Dream from Fika 02-25-2009

Location: 41 W. 58th St
Time: 6pm
People: AP and myself

Feelings: It was three years ago when my Swedish friend KN took me to this quaint little Swedish cafe. Ever since then, it has been our after work oasis. We have been there so often that we could even recognize all of the model-esque Swedish waitstaff behind the bar. I am very protective of this place's "low key" atmosphere, so I am truly hesitant to write about this here on R&F, but I have to share the love...
Today, AP accompanied me to pick up some just desserts. My favorite Swedish cookie, Drommar ("Dream Cookie") was simultaneously soft and flaky, and it melted deliciously in my mouth. The Hallongrotta and Kokostopp were both soft, light, and not excessively sweet. Every little bite was dreamy and satisfying. I think I shall have the leftover chocolate cake for breakfast tomorrow.

Macarons from Bouchon Bakery 02-20-2009

Location: 10 Columbus Cir., 3rd fl
Time: 6pm

Feelings: After an unexpectedly stressful work week, the only thing that could make me feel sane, calm and feminine on Friday evening was a little heavenly macaron. I rushed to Bouchon Bakery to reward myself and found there were five different flavors of rather large macarons. Its cute round shape, vibrant color, and sweet smell reassured me that everything is okay. I will take these babies home and enjoy the soft and chewy goodness.

Okonomiyaki Action 01-22-2009

When we were in Osaka, RB made his first Okonomiyaki. He is now officially an Osakan!






1) He mixed the Okonomiyaki batter and then poured it onto the heated pan.












2) He made a round, flat shape and cooked it for five minutes.














3) After five minutes, he flipped it!














4) He cooked the other side for another five minutes.













5) He generously spread Okonomiyaki sauce on top. (Sort of like sweet and tangy Japanese BBQ sauce.)












6) He spread some mayonnaise.














7) He sprinkled some aonori. (dried seaweed)














8) Voila! Ready to eat.

Natto Love 2-19-2009

Location: Katagiri, 224 E 59th St
Time: 8pm

Feelings: While RB was out at his art class, I stopped at Katagiri, a small Japanese grocery store, to pick up Natto sushi. Natto is made from fermented soybeans, and it is known for its strong smell and sticky texture. You can say that natto is Japanese version of cheese except its health benefits are far greater. Since I don't really want to bother RB with its stong smell, I always try to sneak natto products while he is away. Tonight I had a little secret affair with natto.

My Bloody Valentine Party 02-13-2009

Location: Locked Inn, 949 Grand St Brooklyn
Time: 10:30pm
People: A lot of people

Feelings: After arriving back from DC that afternoon, I still managed to bring myself to MeSoHungry's Valentine party. People brought Valentine and bloody themed food and dessert to celebrate Friday the 13th as well as pre-Valentine's Day night. My favorite was SuZK's bloody heart cupcakes, which were amazingly cute and suprisingly filled with jelly inside. There was also a plate of bloody deviled eggs in front of us. Either that or someone was quite gassy that night. JLam eventually took the eggs outside so that we would not falsely accuse RB for the crime of bad gas.
Happy Valentine's Day from ramen and friends!

Return of Chai Thai 02-11-2009

Location: 930 8th Ave
Time: 12pm
People: AP, PeeWee, and myself

Feelings: On a nice warm winter afternoon, PeeWee and AP took me out for the return of Chai Thai lunch. We had to wait about 10 minutes for seating considering their cramped space, but it was definitely worth the wait. We enjoyed their quick service and tasty $6.95 lunch specials. Pad See Ew was sweet and spicy, and it was one of the better Thai flavors I have had. I will definitely go back for another quick lunch at this wonderful little Thai place.

Sundaes and Cones 02-10-2009

Location: 95 E. 10th St
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: This cute and spacious ice cream place has a variety of flavors such as rather peculiar wasabi ice cream as well as old fashioned vanilla bean. After popping a few Lactaid pills, We tried their sundae with one scoop of hazelnut and one of cookies 'n' cream ice cream, hot fudge, brownies and plenty of whip cream. Ice cream was creamy and smooth, and the brownies were so big we had difficulties scooping out from the cup. They serve excellent Oren's coffee which complimented the sundae and took this dessert experience to the perfection.

Kambi Night 02-08-2009

Location: 351 E 14th St
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: We went into this new ramen place excited for new noodle delights, but it turns out Kambi is actually brought by Minca's owners. They should have named this place "Minca II" so I would not have expected something new. The menu, including their rather famous shrimp gyoza and various selections of noodles, was all identical to Minca. The only major difference might be their decor, which was more chic and spacious. It will attract more ramen beginners with their friendly waitstaff and big windows for people watching.

New Malaysia Night 02-03-2009

Location: 46-48 Bowery
Time: 7pm
People: 13 Ramen and Friends: GB, Alessandra, JLam from MeSoHungry, RB, JNu, CEBert, PMont, MGru, ALev, MLev, Rich, JBH, and myself

Feelings: Ramen and Friends' almost Valentine's Day event took place at a small Malaysian joint in Chinatown. Forget Valentine's Day! Forget everything! This is probably one of the best authentic Malaysian restaurants in Manhattan. They have amazing pearl noodles and mee goreng: the texture of noodles was perfect, and the sauce was not too spicy but extremely flavorful. The best dish we tried was roti canai. The flakey yet soft Indian bread was buttery and superbly out of this world.

RB and JLam of course ordered a duck's blood dish since their obsession of the moment is to try every dish that consists of animal blood. "I wonder what bloodtype it might be," they would giggle as they bit into the oddly tofu-esque squares. It was quite puzzling, however that they listed the duck's blood dishes under the vegetarian section of their menu.

The price was also amazing: It came out to be $25 for drinkers (about 3 beers a piece), and non drinkers paid $15. We left the place happily stuffed and satisfied with money to spare.

Post Noodle Dessert: The return of Egg Custard King Cafe, 271 Grand St.

Feelings: Kermit green cheesecake, anyone? (photo above) It was actually a green tea flavored cheesecake with a very little cheese.

We were enjoying their reasonably priced egg custard and cake until they kicked us out saying "We are closing. We need to exterminate the place." Was the place infested? Am I going to be sick? A sleepless, worrisome night was awaiting the Ramen and Friends members.

East Market Dim Sum with MeSoHungry! 02-01-2009

Location: 75 E Broadway (Shh it's a secret place)
Time: 12:30pm
People: JLam from MeSoHungry and 3 huge dim sum tables full of people

Feelings: Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate the year of Ox, Mr. MeSoHungry had his annual Dim Sum bash at East Market Restaurant in Chinatown. Five vegetarians, including myself, took over our table and made it into "vegetarian friendly" dim sum afternoon. The prices were quite moderate ($13 each for dim sum and beer shared with 10 people is hard to beat), and we were able to enjoy many kinds of dishes including my favorite Sesame Balls! Some of the carnivores of the table tried coagulated pig's blood, which they mentioned it tasted like tofu with iron.