One of my Koreatown staples

This is my second time writing about Tosokchon, the 24-hour Korean restaurant located on E. 33rd Street between 5th and Madison Avenues. The last time mentioning them on this blog was towards the end of fall and what I thought was going to be my last naengmyeon of the season.

I’ve since dropped by a couple times with the most recent visit being last week after running an errand in Midtown. Those walks through Manhattan almost always end up in Koreatown for lunch.

What’s nice about this place is that it’s a block from the main Koreatown street and the sidewalks aren’t as packed.

Once seated, I put in my order and was presented with their standard banchan.

The kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) were still some of the best in the neighborhood.

One of the items I really enjoy here is soondae, a blood sausage made with beef and bean curd, and stuffed with glass noodles. They serve them with a spicy salt dip and come either as a small or large portion.

That is the small order! I love it because it’s a no frills dish and the flavor is so rich and savory. Also, that salt dip really does elevate the flavor.

I then ordered the yukgaejang kalguksu, which prompted the server to asked if I needed an apron. I was confident enough to decline the offer but, admittedly, did end up needing it.

Knife-cut noodles in a delicious broth with beef and vegetables. This was a massive bowl of noodle soup and something to keep in mind the next time roaming around the city looking for something on a chilly day.

The noodles were plentiful and it tasted amazing. I’m fairly confident Tosokchon is becoming my go-to in Koreatown.

The best yard sale in Park Slope

While riding the bus, a little shop in Park Slope caught my eye. Located along 5th Avenue, between 17th and 18th Streets, is Yardsale Cafe. I was drawn to the sign with words such as “babka” and “cookies”, along with “vintage” and “memorabilia”—baked goods and old stuff are a couple of my favorite things in the world.

The cafe’s website notes: “My passion for the ‘old world’ combined with 12 years in the New York food scene made the path very clear for me.”

Stepping inside, it was quite the sight! I was greeted by the staff and let them know I saw the store from the bus and had to take a look. There were a lot of old school toys (including Happy Meal toys), mugs, baseball cards, pins (a lot of Disney pins), and so much more.

It was a lot to take in!

Then, there were the baked goods. The display had a lovely assortment and it was quite the process to decide on what to get. I eventually narrowed it down to what I wanted and started with an iced lavender matcha to go.

After seeing a spate of cafes rolling out lavender drinks lately, I’ve been diving in and trying them out when seeing them on menus. Must say, this one was particularly good! The matcha flavor was strong without the bitterness and the floral hit from the lavender came in at the end of every sip.

I brought the baked goods home and, given the size of them, I had to decide which one I would enjoy now and save the other one for the next day.

After much self-deliberation, breaking into that “too much chocolate cookie” (that’s the name) was going to happen that day.

The cookie was wide and thick, and had somewhat of a crust as it was a bit raised around the edge. Breaking off that first bite and it was a lot of chocolate (although I would never say TOO MUCH).

The cookie was soft with a firm base (it needed to be sturdy to hold up all that cookie). One of the best cookies I’ve had in a while? Yes!

Then, I was so excited for breakfast the next day because it was going to be this huge cinnamon roll.

When I stopped by the cafe, it was around mid-afternoon and this was the last cinnamon roll in the try. It was gorgeous and called my name. Then, breaking into it… the pastry was flaky and delicious, the icing was perfect—such a fantastic breakfast (and I was enjoying it after getting home from the gym).

Yardsale Cafe is such a cute spot and it’s not just sweets and nostalgia, they also have sandwiches!

Thai Fest!

I recently wrote about Dragon Fest, which was held near Union Square earlier this month. This past weekend, their sister brand, Thai Fest, took place along 6th Avenue, between 29th and 30th Streets. The last time I attended a Thai event was the Amazing Thailand Festival, which took place last year at Oculus Plaza, located by the World Trade Center, and was put on by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The more recent event was a much smaller affair but with plenty of options for food.

One of the first items I had to get was papaya salad—a classic. Somtum Der, which has a location in the East Village (Avenue A, between E. 5th and E. 6th Streets), was serving their tum thai, which includes peanuts, long bean, cherry tomato, lime, and dried shrimp (they do make sure to ask before sprinkling it on top).

This was fresh and tangy, with a heat that kicks in right at the end. Before digging in, there were people next to me coughing from the spice, but that didn’t phase me. There is a pleasant acidity that makes this the perfect starter for any meal.

Next stop was the table run by Sappe, a restaurant I’ve been curious about due to the huge marquee displayed in front of the restaurant, which is on W. 14th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.

They were serving luke chin tod, or fried chicken meatballs with a spicy tamarind sauce.

Garnished with cilantro and served with some cucumber slices, this was a tasty treat—and it was all about that sauce! With every meatball consumed, it was just a matter of pushing the next one down the skewer and making sure it was covered in that spicy and sour sauce.

They also had thai tea but served as a slush, and with butterfly pea condensed milk.

As usual, the tea was delicious and, aside from being a gorgeous addition, the condensed milk added a sweetness and creamy quality to the drink.

Finally, there was Obao, which has two locations in New York City. One in Hell’s Kitchen (9th Avenue, between W. 45th and W. 46th Streets) and one in Midtown (E. 53rd Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

They had a selection of noodles dishes and, while waiting in line, saw them drop a fresh batch of grilled pork and had to go with that one. In addition, I also needed a summer roll.

This was a delicious bowl! The noodles were served on top of some greens, which gave it a nice freshness, and the pork was fantastic! Then, the summer roll was packed with ingredients and I could not get enough of the peanut sauce drizzled on top.

Another delicious street fair in the books. Looking forward to the next one!

Bubble tea and Korean fried chicken

For a while now, I have been seeing videos on social media about a certain tea shop and, after a while, definitely grew very curious about Tsaocaa (or “Tsao Cha”). Luckily for me, there was one just a few blocks away.

The company, which was founded on a “near-paranoid pursuit of pure tea,” has locations in several states. They distinguish themselves from other shops because “each loose leaf tea is brewed fresh to order in an espresso-like machine.”

Located near the corner of 59th Street and 8th Avenue in Brooklyn’s Chinatown, there was a kiosk to place orders and a nicely-sized seating area. As I was putting in my order, I saw they also had fried chicken but had no idea it was bb.q Chicken, the fantastic Korean fried chicken franchise that I wrote about last year.

After finally figuring out my order, I took a seat and waited for my number to be called.

For a while now, I have been curious about the osmanthus flavor. I knew it was a type of flower after seeing a video about an osmanthus bubble tea and, previously, dined at a hot pot place that had it on the menu listed as “osmanthus bowels”—interesting imagery there.

Nevertheless, that day came when I ordered the osmanthus oolong tea.

I got my regular toppings of boba and crystal boba, and it all came together very well. There was a pleasant sweetness and a subtle floral kick at the end. I would definitely order it again!

Now, even though the signage for the shop read “Tsaocaa Tea & BBQ Chicken,” I didn’t realize the second half was referring to the actual bb.q Chicken until the box arrived.

The box had a nice heft to it and, while I would typically order traditional wings, I was in the mood for chicken tenders and went with the boneless wings.

As usual, got it in soy garlic flavor.

After picking up my order from the counter, the attendant asked, since I was eating in, if I wanted gloves—yes! Depending on the quality of glove, they can be a nuisance at times (including biting the plastic as it slips off your fingers) but I enjoy eating with a gloved hand—and these were good ones!

The chicken was hot—obviously, freshly fried. They were full of flavor and wonderfully crisp, as I would expect from bb.q Chicken.

It was a very satisfying box of chicken.

While the nearest bbq.Chicken is a quick bus ride away in Park Slope, it’s good to know there’s a location nearby… and with great tea.

Jjajangmyeon is my weakness

I have written about jjajangmyeon, the quintessential Chinese-Korean dish of noodles coated in a savory black bean sauce, on several occasions. There was jjajangmyeon enjoyed at Ejen in Industry City, Hyo Dong Gak on 35th Street, and Shanghai Mong in Koreatown. This time, after running errands along Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, Kuun, located on Livingston Street, between Nevins and Bond Streets, was the day’s lunch destination.

The restaurant has a very clean and modern look, as does their menu. They have a number of shareables, rice and soup, Korean BBQ, and other dishes (including noodles).

Once putting in my order, I was presented with a lovely selection of banchan.

Kimchi, eomuk bokkeum (stir-fried fishcakes), and broccoli—classics.

It’s been documented on this blog, one of the dishes I always order at Korean restaurants is haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) and, at Kuun, they have a selection of jeon, with the choice of kimchi, seafood, or vegetable. Obviously, I went with seafood.

This was crisp and delicious, and even better with the accompanying dipping sauce, choganjang. Like most places, there were some pickles floating in the sauce, including jalapeños. Now, I appreciated how thin it was because it was easy to pick up an entire slice with chopsticks and were especially good taking bite together with one of the pickles.

Then, the star of the show: jjajangmyeon.

Large pieces of pork and a glistening sauce, it was quite the appetizing sight. Also, for jjajangmyeon enthusiasts, there is nothing more exciting than mixing everything together, making sure every inch of noodle is covered in that thick gravy.

This was fantastic! Every bite and slurp was packed with that distinct savory flavor. I’ve written about various food or drink that one is tempted to finish in one bite—this is one of them! Jjajangmyeon is something I could just keep shoveling into my my mouth. It is forever one of the best noodle dishes of all time!

Now, I still have to go back and try some of the other entrees. Bossam, jokbal, tangsooyook—Kuun has all favorites!

So indecisive!

Following a visit to the Rubin Museum of Art (took advantage of the free opening weekend for the “Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now” exhibit), I found myself wandering up and down 6th Avenue and stopping into different stores. After a while, I checked out Google Maps to scope out some of the nearby restaurants and found Oramen, located near the corner of 6th Avenue and W. 16th Street.

Once seated, the server provided a couple menus, which made deciding on lunch all the more difficult. Ramen? Sushi? Rice bowl? Even with the drinks! There was beer, sake, cocktails, tea… in the end, I went with a non-alcoholic drink but, unfortunately, can’t remember the name.

The peach ring garnish suggests it was a peach-flavored drink. I do know it was very light and refreshing, and had to make sure it wasn’t all going down in one gulp—it was good!

Oramen has a number of chef specials and small plates, and I had to get the lotus root chips.

Crispy lotus root chips served with a wasabi furikake mayo. I could snack on these all day, every day!

They also have crispy rice rolls, which come with either tuna or salmon. The latter was the choice that day.

The crispy rice was topped with spicy salmon, yuzu, aioli, and pickled serrano pepper. All the different flavors and textures—these were some awesome bites!

Then, they also serve the classic Japanese street food: takoyaki.

These were great! Primarily because there was a good amount of octopus in each of the balls. Add in the sauce and the toppings, each bite was fantastic!

Narrowing it down to a main was quite the task but I finally settled on the katsu curry.

A crispy chicken cutlet served on delicious Japanese curry over rice. Another classic meal done really well. Before this lunch, I hadn’t had katsu for a while and this satisfied the withdrawal.

As stated before, the menu is so vast and it’s going to take a few more lunches to sample everything.

Three festivals, one street

It’s that time of year again… street fair season! The notifications began rolling in with schedules and immediately started marking my calendar. I was especially excited ahead of this past weekend because Japan Fes, Philippines Fest, and Dragon Fest were all taking place along Broadway, near Union Square.

The day arrived and I got out of the subway at 8th Street-NYU, which put me immediately at the beginning of Japan Fes!

Last year, I went to Japan Fes and Philippines Fest in Park Slope, where they were also set up next to each other.

The street was filled with the fragrant smells from all the different vendors, offering everything from karaage fried chicken, onigiri, takoyaki, various noodles, among other delicious fare. However, one item caught my eye, the A5 wagyu from J-Spec Wagyu Club.

The line was long but it moved quickly and, once approaching the counter, you see they offer the prized beef as a skewer or sandwich. In addition, they also have their wagyu certification on display to ensure customers are getting the real thing.

I went with the sandwich.

This was incredible! Juicy and tender wagyu slices tucked in a fluffy roll, with all the right toppings and sauces—definitely could have downed a couple of these.

The vendor also sold a housemade yuzu soda.

One of the most refreshing drinks that day! It was reminiscent of grapefruit but without the bitterness.

Made my way through the crowds and saw that familiar flag, I was, now, at Philippines Fest.

The event serves as “a platform for Fil-Ams who want to showcase their work and products in New York City” and, of course, I had to stop by my favorite spot: Boy George Inasal. Everything I’ve had from them has been great!

Last year’s festival, I had the sinugba na liempo—fantastic—then, during the 2023 Philippine Independence Day Parade, which took place in June, I had the chicken inasal—the all-time classic.

Today, especially with a chill in the air, it was time for some batchoy.

This was a hot and fresh soup—perfect for the weather. A delicious broth, lots of sliced pork, noodles, and crunchy chicharon, I was slurping that up while avoiding the crowds and standing on the sidewalk behind the tent.

As I made my way through Philippines Fest, close to the end, I spotted spam musubi and it was from Kabisera, a place I wrote about last July that was serving up some fantastic desserts and baked goods.

They still had some awesome desserts but, first, the musubi.

This was a hefty one, too! Musubi are a godsend—one of the greatest snacks by far! And the classic spam is always a winner!

Now, they were also selling my favorite dessert: maja blanca.

This wasn’t the typical coconut pudding with sweet corn, there was also a layer of ube. Clearly, this was a next level dessert! Now, while writing about it, I need another one!

After getting through two of the three festivals that day, I took a break and grabbed a palate cleanser in the form of a horchata.

This always hits!

The final item on the agenda was Dragon Fest, “an annual outdoor Chinese food and culture festival.”

At this point, I had been munching all afternoon and, despite trying to space out the food, it was all too tempting. Although, one can always use some popcorn chicken.

In this case, it was Bombcorn Chicken.

I ordered it spicy and inadvertently timed it just right. I got there just as they ran out and had to wait—will happily wait for a fresh batch of fried chicken!

These bites were fantastic! I loved the spice powder sprinkled on top and the fact that this was a fresh batch made it even better!

As the day drew to a close, I remembered The Bean had a location along Broadway. I ended the festivities with a free birthday coffee—and even got a “Happy Birthday!” from the barista.

An everything pizza

My friend made plans to have lunch at a certain pizza place in the Flatiron District. Stretch Pizza, located along Park Avenue S, between E. 24th and 25th Streets, caught their eye after seeing a feature on the news about the restaurant.

As usual, I got there a bit too early and took a seat at the bar.

The restaurant, opened by Wylie Dufresne and Gadi Peleg, has a bright and lively décor. I, personally, kept gazing at the wall of pizza boxes displayed near the front.

While waiting, I enjoyed a couple of beers—all the beers on tap happen to be local brews.

Started with the Stout No. 1 by Ebbs, a brewery with its roots in Queens, which was rich and delicious. Then, switched to the Bohemian Pilsner, a refreshing beer from Transmitter Brewing, a craft brewery based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Once seated, I had to try one of their cocktails and, whenever I see pandan, I have to give it a try.

The Pandanemonium, made with rum, falernum, banane, and (of course) pandan was delicious. The light vanilla flavor of pandan, along with aroma from the garnish, made this an especially comforting drink.

Stretch Pizza has a couple salads on their menu and the potato chip salad sounded particularly interesting.

Frisée, ruby watercress, herbs, and salt and vinegar chips made for a very enticing starter. Honestly, while writing this, my mouth is watering thinking about the pleasant acidity that came from those chips.

Also, we had to try the basil chickpea fries.

Served with their house stretch sauce, these had a great exterior crunch and a savory interior.

Then came the sole reason why we were here: The Everything.

According to Stretch’s website: “The restaurant stays true to what pizza fans love about New York-style pies—the crunch and the chew of the crust.” 

Topped with everything bagel spice, cream cheese, chives, and parmesan, this was a delicious pie! In addition, my friend’s daughter especially loved the crust.

The website also mentions: “All pizzas are 12 inches, a break from tradition but one that gives everyone a chance to indulge in more than one slice”—an excellent size!

I’m definitely a fan and there are still a lot of small plates and pizzas to try.

Going Mediterranean on Good Friday

After dropping by the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, located along W. Houston Street, between Thompson and Sullivan Streets, for Good Friday prayers and to browse St. Anthony’s Market, a friend and I found ourselves wandering down MacDougal Street and checking out all the restaurants along the way.

Near the corner of Prince Street is Shuka. Looking in from the outside, there was a large and welcoming dining room. After speaking with the host, we were seated in the back, an area described as “a charming garden [that] makes you feel as comfortable as you would in your own backyard.”

Gazing over the drink menu first, the restaurant has a nice selection of wine, including “Orange” choices—an Austrian grüner veltliner and a Greek moschofilero; enticing tea and coffee options; several cocktails; and more.

I went with the Bursa. It sounded like an espresso martini with a twist.

While it looked like an espresso martini, the blend of vodka, coffee, Turkish spices, and vanilla offered some pleasant aromatics and an extra little kick to the drink.

The lunch menu is split between dips, mezze, kebabs, plates, and “The Shuka Feast.” We felt the best method would be to order a few mezze options. The first item to arrive was the fattoush salad.

This was a gorgeous salad with mixed greens topped with red onion, herbs, cucumber, fried halloumi, and za’atar pita chips. The flavors in this salad were out of this world and it could definitely stand alone as an entrée.

Also, the fried halloumi was my favorite part of the salad. Now, there is a fried halloumi mezze and, ordering, I’m ordering one on the next visit!

There was one last minute decision to order from the plates section, and that was the shakshuka.

The traditional dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce also included roasted cauliflower, feta, shatta (a hot sauce), and served with pita. The spices were definitely there and sopping up every bite with the pita was fantastic.

Another classic was brought to the table: falafel.

Five beautifully prepared falafel served atop tahini and fresno hot sauce, along with spicy carrots—one of the best falafels I have ever had! It’s definitely going to be a challenge going back to basic falafel after enjoying these.

Additionally, we also got an order of the za’atar fries. The fries on their own would have clearly been delicious. However, adding the za’atar elevated them so much.

There is no doubt I’m going to be exploring more of the menu in the future and probably trying out other Bowery Group restaurants.