Donal Skehan: fresh flavours from the Big Apple

There are a handful of cities in the world that can instantly reaffirm a food lover's passion for eating. A pilgrimage to New York City delivers endless inspiration and a melting pot of cuisines. When I first visited, I wrote a long list of my favourite food spots, but I have long since given up updating it considering there is always a "hot" new place to visit.

I love revisiting the quintessential NYC food spots such as Dean & Deluca, Zabaars, Chelsea Market, as well as more recent additions such as Italian food emporium Eataly. But a quick tweet to those in the know is generally the best route to scouting the city's most exciting eats.

After a long, hot summer spent on America’s West Coast, it was time to pack our bags again. Dublin was the final destination but my wife Sofie and I were stopping in New York City for a couple of days for work.

The Standard Hotel in Chelsea was our base camp while we jumped from meeting to meeting. The hotel is located on the Highline Park, a beautiful reclaimed outdoor space based on a disused railway track. With food vendors aplenty, it's a magical place to grab a light bite and catch one of the better sunsets in New York.

A recommendation from a colleague in LA pointed us in the direction of supper at Gato. The sophisticated crowd, the low lighting and a Mediterranean-inspired menu designed by Bobby Flay, easily one of America’s most well-known chefs, meant business.

Slinking into our seats, we enjoyed a glass of wine with plates of spiced chicken with crispy ham and cracklings, roast octopus with sour orange and salty bacon, and a surprisingly brilliant dish of scrambled eggs with confit tomatoes and a red pepper romesco sauce.

ABC Kitchen has long been on my list of restaurants to try in New York, and by chance we ended up having a meeting there before we flew home.

Blackened and blistered shishito peppers, sweet, late summer tomatoes on sourdough bread with olive oil and little else, and roasted beetroot doused with tangy yoghurt made in house made for fresh shared starters.

Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and the interesting addition of an oozing egg yolk was served with a rich pork ragu. This was the real wow moment, and the reason I had to share the recipe here.

These following are simple restaurant- inspired recipes that will make truly impressive dinner party dishes made at home. Enjoy.