Thank you Serious Eats! 04-30-2009

These are quite exciting times for Ramen and Friends. Our mochi doughnut report from Cafe Zaiya was featured in Serious Eats. Thank you Serious Eats!

My Favorite Thing: Soy Pudding 04-30-2009

Feelings: I love pandas and panda related products. I love chocolate pudding. I am lactose intolerant. When you put all these variables together, it is absolutely no brainer that it led me to ZenSoy's Soy Pudding! How can you resist this cute packaging of a panda named Su-Lin eating pudding? The pudding itself is a bit too sweet (21grams of sugar), and I would want more cocoa flavor, but it has a very creamy texture and sure tastes much better than jell-o or any other store bought pudding products I have ever tried.

ZenSoy not only produces many other organic soy products but also are quite committed on preserving endangered pandas. Eating tasty vegan pudding while helping cute pandas makes sense to me!

Dessert from Cafe Zaiya 04-29-2009

Location: 18 East 41st St.
Time: 6pm

Feelings: I stopped by at a popular Japanese convenience store/cafe, Cafe Zaiya to pick up some dessert. Since Zaiya and other Japanese cafes on this block become chaotic during lunch hours, I usually try to satisfy my Japanese patisserie cravings after 6pm. My job is stressful enough, and I don't need agony over my love of Japanese cake and bento boxes during my lunch hour.

As I got there, I noticed they still had quite long lines, but I also noticed their new product: chocolate covered mochi doughnut. Mochi donuts were one of my favorite things from our Osaka trip, so I was excited to try Zaiya's version. I took a bite into it with much anticipation. It tasted more like chocolate covered deep fried mochi molded into a donut shape than a mochi doughnut. It was extremely soft and chewy, and I wished it had been more crispy with less of a mochi texture. RB often makes his famous "nutella mochi," and this reminded me a lot of his mastery dish, which is warm mochi pan fried with a generous portion of nutella slathered on top. The lack of doughnutness from the mochi doughnut was quite a disappointment.

I also picked up my usual favorites, green tea cake and chocolate cake, and they are as delicious as usual. They are light, fluffy, not too sweet, which are the requirements of good Japanese cakes and pastries. Japanese chocolate cakes usually taste like cocoa instead of sugar, and just a little bite of it satisfies my chocolate cravings. I always hope their green tea cake to have more bitter green tea flavors, but it was delicious nonetheless. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a pretty tough critic when it comes to matcha/green tea products.

As I was leaving the place, I noticed they now make Omu-Soba (yakisoba noodles wrapped in thin omelette), so I am determined to go back there soon and try this fantastic Japanese street dish.

Naruto Ramen 04-26-2009

Location: 1569 3rd Ave.
Time: 6pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: Since it was such a nice day, RB and I decided to check out the cherry blossoms. Every year we usually go to Brooklyn Botanical Garden, but this year, we:
1) were broke and too cheap to pay admission fees to see a bunch of freakin trees,
2) were still recovering from Friday's outing,
3) got up too late to go all the way down to Brooklyn.
We instead tried the Upper East Side area of the Central Park. I almost never go to Upper East Side unless I am visiting my doctor. It gave me a strange feeling. The entire time I was there I felt as if I had to rush to my appointment.

After strolling around the park with an odd feeling in my stomach, we ventured out to the one and only ramen shop in Upper East Side, Naruto Ramen. The place looked like a traditional ramen stand just like Rai Rai Ken in East Village, with a quite narrow bar in front of the kitchen with limited seating. The decor itself assured me that their ramen would be great. However, I did not sense the distinctive greasy aroma that the most traditional ramen shops would indulge you with.

RB ordered his fantasy yet sinful dish: ramen with Katsutama (twice deep fried pork loin with egg, onion and sweet sauce). Whoever thought of this dish must be the Japanese equivalent of Paula Deen. As he consumed massive chalories, he was thankful that we had spent all day walking around the park. He sure has to maintain his heroin-chic figure. He said it was quite yummy but quite heavy.

I ordered a much simpler dish: Naruto ramen, which is their house ramen dish with soy based soup. It was just average but poorly presented ramen with overly salty broth. It was so average I cannot even come up with another word to say. Their gyoza was also average with again a lot of salt. As far as I know, this is the best ramen in Upper East Side, but as far as I know, this is the only ramen in Upper East Side.

Crif Dogs 04-26-2009

Location: 113 St. Marks Pl.
Time: 7pm
People: JLam from MeSoHungry, Sassy MGru, ALev, TrishP, JodyB, ChristaM, RB and myself

Feelings: Happy Pigs in a Blanket Day! (4/26) To celebrate this amazing yet underappreciated holiday, we headed out to a quintessential New York hot dog joint, Crif Dogs. This East Village eatery offers varieties of hot dogs such as vegetarian, "Tsunami" (bacon wrapped dog with Teriyaki sauce, pineapple & green onions), "Spicy Redneck" (bacon wrapped dog with with chili, cole slaw, and jalapenos) and a simpler dog like the "New Yorker," which is classic grilled all-beef Frankfurter. We all enjoyed our dogs although I thought the buns were a bit on stale side, but what do I know about hot dogs? I, the ovo-pescatarian, have probably only had total of four hot dogs in my life, and they were all veggie dogs. If the meat eaters loved their dogs, they must have been glorious.

Another good thing about this place was it was BYOB, so we enjoyed washing down our dogs with cheap Pabst and Tall Boys we grabbed from a deli around the corner. That's the way to celebrate true Pigs in a Blanket Day!

People always found it unusual that I have never tried Tater Tots. (I was raised by quite health conscious parents.) I have been looking to try one, but I have never had the opportunity until now. I finally got to try these amazingly cute and sexy sounding dish at Crif Dogs. Wow! I almost hate my parents for not letting me try them when I was little. These tiny croquettes were so crunchy yet moist and mushy inside and perfectly seasoned. They were a perfect little amusement for one's mouth.

The celebration continued to a Karaoke party at Toto Music Studio in K-Town until 2am. The tots and dogs did not follow us, but plenty of Tall Boys did.

Radiance Tea House with Showtime Ops! 04-24-2009

Location: 158 West 58th St.
Time: 12:30pm
People: Showtime Ops! Sa-Sha, PeeWee, BeBe, AP and myself

Feelings: Sa-Sha suggested we try this wonderful tea house for lunch. When we first walked in, it immediately gave us a feeling of zen and tranquility, and I was amazed how spacious the place was. I could not believe a peaceful tea house such as this could exist in midtown west of all places. It it truly a hidden gem. Many customers were sitting with their laptops while sipping aromatic tea, suggesting that the place provides free wi-fi for their customers.

They have a large selection of teas as well as very healthy and light food options. BeBe's artisan blooming tea with osmanthus flower was quite beautiful to look at (Lots of "woo" "aahh"), and and it tasted quite smooth and delightful. My Matcha was a bit of the weak side and did not have enough bitter-sweet flavors. I grew up enjoying traditional Matcha from Kyoto, so I might be the toughest critic when it comes to Matcha.

The rest of the group got the lunch specials. Sa-Sha and PeeWee's steamed dumplings were flavorful and light, and especially Sa-Sha was extremely satisfied with her chicken dumplings since they had a lot of dill in them. (That triggered us some random questionnaire of "What's your favorite herb?") AP was not too excited about his rice balls saying, "Well, they are just rice balls." But he was still very impressed with the place nonetheless.

We all enjoyed colorful and sweet motchi dessert, which is my favorite Japanese dessert of all. It is healthy yet sweet and filling, and we all left the place guilt free and determined to come back again soon.

The atmosphere, tea, and food were all amazing, but to top all of them was their service. The waitstaff was courteous and friendly, and he made sure we were satisfied with their service without obnoxious midtown way. I am so thankful I found this wonderful oasis near my work that is Times Sqaure deli hell. I felt this is truly an authentic tea house one might usually find below 23rd Street, and it is refreshing to find one in usually loud and valgar midtown.

Congrats, Ramen Pimps! 04-23-2009

Feelings: Congratulations, ramen and friends pimps, RB and MeSoHugry JLam! Brooklyn band, Justice of the Unicorns' compelling music video, "Dragon's Claw" was featured in Stereogum, and it is getting great reviews everywhere. It is mind-blowing to be able to slurp noodles with such talented gastronomes!

Also, congratulations to my friend and former colleague, Andrea Wachner! Her stripper impersonation comedy, "I Remember Andrea" is all over the major networks and web. (ABC, Fox, CNN, NBC..) Keep up the great work, Andrea.

My Favorite Thing: Wingers 04-21-2009

Feelings: I found these eye catching low fat potato snacks, "Buffalo Nickel Wingers," at our neighborhood health market, Vitality and Health in Astoria. There were five different flavors and spice index of choosing. We got #2 heat index with honey mustard flavor.

I stared into these buffalo wing shaped potato snacks and had a momentary cute attack. As I bit into their crispy goodness, they immediately quickened my pulse. They were so good that I wanted to say some repulsive alpha-male utterances: Booya! Money! Baby! Bring it! Yes, they were that good. The tangy honey mustard flavor was nicely present, but it was not too strong. The texture was crisp, yet airy. Above all, the whole bag has 60% less fat than most potato chips, and I did not get those overstuffed gross feelings afterwards. Finally, this ovo-pescatarian can eat buffallo wings. I am definitely ready for Level #3 heat index, Nacho Chilichanga!

RB's Justice of the Unicorns Video Premiere 04-18-2009

Location: Somewhere in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Time: 7pm
People: Justice of the Unicorns, fans, more fans, GB, ALev, Sassy MGru, RB and myself

Feelings: On Saturday, April 18th, Animator/Director RB premiered a strikingly creative and emotionally charged music video for Me So Hungry JLam's Brooklyn band, Justice of the Unicorns at a secret Greenpoint location. Since the title of the song was "Dragon's Claw," people cooked and baked dragon themed dishes. GB's chili tofu brownies had a major kick to them, and they had good texture and perfect sweetness. I just needed to keep a glass of water handy! Dan's dragon poop cookies with white chocolate human bones (virgin bones) were also tasty with dense flavor. Easily the most delicious poop I ever tried.

Check out the amazing video.　WARNING: You will need tissue.


"The Dragon's Claw" by Justice of the Unicorns from Robert Bruce on Vimeo.

Thank you Serious Eats! 04-21-2009

These are absolutely exciting times for Ramen and Friends and our brother blog, Me So Hungry. Our Ramen and Friends outing at Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery and Me So Hungry's Ying Du post were both featured in Serious Eats. Thank you Serious Eats!

Congratulations JT and Ava! 04-19-2009

Feelings: On April 19th, in Cape May, NJ, Ramen and Friends' pro bono accountant, JT married his lovely Ava. Congratulations from Ramen and Friends!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery 04-17-2009

Location: 126 Rivington St
Time: 9pm
People: Sassy MGru, ALev, JBH, BLee, TrishP and myself

Feelings: After slurping some hand pull noodles at Sheng Wang, the boys went to a happy hour for a few bevvies, and the girls and ALev searched for some luscious dessert in Lower East Side. I aimlessly looked for the new Japanese dessert cafe, Luxee, but none of us had an iPhone, so we couldn't figure out where it was located. iPhone seems to be a crucial necessity for aimless foodblogging.

Eventually, JBH and MGru suggested Sugar Sweet Sunshine's cupcakes since they were open late. The interior of the bakery was very conventional and cozy, and the atmosphere reminded me a lot of laid back 90's coffee shop. I am not sure if that is a compliment, but I am a child of the 90's, so I enjoyed sitting on their couch comfortably with my good friends. I ordered Ooey Gooey, which was a chocolate cake with chocolate almond butter cream. To my surprise, it was only $1.50! Shame on you, Magnolia, Cupcake Cafe, Crumbs, Buttercup, Babycakes and the rest of cupcake army of Manhattan. If they can make such a scrumptious, fluffy cupcake with creamy frosting heaven at a low price of $1.50, you should be able to do the same!

After meeting up with the boys, we finished up the night at the Dressing Room, which is my version of heaven: a vintage and local designer boutique with a cocktail bar and projection of obscure Italian cinema. Who knew I could shop and try on dresses while my friends enjoyed their $3 Miller High Lifes?

Sheng Wang Hand Pull Noodle Night 04-17-2009

Location: 27 Eldridge St.
Time: 7pm
People: 10 Ramen and Friends: Sassy MGru, ALev, PMont, TrishP, BLee, JBH, TAH, JLam "MeSoHungry," RB and myself.. and possibly Nick Cage

Feelings: I have two main sources when I am researching restaurants; JS, my co worker who is a food site expert and BLee, a passionate global food lover with refined taste. Last week both sources told me to try hand pull noodles in Chinatown, particularly at Sheng Wang, I knew that I had to organize an outing without hesitation.

We encountered a slight difficulty when we got to Eldridge street. They were filming Nick Cage's new alpha male dude film in front of our destination. After explaining that we had an important food outing, the miffed film crew let us in, and to our surprise Ramen and Friends had the Fujian noodle confinement to ourselves.

As we walked in and saw a man pulling and twisting wheat noodles in a rhythmical motion as if he is dancing to Sir-Mix-a-Lot, I knew this place was legit. His moves, and his hips did not lie. My vegetable hand pull noodles were extremely fresh, and the texture of noodles was something my tongue had never experienced before. Different width and length of each noodle sat in my mouth, which felt a little rough like whole wheat noodles at first. As I chewed, all sizes of noodles came together and made a smooth texture. This was a delightful experience.

Their appetizers were also satisfying and unexpected. The sweet rice dumplings filled with nuts somehow tasted like Bubblicious bubble gum, but it was tasty and interestingly chewy, but not as chewy as Bubblicious. The flavor reminded me a lot of my Febreeze experience at Maharaja Quality Sweets & Snacks. I am not too certain about sweets with strong flowery redolence, but I am sure someone enjoys eating Bubblicious or Febreeze as a compliment to their noodle dish.

All the non vegetarians raved how great the pork dumplings were, including RB, our famous dumpling hater. "I just feeling like eating dough," he usually despises all forms of dumplings. But he ate three or four of them saying how flavorful they were and that they were the best dumplings he has ever tasted. Being a dumpling devotee, I was overwhelmed with joy with his remarks and decided to take him out for more dumplings in the future.

My only question about Sheng Wang is "How are they making any money here?" Their huge noodle dishes are $3-$5. $3 for appetizers. $1 for bottled water and tea. We each paid $8.50 and left the place overstuffed with noodle and wallet gratification.

Q&A with R&F: Exclusive One on One with JBH

Feelings: Ramen and Friends got a close up on another talented writer, JBH! She has such a beautiful, big smile... always!

R&F: Who are you?
JBH: An enigma or as my husband and mother would agree quite spoiled.

R&F: What do you do? What do you do for fun? What do you really want to do?

JBH: For money I am an associate project editor and occasional ESL teacher. For kicks I am writing a novel and a short story collection as well as baking, reading, exercising or seeing a show with my mom. We just saw 'Hair' and it was amazing! I'd like to write and teach writing full-time though. I had a decent enough experience teaching teenage girls a few summers ago.

R&F: Where can we find you?

JBH: From 9:30a-5:30p, Mondays thru Fridays at work in Tribeca. Other times on my couch. I've made a nice little notch in there for myself.
R&F: Your blog/website?
JBH: http://jbh0125.blogspot.com/. I likes to keep it real.

R&F: What do you find most difficult when you are writing?

JBH: Keeping the story's flow moving to keep the reader enthralled through each page, paragraph, sentence, what-have-you. I always want readers to feel what I'm writing about.
R&F: Your favorite food?
JBH: Pizza! (If made properly) And most Italian pasta dishes. I love Italian food! I just made bolognese sauce from scratch for the first time in my life and my husband and I just can't get enough of it.
R&F: Your favorite drink?
JBH: I like the fruity stuff so the sweeter the better. I like Midori sours, strawberry or mango daiquiries, mimosas, and I'm a huge fan of Hornsby's Hard Cider.
R&F: Your favorite restaurant?
JBH: Just one?!? Well, I really like the Pasta Lovers in Forest Hills because of the large pasta servings, decent price, and good chicken options. I also enjoyed Mario Batalli's restaurant Babbo and I really like The Crooked Tree in the East Village as they make great crepes. There was a nice steak and fries place on Greenwich Street but that closed down a couple months ago. I also like Peep.

R&F: Your most memorable Ramen and Friends outing?

JBH: I have to say I enjoyed the one where we were introduced to The Dessert Truck. I have seen it several times since and always think of Ramen & Friends when I pass it.

R&F: Your most horrific food related experience?

JBH: Those have mainly taken place at chain restaurants. The worst have been at BBQ's in Time Sq. A friend had a big group go there for his birthday and the waitress was horrible. We waited over 45 minutes for our food and then the group argued about whether to give her a tip or not. She gave us attitude the whole time. And another time we had a waiter who was too busy flirting with young women to put in our order and openly stated so when my friend got her steak and I hadn't gotten my chicken dish yet. Plus they don't have a dessert menu! For your birthday they'll put a candle in cornbread and maybe, just maybe sing for you.

R&F: Tell me what you ate and drank today.

JBH: Today was an especially gluttonous day with several people (including myself) bringing in sweets to the office. I had four lemon butter cookies, a nice slice of butterscotch blondie with chocolate chips, a container of cantaloupe to detox, Honey Kix & yogurt for breakfast, and noodles w/ string beans for lunch. I'll be having a salad and a date with the elliptical for dinner.

R&F: Any comments for R&F?

JBH: I'm so glad I get to be a part of R&F on a monthly basis. I've found my niche! Foodies unite. That is all.

Elmo 04-15-2009

Location: 156 7th Ave
Time: 1pm
People: DZ, FA and myself

Feelings: After many years later, old friends and coworkers reunited at this New American restaurant. The vibrant decor and meticulously groomed waiters screamed of Chelsea galore as we instantly sat at our booth comfortably under high ceilings and catchy music. I have been to this energetic place a couple of times for lunch, both times playing the safe card and ordering a veggie burger. It turned out they just recently changed their lunch menu, and I was not familiar with it at all. We looked through it from top to bottom, and we started off with guacamole and chips. The corn chips were perfectly crisp, and salsa and guacamole were smooth as well as beautifully presented. I never knew mushy things such as guacamole could look so appetizing on a white plate, but they managed to do it.

DZ and I both ordered sesame crusted tuna with miso-chili glaze and seaweed salad on the side. The sauce had some heat to it, but it complemented the medium-rare tuna quite well. The portion of tuna was large, so I wished I had ordered salad with seared tuna (salad niçoise) instead. Perhaps I would have been happier if the giant piece of protein was complimented with some sort of carb (can the noodle blogger get a little noodle over here?) But I suppose that may be too much to ask in this protein-centric world we live in. Such is my curse.

FA enjoyed his fried chicken with mashed potatoes (you can get carbs) expressing bluntly, "It's fried chicken. It is what it is." Touché!

We finished our relaxing lunch with a pecan brownie with pecan ice cream. The bottom of the brownie was burnt and solid as a rock, and we had to break it forcefully with various untencils to share it. It was delicious nonetheless. The ice cream was quite literal. It managed to be extremely icy and creamy at the same time, resulting in delicious texture, and I enjoyed every melting moment in my mouth.