The Morning is Good.

Back in Hawaii, and even during college in LA, the morning was always my favourite part of the day. I made sure to sleep at a early, get a restful eight hours (I love my sleep!) and wake up a few hours before my day would actually began, so that I could enjoy breakfast.

Since moving to NYC, my days and nights have gone all topsy-turvy. Not to say that I'm not enjoying it! I don't think I've been happier in my life :) But. Sometimes. I miss the mornings. I miss the mornings because I never get home from work till late. I miss the mornings because I stay out too late on weekends. There are never enough hours in a day.

Last night I made it a point to sleep early, right after I got home from work. I set my alarm an hour earlier than usual. Because I wanted my morning back. So when the alarm went off when the sky was still a bit dark, I got dressed in a big brown sweater, lazy cotton pants and set off in the cool air. Where to?

The Doughnut Plant, of course!

I take for granted just how close I live to this wonder of doughnuts - just a brisk 8 minute walk. I rarely set foot out on Rivington Street this early, when there's barely a soul around, save for the doorman at the Rivington Hotel, and a few individuals waiting at the bus stop. I walk east to Norfolk and make my way down till I hit Grand Street. And right there, where the two streets intersect, I peer though the glass windows, eyeing a rainbow of breakfast possibilities.

I ordered the Tres Leches Cake Doughnut from a very nice man who proclaimed it his favourite doughnut in the shop. Apparently, this doughnut is a favourite of many, see here and here. And yes, the recommendation did not lead me astray as I happily held the warm doughnut in hand, this crazy morning fried concoction infused with a triple threat of evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream. The innards bore a texture that ran the thin line where powdered sugar meets butter cake, at points nearly melting into the lusciously sweet cream. It lasted exactly eight bites - the first two were big bites, and the last six, smaller. I ate the last bit with great pleasure, a tad of the rich cream clinging to my lips and ahhh, yes indeed...the morning is good.

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand St
NY, NY 10002
(212) 505-3700

Gnocchi + Bo Ssam + Ibérico Ham + Beets + Cheesegasm + Cocktails + Wii = Dinner at Don's

2:00am, Saturday

I didn't get as much sleep as I had intended to this weekend. Blame it all on a most delicious nine hour feast of cheese, fat, gnocchi and cocktails. All at Don's apartment.

It all started with a ball of burrata and trailed off into worlds of crazy food that I could not, and still cannot, begin to imagine. I walked into his apartment a bit past six, anticipating a simple and composed dinner of burrata, baguettes, and Ibérico ham. Little did I know Don had quite a bit more up his sleeves!

He said, "we're keeping it simple tonight", fiddling around the kitchen while his friend and I oogled our way though a book of food porn, better known as El Bulli. I heard and watched more fiddling in the kitchen as others proceeded to arrive. Soon I watched as he took out a ricer...and potatoes...oh goodness, could it possibly be?

...GNOCCHI! I've often written in the past that gnocchi is by far my most favourite pasta. EVER. I've had one failed attempt at actually making it. A few good experiences at restaurants, marred over by yet even more disappointing restaurants experiences. Decent gnocchi is easy to come by, bad ones even easier, and good ones, rarely.

Out with the ricer and potatoes arrived a metal mixing bowl, and I dared not asked, but watch. And indeed. Gnocchi it was!

Don did most of gnocchi making, while Sofia and I made sad attempts to help out. I'm afraid my gnocchi eating skills far exceed that of my making abilities, nothing wrong with that right? ;)

You know how some people like to eat raw cookie dough? Well the idea of raw cookie dough freaks the crap out of me...but I'd gladly eat raw gnocchi dough...if there was a warm pot of fondue on the side, hehe.

Gnocchi in the frying pan, post boil. Less than a minute after this photo was taken, an incredibly decadent mix of gorgonzola, crème fraiche and bacon were soon to be added...

...and important to take note, four types of fat when into this dish! Now this is the kind of gnocchi I want to eat!

Viola - the final product! If this is what Don meant by, "we're keeping it simple tonight," I don't even dare dream what an elaborate dinner would be. I couldn't get over how simple the actual process was compared to the results. The gnocchi were fried crisp in a memorable mix of fats so you got this crazy interplay of textures, tender soft innards rounded by crisp shell that literally gave a light crunch as you bit though an in, taking with it just the perfect serving of the rich bacon studded gorgonzola.

Oh! But ooh. The gnocchi was barely the start of the night. Barely.

While Ian and Don were worked on the gnocchi, the rest of us were digging into a cheese plate assembled by Don. A baguette from Amy's Bread, a mix of four cheeses: Ibores, Pecorino Foja de Noce, a Cabot Cheddar and Montenebro. I'll be the first to admit I'm not very well educated at all on cheese…but it helps that I've never met a cheese I didn't like, and I'm eager to learn!

But alas, after every new cheese, there's still one I call my favourite, and that would be...burrata! Burrata makes me happy like no other cheese does. Just looking at it puts a smile on my face. Pure white, plush, innocent. But then...you swivel the knife around just so and out oooozes this rich, cool cream. It's begs to be devoured in one luscious go, a top of a slice of baguette, dabble of olive oil, dash of salt, and some pepper if you will. And then. And then you swooon. Cause it's so delicious and there's nothing else you can do.

Oh wait. But there is.

Bo Ssam in the frying pan…magic's gonna happen!

You can eat. You can eat more. And indeed that's what I completely intended to do as Don removed a plastic container from the fridge. Two words, "Bo Ssam." And I knew there would always be more room in my stomach.

What caught me first in the final dish were the colours. I am infatuated with the colour of beets! The deep vibrant magenta, it's an arresting shade that demands locked attention. Why, I dare say it almost makes me as happy as diving into a ball of burrata. Layers of beets + cheese + bo ssam was, gah, AMAZING. I don't even know where to begin. So I won't, we'll just drool over it all together.

(insert drool)

(more drool)

I'm still on a food high, which may account for my sheer lack of ability to write anything semi-decent.

Somewhere in the night we had our first round of cocktail, whipped up by Don. Funny thing, I've never had a cocktail in my life until last Monday (we'll save that story for another day ;), and now I actually crave cocktails...if that's even possible!

I also had my very first taste of Ibérico ham, and OH GOD, I hope it's not my last! It's got the crazy, moan inducing flavour that all that once nutty, creamy, with a near soft supple fattiness in your mouth.

A slice of Ibérico in mouth, cocktail in hand...right at that moment, I decided that life would indeed be just dandy if all Saturday's were like this. While I was busy indulging in gluttonous acts, Ian exhibited some awesome knife sharpening skills. He tested his final product by cleaning slicing though kitchen towels in one swift move, impressive.

Gnocchi led into cheese, which led to beets, bo ssams, iberico ham, and of course...most logically...many rounds of Wii (bowling and tennis, if you care to know! ;) and then, cocktails!

I pretty bad at Wii early on in the evening, but by the end of the night I must say, my Wii skills improved considerably! Bowling I'm pretty lousy at, but I can hold my own when it comes to tennis. Sad though, I am suffering from a sore shoulder today - might be a case of Wii Arm?

Wii stance: stay focused!

We called an end to a most scrumptious night of great food and even better company far into the night. Definitely one of the best dinners I've had in quite a while. I made it home slightly buzzed, a bit too full, and very content. The cool air was a welcome refresher as I walked back to the Lower East Side. I walked slow, observing this liveliness of this city, even in the wee hours of the morning. Granted, most of the individuals out at the hour were somewhat drunk, though most were competent, scarfing down hot salty fries over at Pomme Frites or waiting in line for falafels and doner kebabs at Bereket. This city really never does sleep, does it?

Complete set of photos on my Flickr.

P.S.
Thanks to Don for putting together/hosting/cooking/cocktail-ing such an amazing dinner!

Ok! Tax Season Sucks + We Have Food!

Monday, 5pm, My corner of the audit desk

...and not enough time to blog!
Why so many exclamation points??!!
I DO NOT KNOW.
Must be the result of this weeks' extreme lack of sleep!!

Tuesday, 8pm. My corner of the audit desk

But Yes!
FOOD.
I'm actually at work now.
And should not be blogging.
But I didn't take a lunch break.
I think I can justify a blogging break, yes?

These last few weeks have been full of much super funnesss. And as a result. Little Sleep. and Little Blogging Time. But I hope to (somewhat) redemn myself in this post.
-__-

Saturday afternoon and night was filled with a coffee + almond milk + pastry stop at Abraço, which I briefly posted on here. I love Abraço to bits and pieces, despite the tiny space and complete lack of seating. I for one, think the 'coziness' of the shop is conducive to socializing …as long as you don’t mind surrendering all notions of personal space. Post liquids and sweets, Robyn, Raphael and I moved met up with Olivia and Erin for a very, very filling dinner at Shanghai Cafe on Mott St.

We started with two orders of xiao long bao: one pork and another crab. The skins were on the thicker side, with less soup than most places, but I found the filling itself to be better than most places in this city.

The broccoli with garlic sauce was awesome, like how all Chinese vegetable dishes are awesome! I wish I could tell you more about this dish, but my head is about to crash and fall asleep on the keyboard if I don't attempt to get some sleep within the next hour, heheh.

Pan fried rice cakes with mushrooms...

And the one dish I'll never tire of, no matter how many times I've had it and how ever many restaurants: LION HEAD MEATBALLS!!!!!!!!! I get my love of meatloaves and meatballs from my dad, so I can blame any over consumption of such dishes on him. A hot casserole of six gigantic pork-based meatballs swaddled in a sweet vermicelli laced broth. This photo alone doesn't even begin to do its' deliciousness justice!

Here's a peek at the innards. The meatballs are enormous, but they go down soooo easily cause they're beyond feather light, basking in some weightless dimension of their own. Soft, almost pillowy with a light sweetness, there's no need for a fork, just a light hand with a spoon and a very eager mouth. Normally I would need a big bowl of rice to go with this dish, but the liberal inclusion of vermicelli noodles rendered rice unnecessary for the evening.

The only letdown of the meal were the red bean pancakes which arrived extremely heavy and greasy. But the big surprise was that the filling didn't even remotely taste of red beans! As Robyn pointed out, the filling resembled a smashed overripe banana. Scary.

The pork filled joong, was 'wetter' than the norm, almost to the point where the rice had become one congealed mass. Nonetheless, it's hard to dislike any joong despite minor faults, you cannot deny anything hot and steamy with a good chew!

About 80% finished with dinner, we teased with the idea of ordering another dish to round out the meal...even though we were already quite full. But eat with a bunch of people who also like to eat, and more often than not, no one will refuse the suggestion of another order! ;) Hence, this overflowing dish of crispy Shanghai noodles. No better way to call the meal to a close than with a dish that's hot and oily in all the right ways, clouds of steam rising in the air as we pulled endless crisp fried strands of noodles. Ooooh noodles.

Post dinner we walked over to L'Arte del Gelato in the West Village. I must stop by this place at least once a week, and it's the only gelateria I've found in the city that consistently churns out quality products. Couple that with friendly owners, prime location in the West Village and a fair amount of seating, and you've got a place to love. I did a Green Tea and Espresso combination, and the Green Tea proved to be a bagazillion times more enjoyable than the strange gritty serving I had from Grom just a week ago. We chased our gelato run with yet more desserts at Build a Green Bakery just up the street and then parted ways with Raphael and Erin.

The party haz cake!!

Robyn, Olivia and I went to a birthday party for Robyn's friend, Anna at an apartment in the village. And dear, it was seriously the biggest apartment I've encountered in my life, much less this city! The 'apartment' I currently share with Shann is but 300 square feet, and this one was...4,000!! Sighs. I don't even have storage space so my suitcase just sits next to my bed. Which leaves. No room for anything else. HAHARHAR.

Left to right: Alex, Robyn, and Olivia

Like any good birthday party, this one had CAKE. And a rather impressive selection of three cakes picked by Anna herself. And of course. I had a slice of each. Never say no to cake!

And you must say 'yes' to a second slice, especially if it's this cheesecake from Two Little Red Hens! Dense, but far from heavy, it was only a tad sweet and had a fine memorably smooth and near buttery rich texture. Swoooon, indeed!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine's Pumpkin Spice cake was too sweet for my liking, and unusually oily. The frosting was a bit 'crusty' along the edges, but alas, it was all fixed with another helping of the cheesecake ;)

And from The Chocolate Room in Brooklyn, a tall, foreboding and quite intense chocolate cake. Beautifully moist crumb, a very dark cake with pudding-esque ganache dripping sin of the most wonderful sort. I could only imagine how divine this would be with a round of espresso gelato from L'Arte just a hour ago!

As the night went on, we noticed a bit of strangeness taking place in the open kitchen. See the top left of this photo ;) heheh. Midnight mysteries!

Ok! I'm off to sleep now...no time to write a proper conclusion, but I'll be back this weekend with a more dignified, better written and edited post...HAHAH. But for now....SLEEEP!!

Shanghai Cafe
100 Mott Street
NY, NY 10013
(212) 966-3988

L'Arte del Gelato
75 7th Avenue
NY, NY 10014
(212) 924-0803

Not Dead. Just Busy...

1/20/08. 4pm. Houston @ 2nd Avenue.

...and a tad sleepy.

But I'll leave you with memories of particularly delicious weekend involving a late afternoon stop at Abraço with Robyn and Raphael. We shared glasses of piccolo milch, almond milk, and a trio of sweets.

My favourite glass of almond milk in the city...or that I've tried so far. Pure, simple and just the barest touch sweet.

Rose Water Pain Perdu with Sweet Ricotta. Robyn and Raphael both didn't like it very much, but I enjoyed most of all three desserts. Go figure. I must start eating more ricotta - there's a whole nother world I'm missing out on!

Cardamom-orange bundt cake. I love Abraço for the unconventional treats, sweets that are never too sweet and always promise the inclusion of a herb or flower-y twist. I missed out on the sesame bundt cakes, and an olive oil loaf, but that's only cause we just paused here on our way to dinner and wanted to ensure plenty of tummy space!

Lavender salt butter cookie. They also had cured olive cookies but were sold out by the time we arrived. Nonetheless, the lavender salt cookie was delicious, crisp all the way though with a generous hand of butter and a light lingering twist of lavender.

Tuesday. 9pm. Still at Work...

...and I cannot stop eating Peanut M&Ms.

Saturday + Sunday = Too Many Pastries & Gelato Times Two

Saturday Morning...

Good Morning! 1/12/07 Upper West Side

I met Shravani for breakfast at one of my favourite coffee shops in the city. Located on the Upper West Side, the 40 minute subway ride from the Lower East Side is certainly not the most convenient, but my visits to Arte Around the Corner always leave me quite happy with a sense of peace.

Inside Arte Around the Corner

It's been months since the last time I've seen Shravani - the very first friend I made as an NYU freshman, and one of the few NYU people I still keep in close touch with.

L to R: Rustichella (Lemon Oil Cake), Flourless Chocolate Cake

We walked in around the 10 o'clock hour and sat down to a morning catch-up of times past. The place never fails to be packed to the brim on weekends, yet there is always a constant sense of calmness and efficiency in what sometimes seems to be a crazy city.

It's hard to pick a 'favourite' item here, as everything I've sampled has been either good or amazing. In the 'amazing' category one can place the Rustichella, a classic lemon oil cake. Now I have no clue how they make this, but if someone knows, please do tell! The cake bears a thin and dark golden crust that breaks into soft, yellow innards. It's beautiful to look at. But that is just the beginning.

On a different visit, the Rustichella came with a sugar dusted top!

Take your fork and cut all the way down from top to bottom. Put the slice in your mouth and wooosh, it sits for a moment, just long enough for you to take in the fragrant touch of lemon and the moist, full, texture much akin to a well done pound cake. And then, as you dare take a chew, it kind of, sort of...for real, just melts. Just like that. As if it were made from powdered sugar and lemon oil alone. It melts. And disappears. Like the most lovely of memories.

Many loaves to pick from!

But if it's your first visit here, you must go with one of the herb-honey loves. The come in three simple and pungent flavours. Honey + rosemary, sage, or basil. You cannot go wrong with any of them. It may look like an innocent slice, but do not be deceived.

Rosemary-Honey Loaf

It is POWERFUL. It is dense, it is intense, it is soaking in honey and the herbs play a dominate and unforgivingly delicious role. The taste of rosemary in the photo above was not a whisper or even a touch. It was bammed in there, straight in your face. Coupled with honey in equal intensity, it tastes as if it were bathed or baked in a river of honey. The golden crumb is rich and solid - this loaf is strong and not for the weak. A cup of coffee or tea is a must. It's a great morning treat, and sure to wake you up with its intensity! My first taste of this loaf was way back in spring of 2006, when Robyn mailed me a slice (along with many other goodies :) to Claremont. Oh goodness, that was a very delicious package!

Simply 'good' pastries here are the muffins, above is the Peach-Banana muffin I had on another occasion. The muffins are best thought of as mild and plain. Not overly sweet, but on the same hand, not exactly fully of flavour either.

It's a very light muffin, boring if you will, studded with a fair hand of chopped peaches and bananas.

Shann's strawberry croissant with worth a shot just to try it once, but I wouldn't get it again. Memorable croissants are already hard enough to come by in this city, and it's simply best not to eat it if you're not going to be a good one! As far as pastries here go, it is best to stick with the sweets that you don't find in most bakeries: the various herb-honey loves, pear-ginger bread, lemon & pine nut polenta cookies and ricotta cheesecakes. You can find scones, muffins, and rolls at near any corner bakery, but it's rare that you'll come across sage/rosemary/basil-honey loves!

We decided to walk over to Zabar's after breakfast, get some fresh air, and perhaps burn off a few unnecessary calories.

Ahhh.

Burn off? Well we burned off maybe one or two crossing a couple avenues...but we piled it all back on as we passed the front doors and fell into the temptation of Grom.

If you don't know about Grom already, read more on it here, here and here. As you can see, there is much to be expected!

I've only sampled Grom once before, and that was when I took a spoonful out of Shann's order. I recall thinking it was very nice, though far from spectacular. So I figured I give it a try for myself today. The pristine clean shop was completely empty as we entered and debated over the variety of flavours. One thing that bothers me about this place is that they cover the gelato so that you cannot actually see the gelato itself. Just metal. And the tag reading the various flavour names. But you cannot see the gelato! Why hide it? :(

I handed over five dollars and some change for a small cup - the most I've ever paid for gelato. But if it's good, it'll be worth it right? That's a scoop of the Marron Glaces to the left and Green Tea to the right. Easy on the eyes. The Marron Glaces was somewhat of let down, for it tasted of a bland vanilla gelato with super tiny nidbits of candied chestnuts. No complaints on the texture, smooth with a creamy mouthfeel. I moved on to the Green Tea.

Oh god. It was terrible. The Green Tea. It was gritty. Sandy. Have you ever had gritty gelato? I pray that you never will. The flavour itself was nice, if not mild and pedestrian, but at least the matcha taste was clear. But...SANDY? It was as if the granulated sugar did not dissolve in the process...or something. But. Yes. The Grom Green Tea gelato was gritty. It was disgusting. You never walk into a gelateria expecting a gritty scoop, and you most certainly would never in your right mind pay over $5 for below average gelato. Most other people seem to have had better, or even incredible experiences at Grom. Has something happened since they first opened? Was it an 'off' day? I sure hope so. Such ridiculously poor quality was completely unexpected.

Shravani's Nougat and Gianduja fared better, but I was so letdown/surprised by how disappointing my order was that I did not focus too much on hers. Bah. Am going elsewhere for my gelato fix.

Zabar's

I tried to mend my broken gelato spirits in the busy aisles of Zabars, basking in the glow of apple-cheese strudels, chocolate babka, and a bounty of rugelach. We browsed though buckets of olives, a befuddling variety of cheeses (the burrata looked especially nice!), and went upstairs to oogle kitchen timers and madeline pans.

Zabar's on Weekends = Madhouse

The day was bright, cool with a light breeze, sun shining straight down and not a cloud in the air. We browsed a wide selection of books from vendors laid out along Broadway from 83rd St all the way down to 72nd. Save for the gritty gelato, the day was good.

We parted ways post-Grom & Zabars, and I went off to do some work and a bit of what I call 'organizing my life'. I love organizing my life, which might sound a little crazy, but it is lack of organization which drives me crazy.

Saturday Night

Robyn came over to the apartment for dinner, where we feasted on spam musubis (Robyn's first ever!) and mochi doughnuts she brought over from a bakery in K-town. I didn't take pictures from our musubi-making night, the lighting in my apartment is pretty awful...BUT! Robyn took photos, and hopefully it will be up on her Flickr soon.

(Edit: Robyn posted! Notice her MAGIC with photos. My apartment was dark at the time of musubi making, but it looks like daylight in her pictures! :) My favourites: TOWER OF MUSUBIS...and ROBYN HAZ LAU LAU).

Later on in the night, we headed to L'Arte del Gelato in the West Village, by far my favourite gelato place in the city. Yes, I did have gelato just a few hours before. But because it was quite awful gelato, I saw no harm in yet a second, hopefully redeeming dose for the day!

L'Arte del Gelato, much like Arte Around the Corner always makes me happy. For a month or so back in November I'd visit L'Arte at least twice a week just cause it was soooo awesome. I've never been disappointed here, and it seems to taste better with every visit. Pricewise, L'Arte is just a negligible $.50 less than Grom, but the quality is a million times more dependable.

We each opted for the Pistachio, and while Robyn picked Lemon Sorbet as her second flavour, I went with the Stracciatella. We took our gelatos to a table and ate. Oooooh. Geezus, the L'Arte del Gelato's gelato was a world apart from whatever it was that I had at Grom in the morning. The pistachio tasted like as if they had churned pistachio into a creamy rich butter, heavenly on the tongue.

The thing about the flavours here is that they taste so honest, and pure. That thought was further confirmed halfway though our cups as the owner brought over two sample spoons filled with the banana gelato with speckles of chocolate. OMG. Gaaah. HOW COME SO GOOD?! (Insert Intense Drooling). Like perfectly ripe bananas in the form of gelato. Silvers of dark chocolate, just so that they melt on your tongue the moment it hits. The same goes for the chocolate in the Stracciatella, the chocolate shavings nestled in simple, unadulterated vanilla gelato. It tastes whole. And clean. And just the way gelato should. They don't mess around here. The people are always so nice, and more than happy let you sample flavours. But most importantly, you're paying for an excellent product.

So. For the record. As far as my books go, Grom = NO. L'Arte del Gelato = Yes, please!

Mighty content, and glad to have ended the day on a happy note, Robyn and I wandered around the West Village, poking into various supermarkets and pausing to look at many restaurant menus. We each went home later in the night, and I tucked to sleep well past midnight, quite satisfied with the day.

Sunday = Cave Day

Sunday, as long time readers are aware, are my cave days, and so I went about my meanderings today, doing the things I do…running errands, drooling over lovely home furnishings for the apartment I do not yet own, and people watching.

I popped into Joe's on 13th Street between afternoon Open House visits for a cup of coffee and muffin.

I've always relied on Joe's for consistently delicious muffins, and thus was sorely disappointed by today's blueberry muffin. Strangely spongy with a stingy bits of blueberries smashed up on the bottom left of the muffin, it left much to be desired. The saddest part was the crumb topping, light, and near tasteless, it barely bound to the muffin, and proved to serve only for visual appeal.

As I drank the coffee I could not help my let my mind wander back to yesterday morning with Shravani, more specifically to that book we spotted outside Zabars. I wanted a copy of Secret Ingredients since it first came out, but didn't want to pay the list price. I could get it cheaper on Amazon or at Strand...but still...The vendor selling books right outside Zabar's had it for $20, which is pretty good, but $20 is a bit much to spend on an everyday reading book. I hemmed and hawed a bit yesterday, but decided against it.

The book guy in front of Zabar's

But. But like my food cravings, my book cravings are never satisfied till I have either eaten the food or own the book. And such was the case. So I dashed up to the Upper West Side on a quick whim and, lucky me, the book was still there. $20 poorer, but much happier, I can finally call the book my own.

I tend to be pretty good controlling my spending habits, but like many of us, I do have a few weaknesses when it comes to money management: baked goods, food literature, and black dresses. Only three vices. I think that is fair ;)

I still haven't finished The Gospel of Food, which I bought only a few days ago...and with the busy tax season at work...I'll pray for more subway delays so I can have more time to sit and read the books while waiting for the ever slow F train.


Arte Around the Corner
274 Columbus Ave
NY, NY 10184
(212) 875-2195

Grom
2165 Broadway
NY, NY 10024
(646) 290-7233

L’Arte del Gelato
75 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 924-0803

Joe the Art of Coffee
9 East 13th Street
NY, NY, 10002
(212) 924-7400

Nha Trang

The other week, my parents and sister met Robyn and Tristan for the first time over dinner at Nha Trang in Chinatown. Robyn had just returned back from a weekend in Charlottesville with Tristan, and they were HUNGRY! We let my mom and dad take care of the ordering, all knowing that we were in good hands :) Both my parents grew up in Vietnam (even though we're officially ZERO% Vietnamese) and know the cuisine well. It's funny, nature versus nurture. Our family is Chinese, but I grew up mainly on Vietnamese food, thanks to my Grandma's weekend dinners.

Drinks, which can also double as dessert, are an essential part of any Vietnamese meal. My sister went with the soda xi muoi, a drink loved by all in our family. The drink is presented as a glass filled with ice and preserved salted plums. A can of seltzer and it's DIY from there, just pop open the can, pour, watch the fizzzzz and drink up! It's especially good when you have a sore throat, though you need make no excuse to drink this on a daily basis.

Robyn drinks! :)

Robyn took the adventurous route with sua hot ga, another seltzer based drink, but instead of preserved plums you've got a raw egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk - a deadly delicious combination! I don't think I could drink a whole glass of this, the liquefied raw egg yolk throws me off a bit, but a sip or two I could surely appreciate.

I've been on a che ba mau kick recently, having drunk/slurped up five different versions within the past two weeks. My mom used to make this rather often at home, and it wasn't until a few months after I moved here that I realized, why, I haven't had my cup of che ba mau in forever! There are three main components, colours, if you will, involved in this drink. Mung beans (yellow), azuki beans (red), and these long squiggly jelly things (green!) The components are layered in a tall glass with crushed ice, a la shave ice and coconut milk. Nha Trang's version is weak at the best, the coconut milk was watered down, and there was barely any ice...maybe they let it sit in the kitchen too long and all the ice melted into the milk :( DO NOT LET YOUR DRINK SIT, please.

Ahh, yeah, Che in general is good stuff. I should probably make my own at home seeing that it's so difficult to come across good che here. I Googled different kinds of Vietnamese ches a bit and landed upon Elmo's post on Banh Mi Che Cali...I love that place! :) He mentioned one type of che I love in particular and have not been able to find in the city: che banh lot. They are deliciously shiny green worms, I kid you not. But I've yet to find a good version in Manhattan.

::weep::

Now I am getting homesick for San Gabriel Valley!

Tristan's avocado milkshake was certainly the best I've had in this city to date, a buttery thick concoction, just sweet enough, the right kind of sweet you know? The sweet obtained only though a generous helping of sweetened condensed milk? It was not quite creamy and rich as San Gabriel Valley's Mr. Baguette, but then again, I never expected to encounter another avocado milkshake that reach their standards. Sigh. I'd say it'd worth a flight back to LA just for that milkshake alone! :)

Soon after our drinks arrived, our very enthusiastic waiter brought out the 'appetizers'. First came a plate of vegetables, a paltry mix of lettuce and cucumbers. The portion, and quality was a far cry from what would have been given in a San Gabriel restaurant, or Hawaii where even the smallest bowl of pho or a single order of cha gio come with an overflowing plate of fresh veggies...

Not the least bit greasy, fried crisp and thinly wrapped, the cha gio was better than expected, with a surprisingly good amount of shrimp. I like these 'mini' cha gio more than the larger, longer ones you find elsewhere because you don't have to worry about cutting them into smaller pieces for they're just the right size for wrapping.

Wonderfully charred with smoky and intensely meaty flavour, the bo nuong mo chai was nothing short of addictive. I could easily see myself popping these in my mouth a la popcorn...ONLY BETTER! It's a simple dish, charbroiled ground beef, but oh dear, the end product is something else! The exterior is sharp and crisp but innards remain wonderfully juicy so that eat bite yields a twist of textures all punctuated by a spicy memory.

Assembling!

There's no real manner or method to this but here's how I do it: lettuce + vermicelli + pickled carrots and daikon + hunk of cha gio, beef, or shrimp paste. Wrap tightly (this is where I always go wrong...) then super dunk straight into your personal bowl of nuoc nam.

I've never been a huge fan of chao tom, although it is one on my mom's favourite dishes. Shrimp paste wrapped around sugarcane and then grilled. It must be the texture I'm not too chummy with - I love the exterior char, but after you get past that, it's just gummy shrimpyness. Maybe this explains why I was never enamoured with fish cake?

There was a brief interlude between the appetizers and entrees, which is a surprise cause Vietnamese restaurants tend to be good at slamming out dishes at a remarkable rate. But soon enough arrived my sister's pho tai. My sister is a peculiar eater, not to say she doesn't like to eat, but she knows what she likes and she tends to stick to that and nothing else. Except for desserts and pastries...she'll venture out for that! So here is her pho tai, the only dish she eats at Vietnamese restaurants. Woohoo!

This is the first time I've had canh chua tom at a restaurant. My grandma makes it frequently back in Hawaii, but I am no longer in Hawaii...so until then, restaurants will make do! It's a sweet and sour shrimp based soup, and Nha Trang's version was far too sour for my tastes. The sour is to play a prominent role but not to the point where it induces one to squeeze her cheeks in from the surprise shock. A generous serving of salmon was a welcome surprise, seeing as the dish is usually done with shrimp and not salmon. Helpings of okra, pineapples chunks, tomatoes and bean sprouts rounded it all out. Oh! And this one other vegetable for which I do not know the English name. The Vietnamese name is "bak hah" ...or at least that's how it sounds to me... The vegetable is green and comes in huge sturdy stalks, very porous and you slice it into 1/2-inch thick chunks to dump in the soup. It instantly soaks up the soup quicker than a sponge. It does not have much flavour alone but after a good 60 second soak, it retains its crispness and picks up all the essence of the soup. And then you eat it! I wish I could tell you the name :(

I've never been a huge fan of frogs so did not eat much of the ech um curry, essentially a thick curry of frog legs with broccoli, tomatoes and onions. This was the last dish to be finished by all at the dinner table, as it was pedestrian in flavour (aside from the novelty of frog legs!). I did, however, very much like how thick the curry was - it clung on so tightly to the broccoli, and for a minute there I wish someone would invent a dish of CURRY FRIED BROCCOLI. Then I could die very happy.

But the best dish of the night by far, was the ca kho to, a remarkable casserole of salmon braised in a savoury-sweet 'caramel' sauce. Spooned over a hot mound of steaming rice, the thick ginger spiked sauce of caramelized sugar and nuoc nam soaks in most luxuriously and makes for a breathtaking bite. Add the flaky sweet salmon, thin slices of ginger, just a cut of chili and you've found a near perfect dish. It begs to be eaten, edging borders of rich savoury that dares to be a touch sweet. Had I not indulged in all you've seen above, I could have easily done away this casserole in blissful silence. Catfish or snapper is traditionally used, but I enjoyed this version done with salmon. Any and all other disappointments from the meal dashed from mind with the very first bite.

Nha Trang
87 Baxter St
NY, NY 10013
(212) 233-5948

Plans Change.

I intended to blog about a wonderful Vietnamese dinner with my family & Robyn and Tristan. BUT. Lazy bones and warm winter evenings (60 degrees!) got the best of me, and instead I tucked into my dollhouse size kitchen and baked pumpkin pecan bread. The apartment smells wonderful. I shall leave the windows open just for you to get a whiff ;)

To make the night extra lovely, I stopped in at Barnes & Nobles after work to pick up a copy of The Gospel of Food. Have not started on it yet (it's difficult to enjoy the bread and book at the same time). The day is for multi-tasking but at night I like to take things one by one. I'm sure I'll fall asleep with the book in hand tonight, and wake up sometime before dawn to finish it. I hope it will be good.

But for this moment, it's the bread I savour. I'm a corner piece type of girl.

Hope you all had a wonderful Tuesday!

One...

pistachio doughnut for breakfast, anyone? ;)

My parents and sister went back to Hawaii a few days ago, but we were lucky enough to dine at a dozen or so restaurants, all which will be blogged...eventually, haha. We stayed in for breakfast the other day, mom scrambled eggs, I made tea. And dad? Well he dash off to Balthazar Bakery away to pick up a baguette. He cannot live without his baguettes. It is ridiculous. Back home, his go-to spot is Saint Germain, but here in the city, he prefers Balthalzar. So he went and he came back with big bags.

He went with the intention of baguettes but came back with much more. Now you know where I get my bakery weakness from!

Sister and I split the pistachio cake doughnut for a pre-breakfast snack. It was so pretty I was heartbroken to snap the poor doughnut in half, but alas, one bite into the moist and crumbly cake and all was forgotten. A thin spread of icing and smatter of crushed pistachios topped it off and made for a great start to our morning meal.

I pulled out the baguette and was not surprise to find the top pulled off and crumbs strewn all over the bottom of the bag. This never fails to happen. A baguette, in my dad's care, will never make it home without the top torn off. It is comforting in a strange way...as long our baguettes come home topless, all is right with the world.

A high crust to innards ratio, with a lovely shatter effect, it really is an attractive baguette, deep brown in colour with long even slashes. It proved to be perfect with our breakfast of eggs and brie.

There were a few more treats hidden inside the bag, but those were saved for a post-dinner treat. We spent the day shopping, eating, apartment hunting, and wandering around the city. It was a good thing we took advantage of the nice weather cause the next day was freeeezzzing!

When we returned home that night, I eagerly opened up the bakery boxes and was delighted to find a chocolate pignon tart. The buttery cocoa tart crust is just the right thickness, cupping a bounty of deep, dark chocolate ganache. The word 'velvety' fails to do it justice, for at room temperature it simply surrenders at the touch of your tongue, leaving you helpless to the whim of chocolate.

The 'pignon' portion of this tart's name is rather deceiving. The only evidence of pignolis are the nine sprinkled on the surface. No evidence of pignolis in the ganache or crust, though I would imagine it would make for lovely textural contrast to have pignolis interspersed within the buttery smooth ganache.

Stashed in the package next to the tart was a bag of granola for my mom. MY MOM LOVES GRANOLA LIKE NO ONE ELSE. She saved this to take back to Hawaii. I thought it was overpriced at nearly $10 a bag...but who knows, it might be amazing granola!

Our second dessert was a Pear Galette, which was AMAZING!!! I was coming down with a cough and sore throat that day, but sheeeesh, even the crisp and flaky crust couldn't stop me (though my throat did feel like crap afterwards). But oooh, this one was wonderful! A million layers of thin phyllo, each one brushed with butter, base to a filling of frangipane and sweet pear slices. A thin layer of blueberry preserves rested between the frangipane and phyllo.

The galette cut into quarters so nicely, only shedding but a few crumbs. Every bite was a delight, teething sinking though the tender pears, and glorious sweet and nutty cloud of frangipane, just a dabble of blueberry and then a complete change in texture, the phyllo light, sharp and crisp. A trio of raspberries rounded it off, beautiful but completely unnecessary.

And so we started the day with Balthazar Bakery and closed it just the same. In between? Lunch at Boky in Chinatown and dinner at Lombardi's - you'll hear about them soon :)

Enjoy your Sunday!

Balthazar Bakery
80 Spring St.
NY, NY 10012
(212) 965-1785

Amazing 66

7:30 pm.
Friday night.
Dinner for 10 at Amazing 66.
Organized by: Olia (super thank you! :)
Eaters: Robyn, Diana, Olia, Jeremiah, Ian, Carol, John, Alice, Tristan, and myself!

The restaurant was packed to the edge during peak dinner hours with customers waiting in line both inside and outside. Despite the sheer volume of people, the first thing I noticed was the efficiency of the staff. There was no wasted room, movement or effort. Service throughout dinner would prove to be quick, yet very orderly. And the pacing of dishes was perfect, which is often an issue at most Chinese restaurants in this city (Yeah Shanghai is the worst...they once brought out dessert before any entrees).

Our waitress was quite the character, cheeky with a sharp edge - she proved to be rather friendly as the evening progressed. I suppose one requires tough skin to be work in such a rushed environment every night. Her deft with lifting dishes and clearing the table at the end of the meal was impressive - she managed to remove all our dinner plates as well the dishes used for the entrees in one very smooth sweep. Amazing indeed.

First arrived the watercress with bean cake sauce. The bean cake sauce was used very lightly, almost to the point where it didn't contribute any flavour/ I was not sure if this is how the kitchen typically does it, or if it was by order of our waitress. Upon ordering this dish, our waitress asked me, "would you rather have oyster sauce? Are you sure you want the bean cake sauce? Are you sure? You're sure? Sure?" YES WE ARE SURE. Don't know if she believed me or not, but I wish the dish was more pungent. Quality of the watercress was excellent, and it was a refreshing dish - sometimes it just feels so good to bite into vegetables!

Our second vegetable dish was Chinese Broccoli and oyster sauce. Once again, the fresh quality vegetables required minimal fuss with such a dish. Can't you just see the greeeeeen?! I love how such dishes are never made with the intention of being healthy. Chinese restaurants don't tout dishes like these as "healthier" like many American restaurants would do, yet clean and simple preparation lets the quality shine though and then end result is a nutritious dish that was made only with the intention of pleasing the taste buds.

The Prawn Fruit Salad was a sight to see! Upon its arrival on our lazy susan, Jeremiah remarked that it resembled nachos. And yes it does!! In fact, they even used tortilla chips as the base! The ten battered and deep fried prawns were spot on despite the sheer strangeness of this dish. Good in size, and meaty with just enough batter to relish but not overwhelm. Layered with a most unusual mix of melons and tomatoes, the entire dish was finished with a hand of creamy mayo rich dressed and a spot of still hot sesame candied walnuts. Ahhh, the most indulgent nachos to date! I regret not doing as Jeremiah did: eating the dish as if it actually were nachos, getting the chip, prawns, walnuts, fruit, and dressing all in one bite. Next time!

The eggplant was unanimously approved by all around the dinner table. Tender chunks of purple sautéed in a sauce significantly lighter than most other places in town. I grew up eating Cantonese cooking and it's my favourite of all Chinese cuisines, the dishes are focused on fresh seafood and veggies, and tend to be much friendlier on your arteries than the north or eastern regions. It was a good thing we had ten bowls of rice for ten people - I think I could polish off two bowls of rice with this dish alone.

We plowed though these dishes at warped speed, and didn't slow down as sautéed flounder and vegetables graced out table. Flaky and tender white slices with a mix of green onions, mushrooms, carrots and gan lai choi. I would say this was my favourite dish of the evening, but everything was so enjoyable that to be honest, I have no favourite - all was excellent.

I was completely taken aback by the roast chicken with preserved vegetables. First off, roast chicken is a common dish, and while it is easy to come across many good versions, it is rare you find a spectacular one. But this was spectacular, oh yes it was! A succulent crisp skin that crackled at a bite, sweet meat still dripping juices...if I had no manners I would have preferred to discard the chopsticks and just munch away with my fingers. Oh, oooh, and the preserved vegetables were far from an afterthought, as they usually seem to be. These were slightly fried until crisp, perhaps in the chicken fat, and crazy good over hot rice. I'm pretty sure this ruins any future roast chicken dishes for me, hehe.

Pumpkin with Shortribs: Take 1 (note Olia's expression ;)

Last came the dish we had all been anticipating: Pumpkin with Short Ribs. The dish is presented on a very large platter by a very serious waiter. He pushes all other dishes to the edge of the lazy susan making the pumpkin CENTER OF ATTENTION. And then he whipped out a knife and got to work...

Pumpkin with Shortribs: Take 2 (you see how happy Olia is? Now that is joy!)

He worked quickly and with confidence, slicing the kabocha into wedges. The whole dish rested in a thin bath of curry sauce, oddly similar to a Japanese curry with a twist of pepper.

Pumpkin with Shortribs: Take 3...now we can eat!

We took no courtesy in digging in - to each his own. And oooh man, oooh man! I bet you would have killed for a bite! ;) The short ribs required no effort on our part, simply falling apart on its own doing, soft succulent slices of meat, yes, drooool, yes. But I think I liked the kabocha itself even more! Rind and all, the entire pumpkin was roasted till the exterior was crisp and the innards turned creamy tender, the whole mass held its shape till you bit, and then, it just surrendered. The sauce was instrumental for the dish and also a great addition poured over hot rice - nothing goes to waste, and that's the way it should be.

Meals in such restaurants are most often finished with free dessert...or at least that is how it works in Hawaii. Judging by the operations of Amazing 66 we doubted they would do the same. As our waitress cleared our table (all in one go!) I asked her in Cantonese, "desserts on the house?" She replied with an expression that hovered a fine line between smile and smirk and said, "only if you ask in Cantonese, so be glad that you did!" And so, ten warm bowls of hong dao sah were promptly delivered and I dug in quick, anticipating the cold weather we would soon have to face. The soup was of perfect consistency - many restaurants thin it down to stretch the quantity soup. They also used mini tapioca in the soup which is something I've never encountered with hong dao sah. The purpose of such tiny tapioca is defeated in hot sweet soups because the tapioca melts away quick, without an opportunity for one to get a feel for the texture.

Bowl cleaned, bellies ever so slightly bigger, it was a joyous and full end to the evening. We polished off all the dishes quicker than you could ever fathom and not a spot was left. The bill came out to a very fair $130 prior to tip - divided by ten, this was a great bargain for both the quality and quantity of food. Success? I'd sure say so!

We parted ways after dinner, half went home and the other half off to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. There is always room for dessert! I did a scoop each of taro and ginger. The taro at Sundaes & Cones in the East Village is much better, more intensely flavoured with an almost Oreo-esque hint. The best flavour here is the Almond Cookie and I try so hard each time I come to restrain myself from getting the same flavour over and over again! Every time I don't get Almond Cookie, I end up regretting it. And every time I do get Almond Cookie, I end up mourning the loss of opportunity to try a new flavour. Sigh. It is a delicious lose-lose situation.

Amazing 66
66 Mott St.
NY, NY 10013
(212) 334-0099

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard St.
NY, NY 10013
(212) 608-4170

Breakfast...

...in Chinatown. Took care of a few errands the other morning and stopped off at Dragon Land Bakery. I craved baos. What kind of bao, I was not sure.

So many options lining the shelves, savoury lup cheong and yuk soong baos, sweet bean filled baos, bolo baos. I wanted the crust of a bolo bao, but a nice crust alone would not satisfy. Something inside would be nice.

And so we find great compromise with a hong dao bolo bao. At $.85 a piece, I sometimes wonder how I manage to fork over $3.50 for a City Bakery muffin or $7 for a chocolate pignoli tart at Balthazar Bakery. The bao is filling, but far from overwhelming. My favourite thing to do is peel off the crumbly 'crust' - a deceivingly simple mix of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs, that never fails to make me very content. Then I take a bite of just the bun. And then just the mashed red beans. And on my fourth bite (yes, I count!) I make sure to get all three components: crust, bun, and innards...crunchy, chewy, soft. Gah, I love textures! And they all go so nicely together. I do this all at the tiny table in the 'seating' area, crumbs all over my black coat, and then watch the rest of Chinatown fly by in the early morning.

I make my way to Centre Street and start walking up North. Then I realized I'm rather thirsty - baos leave you parched. So I turned into Fay Da Bakery. Isn't it awesome how this city is flooded with Chinese Bakeries?

$.90 buys a cup of nai cha. Substantially more expensive than the $.50 I pay at Deluxe Food Market at the average $.70 most other Chinese bakeries. I made nai cha at home once, but it never tastes as good at the bakeries. Very basic, I know. A black tea bag, sugar, water and milk. But still...not the same. Must be these little cups they serve it in. Must be the ambiance, or lack thereof. I can only drink nai cha in Chinatown and nowhere else.

Dragon Land Bakery
125 Walker Street
NY, NY 10013
(212) 219-2012

Fay Da Bakery
191 Centre St.
NY, NY 10013
(212) 274-0458

Weekday Monch Monch

Midtown Manhattan

On days I'm not booked at client sites, I'm off to our Manhattan office for work. Luckily the office is very conveniently located right between Grand Central and Cafe Zaiya, both which offer a plethora of food opportunities in an otherwise desolate area of midday munchings.

Cafe Zaiya on 41st St

In the last month or so, I've eaten my way though every takeaway shop inside the Grand Central Terminal, and I'm gradually working my way though the baked goods counter at Cafe Zaiya

Onigiri!

For those of you familiar with Hawaii, Cafe Zaiya can be thought of as an extremely condensed Shirokiya with Beard Papa's shoved in on the left side of the store. Dishes made to order in the back, cream puffs on the side, pastries on the other side, donburis & onigiri in the middle and sandwiches next to the cashier. It's crazy hetic in here, especially during weekday lunch hours.

Various takes on pizza...Spicy Berkshire Sausage, Cod Roe, Bacon & Potato...

I naturally gravitate towards the baked goods...because that is what always seems to happen, no? ;)

As I walked in around 1pm last week, this tray of fried beef croquettes was just delivered from the back kitchen as I passed the bakery counter. WELL! There was no need to hemm and haww over what to have - beef croquettes it would be!

And oh goodness, there's nothing as satisfying as a battered and just fried patty of beef laced potatoes. I like my croquettes on the peppery side so broke open a few pepper packs, but I don't know anyone else who does that...

When piping hot, the thin panko batter crust is a work of art, steamy with an indulgent crunch. The plush savoury innards run second to the browned crust, but eaten together it's a treat to munch down quickly before all the heat escapes and you must once again dash back out into the cold as lunch hour comes to and end. It always ends too quickly.

I also enjoy the corn & tuna roll, even though it is heavy on the mayo side. Mayo, in general, in used in quite unnecessary excess here at Cafe Zaiya. So if you're not a big mayo fan, avoid any and all pastries with mayo.

The roll is stuffed with a tuna & mayo mixture, folded over and then topped with even more mayo, only this time tossed with plenty of sweet corn - straight from the can. It's simple and straightforward. Awesome with many cups of hot tea.

The other day I spotted piroshiki!! The first time I had a piroshiki was with my dad this summer. We went to this place in downtown Honolulu that he used to frequent often back when he was an architect in the 80s. Dad has fond memories of piroshikis, and he figured that I need to have a taste for myself. And what a taste they were! Big fat fried balls of doughy goodness, stuffed to the brim with fatty beef and onions. Greasy as hell, but still, enjoy it while you're arteries can take the pain, no? Hehe. It's a once a year treat at the most.

So I ordered the piroshiki...and imagine my surprise when I removed it from my bag and discovered it was not fried but BAKED! A baked prioshiki! Can you imagine??

It was strange. I felt both disappointed and grateful at the same time. Sad, because I was anticipating a super crusty, crisp fried mound. And grateful, because, well, all the more better for my health! Haha. MY HEALTH. bwhahahah. Same dough as the corn & tuna roll, only stuffed with an onion and beef mix. On the bland side, but a pleasant treat nonetheless.

No more yakimochi?!

The most popular pastry at Cafe Zaiya is, without a doubt, the famed yakimochi. I came in right before noon on a Monday and encountered the photo you see above. NO MORE YAKIMOCHI. I made a :( face and resolved to come back again the next day.

So I was back Tuesday, and well what do you know...a feast of yakimochis!!! Smiles. Many smiles. The lady in front of me ordered five, and the man before her ordered two. For a minute there, I thought there would be none left by the time it was my turn, but whew, I was lucky.

For just $1.50 all this happiness can be YOURS. A small price to pay, if I do say.

The yakimochi is a very close cousin to the mochi buns I obsessed over during my two years in LA. You can see some of that here, here, and here! I was CRAZY FOR THOSE BUNS. I recall once eating three different mochi buns in a day...in addition to the usual breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I COULD NOT STOP. The combination of sticky mochi, a generous smear of mashed azuki beans, a soft bun and dash of sesame seeds...ADDICTING!!! I cannot say if the yakimochi here at Cafe Zaiya is better or worse than the mochi buns of LA because they're the same, yet very different. The innards are essentially the same, a layer of mochi wrapped around azuki bean paste. Bun instead of nestling this duo inside a soft yeasty bun, they grill the concoction! The result? A darling sweet with a myraid of textures and flavours, chewy white mochi melting into layers of warm azuki, the crisp black sesame dotted crust serving as both shield and entrance to the surprise beneath. Oooooh, and if you get it straight off the grill, consider getting two or three more - it's positively magical eaten hot!


Last week I met up with Tina for a quick lunch. After a quick browse though an rainbow of sweets and savouries, rice and bread, soup and sushi, we both settled on fried chicken sandwiches of different takes. Tina's sandwich packed in a fried egg, topped with a fried chicken thigh, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce and dab of mayo. The sandwiches are quite a bargain at $3-4 a piece.

My curry chicken sandwich featured a long piece of fried chicken nestled within a soft hot dog bun. Slathered on the bottom bun was a mayo rich cole slaw, the top bun was doused in a curry mayo, light on the curry, heavy on the mayo. To finish, a thin slice of boiled egg, more for appearance than flavour. The sandwich leaves your heart feelings rather clogged up and heavy. SO MUCH MAYO. It was almost disgusting. But if you were to scrape off the mayo, saving a fair dab, it'd be a rather good sandwich, the crisp fried chicken, slightly greasy, fresh crunch of cabbage and a simple, soft bun. Personally? I feel you're far better off sticking to the baked goods.

For dessert I brought back a sweet potato mushipan to the office - a little afternoon snack makes the work day seem shorter, hehe. The dense and moist steamed cake featured a sweet potato studded surface and hearty innards that were neither too sweet or bland. However my favourite mushi-pan of all time will forever remain at Saint Germain back home in Hawaii...ahhh, it is hard not to miss home :)

Hope you're having a great week!

More on Cafe Zaiya:
Robyn's Flickr!
Midtown Lunch!
The Wandering Eater!
NYC Nosh!

Cafe Zaiya
18 E 41st St
NY, NY 10003
(212) 779-0600

A Bit Belated & Totally Not Food Related...

...but doesn't he make you smile?

Hope you all had a great New Years Day! :)