While planning our week in New York, I encountered the classic problem: there were more eateries I wanted to visit than meals to account for during our stay. When it was getting down to the finer details of planning it, I had about five restaurants competing for the two final spots on the itinerary, and when I put it to a family vote, Willow just squeaked through. And I’m very glad it did!

The main attraction for me was the “scallop” cacio e pepe dish. I’d only had cacio e pepe twice before, it hasn’t really made it as a veganised staple yet as far as I can tell – but those two instances were enough to make me a big fan. In fact, one of my culinary goals for the year is to master a vegan cacio e pepe recipe, so please share any tips you have! Obviously I had high hopes for this dish, and it did not disappoint. I was hoping the scallops would be big chunky ones, like we once had at a fantastic restaurant in Dublin, but they were chopped. Still, they were made from oyster mushrooms and added a nice bit of texture to the dish, so no major complaints. And they weren’t the main attraction, after all. The sauce was creamy and cheesy, and the pepper seasoning was perfect. I was worried it might be a bit too mild, but I was very satisfied indeed.

Dr HH was somewhat less satisfied with his BBQ ribs. The ribs were seitan and were nicely made, with a good sticky glaze, but his verdict was that the dish was quite samey – just a big plate of meat. While it wasn’t a bad dish, it didn’t quite deliver what he wanted, and he probably just chose the wrong dish because it is hard to resist ribs. The accompanying chips (pictured below), however, got a rave review.

Mother HH agreed on the chips, and was also very pleased with her burger. We didn’t make a note of exactly what burger she got and I can’t find a suitable option on the menu now, but she really enjoyed it, so go ahead and gamble if you see a burger on their menu!

Willow was also one of the few occasions when we got dessert on this trip. We ate so much that we just didn’t really have room for that many puddings, but this was an occasion when we all made an exception because there was a cookie skillet on the menu. This is one of those dishes that seems so American, you just can’t turn down an opportunity to try it. And it was everything I’d hoped for! For any readers who are also new to this dessert, brace yourselves. It’s a really soft cookie, with the chocolate chunks still gooey from the oven. It’s topped with chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and a good sprinkling of salt, making it like a really decadent baked Snickers. I was in no way hungry when I ordered this dish, but I ate every last bite – and so did Dr HH. We might have to buy our own little tiny skillets to recreate this at home, because I’ve never seen this on a menu in Prague or my regular haunts in the UK. Not pictured here is Mother HH’s bowl of vanilla ice cream with (at her request) no sauce or additions. She loves a simple vanilla ice cream. I always support someone who knows what they like, but I didn’t think it was worth photographing. You’ve seen a bowl of vanilla ice cream before.

So the food was a definite winner. The restaurant itself was a little bit crowded (in keeping with our general feeling about restaurants in Manhattan), with the tables very close together and some noisy neighbours. But service was still sharp and we would definitely return for another meal – and I’d order exactly the same two courses again!

Have you got the perfect vegan cacio e pepe recipe for me to try? Or cookie skillet? Help me recreate this magic!