Stop #18: London, United Kingdom

Borough Market
This is a foodie’s heaven, so many vendors and so much good food. Smelt incredible. I would say not to miss this spot if you were to visit London!

Got paella with chorizo there and it was very tasty!


For more information, visit http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/.


The Old Brewery
Took a nice ferry ride out to Greenwich and enjoyed the outdoor setting at The Old Brewery.

Had to try the Sunday roast – consisted of roasted beef, roast potato, Yorkshire pudding and collard greens. The Sunday roast is a traditional British main meal served on Sundays, usually during early afternoon, and includes meat, potato, vegetables and/or other accompaniments.


And of course I also had to eat fish and chips, very English! When they serve fish, it’s a WHOLE fish!


For more information, visit http://www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com/.


Leong’s Legends
London is expensive, but there are a few spots for cheap eats (London standard of course). Chinatown has some decent food with reasonable price. And Leong’s Legends serves hard-to-find Taiwanese cuisine! Diced Beef With Garlic Slices, Braised Pork Belly With Rice, Pork and Crab Dumplings and Oyster Pancake made me super happy!










Brick Lane
This is where you go to BARGAIN for food! This street consists of tons of Indian restaurants and they all have chef of the year! Haha! You walk down the street and get some ideas of bargaining strategy. Our group got 30% off the bill and two free drinks per person!




The Orangery
If you go to London, you must treat yourself to an afternoon tea! It is a light meal between 3pm to 5pm, typically consisted of tea, sandwich, scone and pastry. The Orangery is located in Kensington Palace. The garden outside is gorgeous!








Princi
While I am not too impressed with the food in London, I quite enjoy the tea and pastry! This is a cute and modern place for high quality fast food and dessert. I don’t mind eating just desserts all day if they are delicious like this napoleon cake here.



For more information, visit http://www.princi.co.uk/.


More transitional English food

Full English Breakfast – poached eggs, sausage, ham, mushrooms, baked beans, tomato and toast.


Bangers and mash – a traditional English dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages.

Stop #17: New York, New York, USA (Part 2)

I will start this blog with my favorite spot in the entire Manhattan, Cafe Orlin. I do not want to show any pictures, hoping that maybe you will miss this post. It is that good that I want to keep it a secret. The food is great and coffee is great. But I think the hidden gem is their tiramisu. I have eaten a lot of tiramisu in my life and this place still is the best. Liquor, coffee, cocoa and cheese are perfectly balanced. It melts in your mouth. Heavenly!


Clinton St. Baking Co. & Restaurant
No matter what time in the day you go, there is always a long wait. Being from New Jersey, we have some excellent diners with great pancakes. So to wait for over an hour for some pancake is just absurd.

The blueberry pancakes here are phenomenal, don’t get me wrong. They are fluffy and tasty. The edge is crispy and just a bit burnt. The pancakes are made with precision and patience, very nicely done. But that still cannot get me to wait for over an hour.


That being said, I would however wait for a long time just to eat their sugar cured bacon. Each bite is full of flavor, sweet and salty. It is so unbelievable good. There are no words to describe it. You just gotta eat it!


Southern Breakfast with scrambled eggs, sugar-cured bacon, cheese grits and fried green tomatoes.


Brioche French Toast with caramelized bananas, roasted pecans, warm maple butter.


For more information, visit http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/.


Ippudo
Ramen is the new thing the city. Many Japanese noodle shops start popping up. This is probably the most famous one. I had the most talked about Akamaru Modern. It was good but I didn’t think it is worth $15. And if you wanted an egg on top, that was another $2. The soup was not too salty, just enough taste to make you want to drink the whole thing. Or you can add more noodle, $2 each serving.





Also tasted Karaka Miso Ramen, much more flavorful, but too spicy for me.


The unique two-seat chairs are cozy and cute.


For more information, visit http://www.ippudony.com/.

My favorite spot is Rai Rai Ken. It is a tiny 10-15 seat restaurant in the East Village. I don’t know what it is but their ramen just gets me. I feel very satisfied after eating their ramen and am looking forward to the next visit. Get their business card and get stamped each time you order a ramen entree. After collecting 10 stamps, you get a ramen entree for free!


Curry-Ya
This is mighty good curry, period. There is only a handful of items on the menu but that’s all you need. The curry is silky and smooth, even the spicy one doesn’t hurt your throat. Give Japanese curry a try! This place is definitely better than the popular Go!Go!Curry!

Berkshire Pork Cutlet Curry. Curry is served on the side and hot from the stove.


Pour curry on top of rice and pork cutlet. YUM!!!


Beef Dried Curry is also delicious.


The new dessert, Baked Custard Pudding is really good too, nice and delicate! Get their business card and get stamped each time you order a curry entree. After collecting 10 stamps, you get a curry entree for free!

For more information, visit http://www.nycurry-ya.com/.


BonChon Chicken
Yes, Koreans know how to fry chicken! The fried chicken is crispy and lean, and with their special soy garlic sauce, the fried chicken becomes a very savory thing. Imagine that.



Korean Scallion and Seafood Pancake is also worth a try.


For more information, visit http://www.bonchon.com/.


Luke’s Lobster
They’ve got good root beer/soda from Maine, but that seems tasteless comparing to the fresh and juicy lobster meat – big chuncks of fresh, juicy lobster meat. Enough said.



For more information, visit http://www.lukeslobster.com/.


The Chocolate Library (CLOSED)


It is truly a library of chocolate from all over the world – Belgium, France, Italy, Columbia, and the U.S., just to name a few. This is such a treat for chocolate lovers!

For more information, visit http://www.chocolatelib.com/.


il laboratorio del gelato
Wish the name is easier to remember or wish that I spoke Italian. It is located right across from Katz Deli. The interior is industrial and very laboratory like, hence the name.





But the gelato is fantastic, chewy and smooth. I tried the black sesame flavor. Delicious!


For more information, visit http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/.

There is also another new ice cream spot in the east village, Sundaes and Cones. I tried the black sesame ice cream there, but I liked the gelato better. Ice cream was too rich for that flavor.


See previous post about New York – part 1.