Thoughts & Reflections

Tag: Manhattan

Dinner at Ippudo Westside

A few weeks ago, a friend and I had a pre-show dinner at Ippudo‘s midtown location. We were going to a Christmas concert at Carnegie Hall that evening and Ippudo wasn’t very far away. Even though we were part of the early dinner crowd, the restaurant was pretty full when we arrived but thankfully, we were seated quickly.

We started off with two appetizers: a plate of shishito peppers served with yuzu salt, and the Suzuki Hakusai which was steamed sea bass served in a wrapper of napa cabbage and tofu skin. I love shishito peppers (my sister grew them one year in the yard, though some of them ended up spicy thanks to the bees’ cross-pollination) and these were pretty tasty; I could’ve eaten more of them. The Suzuki Hakusai was just as delicious though I can’t remember much about the dish except for the very tasty crunchy noodle decoration on the side.

I’ve already tried two of the ramens from the regular menu. It was my friend’s first time at Ippudo so she ordered the Karaka-men, which was what I ordered on my last visit here. For me, I wanted something different and ordered the Sho-jin, which is the vegetarian ramen.

The waitress tried to dissuade me at first, emphasizing that it wasn’t very much food and I might be disappointed with the small portion but I insisted. I also had a late lunch that day so I wasn’t too hungry at that point which was fine for me. The Sho-jin came in this big bowl and the ramen was topped off by a nest of fried rice noodles. Beneath that were some mountain vegetables and the noodles itself. I thought it was very good and tasty and it satisfied my stomach.

And since we has time to spare before the show, we also ordered dessert. My friend ordered the December dessert special; I can’t recall the name of the dish but it was slices of baumkuchen served with cornflakes and a small scoop of coffee gelato, I think. I went for the Hirata Milk, a parfait of green tea ice cream and jelly, red beans, mochi, with a shot glass of coconut-almond milk on the side. I poured the milk into the dish and happily ate it up. It was light and refreshing, a terrific way to end the meal.

December 22, 2014
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
Arcade Bakery

I first learned about Arcade Bakery through my friends, Queenie and Jee. It’s received several write-ups in food blogs and magazines since then but it took me a long time before I got around to visiting. Like Patisserie Burrow, Arcade Bakery is one of those places open only on weekdays and since it’s located in Tribeca, it made it hard for me to visit when it’s actually open.

On the last day of my vacation, I went down to see Queenie and with some helpful directions from her, then headed down to Arcade. I might have walked right by the entrance had they not recently put a sign on the exterior of the office building the bakery is located in. As its name implies, Arcade can be found literally in the arcade of the building. The corridor is lined with dark wood paneling and set into niches are pull down tables where people can sit and eat, if not taking their food to go. There are also shelves with fancy loaves of bread for decoration.

The baked goods at the counter looked really good but I wanted something more savory for my lunch. There are a few sandwich selections as well as pizzas. The pizzas are made-to-order and I considered it but the individual pie was too large for me to finish then and there. Instead, I picked the vegetarian sandwich (can’t remember what was in it other than roasted carrots and chickpeas but it was really good) and an iced tea.

And after that, I headed right back to the counter to pick up something sweet to go. Queenie had recommended the chocolate croissant so I went with her suggestion and also ordered a lemon sugar brioche as well. They ended up being breakfast the following days and after popping them in the toaster oven to warm them up, they tasted just fine. The chocolate croissant was excellent and definitely one of the better ones in the city. If time permits (e.g. another vacation day), I’d like to go back and try some of the other items. I did see several office workers come in and leave with bags of baguettes under their arms, so perhaps I should try one those next time.

October 29, 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
The Paris Café

The South Street Seaport and Financial District are not areas where I would normally go when I’m looking for a post-work dinner. If I have to eat all the way downtown, I usually end up further west and north in Tribeca. In the end, I did what most people would do and just went to a search engine. On OpenTable, two restaurants came up for the Seaport area and that’s where M and I wound up for dinner since she’s working in the Financial District these days.

The Paris Café is located on the far edge of the general Seaport area, directly facing the East River Drive as the lanes run above South Street. We took the scenic route over, walking down Wall Street and then along the pedestrian paths that edge the East River and north to the Seaport. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the area; I haven’t visited since the last time the New Amsterdam Market was running back in early summer. The restaurant itself isn’t new—it dates from 1873—but the interiors have been restored after Hurricane Sandy (look up to see the copper ceiling tiles above one’s head); I remember seeing a news feature about its reopening a few months ago.

Despite its name, the food was more traditional British pub fare than French. There were a lot of people having drinks (mostly the after-work crowd) or a meal (residents that lived in the area) when we arrived but we were seated pretty quickly. We opted to sit in the back room which was a lot less noisy and had fewer patrons. After perusing the menu, the two of us settled on seafood and chips: fish for me, mussels for M. And don’t forget the drinks; it had been a very long week at work but I also wanted something fruity so I ordered a peach mojito while M had a glass of white wine.

The food was pretty good and it filled us but we weren’t too stuffed. There was still room for dessert (we opted out of that at the restaurant) but first, a walk was in order. The night wasn’t too bad and we trekked to the west side before sitting for some cake at a supermarket (that would be Whole Foods), of all places.

September 15, 2014
English Breakfast at the Breslin

After trying and failing to meet during the weekend of Labor Day, I met up with M for a Monday brunch at The Breslin. Being that it was a Monday, it was hard to know for certain what restaurants would actually be serving brunch on the last day of the long weekend.

It wasn’t too bad at 11am, our meeting time, and the restaurant was busy but not crowded. We both ended up ordering the same thing: English Breakfast. It was a toss-up between that and the Strawberry-Cornmeal Pancakes but I think we did make the better choice. One of the tables near us ordered the pancakes and though it looked good, it didn’t look very filling. I also considered ordering a scone as well but I’m not a big fan of blueberry pastries. Had it been strawberry, I would definitely have gotten it.

I love English Breakfast and honestly, I think I’ve gotten better ones here than across the pond (unless I finally make it to that one place in London that’s known for their English Breakfasts). And that’s also assuming one doesn’t count The Hawksmoor, which has an awesome breakfast spread (for two people) that is so much more than the standard English Breakfast fare and makes the regular breakfast plate seem more of an appetizer (I think my sister and I still dream about that meal sometimes). Meanwhile, the one at the Breslin comes with the usual foodstuffs: eggs, pork sausage, blood pudding, bacon, roasted tomato and mushrooms. It was all fine except the blood pudding was a bit more gritty and loose than I would like. And I wish there was a bit of buttered toast and some baked beans to go with all of it.

But it was more than enough food to get us going and we walked off the calories with some window shopping afterward.

September 9, 2014
Red Rooster

The nice thing about having friends who are running races in the morning is that we can meet up afterward for food, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or brunch. The earlier the race ends, the better, though not always so: some restaurants aren’t even open yet by the time racers have crossed the finish line.

In this case, the timing worked out pretty well. The race was up in the Hamilton Heights and Harlem area and that meant we could go to Red Rooster as soon as it opened. I arrived just after 10am and there was a line out the door; it turned out that many of the racers had the exact same post-race plans. Fortunately, the line moved pretty quickly and when I got in, I saw my friends (or rather one friend and a former coworker) already seated at a table.

It was hard to decide what to eat but the three of us ended up with different dishes. I settled on the Red Rooster Scramble, M had the Bloody Mary Eggs and U the Brioche French Toast. Everything was so delicious! I particularly liked the biscuit that came with my dish and U gave me a piece of the French Toast (also very, very tasty) while she had some of the sausage from my plate. Also of note was the black tea I ordered; co-owner Marcus Samuelsson created custom tea blends with Harney and Sons, so the tea served came from that collection. The one I chose that day was the Safari Breakfast. One can receive a free tea sample if the bill is paid with a Mastercard (we didn’t but it was fine; I have more than enough tea at home).

Finally, another restaurant crossed off my to-visit list!

September 4, 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
Elizabeth Street Garden

Tucked amid the boutiques, restaurants and apartments of Soho is the Elizabeth Street Garden. It’s a great place to stop and rest after a bit of (window) shopping and provides a nice counterpart to the hustle and bustle a few blocks over on Broadway. Whenever I’m taking the scenic route down to Chinatown, I love walking by and admiring the wonderful antiques, sculptures and myriad architectural elements scattered on the lawns. I am a sucker for architectural ruins that remind me of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Garden takes up the shorter length of a block though the entrance is located on one of the two streets it touches. A few weeks ago, I had walked past with a friend and there was a band playing inside for visitors of the Garden. During this visit, it was a much quieter affair with many people sitting on benches or lying on the grass; there was one woman leaning against the base of a statue, book in hand.

July 9, 2014
The Frick Collection

One of the best perks at my company (before the spin-off) was the free admissions to many of the city’s museums. Thanks to corporate admission, I would find myself visiting museums more often than I would had I been a paying guest (though yes, many do offer paying a “suggested” amount if one doesn’t wish to pay the full amount). Over the years, I’ve been a frequent visitor of the Met and the Cloisters, MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History. One of the museums that wasn’t on the corporate admission list but I’ve been meaning to visit is The Frick Collection. During frequent forays to the uptown Ladurée, I would walk by the entrance and gardens of the museum and always wonder when I’ll get around to finally seeing what lay inside.

Yesterday was finally the day.

On Sunday mornings, admission to the Frick is “pay as you wish”. I managed to get uptown during those hours and pay a fraction of what it normally costs (like the Met and MoMA, a ticket for the Frick costs as much as going to the movies). There were already plenty of people inside but it wasn’t too crowded once one gets past the entrance and reception halls. Even though there are many rooms in the mansion, for me it was more or less a straight path to get from one area to the next and not end up in the same room over and over again.

According to Gothamist (which was what prompted me to finally visit) the most-photographed room at the Frick is the beautiful Garden Court. That’s no surprise since the museum does not allow photographs anywhere else inside. The Garden Court is very lovely though, with plants, sculptures and a fountain situated on the former driveway; there were many people sitting on the benches and taking a break from all the art. While I liked it very much, it would have been nicer to take a walk around the gardens outside but alas, they were off-limits. I guess I’ll continue to admire the manicured lawns from the street then.

July 7, 2014