Thoughts & Reflections

Category: Sweets

Kakigori at Kokage

It’s now August and we’re in the midst of high summer, with consecutive days full of bright sun and warm temperatures. Staying indoors is the best plan and when one heads outside, the sun is only tolerable for so long before it’s time to rest in the shade and keep cool. And on a day like yesterday, nothing is more refreshing than a nice bowl of shaved ice.

My friend Jee reminded me of this when I saw her photos of a refreshing dessert at Kokage, one of the restaurants that’s part of Ippodo, a Japanese tea show in midtown near Grand Central Terminal. For the past week, Kokage had been hosting a special pop-up. They teamed up with Nakamuraken, a Kyoto sweets shop, to bring some special treats to New York, in particular Kakigori (shaved ice). I made a note to visit but I’d been busy and had forgotten about it. My friend Q asked if I wanted to go on Sunday, the last day of the pop-up and I happily tagged along.

We arrived late afternoon and noted they had already run out of some of the specials; that was fine as we really just wanted the shaved ice. There were two flavors available to order: the Shiratama Uji Kintoki and Rhubarb. The former is the more traditional flavor, with matcha, red beans, mochi and condensed milk; the latter was created specifically for this week. Most of the other customers I saw ordered the traditional and that was what we both wanted as well. It arrived with a cup of hot hojicha on the side. The one thing that was a little different about our orders was that they ran out of condensed milk so we were served a matcha syrup to pour on the shaved ice instead; I didn’t mind at all since I’m not too big a fan of condensed milk. So we ended up just being a bit more over-caffeinated which wasn’t terrible. The shaved ice was absolutely delicious and was the perfect way to cool down after walking around all afternoon in the sun.

Since the shaved ice was mostly water, it did not fill our stomachs. The advantage of that was that we ended up ordering the rhubarb shaved ice as well, splitting it between ourselves. It was light and fruity, flavored with lemon and served with a dollop of rhubarb jam. The flavor of the rhubarb ice was much more subtle than the matcha one; of the two, I definitely preferred the not too bitter but flavorful matcha over the rhubarb.

August 3, 2015
Bonjour Brussels

One thing I envy those living in Europe is how easy it is to hop on a plane or train for a few short hours and quickly end up in another country. In the brief time we were in France, P and I set aside one day for a quick trip to Brussels. It’s a 90-minute ride from Paris to Brussels and since our hotel was right near the Gare du Nord, it was a walk to the train station from our hotel on a mostly quiet Monday morning.

We arrived at Brussels-Midi station and then took a tram to the town center, which seems to be the only part of town that was busy. Like in France, the Monday we were there was a public holiday (coincidentally the same day as Memorial Day) so most stores and businesses were closed for the day. This at least made our itinerary pretty short and we were able to see the things we wanted to see in the few hours we were there.

The Grand Place dominates the medieval heart of the city, with all the gilded and ornate buildings surrounding the square. Again, there were cobblestones everywhere so yet another day for more aching feet (and alas, no change of shoes all day) but we managed to keep going. We walked along the side streets surrounding the square first, just to see what shops there were and to decide where to spend our Euros later in the day.

I was enamored with the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert with its wonderful glass-covered arcades and all the sweet shops inside. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen so many patisseries clustered together in one place ever. In general, there were so many delicious sweets on display both in the arcade and in the shops all around the main square.

But first, we needed lunch. P had visited Brussels before and was leading the way to a good restaurant she had dined at on a previous trip so we made our way there. We arrived only to find it wasn’t open that day. Oops. Fortunately, that street was lined with many restaurants so there were plenty of other options and we ended up at L’Huîtrière. Many restaurants had outdoor seating and we were seated in a white tent on Place Sainte-Catherine.

The menu offered a lunch set consisting of a starter, entrée and dessert and we went with that.

We both ordered the mussels as a starter (the other choices were a fish soup or shrimp and cheese croquettes). The Moules St Catherine is a plate of mussels gratin covered in tomato sauce and served with a herb and garlic sauce in the middle. It was pretty tasty, despite the cheese (fortunately, it was easy to scrape to the side) and I really loved the herb sauce; I kept dipping slices of bread into it.

For the entrée, I went with the cod (served with a white butter sauce and chive) while P chose the steak (with a pepper cream sauce). The fish wasn’t bad but I wasn’t a fan of the creamy sauce (that’s just me). P’s entrée came with a side of frites which was nice and honestly, her steak looked to be the better dish. And there was only one dessert available as part of the lunch set, which was the chocolate mousse. The mousse was delicious, but P and I had some trouble identifying the edible decoration on top. Definitely not a cherry but I think we concluded that it was a tomato of some sort. (Note – Dec 11): Many months after I wrote this up, I learned that the fruit is actually a cape gooseberry.)

Lunch done, we stopped to admire St. Catherine’s Church at the end of the plaza before making our way back to Grand Place. There were a few shops that were definitely on to-visit list, mainly because P came with a shopping list. One place we had to visit was Maison Dandoy, a bakery that’s over a century old. They sell prepacked boxes of biscuits as well as several varieties in loose form (sold by the gram). I bought a box of speculoos cookies and some ginger and Earl Grey biscuits.

The other place on our to-visit list was De Biertempel, which one can deduce from its name sells beer. P had to buy certain bottles for her husband; since I don’t drink, I ended up purchasing an inexpensive Trappist beer for my sister.

After most of our shopping was done, we made our way to one of the more famous landmarks in Brussels.

The infamous Manneken Pis. It’s tucked into a corner just off the Grand Place but there’s always a crowd in front of the fountain so it’s a bit hard to miss; I had to squeeze through the horde of people to get a decent photo. On the day we were there, the statue was shown in all its nude glory but at times, the boy will be wearing some very interesting costumes.

Once I took enough pictures of the fountain, it was time to sample one last Belgian specialty: the Belgian waffle. Mussels, chocolate (in mousse form), beer were already scratched off the list but we saved the waffle for last. One of the streets that lead to the fountain is lined with shops that sell waffles. We bought from a shop that was right near the fountain and had a high turnover. P bought a plain waffle, which costs €1 at all of the shops while I went with a strawberry and confectioners sugar topping. Hot and toasty, one can’t beat a waffle fresh off the grill.

After finishing the delicious snack, we returned to the Grand Place and started to make our way back to the train station. I think we had about an hour’s wait before boarding and we spent much of the time standing around and watching the departures board along with everyone else to see where to go. The trip back to Paris wasn’t too bad though there was an incident involving the two women who sat behind us (one spent too much time talking on the phone and annoyed the person who sat next to her) but for the most part, it wasn’t too bad. At least we could give our feet a rest.

July 12, 2015
Dominique Ansel Kitchen

Have Cronuts become passé yet? I’ve given up trying to snag one without having to get up at a godforsaken hour and standing in line and decided it’s really not worth it. There are always lines at Dominique Ansel’s Soho bakery for either Cronuts in the morning or the Cookie Shots in the afternoon. And after a visit to his new bakery in the West Village, I think I never need to go to his original location again.

There had been a lot of press about Dominique Ansel Kitchen even before it opened; I read some of the reviews but kept my expectations low knowing how things ran at the Bakery. It’s been open for a while now but I finally went on Sunday with my friend Queenie. It was to be lunch for her and an afternoon tea break for me since I had lunch a few hours earlier. The premise for Kitchen is to serve a lot more made-to-order dishes (both savory and sweet) though there were still many things that can be ordered to go easily.

I had my eye on a Fraisier in the refrigerated counter but decided it was probably time to eat something that did not contain strawberries for once, given my recent berry cravings. Instead, I opted for the matcha beignets and the whole vanilla bean ice cream. And this is what they looked like when the waitress brought both to our outdoor table.

The beignets were light and airy, and the matcha flavor was very subtle that I could barely taste it when it’s mixed with confectioner’s sugar. It was good that I was wearing a green skirt that day too since I ended up getting sugar all over the table and in my lap. The ice cream was really delicious as well, creamy and smooth and a good vanilla flavor.

Queenie had ordered both savory sweet items. Her lunch was the Spring Vegetable en Papillote with Farro: vegetables and a softly cooked egg baked in parchment. It looked really good and would probably be something I would order if I wanted a healthy meal. As for the something sweet, it was the very popular (there were other tables besides ours that ordered it) Extra Fluff Mille Feuille.

I dubbed it as the leaning tower of custard and flaky pastry; it really was leaning and Queenie had to nudge it to keep it standing straight before she finally ate it. Each layer of pastry was at least an inch high. I didn’t try any of it as I had enough desserts in front of me but definitely something to keep in mind on a future visit… unless there’s something else new and tasty that would catch my attention.

June 3, 2015
The Dessert Kitchen

I met up with my friend M for dinner on Friday and noticed there was a new dessert place that opened next door to the Indian restaurant we were visiting that night. Simply named, The Dessert Kitchen serves a variety of desserts, most of which have an Asian twist. To me, it’s like a cross between the Asian-style dessert places in the city (e.g. Chikalicious or Spot Dessert Bar) and those I find in Hong Kong or Chinatown that serve Chinese dessert soups.

After our unsatisfying Indian meal, we headed next door. The staff were offering samples of waffles to passersby, who mostly seemed to be local residents. There were balloons outside that heralded the restaurant’s grand opening; it had only been opened for about a week. When we arrived, it was still pretty early in the evening so there were no seated customers except for us.

The menu comprised of a lot of sundaes, parfaits, waffles as well a section of interesting Asian style desserts (green tea kanten jelly noodles anyone?) and Taiwanese shaved ice. I ended up ordering a strawberry sundae (I forgot what the fancy name for this was from the menu) and a hot fruit tea.

I love strawberry-based desserts and we’re at the start of the peak season for the berries so I thought this was a good item to try; other people had ordered strawberry desserts as well for takeout and I heard one of the staff members say that it’s been a pretty popular option so far. The strawberry ice cream was made in-house and tasted delicious. I’m unsure of the rest of the ingredients in it but there were some tapioca balls, lychee jelly and I think condensed milk. Overall, I liked it but want to try other things the next I visit. There were a lot more eat-in customers later on so it was nice to see what some of the other menu items look like. One couple who arrived just after us ended up ordering some of the ice cream cones which looked as fanciful as pictured on the menu; it’s definitely something I would consider choosing next time. The freshly made waffles smelled tasty too but I wasn’t really in the mood for waffles that night.

My fruit tea arrived in a very large glass teapot-cum-mug. Bonus points for the pretty presentation and how it matches my sundae. I thought it would be a fruit-based tea with leaves but it’s all fruit pieces which is nice too. As for the taste, it was mostly of a berry flavor though I thought I saw pieces of papaya in there as well. Not really sure what else was in there but it was good.

The best thing I liked about Dessert Kitchen so far is the lack of crowds since it’s still new and under the radar (for now). So many of the other dessert-only restaurants in the city are always packed and I don’t really frequent them anymore because there are rarely empty seats since people tend to linger. At least there is a to-go option here so that’s definitely a plus.

June 1, 2015
Queen of the Mountains

The last full day of our trip was one of more fun and exciting ones. After breakfast, we drove west to Vitznau where the views of Lake Lucerne were absolutely beautiful. The bus dropped us off at the edge of the lake, where one can take a train to go up Mount Rigi, also known as the “Queen of the Mountains”.

The train that ascends the mountain is a cogwheel train. The Vitznau route to Rigi is the first mountain cog railway in Europe, with service that began in 1871 and is still running well over a century later. We arrived early, so there was plenty of time to take photos at the base and do a little souvenir shopping at the store at the station. The train itself consisted of two cars and there were signs on the doors letting us know where to go since several tour groups had bookings for the first departure.

There were several stops along the way up to the summit. At every stop, one member of staff on the train would exit and make postal deliveries; their were mailboxes at every station shelter. Not only were people living on Rigi but we saw several hotels and even a ski-lift along the route. The higher up we went, the more the landscape changed–the blues and greens of gently sloping hills and the lake below us gave way to frost-covered grass, dark conifer forests and snowy trails.

It was a steep ascent but we reached the summit in about thirty minutes. Rigi Kulm is nearly 1800 meters (approximately 6000 feet) above sea level. It was white all around us and very cold, but everyone really enjoyed stepping out onto the snowy summit. There were plenty of photos taken as well as snowballs being thrown about. There was a path to go uphill where there is a hotel but everything was hidden beneath the snow and it was already a steep climb just up the small hill next to the train station.

Soon, it was time to warm up a bit. Fortunately, there was a shop and fast food restaurant right there so one could thaw with a hot drink, food or a snack. It was far too early for another meal (it was only 10am when I walked in) so I settled for lighter fare.

I ordered a cup of rosehip tea and from the baked goods on display, settled for a slice of a Swiss specialty, the Engadine Nut Tart. The tart was filled with nuts and honey, so it was sticky and a bit sweeter than I like but it was pretty tasty. There were other members of my group already sitting down at the tables when I carried my tray over to the seating area.

Since our arrival on the summit, there hadn’t been much to look at. The skies had been cloudy all morning and we couldn’t see anything on the horizon. That finally changed and the clouds and fog slowly rolled out, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the mountains across the valley. By the time I finished eating and stepped out, I caught a brief glance of the mountains before they disappeared behind the cloudy curtains once more. This happened several times so one had to always have the camera at the ready but the clouds eventually moved on and we were given spectacular views of the alps in the distance and the forests below us.

The descent was slightly different. Instead of riding the cogwheel train all the way down, our group got off at Rigi Kaltbad to board a gondola/cable car to take us to base of the mountain. As we descended, the gray hues of the landscape around us slowly became saturated with color once more. We rode through thin clouds and so the views out of the windows were a bit blurry but very colorful. It’s amazing to see how green the grass is even in the middle of December! We landed in Weggis, which is another village on the lake and where our bus was waiting to take us back to Lucerne.

April 13, 2015
Ho-Dduk at Grace Street

After a long day of shopping and browsing, my friend P and I ended up in Koreatown on Saturday. Our feet were tired and after a tasty but not too filling lunch, we just wanted some place to sit down and grab a snack and drink. I suggested Grace Street since there is more seating than the other bakeries and cafes along 32nd Street.

I hadn’t been to Grace Street in a long time. After we were seated by the hostess, we took a look at the menu. Besides tea and coffee, they serve a few interesting desserts. I was tempted by the waffle (which is freshly baked and the menu warns it will take approximately 15 minutes) but ended up ordering a Korean doughnut called the Ho-Dduk.

Neither of were quite sure what to expect; the waitress said she it could be shared among two people but that was pretty much it. When it arrived, the doughnut was cut into six pieces with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. There was a filling inside the doughnut that spilled out onto the plate: the cinnamon was pretty song and flavored the brown sugar nicely. I liked eating it with a bit of the ice cream and enjoyed the warm and cold, spicy and sweet flavors in my mouth. It also reminds me a lot of the Japanese sweet, yatsuhashi (my sister brought back some from Kyoto on a trip to Japan many years ago).

I’m glad we gave it a try instead of going for the slightly less interesting waffle (mochi waffles, anyone?). It’s something I would definitely order again.

November 16, 2014
Patisserie Burrow

If one walks to the very back of the lobby of a somewhat nondescript building in DUMBO, there is a reward waiting at the end of corridor. Tucked into the space is Patisserie Burrow. It’s about the size of a jewel box; very tiny but with such delicate and delicious treats.

I’ve had my eye on visiting for a very long time but logistically, it was near impossible until my week off. Burrow was only opened on the weekdays (it just started to open on Saturdays this past weekend) and there was no way I could have gone unless I had a day off. And it’s even better to go with a friend, as I did the day after my birthday.

I love how there are so many tasty delights stacked on the shelves while a few miniature pastries are encased in a small marble and glass counter. When my friend and I arrived, there were slices of cheesecake, a pistachio mousse cake, fig tart and a cupcake topped with a macaron shelf that looked very much like a mushroom found in fantasy realms. We had a hard time choosing what to order but in the end settled on a slice of apple pie (it was so, so very thin!) and the fig tart. The inside of the shop was very stuffy so I also got an iced green tea to help cool down while my friend ordered a coffee. Needless to say, everything was delicious.

And I just couldn’t leave without buying a few things to go. In this case, it was a small sampling of the cookies; they all looked so good. From the many varieties, I chose a chocolate-thumb cookie, a jam sandwich, three nut-based cookies (almonds; hazelnuts; and one with mixed nuts) and a palmier. And they tasted just as good as they appeared.

October 27, 2014
Afternoon Tea at Bosie Tea Parlor

I took a few days off last week to celebrate my birthday. Coincidentally, my friend P had emailed the week before saying she was coming up to the city and wanted to catch up. The timing worked out beautifully and we met for lunch/afternoon tea at Bosie Tea Parlor.

I haven’t had a proper afternoon tea in ages and when P said she wanted to experience it for herself, I was more than happy to oblige! We narrowed down where to meet up and settled on Bosie for its much more casual dress code and vibe.

We ended up with the Afternoon Tea Service for two. It was my first time to sit down to a proper afternoon tea here; in the past, I usually end up ordering savory options for lunch or solely a dessert and pot of tea after dinner. Besides the tea, the service included mini vanilla scones served with clotted cream and jam, several types of sandwiches of our choosing, mini tea cakes (vanilla, green tea, chocolate and lemon) and two macarons each (we had earl grey with milk chocolate; raspberry with yuzu; lavender and maple bacon).

For tea, I can’t really remember but we both ordered black teas; I think I chose the Kosabei and P the First Flush Darjeeling Tumsong. Everything was so good, and I especially enjoyed the tea sandwiches. We had the Farmer’s Egg Salad with thyme blossoms; Chicken with raisins and curried mayonnaise (coronation chicken); Smoked Salmon with red onion, lemon zest and cream cheese; and Crab with cocktail sauce, capers and yuzu. I especially liked the smoked salmon sandwiches and the other flavors were very good as well.

For a while we nearly had the place to ourselves. When we arrived, there was only one other other table occupied though it slowly filled out with late lunchgoers. It was nice to sit for a bit, have a bite and catch up with an old friend. And it was certainly tamer (and much more enjoyable) than my birthday last year, which was an all-day food fest while running around Hong Kong with my family.

October 21, 2014
Sweet Treat: Yuzu Verbena Soft-Serve

It was a hot, hot day yesterday and after a somewhat light lunch, all I wanted was something cold and creamy. The only that fit the bill and has been on my mind for several days was soft-serve ice cream. But I wasn’t interested in anything from the overpriced ice cream trucks parked around midtown. I wanted something better.

And that was how I ended up at the midtown location of Momofuku Milk Bar. There were two soft-serve flavors available: cereal milk and yuzu verbena. The former is available at all locations of Milk Bar but the latter differs. Why try the basic signature flavor when I could get something much more interesting? The yuzu stood out so much it seemed to overpower any other flavors in the ice cream base; it ended up tasting more like a lemony sorbet than ice cream. Overall, it wasn’t too bad and it was light and refreshing to eat as I walked back to the office in the heat but alas, it did not satisfy my cravings. I think I should just go to the grocery store and stock up on my other craving instead: a classic ice cream sandwich.

July 10, 2014
Celebrating the Fourth

It’s too cold and damp for any real partying and fun for this year’s Independence Day. I had hoped to spend the day outdoors but the weather has derailed those plans (though it hasn’t stopped determined grillers, judging by the smell of charcoal drifting in along the breeze).

So instead, I’ll be celebrating at home with a red, white and blue Mixed Berry Tart from Balthazar. One cannot go wrong with seasonal fruit currently in peak, cream and a pastry shell.

But in all seriousness, I did do something patriotic last week and that was checking out the Declaration of Independence. For one brief week, the New York Public Library had on display an original copy of the document written in Jefferson’s own hand. The exhibit was held inside the (rarely opened to the public) Celeste Bartos Forum and it was nice to revisit that room again.

As for the document itself, it was displayed in two large cases. Inside each case was a sheet of paper suspended inside to make it easier to view. Words were written on both sides of the papers and looking closely at each one, it’s not too difficult to make out the words written by our third President and all the things he underlined. (The brochure handed out at the exhibition contained a transcript of the entire document with the revisions included.)

July 4, 2014