One Dollar Hotdog, Manhattan, NYC

Like thin crust pizza by the slice, hotdogs are another convenient snack (or meal depending on how many you eat) that are readily available in New York. It's hard not to walk around Manhattan and not see one of those so-called dirty water hotdog stands. I don't even know the name of this one but it's apparently pretty famous as the hotdogs only come up to a dollar after tax and they look pretty big too. Catering to the Chinatown crowd and definitely the Fung Wah Chinatown bus clientale, this hotdog window at the corner of Canal and Bowery has gained quite a following.

So how was it in the end? It was actually surprisingly tasty. It was larger than the average street hotdog and they claim to use quarter-pound all beef dogs here. The casing was snappy and the meat was still quite succulent and juicy. Maybe I was hungry but I did wolf this down pretty quick. Catsup and mustard are free but onions cost extra.

D

Hagi Sake Bar, Manhattan, NYC

One of the things on the top of my list when I first arrived in Manhattan was to find a good izakaya joint that would allow my continual indulgence in good sumiyaki fare and the likes. A good friend and colleague of mine recommended a pretty much known secret in the Theater District - Hagi. I don't think this post will add any more publicity than it already has as I've waited before for a table for almost an hour at 1am on a Friday night.

Here are some nicely fried tempura shimeji mushrooms to start our little supper. The batter was a bit heavier and greasier than Tenshin but still very delicious indeed.

This has got to be my favorite here. Pretty much one of my favorites at any place proficient at grilled items on a stick is the fatty pork belly. Nicely charred and simply seasoned with some salt and a drop of lemon juice (to cut through the fat, so it's all healthy now you see), it's all you need to indulge in this tasty morsel.

Here's a sardine stuffed with mentaiko before being grilled. I love mentaiko in any permutation so this was right down my alley.

Kawa; grilled salted chicken skins. That's right, chicken skins.., the stuff some people peel off their KFC to make that piece of oil soaked chicken healthier. This stuff is delicious. Some of the tastiest things in life are the simplest.

Grilled squid with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce. Grilled just enough to remain tender and not too rubbery, this was good squid.

Now this was an odd one. It was a special advertised as grilled sun-dried squid. It tasted a little bit like those dried cuttlefish snacks but slightly warm... the bonito flakes on it were more a gimmick than anything else. It just tasted very ordinary to me and for 8usd for 4 bite-sized pieces, I was expecting a little bit more.

Deep fried pork belly. Not too bad albeit slightly dry. I still prefer the grilled version on the stick.

Now this I like, probably not something everyone would love but these deep fried chicken gizzards were quite delectable indeed. One serving gives you a pretty large bowl of these crunchy fried pieces but don't count on that thin piece of paper to absorb all the oil, oh I mean juice.

Some more bite-sized snacks. These croquettes were each filled with a nice blob of cheese which melted very nicely when deep-fried.

After a few deep-fried items, my palate begged for something with a cleaner taste. Bonito tataki served with crispy garlic bits, raw onions and a tangy sauce (tasted abit like ponzu). This stuff is very addictive, I've known people to order more than one serve of this at every sitting.

Back to another round of real meat. The grilled beef short ribs were also not too bad but nothing spectacular.

Starting our round of "fillers" was this okonomiyaki on a hotplate. This is perhaps one of the better ones in Manhattan and I've definitely had worst but I've had better as well.

Grilled onigiri was up next. These are like jumbo sized, so it's good for sharing. I think this was filled with salmon.

Last but not least was a seafood yakisoba. Now this almost pushed us over the edge, a very filling mix of noodles and an assortment of seafood. Greasy and savory, this wasn't much to brag about but it certainly did its role as a good filler.

Hagi is definitely one of the better (and more affordable, it's hard for two people to spend more than 80usd here - excluding alcohol) izakaya joints in Manhattan. But that being said, I still miss Kazu.

D

Bone-in Prime Rib

Although ever since moving to New York, my kitchen has downsized quite a bit, that does not mean that I do not eat most of my meals at home. I often find it still a lot more satisfying to consume a home-cooked meal and contrary to the popular myth, it is not cheaper to eat out than at home in New York City. However, with this compact kitchen, most of my meals have also become relatively simple, no more granite slab cooked steaks or charcoal barbecued ribs, but if there's one thing I can still do, it's a pretty decent bone-in prime rib.

This is a 2lb (or about 1kg) bone-in prime rib picked up from the butcher. Let it rest in room temperature for awhile, you don't want to cook this too cold and definitely not frozen. Season with salt, black pepper and paprika or whatever seasoning you like to taste.

Sear the slab of animal in a pan on high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. This is to seal in the juice so it'll remain succulent and moist after the roasting.

Put it in the roasting pan and into a pre-heated oven at 375degF (about 190degC) for about 30-40minutes or until medium.

Take it out of the oven and let it sit for about 5-10minutes to allow the juices to be reabsorbed.

Enjoy. Now there's no more need for Lawry's anymore hey?

D

Five Guys, Washington DC

I've always found DC to have a nice number of eateries that will fit almost any budget. Although Five Guys is originally from Arlington, Virginia, it's in DC where they really took off, having spawned quite a number of branches in DC, they've gone on to spread to other states.

As their namesake suggests, they do take their fries and burgers quite seriously. Their fries are made from fresh potatoes and prepared almost as when they're ordered. There's a signboard up stating where their fries are from as well. If I'm not wrong, these spuds were from somewhere in Idaho (where else?). Simply seasoned with some salt and black pepper, these were pretty tasty on its own. There's also no reason to order a larger serve because although the size of the cup may vary, they throw everything into a brown paper bag and just fill it up anyway.

There's a bit of a gimmick in their burger nomenclature here, a "little burger" is basically your standard burger and their standard burger here comes with double patties. Needless to say I went for the bacon cheeseburger which came with two very nice and juicy patties. Another plus to this place is that all additional toppings are free, I think I chose mustard, catsup, jalapenos, mushrooms, fried onions, lettuce and tomato. All in all, this made a pretty good lunch. Some aspects of fastfood still remain though, all the patties are only cooked to well-done which is a bit of bummer but they were still juicy enough to be quite delectable indeeed. For fastfood, this is definitely better than your average.

D

p.s: An absolutely happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese readers out there!

Happy Holidays!

I know this is kind of late but I've just been enjoying being back in Perth and doing absolutely nothing for the past few days, which is in itself a much needed luxury. Just want to wish you all an absolutely fantastic holiday season and a Happy New Year.

D

Grilled Salmon Thingy

Back in Singapore, well at least for a few days and with all the catching up on local fare to do, there hasn't been much time to post much. This is just a sample of what my tiny kitchen in Manhattan is capable of churning out. Grilled salmon and seared portobello mushrooms on a toasted potato brioche topped with with a creamed caper sauce. Ok... back to more local food now.

D

Mcdonald's Baked Apple Pie

This is just something for the guys back home. The apple pies from McD's here are baked; not deep-fried.

What a bummer. Funny as it sounds, I actually miss deep-fried apple pies, at least I'll be home soon.

D

Amy Ruth's, Manhattan, NYC

The peace, the serenity...

A lazy Sunday arvo, even the pond turtles were basking in the sun...

the tranquility of... Manhattan? That's right, it's no secret that the man-made Central Park is a little nature getaway for most people living in Manhattan. What's fun about CP is that she spans a rather vast area and walking through it all the way will lead you out to Harlem. Now, since we're in Harlem, why not grab some soul food?

Amy Ruth's has been around for 10 years now and I've been told it's the place to grab some classic Southern style soul food. Soul food is basically an American style of food developed by African-Americans in the Southern region during the 50s and 60s. There's more history to it but I'm just keeping it brief for simplicity.

Cornbread was served at the start. Buttery and fragrant, these little pieces of bread were even still a bit warm from the oven which made very convenient for the spreading butter to melt and seep into every bit of it.

Chicken and waffles. Now isn't this a neat combo? Can't decide what to have for your main and dessert? Just order them both on one plate. Some of the folks around ate the waffle akin to like fries or some sort of side with their fried chicken. Of course there's the option of keeping it to end and eating it more conventionally with syrup. Which one did I choose?

Another interesting sweet and savory mix. Fried chicken with honey. A crispy juicy fried chicken leg doused over with spiced honey. I know it sounds weird but this mixed flavor sort of grew on me. Now even when I head to Popeye's for some fried chicken, I may eat it with some honey (the Popeyes' here provide little sachets at no extra charge).

More sweet stuff, a side-dish of candied sweet potatoes. Now this was pushing it a little, the sweet potatos were pretty sweet naturally and now being soaked in syrup, it was a bit overbearing.

When I saw deep-fried okra on the menu, I thought it'll be like those okra chips you get at Indian restaurants, instead these were battered prior to deep-frying which sort of left the okra still soft. Not too bad really, at least it wasn't soaked in syrup haha.

So how did I do that waffle in the end? Despite all the sweet stuff during the meal, I stuck to conventions and ate it as a dessert with lots of butter and syrup.

Now this definitely made that walk through Central Park worth it. After all, why waste all that exercise?

D

Daisy May's BBQ, Manhattan, NYC

Even though BBQ is pretty much a Southern thing, luckily there's still some decent BBQ to be found in Manhattan. Daisy May's is apparently one of the better ones around, so I decided to make that huge crosstown walk all across to the West side to sample some of the fare.

The order process is simple, you go up front, tell them what you want, the sides are all there for you to look at and behind in the kitchen, someone's chopping away at your meat. These are the Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs. Despite its name, the dry rub actually helped preserve the juicy interior of the meat. The spices used weren't too strong either and made a good balance. This was a pretty good start.

Next up was the Oklahoma Jumbo Beef Rib. Now, I've always been partial to beef ribs and this was indeed one tasty meat on the bone. Charred fatty edges and tender succulent beef rib basted in a BBQ sauce. The was easily my favorite of the night, even though it was more challenging to eat by holding that huge bone.

Kansas City Sweet and Sticky Pork ribs was up next. Cooked till fall off the bone tender, these were tasty although the sauce did feel abit overwhelming after awhile.

If all that meat isn't enough or there's a vegetarian(!) dining amongst you, the sides here are pretty darn tasty too. The creamed spinach, cheddar cheese corn and mash potatoes has enough calories (and taste) in them to justify eating and the mashed sweet potato with brown sugar was a sweet counterpart to all the savory meats.

All of this and a big jar of cold sweet mint tea served in a 32oz mason ball jar made a pretty good BBQ meal.

So who's to say we can't find decent BBQ in Manhattan? Come down to Midtown West and enjoy some good meat.

D

Forty Carrots, Bloomingdale's, Manhattan, NYC

The frozen yogurt (or more affectionately known as "froyo") craze in New York has certainly passed its peak but there's still enough critical fanbase for a decent number of Pinkberries and Red Mangoes to be found. Apparently, even before Pinkberry exploded onto the scene in about 2005, Forty Carrots at Bloomie's was already churning out some pretty decent froyo.

Here's a double swirl with original and butter pecan. Even though the original tasted a little tart (I thought it would taste as sweet as "I can't believe it's yogurt!"), the flavor soon grows on you. The butter pecan was surprisingly rich for yogurt and overall the quality was sufficiently creamy to make a nice ice-cream substitute or just a preferential dessert of choice. Tuck away on the 7th floor of Bloomie's is Forty Carrots, a little froyo getaway in the middle of midtown mayhem.

D

Sunset Dinner, Monterey, California

After trying some of the fancy offerings Monterey and Carmel possess, on our last night we opted for just a simple takeout dinner from the Asilomar dining hall. Started a little wood fire by the beach, a couple of beers and of course

a glorious sunset.

D