Incu's Top 10 Restaurants Around The World
From dumplings in Hong Kong to ribs in Tulsa.
This October, Incu is celebrating their tenth birthday — it has been a whole decade since they opened their first store! The new issue of their magazine is birthday themed, and includes contributions from ten of their favourite people. You can pick up a copy of the new issue at any Incu store, or if you email [email protected] they will send you out a copy. Also as part of their tenth birthday celebrations, Incu has collaborated with Gelato Messina on a limited-edition flavour — cacao gelato swirled with a mandarin sorbet — which they'll be handing out in-store from tomorrow (see all the times here so you don't miss out on the deliciousness). Obviously Incu founders Brian and Vincent Wu are into food and they also travel a lot for 'work', so we thought we'd ask them to put together a list of the top 10 places to eat at around the world.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, New York
One of the most incredible restaurant experiences we've ever had is on a farm outside of Manhattan and is a product of the Rockefeller family's dedication to sustainable farming. The majority of the food is grown on-site or purchased is from local farmers. Even though the restaurant could easily have been very stuffy, each dish was presented in a fun way — from their single-udder butter to their mini pea burgers served on a cocktail glass full of sesame seeds (below).
Grossi Cellar Bar, Melbourne
One of the places you can get comfort food (in the form of pasta) and also get lost in conversation. Not only have we made many important decisions over meals here, but a few of our staff regularly eat here with their dads, who in turn had gone with their dads and so on. It's a beautiful spot with history as rich as the cuisine, a simple formula where food, service and ambience is spot on.
Gelato Messina, Sydney
Although Gelato Messina isn’t technically a restaurant or café, it's still one of our favourite places to eat. We can’t get enough of the rotating list of specials and their classic Bounty, salted caramel and cherry sorbet flavors. We worked with Messina on a special Incu-flavoured gelato, which we’ll be serving in store over our birthday.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Austin
By far and away the best burger we've eaten — you can tell by the fact you don't feel ill after eating it. Their caramel and sea salt milkshake is a must for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Odeon Restaurant, New York
We were introduced to this place by the guys at Saturdays Surf NYC and we instantly loved the vibe. Aside from the food, this place just gives us a feeling of what it might of been like in Tribeca hanging out with Warhol and Basquiat. It's one of those places that will instantly make you order a martini even though you might not like them.
Maisen Restaurant, Tokyo
Originally a large communal bath house, Maisen has been transformed into an amazing restaurant that serves the best katsu we’ve ever had. Located in Harajuku, it's a great distraction from checking out all the shops and doing our jobs!
Tulsa Rib Company, California
Vincent: As soon as I land in LAX airport all I'm craving is ribs, ribs, ribs. My wife is from California so we asked her friends to recommend their favourite restaurant for Rribs. Tulsa Rib Company by far came out tops. It's in the middle of nowhere and their ribs were amazing. To top it off, the ribs came with the best homemade corn bread we've ever had!
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Hong Kong
If you ever hear that we're in Hong Kong, more than likely we're eating lunch at Crystal Jade. Their Xiao Long Bao (those little pork dumplings) are by far the best we’ve ever had. Some argue that Din Tai Fung do a better one but we beg to differ. Pretty much everything you order will be exceptional.
Katharos Lounge, Santorini
Whenever we get the chance to travel for leisure rather than work, we try to find great places to eat off the beaten track. In Santorini we had an incredible dinner at a laid-back restaurant called Kathardos Lounge situated on a cliff top overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. It's accessible only by foot or quad bike, but is most definitely worth the trek.
Els Quatre Gats, Barcelona
A Barcelonan institution since 1987, we sought out Els Quatre Gats after seeing it in Woody Allen's Vicky Chrisitina Barcelona (below). The historic building in which this restaurant resides was built by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and was frequented by Picasso early on in his career. More importantly, the tapas and Menu del Dia here are both exceptional.
Ingrid Kesa
