In amongst doing shoots and pitching shows, I found some time to eat NY. It’s impossible to cover such a massive foodie scene in a few days (frankly, even a whole life is not enough), but I gave it a shot. Here are my top faves from the last weekend, in no specific order.

I was based in the heart of Manhattan, not far from the Empire State Building, so started with what was around my hotel. I ended up at one of the local Korean joints, Samwon Garden ,apparently one of the oldest restaurants in the area, established in 1976.

Predominantly serves lots of meat (all grilled at the table) and Korean style sides like pickled ginger, seaweed or kimchi. Quick service (half n hour wait for table without reservation, but once you sit down it speeds up). Top quality food, quite pricey (what isn’t in NY) but If you’re a meat lover, dreamy!

I tested out a few local diners. They serve the standard mix: pancakes with syrup, waffles, full (English /American) breakfasts, burgers, pastas, cherry pies...you name it, it’s on the menu. I learnt that diners are more of an Eastern US thing rather than West coast. I ticked off Andrews’s Coffee Shop, Murray Hill Diner and also Tick Tock (adjacent to The New Yorker hotel). In the last one, you also get to see a proper, old school money vault when you head downstairs the toilets and can do an art deco hotel tour as a bonus.

Clinton St Baking Company was my fave waffle place by far. I headed to the Time Out Market NY in Brooklyn to test their stuff. With a table view of the Williamsburg bridge and skyscrapers it was an all-American breakfast experience. Took the ‘apple pie’ waffle with cream: divine (just one big warning: it's super sugary, shock!). Mind you, the Time Out market is a great way to experience a wide choice of NY foods, lots of popular restaurants have their dedicated stalls here. From tacos to fried chicken and sushi. All under one roof, super convenient.

Also had a taste of the Milk Bar, made famous by the Chef's Table series on Netflix. I'd say it's over-hyped. Had the cereal milk ice cream and the crack pie..both quite average.

On each corner of NY you'll find everything from a super simple pretzel stall to a luxurious $$$$ experience, from German bratwurst to French style fine dining. My only issue is, I just feel they add so many additives, eeeeee numbers, sugar and sodium, I was bloated each day and came back to London looking like a balloon (honestly, I didn't overeat, it's just the food itself) . Have to say, the portions and the eco-friendliness of ingredients is definitely Europe’s big advantage. I mean, I’ve been to other parts of US and the food agreed with me a bit more, so maybe there are exceptions. NY was defo tasty but there is a price to pay for that (and not just the price TAG I’m taking about).