The picture on the left is after some playing around on GIMP whilst the one on the right is the original. I am posting to see if there is a difference with the images.
Gone with the wind. April 18, 2008
So anyway this place will not be updated anytime soon, or for the next month or two, because where I am right now is real sad and has no good places to eat. Furthermore my exams are due in a month so I really should be concentrating on my reading and not food, for now at least.
Thanks for stopping by!
Vanessa’s Dumplings April 15, 2008
This is a place to go if you need to try bad dumplings so as to appreciate the good ones i.e. Fu Zhou Cuisine a.k.a Dumpling House. Located a few doors down from Dumpling House on Eldridge St, I only went into this place because it was 9am, I was craving some dumplings and it was the only place open. Here is why I think it was bad.
a) They took a bloody long time to cook this making me stand around till my legs hurt.
b) They were real generous… with the skin!
Cute little dumplings. Looks can be are deceiving.
August April 11, 2008
August, on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, NYC, was a place recommended to me by a dear friend, Pau. Pau had a gift voucher valid only on weekdays and she was too busy with work so she gave it to me. August had a lunch Prix Fixe menu and I was decided the best way to try as much food from the restaurant was to take that option. I had their Grilled Curd Veal Tongue for starters, Seafood Boudin for the main course and an Earl Grey Prune and Kumquat Tarte for dessert.
I chose these three for several reasons. First I was real tempted by the Veal Tongue. I once tried Cow’s Tongue in Selfridges, London, and actually liked it so this time I wanted to see what Veal tasted like. For my main course, I had never heard of Seafood Boudin before so I ordered it to see what it was like. Last, the dessert choice because an Earl Grey tart just sounded amazing to me.
Fabian’s Cafe and Pastry April 11, 2008
Fabian’s Cafe and Pastry in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Bedford Avenue was a place I discovered by chance. Having arrived by the subway to Brooklyn at 9am, I reckoned no shops would be open and walked around aimlessly until I saw a Fabian’s that seemed to be open and had cute teacups hanging from a ribbon by their windows.
Walking in Fabian’s was gorgeous! The walls were light blue which matched the beautiful sky outside that day and there were light blue curtains with pretty, dainty tea cups hanging on every window.
I ordered a Cinnamon Spice Mocha. The smell of the cinnamon was heavenly. Even before drinking and placing it on the table, I was actually overpowered by the cinnamon. Not much chocolaty taste though. Still it was a brilliant hot drink for a cold day.
Sponge Pudding in all it’s glory. April 7, 2008
Fat Buddha in D, England, has an amazing sponge pudding. Its a little square chocolate sponge cake topped with the most heavenly hot chocolate fudge and vanilla ice-cream on the side. The contrast of hot and cold is simply sensational. The whole dish is seriously chocolaty and rich.
It looks like a chocolate fountain.
Mussels baby! April 6, 2008
I was shopping in a supermarket, Waitrose, when I spotted their fresh Scottish mussels going on sale. US$2 for a kg. It used to be US$4. So I happily bought a kilo and brought it home to cook. Using a very simple recipe of garlic, tomato puree, fresh tomatoes and lemon juice, I made this:
A close up shot
The best part was the sauce at the bottom of the pot right at the end. Slurping it all up only justified the goodness of life. 
A plate of empty shells taken by a very satisfied girl (me, y’all!)
2 Little Red Hens April 5, 2008
I hiked all the way from Greenwich Village to 86th Street 2nd Avenue to try 2 Little Red Hen’s famous Brooklyn Blackout Cupcake. This was the ultimate chocolate cupcake that had chocolate icing on it and chocolate pudding in the middle.
This cupcake was all chocolate and nothing else. The pudding did nothing for me as I found it tasteless though the cupcake was good as it was moist. The icing was too thick though, as can be seen from the image above. At US$4 each, not really worth it. Massive disappointment after all the walk.
Chanoodle (updated) April 5, 2008
Located on 79 Mulberry Street, this was my trip’s biggest surprise. When I first walked in, most of the tables were occupied by Caucasians and I swore under my breath (there wasnt even chopsticks on the table!) I have this issue with Chinese restaurants being filled up with the non-Chinese but here I was visiting this restaurant from the recommendation from a Caucasian. I am my biggest irony. Anyway anticipating a bad meal, I was still eager to test Ed Levine’s reviews and sat down. Looking at the menu, I decided to order their fried clams with minced pork because Ed (yes I am on first name terms with him now, JK) said their pork and clam dishes were good. About 5 minutes later it arrived, oh and by the way, the staff were real friendly.
My first thought was, it looked good, and spent the first few minutes rummaging the pile of clams to see how much there was and boy oh boy were there a lot! Plus the clams were actually big and juicy (I am so deprived here in England.) The fried garlic was lovely too though I did not spot much minced pork. I happily tucked into this dish the whole time extremely pleased with myself.
Towards the end of my clam dish, I heard a gentleman behind me ordering an Egg Foo Yong and all of a sudden I was craving for an omelette. So I looked up the menu and realised there was no Egg Foo Yong so I asked the waitress who tells me it is off the menu. I ordered one nonetheless with pork, no less, and she said to wait 15 minutes. So I did. But roughly less than 10 minutes later, I saw her holding a big plate walking towards me. That plate did not look like it had omelette on it. Instead it was this…
