Category Archives: Restaurants & Food Courts

Jian Bing Man

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Instagram Post 2/10/2020

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Part One. Someone mentioned Korean food and my thoughts went straight to Northern Boulevard in Queens. But I realized I hadn’t visited Manhattan’s Koreatown in far too long and that includes the time since the renovation of Food Gallery 32 (11 West 32nd St) so a jaunt was long overdue.

One of the first floor vendors there wasn’t Korean at all (don’t worry, there’ll be Korean food in subsequent posts); Jian Bing (煎餅), literally fried pancake, are Chinese street food, griddled crepes flipped, filled, folded, and frequently found in Flushing’s Chinatown. The eponymous stall, Jian Bing Man, serves these along with a few noodle and rice dishes. It’s a familiar DIY format – [1] choose your type: signature (crispy bao cui, like deep fried wonton skins on steroids), you tiao (like crunchy fried savory crullers), or egg (neither crispy nor crunchy and therefore flaccid and pointless IMO since the first two incorporate egg anyway); [2] your sauce: spicy, hoisin (they call it soybean paste), or both; and [3] extra toppings (actually fillings, but why quibble?).

The 16 toppings included the usual suspects like pork floss and sausage in addition to the less common BBQ chicken and cheese. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to jian bing so my first mistake was to investigate what they did with BBQ pork (actually pork belly) and BBQ chicken. As you can see, there was an abundance of meat inside, but less would have been more; better yet, I should have cleaved to my time-honored favorites. My second mistake was to get it to go. It arrived tightly wrapped then boxed which had the effect of steaming any crispy crunchitude out of it and left me biting into a study in sogginess.

Don’t do what I did and you’ll probably end up with an okay jian bing. More KTown soon.
 
 

Chilaquiles Rojos con Cecina

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Instagram Post 2/7/2020

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In my last post, I referred to our Ricos Tacos visit (505 51st St, Sunset Park, Brooklyn) as “hunger quelling”. That’s because we ordered more than that massive torta; we also indulged in one of their Platillos Principales, specifically, Chilaquiles Rojos con Cecina. Chilaquiles are tortilla chips that have been drenched in very spicy red (in this case) salsa. The dish is classically served with crema and crumbled queso fresco.

Mexican cecina is usually characterized as thinly sliced beef that’s been marinated, salted, and dried. Accurate though it is, I’ve never much cared for that description because it just doesn’t sound all that tempting. IMO, the drying process concentrates the flavor of the meat in a manner similar to that of dry aged beef and the result is an intense burst of beefiness with each bite. See what I mean? Better yet, go taste what I mean.
 
 

Pierna Adobada Torta

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Instagram Post 2/6/2020

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A hunger quelling visit to Ricos Tacos, 505 51st St in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, featured this Pierna Adobada Torta. A torta is an over-the-top Mexican sandwich; it begins with perfectly fresh bread from which some of the fluffing has been removed to make room for your specifications – from the aforementioned top burrowing down through the strata, ours were chiles en vinagre (pickled chilies), avocado, fresh onion, tomato, quesillo (a soft, white, Oaxacan pasta filata string cheese not unlike mozzarella), and sautéed onion from the pierna adobada, roasted pork leg in adobo sauce, the star of the show. Top notch.

Given the choice between a torta and a cemita (a different type of Mexican sandwich that features a sesame seed bun and pápalo, one of my favorite herbs), I generally choose the latter, but it didn’t appear on the menu. As we were leaving, I discovered that they do indeed serve these gems, had I only asked. I didn’t know. But now you do. ¡La próxima vez!
 
 

Japan Village – Moriya

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Instagram Post 2/5/2020

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Meanwhile, back at Industry City’s Japan Village (934 3rd Ave in Brooklyn) my dining buddy had set his sights on Moriya’s Oyako Don, donburi with boiled chicken leg and simmered egg. Boiled Chicken! 🤢 My thoughts harkened back to childhood dinners at my grandmother’s house and her rubbery boiled chicken. “It’s healthy!” she shrilled as if that somehow made it edible, although I was relieved that at least the poor hen wasn’t ill before its demise.

But having survived it, I decided that this rendition would surely be better and I’m pleased to report that it was, and significantly so. Tender and flavorful, pairing perfectly with the egg (a little culinary nepotism there) those two ingredients (along with some oomph from scallions and pickled ginger) had to be persuasive enough to carry the dish. And it worked; satisfying comfort food.
 
 

Japan Village – Hachi Revisted

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Instagram Post 2/3/2020

Industry City’s Japan Village at 934 3rd Ave in Brooklyn boasts a variety of food stalls, each offering a different category of Japanese comestibles including sushi, rice bowls, ramen, udon and soba, baked goods, bentos, and fried foods, along with an izakaya and a steak and lobster house.

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We visited Hachi, the stand that vends street food like takoyaki (octopus balls), yakisoba (stir fried wheat noodles) and okonomiyaki, the shredded cabbage pancake whose name means “your preference” (okonomi) and “grilled” (yaki). We chose the okonomiyaki which is offered in three styles: Pork, Hiroshima Style (pork with a layer of yakisoba noodles crowned with a fried egg) – great if you can’t decide between okonomiyaki and yakisoba, and Seafood, with octopus, shrimp, and scallops, “our preference” but with the addition of a fried egg, just because. IMHO, the Kewpie mayo was squiggled on a bit heavy handedly and the sauce was a tad too sweet for my taste (don’t think I ever wrote that about anything); other than that, not bad.


I was hoping for more dramatic yolkporn but for the sake of de rigueur Instagram completeness, here ya go. They can’t all be gems.
 
 

Brooklyn’s Homeslice Pizzeria

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Instagram Post 1/30/2020

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Having gone to college in New Haven, I admit to harboring a wee bit of prejudice regarding pizza (you might hear “ah-BEETS”) since there are none better. Anywhere. But sometimes you just can’t travel two hours to stanch a craving. Of course, I also know that there’s some fine pizza to be had in Brooklyn (and if any Queenza aficionados want to hang out sometime and introduce me to their faves, I’m totally game). Which leaves us to consider the local neighborhood pizza joint, you know, the one you sail past on the way home, some of which are, um, less than stellar.


But others of that ilk have a signature move that, if not unique, give their handiwork a bit of an edge. And indeed, it’s the edge of this pie from Brooklyn’s Homeslice Pizzeria at 567 Vanderbilt Ave that grabbed my attention. Those are panko crumbs and they provide a crispy crunch that succeeds in making this slice a cut above.


With its thin, flavorful crust, easily folded over on itself (as pizza is meant to be consumed), a slender but sufficient layer of cheese (the kind you used to peel back as a kid) and a naturally sweet and tasty tomato sauce, some would identify this as classic New York Style (but I’ve heard enough definitions for that phrase that I’m not going anywhere near it. Even if I agree. 😉)

And yes, I’ll be back to try the toppings (I always go plain for the maiden voyage). Besides, Ample Hills Creamery is less than three blocks away. Win-win.
 
 

Filipino BBQ

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Instagram Post 1/23/2020

The last time I was there, it nearly broke my heart: half deserted both by vendors and customers, unclear if it was coming or going, the verdict still in abeyance. Two of my dining pals had alerted me to the presence of a new Filipino BBQ stall at the moribund HK Food Court. I was skeptical. But last Sunday, with some confidence, they shepherded me inside; I entered slowly, cautiously, against all hopes and wishes, thoughts and prayers.

And surely, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of stall 31 [cue choir of coloratura soprano angels], there appeared a sign on high, oversized and starkly white, boldly (for that was the font-weight) proclaiming “Filipino BBQ” demanding my attention and barely giving me the opportunity to mourn its fallen neighbors.

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What? Oh. The food. Masarap! (Delicious!) This is the Bila-o Special, intended to serve two, but the three of us were well provided for. My bias notwithstanding (Filipino cuisine is one of my three favorites), there wasn’t a disappointing bite on the tray.


The annotated version.

They’ve been open for only about three weeks and I’m eager to return (82-02 45th Ave, Elmhurst, Queens) to try more, in particular the promised “turo-turo” (“point-point”) that I’ve enjoyed elsewhere: point to whatever of this, that, and the other that tickles your fancy. Stay tuned for more.
 
 

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

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Instagram Posts 1/17 & 1/18/2020

Finally got around to visiting Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in their new digs at 39-16 Prince St in Flushing, Queens – or so the Google would have it: the first thing you need to know is that the entrance is actually on 39th Ave (133-42) at the corner of Prince St. Elusive geography notwithstanding, our hungry horde congregated to devour a representative sampling from their menu. Everything we ordered was tasty, but the soup dumplings overshadowed the dishes they consorted with.

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Arguably best known for their Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), we selected three varieties from among six options. These charcoal gray, brooding purses are fabricated from dough fragrant with black truffle, fulfilling my expectations; the soup, secure within, was fine.


Insider’s view of the Truffle Soup Dumplings revealing flecks of truffle peppering the pork.


Chicken Soup Dumplings. The soup brought a touch of spice and ginger to the meat, good contrast to the preceding round.


But the champion of the trio was their classic Steamed Crabmeat and Pork Soup Dumplings, the filling everything you could hope for, the soup surprisingly full-bodied and a bit sweet, the genesis of Nan Xiang’s reputation, and which may very well have been the highlight of our meal.


Pan Fried Pork Buns (aka Sheng Jian Bao) from the Signature Dim Sum section of the menu were top notch.


Four Happiness Kao Fu – braised wheat gluten with bamboo shoots, wood ear and shiitake mushrooms. I admit I’m a sucker for Kao Fu and I was pleased to see the dried lily flowers as a component – no guarantee of that in some versions.


Spicy Bamboo Shoots from the Little Cold Dish section of the menu; a little too chewy, could have benefited from a touch more spiciness.


Beef Tendon in Chili Oil from the same part of the menu. If I had been paying attention, I would have suggested the Spicy Beef and Tripe in peanut chili sauce (fuqi feipian). Next time.


Shanghai Pan Fried Noodle – thick noodles stir fried with bok choy, shredded pork and “house special sauce”. Nice chew, not bad.
 
 

Cupid Cheese Fruit Cake

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Instagram Post 1/13/2020

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Cupid Cheese Fruit Cake, a relatively new kid on the block, is my new durian gateway drug dealer. Find them in Flushing (of course) in the New York Food Court at 133-35 Roosevelt Ave, Stall 18. The menu touts Regular Durian Pie and a Super Durian Pie that’s even more abundantly filled than the former (you’re lookin’ at it). I was more than pleased. A return visit is in order to sample some of the other flavors – mango, banana, raisin, hawthorn, dragon fruit, and seven fairies – the last two topping my list. Ice Rice is on the agenda as well, but not before I run the table of fruit pies.

I can only imagine what this would be like with a scoop of Flushing Ice Cream Factory’s durian melting on top!
🤤


The #obligatorycheesepull
 
 

Laut Singapura

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Instagram Post 1/9/2020

My dining buddies and I had independently visited Union Square’s Laut, the Malaysian, Singaporean and Thai restaurant, often enough to anticipate that its offspring, Laut Singapura at 31 E 20th St in Manhattan, might hold some promise. My comrades opted for more prosaic fare (more about that in a minute) but my fancy was taken by “Oatmeal Shrimp: crunchy shrimp with oatmeal sand, curry leaf, chili padi (aka Thai chili pepper), and egg floss.”

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Looks like a presentation the chef concocted hoping it would prove Instaworthy, doesn’t it? The huge shrimp were indeed crunchy (head intact, shell on, the way they should be) although the crispy coating didn’t have much character of its own; still, the shrimp per se were fine. In contrast, the bed of oatmeal “sand”, shot through with curry leaves and chili pepper, was piquant and flavorful; that savory sand is a sine qua non of this dish, deployed to complement the more passive shrimp. But it had a fatal flaw: how does one consume this architectural fantasy in public? Perhaps knife and fork to lop off a nubbin of shrimp, then dip it in the…no, the sand won’t adhere to the shrimp. Use my fingers to pinch together a bit of shrimp and a wad of sand, Indian style? Um, no. Eventually, I requisitioned a spoon, scooped up some sand, and topped that with a morsel of shrimp, the better to marry them and ultimately reveal the deliciousness of the dish – but in terms of table manners the maneuver had Emily Post rolling over in her grave.


My collaborators who traveled the more conventional route ordered Spring Rolls and Salad (came with their lunch special),


Murtabak, folded Indian crepe stuffed with ground beef, egg, onion, scallion and chili,


Sambal Belacan, shrimp, eggplant, okra, and onion in a shrimp paste sauce,


and Indian Mee Goreng, sweet and spicy egg noodles with mixed seafood…

…and were unenthusiastic about any of them.

So I put it to you, my friends: have you tried Laut Singapura? What did you order and what were your thoughts?