The Annotated Dish

P*ONG’s Elegant, Unlikely Trio of Chamomile, Scallops, and Soba


Pichet Ong first attracted notice as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s No. 1 dessert man, and the complex, subtle, and painterly desserts he created at 66 and Spice Market helped bring him to national attention. Now he has opened up his first solo restaurant, P*ONG, and released an Asian dessert cookbook, The Sweet Spot. Still, though known as a dessert chef, Ong is stretching out with savory dishes like this one, an original pairing of scallops, soba noodles, and chamomile ice that tastes hot, cold, salty, sweet, and acidic, all at the same time and in perfect equilibrium. As always, mouse over the different elements of the dish to see them described in the chef’s own words.

P*ONG’s Elegant, Unlikely Trio of Chamomile, Scallops, and Soba