Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - InDessert

InDessert1 E Broadway, New York, NY 10038(212) 528-3188

With the transition of infusion foods from everyday meals, desserts are of course, soon to come. Taking traditional Chinese desserts and bringing the new touch to the generation of food, InDessert is one place that maintains the taste of traditional goods with a more decorative and upbeat environment. The central touch of Hong Kong dessert is contrary to the French sweet pastries and such, evolving around soup bases, traditional Chinese desserts are much less sweeter, but full of flavor. 

InDessert specializes in all of the Chinese traditions with dessert soups, shaved ice, dessert drinks, but it doesn't stop there. Finding new ways to incorporate traditional eats, InDessert features a menu that has more Americanized desserts as well. With green tea waffles on the menu that is topped with ice cream and fresh fruits, it is one thing that is worth visiting for. A wide selection of cakes are available as well, catering to taste buds of all kinds. With soup desserts, customers are able to make their own creations to fulfill your every desire.

The menu is constantly changing, bringing new dessert goodies to the customers. With seasonal flavors and free cupcakes for customers, it is the one place you want to visit for all sorts of desserts. InDessert is built around bright lights and fun displays that keeps your stomach going. It is the perfect place to hang out and even enjoy a date setting. 

All desserts are made fresh when ordered which ensures the freshest ingredients possible. Opened almost twelve hours a day, anytime is the perfect time to visit InDessert. Opening at 12PM daily, be sure to get your dessert fix or a  not-so-simple drink to perk up your day. Be sure to also be on the lookout for any freebie cupcakes that may be on display at InDessert at your next visit!

Restaurant Review - Cutting Board

Cutting Board
53 Bayard Street
New York, NY 10013
(212)528-0188
http://www.cuttingboardnyc.com/

Located in Chinatown, New York, the Cutting Board restaurant is a new American, infused with Japanese and Italian dishes. With their own twist on every traditional dish that they serve, the Cutting Board is popular among the younger groups and families looking to crowd over some flavorful food. 

With two separate dining areas in the Cutting Board, as well as private rooms, the wait varies from time to time. The more popular eats are their small snacks of fried fitters and a variety of fusion entrees, including their chicken risotto. 

One of the perks in the restaurant is the option of making reservations for parties of 6 and more. Having this luxury is one of the perks that cannot be found elsewhere in Chinatown, which makes this restaurant one of the more popular places to eat, in addition to the flood of young crowds already.

Expect service and popularity of the restaurant to be standard in Chinatown, extremely busy and sometime difficult to call down someone to take your order. On the flip side, at the very minimum, any waiter can assist in taking orders and food is a tastier twist! With large portions and cheaper prices, the Cutting Board restaurant is one to try out.

Restaurant Review - Lombardi's Pizza

New York, NY 10012

Lombardi's Pizza 

32 Spring Street

(212)941-7994

http://www.firstpizza.com/

Lombardi's is a signature location being that it is the first pizzeria to open in NYC. Opened by an Italian immigrant who started the tradition of staple foods around the world, the restaurant has over 100 years of tradition since it first opened back in 1905. Unfortunately for that matter, the hype is only behind the fact that it is the first pizza restaurant which ultimately leads it to be the one tourist destination in Little Italy of Nolita. 

Known for their pizzas, it is a must order for anyone who fancies to try out the signature pizza. Being that Italian food is circled around a family tradition, Lombardi's Pizza bakes up a fresh humongous pie that is to be shared. The pizza is ordered to your liking, selecting your desired toppings. It is recommended to share the pizzas between a group, leaving room for the extra things on the menu. Although it is a limited menu, calzones are one of the favorites at Lombardi's Pizza for a stuffed filling that is jammed with melted cheese. 

For anyone going in a bigger group that fancies alcoholic beverages, the fresh sangria pitcher is probably the kicker of the night. There isn't much on the menu for drinks, but we can't say no to a pitcher of sangria! 

All in all, Lombardi's Pizza is honestly just a F-O-M-O. It is one of those things that you may regret not trying when you visited NYC, but there's not much to rave about there. Therefore, get it checked off that bucket list, but don't wait on a long line to do so because you might regret that one as well!

Restaurant Review - Shanghai Heping Restaurant

Shanghai Heping Restaurant

104 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

(212) 925-1118

Shanghai food mainly consists of the ever so popular soup dumplings made of ground pork meat wrapped in a wonton-like tortilla that is steamed where each individual soup dumpling is filled with a delicious juice. The Shanghai Heping Restaurant is one of those restaurants that actually cook up a good soup dumpling in addition to the famous New York spot of Joe's Shanghai. In addition to the popular soup dumplings, the Shanghai Heping Restaurant offers a handful of other popular Chinese dishes that include the classic Chinese-American style dishes of fried rice, noodles, sweet and sour soup and so on and so forth.

What many people fail to realize is their specialty dishes as well. With their unique touch on traditional Chinese foods and even new creations which include their deep fried duck that is served over a bed of mushroom glaze. 

It is definitely suggested to visit the Shanghai Heping Restaurant with a group of friends to share a few dishes in order to maximize the number of dishes one can sample. Because Chinese dishes are usually served family style, it is always recommended to get a few main courses that can be shared between a group, specialty rice dishes included. Although the restaurant is on the higher end for foods in Chinatown, it is still worth the splurge to sample the variety of dishes they have to offer.

Hidden Treasures - Kam Hing Coffee Shop

Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Address: 119 Baxter Street, New York, NY 10013

Phone Number: 212-925-0425

One of the hidden treasures for generations now is the Kam Hing Coffee Shop that many local residents are familiar with. In fact, they are regulars here where their orders are pretty much picked up once they enter the door and delivered by the time they get to the counter without having to wait. Keeping the tradition of generations of soft and moist Chinese sponge cakes (the Chinese version of a cupcake that is less sweet without the icing), the exterior has been maintained for years already. 

This is reflected with their original cafe layout. The door, sign, store front and even most of the store is preserved since the beginning. The best part, of course, is the sponge cakes that have been handed down from generation to generation. With the original sponge cakes, Kam Hing Coffee Shop has been making small tweaks on the this traditional cheap eat.

In addition to the best seller original for the older generations and even young children who crave for a twist on the morning cupcake, the Kam Hing Coffee Shop in Chinatown has added new flavors of green tea and chocolate chip. The green tea, also known as matcha is fused with sweet and bitter green tea which may not look appealing, but it is the first twist on the traditional recipe that has customers craving for more. The chocolate chip sponge cake is just as popular made with thinly sliced chocolate chips baked in rather than the traditional chocolate chip muffin.  These two are blasted with flavors that simply just melt in your mouth along with the sponge cake. Those at the Kam Hing Coffee shop is now experimenting with new flavors that include the sweet strawberry. This is definitely one to be anticipated!

Be sure to swing by Kam Hing Coffee shop and pick up your morning coffee or milk tea along with their traditional Chinese style cup cakes; you definitely won't regret this one located at the Southern end of Chinatown just before Little Italy. There's definitely some competition there, but nothing beats the price of Kam Hing's sponge cakes for just a dollar, especially with early hours of operation to cater to the early birds of both the younger school generation along with the older working generation.

Tourist Destinations - Chinatown in Incheon, Korea

Incheon, Korea is a landmark for having the best airport in the world year after year. It is still my favorite airport in the world and trust me, I have been to quite the number of airports this past year with all of the traveling done. In addition to having the best airport in the world, Incheon is also known to be the one place that the locals go to for their Chinatown. Although Chinese food and Chinese goods in Korea has its Korean influences, the Chinatown in Incheon is still worth a visit for their food.

Many locals and foreigners visit the Chinatown in Incheon to buy a handful of Chinese goods. You will see the many red and gold designs because of the Chinese influences, those being the strongest two colors. Red and gold basically stands for luck and fortune which is dispersed all over Chinatown. Using the influences of the Chinese culture, the decorations of Incheon is very similar. It is also one of the very few places in Korea that you will actually find Chinese characters which is also the traditional Korean writing, from years ago. 

The Incheon Chinatown is extremely small with a few streets of food and stores located right across the street from the Incheon station and up the block. Spending half a day in the Chinatown is more than enough, especially during lunch time. You can leisurely walk the streets and explore, eating your way up the alleys and if your stomach can hold it, go for the Korean Chinese infusion foods. There are countless numbers of Jajangmyeon restaurants in the alleys. With so many restaurants in the area, it can get a little difficult to choose, but I always look for those with the longest lines and most locals of course!

 

The one thing I will rave about, the must have here is the clay pot buns. With two stoves that are made of clay and a fire that cooks the buns stuck to the side of the huge furnace, it is one thing that everyone lines up for. You can't miss it with a huge figurine replica of the store. The owner is hugging his many buns and the best thing is, he promotes picture taking. Once the buns are in the old fashion stove and almost ready to be sold, he will open it for locals and foreigners to snap a photo. Now that's some customer service there! It is extremely difficult to find stores that will allow you to come up close and personal with the things that they are cooking, but this store is extremely friendly.

There are a handful of street vendors that sell food for you to consume as you walk through the rest of the Chinatown. This is the one place you will find a ton of cookies, sweet to the taste with a caramel inside. You can also find the Korean version of moon cakes here in Incheon. Mooncakes is something that is special to the Chinese during the Full Moon festival. For this very reason, I found Incheon special because they actually carry the moon cake. Although it is not the same as the traditional Chinese moon cakes, it is rather close enough. With different kinds of filings, they are all something to sample. You will definitely find tons of samples out along the streets because of the amount of competition. Although most taste fairly similar to one another, very few are able to distinguish the difference, myself included!

 

It is definitely recommended to go with a bunch of friends to share snacks because you just might be too full for lunch. A day of adventure with a handful of friends is always the way to go. Knowing most people who live in Seoul, Incheon is quite a trip out so be sure to make it worth it! There are a handful of parks and stores nearby that you can explore and make it a full day's trip. You'll be surprised at what you can find.

Hidden Treasures - 長壽갈비집本家

長壽갈비집本家 is my favorite BBQ place in Korea since the first time I had it. In fact, this was actually the first place I had BBQ when I first came to Korea. Since then, not much as changed about this place. 長壽갈비집本家 has years of tradition which many are oblivious to because it's so hidden off in the streets of Myeongdong. 

The one thing that caught my eye about this restaurant was the fact that there was someone grilling the meat out in front. That smell is honestly, unforgettable. Unlike other BBQ places in Korea where they put it on your grill and leave it as is to cook, there is someone here that cooks every piece to perfection. One order of their beef ribs is $9 which can be a bit pricey for a small amount of meat to some, but trust me when I say it is worth it. 

In addition to their must order BBQ beef ribs, there are other beef entrees that guests can order. They have an extremely small menu, with a sole concentration on beef. All dishes are served with a side of vegetables and jigae to be shared.

With two floors of seating, the restaurant offers a less BBQ congested area because all of the cooking is done in front. Therefore, you leave with the benefit of not smelling like Korean BBQ which happens almost at every other BBQ place. The restaurant caters to foreigners with the menu in English, Chinese, and Japanese, making it easier for guests to order. This is definitely a must visit for all.

Korean Traditional Eat - Bosingtang 보신탕

I know I am going to get quite the criticism for this blog, but yes, I ate dog in Korea. It is a Korean staple and I love dogs, but at the end of the day, it is a taboo food and I decided to give it a go. Being that there are so many dog meat places in Seoul, finding a good one to try this at was very much needed. 보신탕 (Bosingtang which is dog meat soup, 補身湯 in Chinese) is also known as Gaejangguk 개장국 where dog meat is the primary ingredient. This Korean traditional eat is known to increase virility among men and women, but more favorable for men of the older generation.

The meat is cooked up for quite a while, boiled with vegetables that varies from restaurant to restaurant. The main ingredients include green onions, perilla leaves, dandelions, and spices of Doenjang (된장),  Gochujang (고추장), and more perilla seed powder. There are a handful of Bosingtang restaurants in Seoul, a lot of which are filled with men drinking soju which is believed to compliment the soup. 

Ironic to say, those who run this kind of restaurant usually comes from China, another country that actually consumes a lot of dog meats. In addition to this, Vietnamese people are also known for the consumption of this delicacy. Although a lot of Asian countries consume dog meat, each country differs the way they cook up this special dish. 

In Korea, dog meat is cooked up as a soup which is cooked up with other vegetables. For those who are looking to immerse themselves in the real taste of dog meat, getting the dog meat as chunks will help you truly taste the true flavor of dog meat. From a personal taste, it is a contrast between lamb and pork. Honestly, I would probably not have it again, only because of the concept behind the delicacy in regards to how it is cooked before serving and such. Nonetheless, it's a bucket list check off.

If you are brave enough, I definitely suggest going with a Korean friend who actually enjoys it. It is difficult to find a good restaurant in Korea and the Koreans know the real deal. They know where to go because their parents go. Do not expect every Korean to eat dog meat though because there are a handful who are against it. In fact, most Koreans do not enjoy dog meat. They only go for the sake of their parents who enjoy it. It may be ironic to say that criticism comes from Koreans as well and they're the ones who consume it a lot!

Life in Korea - Take Out

Living in Korea is pretty amazing for a variety of things, especially in comparison to the states for the very reason that it makes life easier and more convenient. One of the amazing things in Korea is of course, the food. It's a little crazy how the same chains that we have back in America are here, but a lot more amazing here. In fact, because of these amazing differences, it is the one reason why I probably eat out here than in back in the states.

Because food in Korea is never a disappointment, eating out all day and grabbing food to go is a common thing. It's also amazing when you are able to get takeout packaged in a special way. There’s a handful of things that is frustrating about getting takeout back at home because the food can get sloppy messy, or simply difficult to handle on the way home. 

Ironic to say the least though, that living in Korea, I’ve definitely learned a handful of new ways and tricks to package takeout which just might come to use when moving back to America. For starters, they always plastic bag everything for you which makes it easy for you to carry it. Utensils are also wrapped in plastic packaging (straws included) which makes it extremely sanitary and you'll always get some kind of utensils, even from Baskin Robbins.

Baskin Robbins is actually amazing in Korea for amazing flavor combinations and a new flavor every month. In addition to this, Baskin Robbins offer actual ice cream cakes that are the cutest thing and made with different flavors. They even slice cakes of different ice cream flavors and piece them together for the ultimate ice cream cake, without an actual cake bottom like back at home. Last rave about Baskin Robbins in Korea is that when you get ice cream packaged up, you actually pick the flavors that you want, not the ones that are fridge packaged already. It is extremely common for families and friends to get buckets to go or enjoy within the ice cream shop. For anything to go, they will offer utensils and candles for cakes, along with dry ice to keep the ice cream from melting.

In addition to my favorite place in Korea, real food takeout in Korea is also amazing. Mini cakes and desserts are always packaged up in palm sized boxes that keeps the cake from sliding around and smashing the cakes against the walls of boxes. Pizza takeout is even more amazing with handles that help to balance the box when walking. This definitely makes it easy to hold a pizza pie without having to burn your hands.

 

The one last thing to rave about is combination takeouts. When ordering a mix of dishes, they will separate the two to prevent any sauces from spilling over. This goes for fried foods as well. When paired with a salad, crispy chicken is separated from the veggies and dressing is on the side (even for doggy bags). It's pretty amazing that Koreans actually care about their food tasting good outside of the restaurant. That's definitely the total package there.

Restaurant Review - School Food 스쿨푸드

School Food 스쿨푸드 is a restaurant that takes Korean school food for the young as an upgrade for the adults. School Food offers a fun play on traditional Korean foods of kimbap, ddukbokki, ramen, and naengmyeon, and other fried goodies. With an upgrade on the kid's menu, School Food offers more variety and a mix of deliciousness in the traditional eats. 

On average, dishes at priced at $8 a plate. Served with a cup of soup along with radish, the dishes are filling but it is always an option to order a large quantity to share. Anything on their recommended list is definitely recommended, especially with the sushi list. Kimbaps in Korea are so typical that it's hard to find good tasting kimbaps.

School Food offers you the next closest thing to Japanese sushi rolls, especially with their fried shrimp roll. It is definitely great to be able to find sushi rolls outside of a real Japanese restaurant. The food is simple, yet fun to eat, a big kid's version of lunch.