~ Delicious Lunch at Ippudo ~

Last month, I went up to NYC to run some errands.  Guess where I had lunch?

We had to wait for a few minutes so I played around with my camera by the bar.  Someone ordered these to go with the beer.  Wow.  They look scary!

Yummy edamame!  What a tease.  I was so hungry and I had to sit there and watch people eat!

I also got a chance to take pictures of the decor.  This is the huge globe above the bar.

This is part of the wall of bowls behind the bar.  Reminds me of a house I saw with all these cool plates on the wall as decoration.  Just looking at those bowls make me hungry!

Since we were so hungry, we got two appetizers.  One is this avocado with tofu.  The clear noodles on the bottom are so cool!  It's like soft and crunchy!  The sauces that came with it were also awesome.

This is spinach and back mushrooms.  It was served cold.  Also very good, but the tofu was better.  These are the healthy appetizers.  We wanted the pork bun, but those are too fatty for a pre-wedding meal. :)

I got the special last time so I decided to keep the tradition going with the Hakata Tantan Men Special Ramen.  It is "Schezwan style spicy tonkotsu ramen noodle soup with sesame peanut sauce, topped with pork belly chashu, kikurage, niku (minced pork) miso, red picked ginger and mitsuba".  It is just as good as it sounds. 

And yes, I had some pork belly which is not the leanest meat.  But I had healthy appetizers!  And it was only a few pieces of pork belly!

This is what my friend got.  She got the extra egg.  Check out that yolk!  It's what we call "sweet heart" yolk.  Perfectly done.

I think I should hang this on my wall!  I ate it all by myself!  Good thing we walked around the city afterwards :)

Just a fun shot I took on the street.  I like playing photographer, but it's hard for me to set up a shot.  I lack patience!  And steady hands.....

~ Fork Art by Matthew Bartik ~

Last time I was in NYC, we strolled through Central Park to check out the Metropolitan Museum. Right by the museum entrance, there were a lot of people selling paintings, prints, photos and other artwork on the sidewalk. There were a lot of fun stuff, but this guy Matthew definitely had the coolest stand!


He is the artist behind Fork Art! He was making some bracelets there while people were browsing. All he uses are stainless steel forks and pliers. Ooo and his strong muscular arms too. I was there for about 15 minutes and I remember seeing him making about 6 sales! The items are reasonably priced. The bracelets are fairly cheap at about $10. I was tempted to get one, but I don't I wouldn't wear it after that one day.


He said we can take pictures, but no closeups. I happened to have my 55-200mm lens on my camera and I was standing pretty far away. I hope he doesn't consider this a close up. Isn't this little guy so cute?? He also has some awesome vehicles on display too. I didn't get a chance to snap more pictures but be sure to check out his website for more info!


Anyway, the Metropolitan museum is amazing! There are so much stuff in there!!! This is just the outside. We spent a few hours there and only saw maybe half of the exhibits. Definitely need to go back some other time.


Another weird thing I saw was this tree. I have never seen a tree where the flowers are on the branches! It looks like snail eggs I used to see at my grandparents' farm.


But, up close, they are very pretty!



Let me know if you know what kind of tree this is. It's cool!

~ Sakagura: the Hidden Jewel of NYC ~

This past weekend, I was up in NYC again taking "engagement pictures". I saw the pictures, but wasn't allow to take any home so I have nothing to show yet. Anyways, on Saturday, we had a special dinner at Sakagura. It was highly recommended by a friend and has 4.5 stars on Yelp. I was pretty excited to go. When I made the reservation, the lady said "You'll have the table from 7-9 and we will only hold your table for 15 minutes." What? Really? Do we get kicked out if we stay past 9? So strict! We got there around 7:30, but we called ahead to change our reservation.


The restaurant is beautiful. It is a little strange because it's in the basement of this office building. The coolest part was the bathroom. You wouldn't even know it's a bathroom until someone opens the door for you. Like Ninja, they have those high tech butt cleansing toilets too.

I can talk about the food right after I talk about the toilets right? The menu looks like a tapaz menu with many small portioned dishes. The waitress recommended to order 3-5 dishes per person. This picture shows (from left to right): Kamo Roast (duck), Tori Tsukune (Chicken Meat Balls with Teriyaki Sauce), and Gindara Yuan Yaki (Grilled Cod Fish). The duck was excellent. Meat ball was ok. Cod fish was excellent too.


Here we have a beef dish and rice balls. The rice balls weren't spectacular, but I wanted some rice. I forgot what that beef dish is but the Gyu Miso Nikomi was definitely awesome. It is shredded beef back ribs stewed in Miso topped with grated dikon radish. Another note worthy dish was the Tori Karaage which is basically really good fried chicken.


This was a fun specialty dish on the front page. It was $20. It's served raw with the really hot stone to cook the beef. It was really good with the sauce and salt. And it's always fun to have something sizzle at the table.


We also had one of the famous sakes. I forgot the name. Something 515. It was a good sake. I don't usually like sake, but this one was ok to me and delicious to my friends. It was about $40 for a half bottle. Sakagura is actually famous for the sakes. Some are $70 for half a bottle!

Overall, everything was good at the restaurant. It felt very authentic. Our waitress and hostess spoke with Japanese accent and just oozed Japanese culture from the way they acted. And there were Japanese people eating there. The place looks very Japanese. Can't get any more authentic than that. The only downside? The price is a little bit steep. You order a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Before you know it, your bill is a couple hundred dollars. But, good food is worth the money right? For this much money though, I think Ninja is more fun.

~ New York City Street Food ~

One thing about walking around in NYC is that you can eat and walk at the same time. With all the little shops and food stands everywhere, I can barely go an hour without food in my mouth. So, here are some pictures of street food that I consumed in one weekend in NYC. There are actually more, but I don't want to scare you with the way I eat :)

First, gourmet ice cream at Soho. I think this was close to Guess. I tried to take a picture of the flavors, but it was cold and my hands were shaking:


Note that it's a yellow ice cream truck. :)


We were so happy to be eating ice cream even though it was like 35 degrees outside. We had earl grey tea which was wonderful, very flavorful and not to sweet. The hazelnut was very good too. Everything was great and tasted just like the flavor was described.


This little meat skewers stand is on the corner of 38th and Main. There's one on 39th and Main too, but I was told that this one is better. I didn't eat there though because I was way too full. I am sad. I wanted a chicken skewer. I heard the lamb one is phenomenal but I don't like lamb.


Curry fish balls and rice rolls. The fish balls were great! I think it was 6on a skewer for $1. They have spicy and not spicy They were bouncy and flavorful and fun to eat. Just don't get any curry sauce on your clothes. I think this is also on Main, under this bridge.


This place was really crowded when we stopped by to get a bento box for my friend so she can eat on the bus. Lots of different snacks and sushi. Very cheap too!


We stopped by this little cafe/bakery place in Brooklyn Chinatown. Forgot what it's called though. Just snacking and hiding from the rain. This is a soup with a pastry puff baked on top. So very good!!!!


Look at this creamy hot soup with seafood on the inside. The puff on the outside is slightly sweetened with honey.


Yum! Ok, that's all the food from NYC. Next up: Korean BBQ :)

~ How to Eat Little Dragon Buns at Joe's Shanghai ~

What the heck is Little Dragon Buns? Well, that's a direct translation from Chinese (小籠包). It's really little steamed pork buns. If they are made well, they are really steamed pork soup buns. I will explain the soup part later. Though, I don't know why they are called buns. I think they are more like dumplings. There are many places that sell these little buns in New York City, but only one is famous: Joe's Shanghai.


They have two locations, one in Brooklyn and one in Flushing. On my last trip, I ended up at the one in Flushing. Like most Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, both locations are small and crowded. I have never gone there and not have to wait at least 15 minutes. Good luck trying to get a table on the weekend for dinner.


Each order of buns come with 8 and it takes about 10-20 minutes to make. So, be patient! I think 1 order per person is about right. We had 4 girls and 5 orders and it was a little too much. An order of regular buns is $4.65. An order of buns with crab meat is $6.65.


They are going to come out in these steamers and the steamers will be stacked if you have more than one. This way, the ones on the bottom stays hot while you eat the ones on top.


Now, eating these buns require skills. Otherwise you are wasting them and should not bother eating them. Sounds harsh right? But, it's true! So, here's how to eat little dragon buns.

Step 1: Pick it up with the prongs
Pick them up from the top, where the wrapper is twisted together. That's the sturdiest part of the bun.


Step 2: Put it in the soup spoon
I call these soup spoons. I don't know what you call them. Don't drop it.


Step 3: Bite off the top part.
It shouldn't be too spicy.


Step 4 (optional): Add vinegar and/or hot sauce
Just pour a lil bit into the bun.


Step 5: Eat it!
I like to pour out the soup and just drink it on its own. It's thick and so very tasty! It's more than soup! It's like yummy pork juice! Oh wait, that doesn't sound very good. Pork essence? You don't have to pour it out. You can just stuff it in your both. But, I suggest that you pour it out into the spoon carefully if it's your first time. You may under estimate how much soup is in the bun and squirt it out of your mouth. Then, everyone is going to laugh at you and that's not good. Another reason to pour it out is because it may be very, very hot. Seriously like boiling hot.


The taste is very rich and flavorful. The pork to wrapper ratio is perfect. It's never salty to me, just rich. The soup is so thick that if you let it cool, it'll congeal. Some friends only like the pork ones and some only like the crab ones. I love them both equally :) The nappa cabbage that is underneath the buns is edible, by the way, if you need some veggies to even out all that meat.

I usually don't order anything else when I eat at Joe's. I don't want to waste precious stomach space on other food besides these awesome buns! Just thinking about it makes me hungry!!

~ Ninja: A Fun and Unique Dining Experience ~

One of the main attraction of my recent NYC weekend was dinner at Ninja restaurant. I have heard from a couple of friends about this place and they always say, "I don't want to ruin the surprise. Just go and see how it is". After having a 3 hour dinner there, I do believe that you should go experience it for yourself and be pleasantly surprised. So, I am doing something special for this post. I have hidden all the details and pictures. If you want to look at them, you will need to say "Ninja" out loud. Yes, look at your monitor and say Ninja and you will see the review.


Ok, I am just kidding. If you want to see it, just click here and it'll show up :)

Before I got there, I did manage to find out that there are 2 entrances into the restaurant. The regular one and the dangerous one. We chose the dangerous one. Choose your path wisely!!


Even the menus are cool! When our "ninja" pulled it out, she does it really quickly with flair. Like a real ninja :)


Everything seemed very Japanese. Even the tea pot looks and feels very authentic. The tea was very good green tea.


Let me show you the food first. My friend and I shared a Sasuke meal. It's $68. First, we had the appetizer, Batto Jitsu. It has tuna and beet in ginger sauce and a bowl of tuna confit with Sira-ae sauce. It definitely looks very cool!


Dry ice is so much fun! The only downside? It was just ok. The tuna confit was a little bit bland. I don't eat beets so it was just ok.


Next we had spicy tuna roll and shrimp tempura roll. I like these! The spicy tuna didn't feel that spicy when I ate the first 2 pieces. Then, the heat started to kick in and by the fourth piece, my mouth was burning! I really like the little white balls on the outside. I think it's something like rice cake. It is crunchy and adds to the texture of the rolls.


This is one of the best fish dish I have ever had. This is skate fish & ume. The fish is deep fried. When I saw the oil on the plate, I was a little bit apprehensive. But, the ume-plum butter sauce was so good! It has just the right amount of tartness. I think that's why it didn't feel as oily as it looks.


It was served with cabbage that was very good too. It's lighter than rice but compliments the fish very well.


For the last course, we had a 22oz ribeye steak with wasabi, pepper saiko, miso and teriyaki sauce on the side. It also came with a side of taro and cauliflower gratin, which was very creamy and just great. We were pretty full by the time the steak came. But, it was so good! All the sauces were great. It was the first time I had steak with wasabi. It was interesting. Definitely fun to have all the sauces to try.


Then, it was dessert time!!! This is the pina colada. I like the description: variety of fruits and vanilla ice cream "sinking into mysterious pineapple and coconut pond". More dry ice fun!


My friends each ordered Kunoichi course. First up was the "Aburi" Shrimp Salad. It was on fire!!!


This is how it looked after the fire went out. Friend's verdict? Not a very exciting "Good".


Second course was the same spicy tuna and shrimp tempura rolls that we got. Third course was the roasted salmon with red pepper garlic sauce with grated apples. Yum!! The sauce was very good.


Fourth course was the Volcano. Looks so interesting right? On the outside, it was an onion. On the inside was really tender beef brisket. It was good too.


We ordered 3 course meals, so we got 3 desserts. The rose in the middle is part of the rose chocolate. The chocolate mousse was very rich, but not too sweet.


This is the bonsai. Looks very cool! But, definitely didn't taste that great. The branches are fried dough I think. And the brown stuff is just chocolate. Not very sweet, very bland. The pina colada was definitely the best.


During dinner, the ninjas will periodically come and scare you. Some may put a sword to your throat. Even when they come in to check on you, they do it in a sneaky way. This guy was fun! He saw us taking pictures of random stuff and he was like "you want to take pictures of something more fun?" So, he pretended to assassinate all of us.


Doesn't he look scary? If you want to scare your friends, make sure they sit closest to the door. They are the ones that will get assassinated the most.


There was also a magician that came around and did tricks for us! I am going to keep the tricks to myself because it's definitely more fun to see that for yourself. We took a picture of him in the hall way. He's really tall!


My camera was running low on battery so I didn't get to take more pictures of the decor. But, as we were leaving, one of the ninjas gave us a tour. The whole place really looks like a ninja castle. They also have a garden area that looks really different. I am going to try to get reservations on that side next time I go.

Another fun part of the restaurant is the bathroom. They have the Japanese toilets that will wash your "junks" according to my friend. I didn't try it, but if you ever wanted to try it, here's your chance.

All in all, it was a fun experience! Most of the food was great and it was just very fun. I think kids will really like it there. I like all the semi-private dining rooms. They even have tiny rooms for 2 people. All the ninjas look like they have a lot of fun working there. The whole place just feel very positive and fun and they really make it feel like a ninja castle. Even the front door was cloaked in mystery. For a big restaurant, the door was really tiny and it only had one sign that says "Ninja".

I highly recommend that you make reservations. We tried to make reservations for the garden a week in advance and they didn't have any tables. Go check it out and let me know what you think!