Laut Singapura

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Rich

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?

Little House Cafe – More Savories

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/8/2020

Picking up from a few days ago, here are a trio of savory dishes from the remarkable Little House Café, 90-19 Corona Ave in Elmhurst, Queens as promised.

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Chow Kueh Teow (you might see char kway teow) is practically a national dish in Malaysia and Singapore but is enjoyed throughout all of Maritime Southeast Asia in innumerable variations. Thick rice noodles along with rice cakes are the foundation accompanied by shrimp, squid, pork and bean sprouts in a rich, dark sauce that is the essence of this stir-fry. Good eats.

Bakwan Udang – an Indonesian treat; deep fried shrimp fritters, crispy on the outside, yielding within. And yes, those are whole shrimp on top, shells and all. (I told you they were crispy!)

Chai Kueh – steamed dumplings with dried shrimp, jicama and carrot.

And as usual, everything we tasted was great!

Yaya Tea

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/7/2020

Quick post about a quick snack (and a satisfying one at that) from Yaya Tea at 86-12 Whitney Ave, Elmhurst, Queens – one of about a half dozen locations around these parts. Tea is the focus, of course, with selections ranging from green, oolong, black and herbal plus fruit teas, milk teas, and a custom DIY option. But I had stopped in for a snack, and among various appetizer, dumpling, and noodle choices, my sights were set on the onigiri (riceballs).

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This is Shrimp Tempura Onigiri, one of over 20 types available. Alternatives include crab meat, fried squid ball, takoyaki (fried octopus balls), spicy crawfish, chicken, seaweed, sour plum, and the ever popular Spam 🤷‍♂️. Nobody is pretending that this is Japanese haute cuisine, but it hit the spot that day.

Still in the wrapper. Yaya even provides instructions as to the procedure for opening and consuming your purchase in case you’re a first timer.

Medo

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/6/2020

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Adorbs!
🥰
Now, if that’s a word that resonates for you and if you like Hong Kong style sweet, fruity, soupy desserts, then you’ll ❤️ Medo at 3 Bay 25th Street, just off 86th St in Bensonhurst. The décor is primary school classroom, replete with kids’ desks (but adult sized and not cramped) stocked with crayons, coloring pages, and the like. Expect variations on coconut milk, mango, durian, sago, pomelo, red bean, sticky rice, taro and the other usual suspects; bubble tea, mille crepes, and additional snacks await as well.

Cute interior design notwithstanding, I seriously enjoyed what we ordered. From the Snow White section of the menu, this is the Durian and Black Glutinous Rice option: islands of sweet custard-like durian and black sticky rice with its welcome contrasting texture floated atop the icy snow and sago enhanced coconut milk.

And yes, next time I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll be back.

Little House Cafe – More Sweets

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/5/2020

Kuih are Malaysian snacks – sweet, savory, salty, ubiquitous throughout the region – and they’re well represented at the always reliable Little House Café, an Asian fusion counter service venue with a few tables because you can’t wait until you get home.

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Frequently, when you spot a two-tone layered beauty (seri muka/kuih talam) like the ivory and tan polyhedrons shown here (upper right and lower left) half is salty, the other half sweet. In this case, the creamy layer (salty) has the flavor of coconut cendol freckled with green pandan noodle bits; the supporting role is made from sweet palm sugar.

Glutinous rice, imbued with a blue hue courtesy of butterfly pea flowers occupies the diagonal counterpoise. These days, blue food is the darling of foodies in search of the novel and Brazil’s jenipapo berries are gaining ground, but that’s a story for another day. Crowning the plate is pandan kaya (coconut egg jam) for dipping (or slathering if you’re anything like me).

They have a righteous Chinese Wife Cake here as well; a flaky pastry generously filled with candied winter melon paste and abounding with legends about the origin of its name, it’s recently adopted a refurbished identity as a symbol of resistance in Hong Kong.

The bing bisected.

Little House Café is located at 90-19 Corona Ave in Elmhurst, Queens. Stay tuned for a look at some savories.

E Dim Sum

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/4/2020

A modest venue just around the corner from the main drag, E Dim Sum at 2006 65th St in Bensonhurst offers Brooklyn its inexpensive, no frills, homestyle Cantonese food.

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Steamed Minced Meat & Salt Fish, the better of the two dishes we ordered. The saltiness of the mackerel balanced the almost sweetness of the faintly garlicky ground pork patty which in turn complemented the bitter daikon. The essence of collaboration.

Potherb Mustard Pork Noodle, an herby concoction that included mustard greens, pork, and noodles. As alluded to.

The #obligatorynoodlelift

Pan de Arroz

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/3/2020

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Popped in at Mi Mexico Pequeño, the Mexican bakery at 4513 5th Avenue in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, looking for a snack and grabbed this pan de arroz. Think of the filling as sort of a dry rice pudding, cinnamon forward, not too sweet; the pastry is light in texture although not in heft – a satisfying treat. Love those Mexican panes dulces!

Randiwa

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/2/2020

There’s some tasty ethnic cuisine to be found on Staten Island although it doesn’t always make the front page; the borough has its share of international communities and I’m guessing that when the subject is food, the Sri Lankan population gets the most ink (outside of Italian). The spicy cuisine is shaped by Indian, Indonesian and Dutch influences with some Southeast Asian touches and if you include a few markets along with some restaurant hopping (no hoppers pun intended), you could spend the day exploring it.

Randiwa, located at 1405 Richmond Ave, is a little less than an hour’s bus ride from the St. George Ferry Terminal, so getting there is a bit of a commitment (unless you’re already in the neighborhood). We gathered for their AYCE Sunday buffet. Note that IMO this (and others like it) is not intended to be a representative cross-section of the cuisine – order from the menu if that’s your quest – but it does provide the pleasant prospect of sampling many dishes.

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Second photo is the annotated plate comprising:
• Palak Paneer, the spinach and squeaky cheese dish you probably know from Indian cuisine, was great
• Kale Mallung, kale and coconut, also top notch
• Lunu Miris, a spicy sambal with notes of orange
• Eggplant Moju, surprisingly flavorful
• Pork Black Curry, tender and somewhat chewy
• Soyameat, the nondescript name notwithstanding, this one was spicy and delicious
• Vegetable Noodles, deeper flavor than I had anticipated
• Deviled Chicken, wicked good
• Coconut Sambal, a Sri Lankan standby

…and the rest, here on Staten Isle.

Uyghur Apandi Food

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Rich

Instagram Post 1/1/2020

I’ve written extensively about the oppressed Uyghur people who reside in the Xinjiang region of northwest China and, naturally, their cuisine, so I won’t repeat myself here (but if you’re so inclined you can learn more by searching for Uyghur at the top of any page). Happily, a number of restaurants and food court stalls have launched recently that feature this hearty Central Asian fare, and Uyghur Apandi Food is among them. Since Apandi occupies a stall (number 7, specifically) in Flushing’s Super HK Food Court at 37-11 Main St, you won’t be greeted with an extensive menu, but here are two of the dozen or so entries.

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Nan Kordak featured segments of sesame seed encrusted Uyghur bread submerged in a soup/stew typical for the region, populated by orange and yellow carrots, coblets of corn, green pepper, spinach, cilantro, and, of course, chunks of lamb that had given their all to flavor the homey elixir.

Lamb Lagman (lagman being the interminably protracted noodle claim to fame of Uyghur cooking) included celery, red pepper, green pepper, and hot green pepper, and was accompanied by a gratuitous cup of lamby, gingery soup. (A chicken version is available as well.)

Szechuan House

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Rich

One of my favorite Sichuan restaurants is Szechuan House at 133-47 Roosevelt Ave in Flushing, Queens (not to be confused with the nearby Szechuan Mountain House). I’ve dined there so frequently and created so many posts on Instagram that I decided to make a single page here featuring some of the best dishes I’ve enjoyed over the years. Everything you see was delicious and they’re presented here in no special order; I simply felt the need to mount a rogues’ gallery of some of my faves.

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Sliced Pork with Chili Garlic

Delicious and just what it sounds like: slices of tender pork stir-fried with fresh green chili peppers, scallions, and suffused with indispensable garlic.

Poached Chicken and Crispy Soy Beans with Chili Sesame Sauce

The menu calls it “Poached Chicken and Crispy Soy Beans with Chili Sesame Sauce” in English, but the Chinese reads 口水雞, “Mouth Watering Chicken”, the classic name for this dish; IMO both are equally descriptive.

Braised Fish Fillet and Napa Cabbage with Roasted Chili

Nothing is more traditional to the Chinese New Year banquet than food-word homophones. The Chinese word for fish (魚, pronounced yu) is a homophone for abundance. Generally served whole, we opted for fillets – hope that doesn’t cut our surpluses.

Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork in Chili Sauce (擔擔麵)

The name dan dan refers to the pole that street vendors shouldered to carry their noodles and sauce as they walked about hawking their wares. The long noodles represent heartfelt wishes for a long life and are de rigueur at the Chinese New Year table.

Pork Dumplings in Red Chili Oil

Dumplings are another sine qua non for the holiday meal. Crafted to resemble Chinese gold or silver ingots, dumplings symbolize wealth and prosperity.

Hand Ripped Cabbage

Decidedly delightful with a presentation to match. Do note that there’s a bit of pork lurking within, so this is not a dish for vegetarians (it’s listed in the Pork section of the menu). Cabbage never tasted so good. (Probably the pork. 😉)

Thin Sliced Beef Tendon in Roasted Chili Vinaigrette

Szechuan House has a number of beef tendon dishes on their menu; I suggest this cold appetizer of splendidly spicy tender tendon to apprehensive first-timers.

Pig Kidney with Peppercorns

Find this one on the Specials menu. Organ meats rule in this nose-to-tail era of sustainability; this example has a delicate, velvety texture but expect a proper kick from dried red chilies. (Note that the peppercorns are not the numbing and spicy málà variety.)

Fried Tofu with Cumin

You may have marveled over the uncanny affinity cumin and chili have for lamb in certain northwestern Chinese dishes (and if not, you need to try some posthaste). I’m pleased to report that the piquant duo stands up to fried tofu with as much aplomb – pleased, particularly, because it gives my vegetarian friends the opportunity to savor the flavor combo in an excellent application. The tofu is fried to precise crispy crunchitude and the spice level is ideal.

Jumbo Shrimp with Dried Red Pepper

The herbaceous supple cilantro is a perfect foil for these crisp beauties. Yes, eat the shells; yes, eat the heads. You won’t know what you’re missing if you don’t.

Fried Shredded Beef with Celery and Chilies

Also known as Shredded Dry Beef with Spicy Sauce from the Specials menu. This one is a must-eat for the flavor, the texture, and just the sheer pleasure of it – highly recommended.

Squid with Pickled Pepper

Those are moderately spicy longhorn green preppers keeping company with the squid and baby bamboo shoots. Good stuff.

Chicken with Taro in Spicy Sauce

A flavor profile of a very different stripe. The taro was a doppelganger for potato in this context, but it was the sauce that was unique, at least to this meal: I detected cinnamon sticks, star anise, galangal, garlic, a little sweetness and perhaps five spice powder and cloves although I couldn’t verify any of it. I liked the change of pace.

Cumin Seasoned Lamb with Red Chili Pepper

“Are we going to order Cumin Seasoned Lamb with Red Chili Pepper?” I was asked more than once. But of course. It’s that spicy cumin lamb combination that seems to have a universal following that’ll keep you coming ba-a-a-a-ack!

Steamed Pork with Glutinous Rice and Red Bean Paste