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pavarianMy first full day in NYC! Currently super tired because we seriousl spent 12 hours doing a whirlwind shopping + eating deal. Nonstop. i kid you not. I even have pictures to prove it! Am blogging this in Sue's pretty room, nursing very painful feet...
So it all started early in the morning - followed Sue for a quick jaunt to her lab/university. The garden was gorgeous, with pretty flowers, and there was a real nice breeze blowing. Took some quick artistic shots (click all photos for bigger versions)
First stop was to remedy hunger - went to Bagel Works near the university for my favourite - a cinnamon raisin bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese. *yum* People-watched for a bit while we wolfed down the bagel.
Next was a stop at La Pain Quotidien, a french cafe, to grab the morning cuppa - they had an excellent English Breakfast! Pretty pretty shop, with the classic long french wooden tables, and beautiful pastries.
Did a slow meandering stroll down towards Fifth Avenue, window shopping uber-expensive shops and people-watching all the rich yuppies in their polo shirts, chinos, and loafers. By then the bagel was wearing off, so we stopped at Takashimaya - there was an excellent lunch place in the basement, called The Tea Box. Since this was a pre-lunch, we ordered a pot of Formosa Oolong tea. This was served in a very unique way - the tea came in a brown ceramic pot, and the matching cups were white porcelain, with - get this - a cute wooden stick with crystalized sugar fused on. So all you have to do is swirl it in the tea and you get lightly sweetened tea! O_O
Also shared a bento between both of us. This had a smoked tuna salad, plus some small sides, rice, and the clincher - SEARED WAGYU BEEF O_O Which was so good it took me to a different dimension. It was done to that perfect -rare- state, with just the right amount of blood and texture and the sauce. *dies*
After spazzing over that meal, we did our real shopping - stayed for too long at H&M...
Walked over to Kinokuniya next (yay). Took a needed break at the top floor - Cafe Zaiya. Had awesome Matcha Pudding - the matcha was suitably bitter, yet went well with the red bean paste. Aso had Bombay Chai (Tea Forte Brand). Browsed a little, got high from seeing japanese stationery and generally being surrounded by japanese books/people/magazines. Saw some old DbSK mags, but didnt' buy any cos Yunho didn't look particularly hot there =)
Next, discovered K-Town, HUGE place which looked like Seoul, seriously. All the neon signs with korean words. Bought some yuzu tea mix here, and found a bookshop with DBSK posters...but again, nothing screaming buy me...
Dinner was at Soba-Ya, my personal favourite hangout in NYC. Excellent fresh, handmade soba. We had a Vegetable Moriawase for starters, which had grilled eggplant, konnyaku with ginger, and spring greens with mushrooms. DELICIOUS. Then I got a Duck Soba for my main course. The duck was fantastic because it had a good chunk of fat on it, and was lightly seared, so it had a suitable taste - not too meaty but still delicious and light. The soba and soup stock, was, as always, impeccable. *sighs happily* Sue had the Yasai Soba...
Then. The gastronomic tour continued wtih a jaunt to a dessert bar, called Chikalicious. AMAZING. The store was real small, and set up like a yuppie bar. They lock the door once it is full so you have to wait until someone leaves. Luckily we came early, so we only had to wait for ten minutes.
The chef is Chika, a beautiful middle-aged Japanese lady, who makes me think of what Ryoko Hirosue will look like in twenty years. All the desserts were handmade, and as she pottered around the counter area, she looked like she was in a trance of some sort, perfecting her artistry. It was very intriguing. The food though. Was. Heaven. Words cannot describe how excellent the dessert was. Perhaps the best dessert I've ever had. It was the perfect mix of French sensibility with the delicate japanese touch. For $12, you get a three course dessert experience - appetizers, main course, and a petit-fours at the end. The experience (and I call it an experience because it was so much more than -just a meal-) started so:
First was the Mause Bouche (aka. appetizer) - a tiny dish of Jasmine Gelee with Toasted Almonds and Honey. At first taste, it was like a very well made/delicate Jasmine Bubble Tea. The jasmine jelly/mousse thing melted in your mouth, and together with the honey...was just enough sweetness to make you enjoy it, but not cloying or overpowering.
next was the clincher - the main course. I had the Honey Parfait in Strawberry Soup with Lemon Agar-Agar and Lace Crisp. In short, a honey pudding with strawberry syrup and little cubes of lemon jelly around it. The honey was very light, but tasted SO GOOD with the strawberry syrup - obviously made from fresh strawberries, that had a tart yet sweet taste. Together, they melted in your mouth to give a very delicate honey + strawberry taste. Think fresh strawberries drizzelled with very light honey. The delicacy of the taste and perfection with which she balanced the various ingredients was amazing. I was in awe. Had to control myself so I wouldn't end up licking the plate. The lace crisp was a light wafer made of sugar, and so it balanced out nicely with the sauce.
Sue had the Coconout Panna Cotta with Basil Sorbet, with Pineapple Mango Salad w/ Basil Seeds. Again, a very unique, and extremely pretty dish..
The final course was the petit-fours, and consisted of Coocnut Marshmallows, Chocolate Fudge Cake, and Pecan Cookies. The marshmallows were extremely light and fluffy. My favourite though, was the choc. cake - just the right amount of sugar and chocolate, and density in the sponge cake. Gorgeous. *dies*
After all that, we went for more tea (yes, the third fourth cup...) at Cha-An, another tea place in the Japanese area. I had Uji Kabudsecha, a very light Green tea from Kyoto - it had a very 'Spring' taste, extremely green in feeling, yet sweet in aftertaste. It was a good end to a very food-filled day. I was impressed with the attention to detail - since you can't oversteep light green teas, the teapot they used could only fill one cup, so you will have to request the waiter to refill your water if you want more. =) Sue had Crimson Chai (she really likes chai) which was also pretty interesting. Sue had Crimson Chai, which came in an interesting glass teapot.
After more resting, stopped quickly at Sunrise Mart (japanese supermarket) to pick up the usual Meiji chocolates, pocky, and my beloved Hitacino beer. On the way home, also passed by the famous Serendipity Cafe, and here's the photo to show for it. LOL
That's it for day 2. =) Bonne Nuit =)
So it all started early in the morning - followed Sue for a quick jaunt to her lab/university. The garden was gorgeous, with pretty flowers, and there was a real nice breeze blowing. Took some quick artistic shots (click all photos for bigger versions)
First stop was to remedy hunger - went to Bagel Works near the university for my favourite - a cinnamon raisin bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese. *yum* People-watched for a bit while we wolfed down the bagel.
Next was a stop at La Pain Quotidien, a french cafe, to grab the morning cuppa - they had an excellent English Breakfast! Pretty pretty shop, with the classic long french wooden tables, and beautiful pastries.
Did a slow meandering stroll down towards Fifth Avenue, window shopping uber-expensive shops and people-watching all the rich yuppies in their polo shirts, chinos, and loafers. By then the bagel was wearing off, so we stopped at Takashimaya - there was an excellent lunch place in the basement, called The Tea Box. Since this was a pre-lunch, we ordered a pot of Formosa Oolong tea. This was served in a very unique way - the tea came in a brown ceramic pot, and the matching cups were white porcelain, with - get this - a cute wooden stick with crystalized sugar fused on. So all you have to do is swirl it in the tea and you get lightly sweetened tea! O_O
Also shared a bento between both of us. This had a smoked tuna salad, plus some small sides, rice, and the clincher - SEARED WAGYU BEEF O_O Which was so good it took me to a different dimension. It was done to that perfect -rare- state, with just the right amount of blood and texture and the sauce. *dies*
After spazzing over that meal, we did our real shopping - stayed for too long at H&M...
Walked over to Kinokuniya next (yay). Took a needed break at the top floor - Cafe Zaiya. Had awesome Matcha Pudding - the matcha was suitably bitter, yet went well with the red bean paste. Aso had Bombay Chai (Tea Forte Brand). Browsed a little, got high from seeing japanese stationery and generally being surrounded by japanese books/people/magazines. Saw some old DbSK mags, but didnt' buy any cos Yunho didn't look particularly hot there =)
Next, discovered K-Town, HUGE place which looked like Seoul, seriously. All the neon signs with korean words. Bought some yuzu tea mix here, and found a bookshop with DBSK posters...but again, nothing screaming buy me...
Dinner was at Soba-Ya, my personal favourite hangout in NYC. Excellent fresh, handmade soba. We had a Vegetable Moriawase for starters, which had grilled eggplant, konnyaku with ginger, and spring greens with mushrooms. DELICIOUS. Then I got a Duck Soba for my main course. The duck was fantastic because it had a good chunk of fat on it, and was lightly seared, so it had a suitable taste - not too meaty but still delicious and light. The soba and soup stock, was, as always, impeccable. *sighs happily* Sue had the Yasai Soba...
Then. The gastronomic tour continued wtih a jaunt to a dessert bar, called Chikalicious. AMAZING. The store was real small, and set up like a yuppie bar. They lock the door once it is full so you have to wait until someone leaves. Luckily we came early, so we only had to wait for ten minutes.
The chef is Chika, a beautiful middle-aged Japanese lady, who makes me think of what Ryoko Hirosue will look like in twenty years. All the desserts were handmade, and as she pottered around the counter area, she looked like she was in a trance of some sort, perfecting her artistry. It was very intriguing. The food though. Was. Heaven. Words cannot describe how excellent the dessert was. Perhaps the best dessert I've ever had. It was the perfect mix of French sensibility with the delicate japanese touch. For $12, you get a three course dessert experience - appetizers, main course, and a petit-fours at the end. The experience (and I call it an experience because it was so much more than -just a meal-) started so:
First was the Mause Bouche (aka. appetizer) - a tiny dish of Jasmine Gelee with Toasted Almonds and Honey. At first taste, it was like a very well made/delicate Jasmine Bubble Tea. The jasmine jelly/mousse thing melted in your mouth, and together with the honey...was just enough sweetness to make you enjoy it, but not cloying or overpowering.
next was the clincher - the main course. I had the Honey Parfait in Strawberry Soup with Lemon Agar-Agar and Lace Crisp. In short, a honey pudding with strawberry syrup and little cubes of lemon jelly around it. The honey was very light, but tasted SO GOOD with the strawberry syrup - obviously made from fresh strawberries, that had a tart yet sweet taste. Together, they melted in your mouth to give a very delicate honey + strawberry taste. Think fresh strawberries drizzelled with very light honey. The delicacy of the taste and perfection with which she balanced the various ingredients was amazing. I was in awe. Had to control myself so I wouldn't end up licking the plate. The lace crisp was a light wafer made of sugar, and so it balanced out nicely with the sauce.
Sue had the Coconout Panna Cotta with Basil Sorbet, with Pineapple Mango Salad w/ Basil Seeds. Again, a very unique, and extremely pretty dish..
The final course was the petit-fours, and consisted of Coocnut Marshmallows, Chocolate Fudge Cake, and Pecan Cookies. The marshmallows were extremely light and fluffy. My favourite though, was the choc. cake - just the right amount of sugar and chocolate, and density in the sponge cake. Gorgeous. *dies*
After all that, we went for more tea (yes, the third fourth cup...) at Cha-An, another tea place in the Japanese area. I had Uji Kabudsecha, a very light Green tea from Kyoto - it had a very 'Spring' taste, extremely green in feeling, yet sweet in aftertaste. It was a good end to a very food-filled day. I was impressed with the attention to detail - since you can't oversteep light green teas, the teapot they used could only fill one cup, so you will have to request the waiter to refill your water if you want more. =) Sue had Crimson Chai (she really likes chai) which was also pretty interesting. Sue had Crimson Chai, which came in an interesting glass teapot.
After more resting, stopped quickly at Sunrise Mart (japanese supermarket) to pick up the usual Meiji chocolates, pocky, and my beloved Hitacino beer. On the way home, also passed by the famous Serendipity Cafe, and here's the photo to show for it. LOL
That's it for day 2. =) Bonne Nuit =)
envious...
love ya!
kaavs
no subject
and lol, ryoko hirosue's older incarnation. i love that actress XD
no subject