia, either. I'd love to try her stuff, it looks really nice.
Where do you go to eat if you’ve got friends in town who you want to impress?
My fancy was always Lyle's. I never came to London without eating there at least once, sometimes twice. I've done a lot of long lunches there. I’d get there at 12 and leave at five and just eat and drink all day long and order every single thing on the menu. It was the greatest thing ever. It's such a shame it closed.
Where would you go for a good drink and a snack?
St John. I'll be there tonight with my son for some kind of a nibble and a glass of beer, or cider, or something. We’re staying nearby, so it's a good excuse to go there as much as possible.
Your favourite breakfast spot?
Well, if my wife and son weren’t such a pain in the ass, I would go to the Regency Cafe every morning. I'm always watching my weight these days, so I don't know if I would always get this, but I like the full monty with a blood sausage, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, a crispy potato [hash brown], and two eggs [sunny side] up with toast, a cup of coffee. I'm all in. It's my favourite.
If I’m with my family, maybe The Wolseley, which also does a good one. The service there is so good.
Is there a hidden gem in London you think is special and more people should know about?
You have to go to Scotti's Snack Bar, run by the nicest couple in the world. They have been running the place forever. Scotti's is sort of a riff on a classic caff – I think they do some kind of breakfast, but I think they'll cook you anything if you ask. Their famous thing is a chicken cutlet sandwich and a roast beef sandwich. They also do a minestrone with stuffed tortellinis, or something. I always get a good British cuppa, builders with milk and two sugars.
What’s your bucket list restaurant (anywhere in the world)?
There's not that many places I dream about anymore. I'm lucky that I've been to a lot of them. But I’d like to do Sushi Saito in Tokyo, which I've never gone to. It's supposed to be really transformative but it’s impossible to get a table. I suppose if I decide to put a tremendous amount of energy into it, I can get in – but I don't care that much.
I had a bucket list meal at Franzen in Stockholm a couple of years back that was really worth the time and money. It was a lot of money, but it was a four-hour affair. I have a lot of friends who say they're sick of those long meals and they don't like them, but I think when they're done right, it's incredibly luxurious and fun. The pacing was quite good. It was a really lovely meal.
If someone was visiting New York, what's a restaurant you'd recommend they visit (apart from yours?)
My favourite restaurant is Barney Greengrass, which is a Jewish deli. They serve big platters of sliced smoked fish of all different kinds that come with a basket of bagels and white onion, tomato, and cream cheese. I've been going there since I was a child and I still go regularly. It’s super, super fun. I also like Katz's Deli, which is right down the block from my place. It's a little overblown, but it's still worth getting if you can go.
Razza Pizzeria in Jersey City is the best pizza in the world. It’s an incredibly artisanal product – so perfectly made. It's not really Neapolitan, it's a smaller pie and it's a little more delicate than a big New York pie. Pizza is the thing I eat over and over again.
You should always try out a Peter Luger meal if you can because it's just iconic and fun. Then there’s the Grand Central Oyster Bar where it’s really worth stopping for the oysters on the half shell, clams on the half shell, and a big beer. And when they're doing their caviar sandwich – not expensive caviar, fish eggs – it's worth getting. I don't know if everybody realises just how good it is.
