A couple of weeks back I took a few days R & R and headed to New York City with my wife. She had never been , while I myself was making only my second visit as an adult. The last visit I made, I stayed over on Staten island and loved the daily return trips on the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan. Why does anyone pay to go and see the statue of liberty, when the ferry passes by it for free?
Anyway I am not here to talk about my trip or the very disappointing experience we had at the highly recommended Boathouse restaurant in Central Park… ( you can read about that on Tripadvisor…..
As a self- proclaimed foodie, I am always on the lookout for something different, something that I haven’t tried before ( and I have tried quite a bit in my time, spiders in Cambodia being the most horrible food I have ever put in my mouth)
After walking the famous and fabulous New York, High Line which runs from 34th street down to Chelsea Market, I discovered Seed & Mill nestled in the centre of the market. This vegan, gluten free, hipster joint is located in Chelsea Market in Manhattan. Seed & Mill is a women-owned business – the product of three friends, Lisa Mendelson, Monica Molenaar and Rachel Simons, united by a shared passion for food, cooking and high quality, healthy ingredients.
Selling Halva, they were. Now, as an Irish Culchie in New York, it got my attention. Halva, what the heck was that?
So, Madison, the energetic and most pleasant server kindly explained to me what it was. Halva, derived from the Arabic word halwa, meaning sweet, is one of the tastiest offerings of the Middle East. Halva is made by mixing tahini (sesame butter) with sugar at a high temperature and then hand stirring through our individual flavours.
Their selection includes traditional halva varieties like marble, pistachio or rose oil. We also offer more unique flavour combinations like white chocolate & raspberry, ginger, cardamom or sea salt dark chocolate.
My most absolute favourite thing here is the luscious soft serve goat milk ice cream made from tahini. Tahini is that tart sauce created from toasted sesame seeds, lemon, and garlic. Not the first flavour most think of for ice cream. Yet, it works wonders. And if you get it topped with a blend of different halva bits, you have a creamy and crunchy sensation with many different flavours melting in your mouth. The main flavour of the ice cream is rich and complex with a silky finish and as tangy as fresh yoghurt.
The next time you are in New York, Walk the High Line & take time to stop off at Seed & Mill and if you see Madison, tell here I said “Hi”
A link to their website…. Check them out …www.seedandmill.com
rossbkitchen.com 