Sweet Spring Restaurant, Manhattan, New York

Although the Winter this time round was relatively mellow. We did have that occasional day or two of snow.

On a cold snowy day as such, nothing is better than a hot meal.

Sweet Spring Restaurant (25A Catherine Street, Chinatown) isn't really much of a restaurant really. Heck, with just three dingy tables, I would not even go as far to call it a cafe. But they do serve pretty decent Chinese snacks and little meals for the occasional homesick bloke. This is their version of the "cat ears" pasta in soup dish that I had in Hangzhou; hot and soupy, this was just the thing to break that Winter cold spell.

The first round of savories came in the form of an oyster puff. Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy and filled with an oyster and some minced pork within, this sure brought back the memories of the snack I used to eat as a child.

Chinatown is known for their cheap dumplings and everyone has a shop which they swear by. Personally I feel that Sweet Spring does them the best. Although they come at a slight premium (we're talking at 1.25usd for five instead of a competitor's 1usd), I can actually taste meat in these. Their spicy dumpling soy sauce is extremely tasty as well.

All in all, three heart warming dishes and a bowl of fresh homemade soy bean milk for under five bucks. Complaints are impossible.

D

Papaya King, Manhattan, New York

Besides the quintessential bagel and thin slice, New York is famous for their hotdogs. You can obtain hotdogs in a variety of forms in New York; from the bare-bones street cart to fancier places. Papaya King has been around since 1931 (in particular this very one on 86th and 3rd), so obviously they must be doing something right.

Started off with the standard hotdog with relish and onions. Not too bad, the hotdog was pleasantly meaty with a snappy casing. The bun was also soft and not crusty.

The curly fries were a tad bit greasy but combined with the ketchup, these salty and crispy spuds were pretty good. I guess I was lucky because I caught them just as they finished frying a fresh batch.

Looking up against the wall, I saw this sign which spoke great words of wisdom. Apparently it's true.

To test the hypothesis, I ordered two chilidogs. The chili was just a little sweet for my liking and could have been much more hotter (in a spice sense). Nevertheless, these were still pretty good and I washed everything else with, you guessed it; a refreshing cup of papaya drink.

With this many locations available, it's good to know I can pickup a good dog when I need one. Besides, if it's good enough for Kramer (Seinfeld fans probably know this), it's good enough for me.

D

Cornelia Street Cafe, Manhattan, New York

Cornelia Street Cafe has been around for a quite a while (like a thirty years or so?). It's also a great place for some chill-out jazz at night and has been voted as one of the top 100 hundred jazz clubs in the world. That aside, they also have a pretty decent brunch menu, which was why we were here.

We were seated by the window allowing us to bask in some warm sunlight. I'm not usually a fan of sunlight but it was a rather chilly Winter's day, so any heat was welcomed. Besides, I've always enjoyed peering out onto Cornelia street.

I had the duck quesadilla. Definitely not an authentic Mexican dish but it was tasty and meaty without being too heavy. It was accompanied with a nice tangy salsa which balanced off the salty duck flesh and cheese.

She had the pâté platter which came with four thick slices of pâté; two coarse and two smooth. The bread biscuits which came along with the pâté was warm too, which was a nice touch.

To end the meal, we had the butter milk pancakes topped with fresh fruit dusted with icing sugar and doused with a lot of maple syrup. These light, fluffy pancakes infused with the flavor of the sweet molasses are the key to the perfect brunch.

Of course the only thing sweeter in this meal was my dining companion whom I hoped, thoroughly enjoyed the brunch as well.

D

White Castle and Church's Chicken, Manhattan, New York

So I was watching the trailer for Harold and Kumar 2 the other night, and then decided to watch the first one again. Somehow, one thing led to another and before I knew it I had to get some White Castle. A quick search on the internet revealed the closest one on 525 8th Ave, best part was they're opened 24hrs. I knew I would get my fix.

No crazy adventures between me and my slyders. Even though I didn't order 30; six for a little night snack was pretty sufficient.

Here's a close-up of their double jalapeño cheese burger. Sure brought back the memories of my first White Castle slyder in Malaysia like ages ago (anyone else remembered this?).

Some fried clam strips for the side is always good.

Heck, since this was one of those White Castle and Church's hybrid shops, I decided to get me a four piece with a biscuit too. Now, this night snack was definitely adequate.

D

Jaleo, Washington DC

Jaleo at 480 7th Street (Tel (202) 628-7949) is a pretty popular tapas restaurant in DC. The concept of tapas is to share a wide variety of appetizers with friends and it's pretty fun really because you get to taste a myriad of different flavors and textures.

We started off with a refreshing red sangria which was tart enough to whet our appetites and not excessively sweet.


Next up was the plate of breads, olive oil and pickled stuff. The breads were ok, they tasted pretty fresh even though it would have been better served warm. I'm slightly prejudiced against the whole "healthier" olive oil with bread thing preferring a slab of salted butter anytime but I guess this is a Spanish restaurant so it can be forgiven.


Next came the smoked salmon on cream cheese topped with salmon roe (ikura). Thankfully the cream cheese wasn't very salty which gave this dish a more balanced edge because smoked salmon and salmon roe always tends to be rather salty.


Then came some delightfully well-fried calamari. Fresh squid, crisp and light batter and dipping mayonnaise, this went fast.


The meat cannelloni baked with cheese was pretty hearty as well. Served whilst the cheese was still bubbling, this piping hot dish was great Winter comfort food.


Of course we had to order a chorizo tortilla (Spanish omelette) in a Spanish restaurant. Somehow the minced chorizo tasted a bit like beef hash and the the oil spilling out from the side was rather overwhelming (even for me), but nevertheless this was still pretty tasty.


The grilled sea bass was excellent with a crisp finish to the skin and a good serve of soft tasty spinach wedged between the slice of fish.


We had to order a straight-up chorizo on a bed of mash because of the lack of chorizo-ness in that tortilla. This tasted like chorizo.


The chicken croquetas was not too bad. A crunchy shell covering soft mashed spuds and shredded chicken. The slight hint of spices (curry powder??) in this made it quite flavorsome.


Deep-fried marinated shark was up next. As with the previous seafood dishes, this was executed excellently as well. The shark tasted like it was brined slightly which helped diminish any fishy flavors whilst still maintaining a nice bite.


Craving some mammal, we ordered the grilled lamb. Not too bad, albeit rather small a chunk but it was tender and succulent.


Another popular tapas dish is the albondigas which is a platter of meatballs. These were good meatballs possibly made with no or minimal filler hence tasting meaty enough to satisfy most carnivores.


Steamed mussels in white wine were next. Fresh mussels in a delicious broth. Served hot and steaming, we would have gotten some bread to soak up that broth if we weren't starting to feel a little full.


Here's another grilled pork sausage on a bed of potato chunks. As good as a coarse meaty sausage can get.


Deep fried potato wedges were pretty much the carbohydrate staple for this meal.


Since we were having such a good run with the seafood, we decided to cram in the grilled squid served on a layer of marinated olive puree. As with the rest of the seafood, this was done just nice as well.


Last but not least, because I love nutella, I couldn't help ordering the rich hazelnut mousse cake to finish off the meal. Rich but not too sweet, this definitely hit the dessert spot.

D

Hail Caesar!

Occasionally D indulges in a salad and when he does, it's usually of the Caesar variety. Besides, any salad that has more calories than a double Whopper begs respect.

Dressing:
1. Ken's steakhouse Caesar dressing
2. Creamy blue cheese
3. Dijon mustard

Toppings:
1. Grilled smoked Boar's Head bacon
2. Flavored croûtons
3. Roasted garlic almond slivers
4. Grilled bratwurst
5. Whole anchovies
6. Hard boiled egg(s)

The healthy stuff:
1. Romaine or cos lettuce leaves
2. Cherry tomatoes

Method:
1. Wash and arrange the healthy stuff into a big bowl
2. Mix the dressing in a separate bowl
3. Douse dressing onto the leaves and tomatoes
4. Placed toppings on top
5. Indulge

At least this is something I can predictably churn out from my little kitchen =)

D

Best Wingers Express, Manhattan, NYC

Sometimes the food that really hits the spot is the greasy stuff from the shop down the street. Best Wingers Express is a small shop in Midtown East which pretty much serves take-out and delivery clientele. They do have a few small tables if you want to dine in and they provide wet napkins because it'll get messy.

They're well known for their spicy buffalo wings which comes in a range of heat levels. Needless to say, only the hottest will do. The outside is really crisp which makes the inner meat suffer slightly from drying but the moist sauce makes up for that.

One of the very few vegetarian options on the menu, these breaded deep fried fresh mushrooms were actually very delectable.

The beef ribs were huge but there was way more bone than meat in this. Quite amusing how they smothered it in a smoky bbq sauce and topped it off with a fried bun.

The buffalo tenders are essentially similar to the wings except it's all white meat and there are no bones to contend with.

The Roman chicken sandwich comes in a surprisingly tasty warm and crusty bun with a tangy blue cheese dressing and chewy melted cheese.

For the slightly more health conscious people, they have a pretty decent grilled chicken Caesar as well. But salad in a joint like this? C'mon, who are you trying to kid?

D

Sushi You, Manhattan, New York

One thing good about Manhattan is that there are a fair bit of authentic sushi joints around. I'm a fan of small little family run style shops where the focus is pretty much on the food and no other fancy nonsense. Sushi You is such a place.

We started with the unagi, tobiki and avocado wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber. Refreshing and tasty. The freshness of the ingredients shone through, a good sign of things to come.

The ebi tempura was fairly decent too. Although the shrimp wasn't humongous, they were fresh. The batter could have been a bit lighter though.

For the main we had the chirashi sushi deluxe. This definitely satisfied my sushi craving. Heaps of fresh raw fish piled up onto rice which was cooked and seasoned just right. Sushi You delivered a solid performance tonight and I guess the fact that I was one of only four non-Japanese patrons was a testimonial to their authenticity.

D