The Maxwich

December 20, 2009 at 12:45 pm · Filed under NY: Manhattan: Union Square ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When my roomie came to visit NYC a few days ago, the first place I took her to was Max Brenner, because no one makes chocolate the way the bald man does!

I’ve been a pretty big fan of Max since my Fatass Buddy introduced it to me the summer of my sophomore year in high school. However, I admit that there are many small chocolateries tucked away in the corners of NYC that far surpass the more mainstream Max. Nonetheless, Max Brenner is not famous without a reason: his chocolate fondues and creative chocolate dishes are quite captivating.

I ordered the Maxwich, described on the menu as “decadent dark chocolate ice cream & pure chocolate chunks hugged between old-fashioned very rich chocolate cookies and drizzled with a boost of pure chocolate” (Max Brenner).

The Maxwich

It sounded mind-blowing, and looked mind-blowing as well, served on a plate that looked like a sheet of looseleaf. However it was not mind-blowing… The Maxwich was amazing when I first bit into it, but the bottom line is…it was just chocolate on chocolate.

The dark chocolate ice cream was rich like dark truffles and creamy like ice cream. In other words, delicious. However, the chocolate-chip chocolate cookies were pretty average. Plus, they were too thick, which took away from the delicious ganachey ice cream. Half the time, I opened the Maxwich and ate it like an oreo, disposing of the top layer of cookie.

Close up on the Maxwich

The whole experience left me in a half-chocolate coma. I think the Maxwich could be greatly improved if the cookies were thinner, softer, or less chocolatey. (I overheard a guy next to me asking if the Maxwich could be served with chocolate chip cookies instead of just chocolate, which would have be a great idea had the waittress not refused.) Or perhaps if more variation of chocolate flavor was used (like milk chocolate on dark chocolate, or salted chocolate on sweet chocolate…)

My roomie enjoyed her Tutti Frutti Waffle, though she said the waffles tasted doughnutty… I had a bite and thought that crepes would probably have been better. It’s too bad they took the Munchies Waffle off the menu…

Tutti Frutti Waffle

Grade: B+

Conclusion: Great ice cream and ganache topping, but expected a better cookie from Max Brenner, especially since Serious Eats voted its Chocolate Chip cookie one of the best in Midtown… I think their best is the fondue and crepes.

Location: Map

841 Broadway (14th street/Union Square)
New York, NY 10003

(212) 388-0030

Other Opinions:

NYMag, Yelp, Urbanspoon, Citysearch

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More Japanese Food in the City

December 16, 2009 at 12:59 pm · Filed under NY: Manhattan: Midtown ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I also hit up my two favorite quick-grab Japanese eateries in the city. Situated right next to one another are Chiyoda Sushi and Cafe Zaiya!

I usually go inside Chiyoda first, since its food tends to be more expensive but of higher quality. Chiyoda definitely serves high-grade sushi, onigiri, tempura, and croquettes, my favorite! So when I saw the creamy scallop croquette in display, I knew I had to try it!

Its small size was not worth the $1.75, but the croquette was mighty delicious. Crunchy light coating of panko (Japanese bread crumbs, which is made without crust) fried just to the right amount stuffed with a warm seafoody filling that tasted like clam chowder.

Creamy Scallop Croquette

Just because Chiyoda’s onigiri is of higher quality than Zaiya’s does not mean that Zaiya does not have good onigiri. In fact, I love Zaiya’s fresh warm onigiri, because it has a home-cooked comfort food feeling. Plus, it’s cheaper, so I got a salmon onigiri and a spicy tuna onigiri. I was surprised at how delicious the spicy tuna one was. I think it may have just usurped the salmon its position of my favorite.

Another win for Cafe Zaiya is its built-in Japanese bakery! Although I had never really tried the cakes, I know they have yummy green tea pudding and yakimochi (yummy chewy sesame rice cake bread). This time, the green tea bread, pumpkin bread, and chocolate coronet caught my eye.

To be honest the green tea bread disappointed me. It was just a man tou (Chinese steamed bun) with a hint of green tea flavor. The only special thing about it is that there was a layer of thick sweet red bean on the bottom. But what strikes me odd is, why is there red bean stuffing on the bottom? Shouldn’t it be the filling inside the bread? I think I’ll stick with the chlorella from Koryodang.

Green Tea Bread (kind of muffin-like, don't you think?)

On the other hand, the pumpkin bun, which I had saved for breakfast this morning, surprised me with its deliciousness. There was a generous amount of pumpkin filling, which reminded me of Fay Da’s sweet potato bun, only Fay Da uses only a meager amount of sweet potato filling. Cafe Zaiya puts an appropriate amount of soft, slightly cinnamony pumpkin-pie-like filling. I approve.

Pumpkin Bun

But my favorite part of Cafe Zaiya must be the soft-serve ice cream. Green tea used to be my favorite here until I tried their black sesame ice cream. It is absolutely to-die-for, much better than Tenren’s black sesame bubble tea. The ice cream was super-smooth and rich with the wonderful scent of black sesame. Neither too milky nor thick, but still creamy and cold enough to be considered ice cream (versus frozen yogurt). The black sesame ice cream is definitely worth a trip to Cafe Zaiya.

Delicious soft-serve black sesame ice cream

Grade: B+ for the croquette and onigiris, B- for the green tea bread, B+/A- for the pumpkin bread, A for black sesame ice cream

Conclusion: Once again, Chiyoda and Zaiya prove to be pretty darn good. If you would ask me to choose between them, I wouldn’t be able to, because they are two different-styled eateries. Chiyoda is more refined and focuses on small dishes, whereas Zaiya has great breads and bentos.

Locations:

Chiyoda Sushi

16 East 41st Street
New York, NY 10017-7207

(212) 213-0910

Cafe Zaiya

18 East 41st Street
New York, NY 10017-6395

(212) 779-0600

Other Opinions:

Chiyoda Sushi (Yelp, Menupages)

Cafe Zaiya (Yelp, Citysearch, Midtown Lunch)

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Momofuku’s Ramen

December 16, 2009 at 11:50 am · Filed under NY: Manhattan: East Village ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

For my reunion with Unnie and Lili, we went to eat at Momofuku Noodle Bar… FINALLY after months of waiting ever since Unnie went to Korea this past summer.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

I got the momofuku ramen, which consisted of noodles, slices of pork, poached egg, seaweed, naruto, and bamboo shoots. It was pretty delicious but not exactly worth the $16 it cost. Unnie thought Menchanko’s shoyu ramen tasted better, and that’s only about $10.

momofuku ramen

The thing that shocked me most about the ramen was its intense high level of salt. It wasn’t exactly disgusting salty, but it was definitely too salty in my opinion. I had to keep gulping down water in between sips of soup. Unnie, who has had experience eating ramen in Japan before, told me that certain types of ramen are supposed to be extremely salty. Still, I was surprised.

What I was grateful about was  that the soup was not too greasy or oily, like many fast food ramen places tend to be. (Well I guess Momofuku has a name for not being fast food.)

The noodles were quite chewy, but not as delicious as menchanko noodles. (However, I must say menchanko and ramen are two different species of noodles.) The pork was tender and savory, but also pretty fatty. Hence, why it was delicious but simultaneously grossed me out a little. The naruto fishcake swirls were a pleasant treat as well as the poached egg (runny, just the way I like it).

Overall, it was a good bowl of ramen, but I had expected more than just good from a name like Momofuku…

Grade: B

Conclusion: Kind of overrated…especially for the price. Well at least its saltiness means it’s authentic (according to Unnie).

Location: Map

171 1 Avenue
New York, NY 10003

(212) 777-7773

Other Opinions:

Yelp, NYMag , Menupages, Urbanspoon , Citysearch

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NYC Cupcake Truck!

December 16, 2009 at 12:52 am · Filed under NY: Manhattan: Gramency Park ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Since my finals are over now, I’m here in NYC for three weeks of winter break!! Woot!! A lot of catching up to do in terms of both people and food. Just yesterday, I was visiting some friends at CCNY Baruch right on the day the Cupcake Stop truck stops by. (How convenient!)

Cupcake Stop, the cupcake truck in NYC.

Cupcake Stop, the cupcake truck in NYC.

I could not resist stopping and staring, so Oniichan suggested we picked up some cupcakes to go! So I got two minis for a dollar each: red velvet since it’s my favorite and Oniichan recommended it, and triple chocolate because just the name. Coincidentally, these were also the two flavors I had chosen from Philly’s Buttercream cupcake truck.

I thought both cupcakes were quite good, but not amazing, in the sense that I would eat them again, but I wouldn’t have cravings for them…or go out of my way just to get them.

Oniichan was right that the red velvet was the better cupcake compared to triple chocolate. It was also much better than Buttercream’s red velvet because it was thorougly baked.The frosting tasted pretty good– not too sweet, not too heavy, but a moderate and happy frosting. However, I was slightly disappointed at the lack of cream cheese flavor in the frosting.

Red Velvet mini from Cupcake Stop

The triple chocolate also had a stronger frosting than cake. It tasted a lot like Buttercream truck’s chocolate/chocolate cupcake because they were both chocolatey, and had thick rich frosting. Which one was better? I couldn’t really tell… They were both decent.

Triple Chocolate mini from Cupcake Stop

Triple Chocolate mini from Cupcake Stop

Grade: B

Conclusion: I don’t understand what the new hype over cupcake trucks are… The cupcakes are not that good… I feel like part of the reason for their popularity is just the originality of the idea of having a truck that sells cupcakes. Personally, I’d rather go to a bakery that make oh-so-delicously-unforgettable cupcakes for around the same price. Of course, I would gladly grab a cupcake or two from the truck when I’m on the go!

Location: Varies

Other Opinions:

Yelp, Chowhound,  Zagat

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Cupcake Truck [Very Overdue Post]

December 13, 2009 at 12:46 pm · Filed under Philly: University City ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Ok, so I know I haven’t updated in a realllllllly long time, so I’m really sorry to any of my faithful readers or browsing foodies. My excuse is that I got sick, went back for Thanksgiving, and then had papers and finals to do. Anyways, enough MLIA, back to business with…. THE PHILADELPHIA CUPCAKE TRUCK!!!

The Cupcake Truck, taken by me while I was waiting on the excruciatingly long line. Kind of looks like an ice cream truck doesn't it?

My roomie had heard about a cupcake truck that travels around in Philly, so we looked up its locations and found that it stops at 34th and Walnut right by Penn’s campus every Wednesday. It was then that we knew it was fate…we had to try those cupcakes!

The rule is that you can order up to only 6 cupcakes (I suppose this is to prevent running out), so our suite looked at the online menu and I took everyone’s orders. That Wednesday, I trekked down to Penn’s campus during the hour between my two classes to find quite a line building up…and it had only been ten minutes since the truck opened.

It was a cold Wednesday, and I was being whipped by wind while waiting in line for 30 minutes… These better be some damn delicious cupcakes, I thought. When it was finally my turn, I excitedly spun out the orders that I had plenty of time to practice for in my head. The cupcake lady just took out the cupcakes and placed them in a plastic box, the kind that supermarket cupcakes are kept in… The whole process took about 5 minutes. Anticlimactic.

These were the cupcakes we had gotten. Starting from the top left and working across: vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, red velvet, vanilla/chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, and another red velvet.

As I was walking back to the dorm, it began to drizzle. No!! I had to protect the cupcakes! So I rushed back to the dorm through all the wind and rain to store those cupcakes. There was fifteen minutes left until class by the time I had gotten back, but I wanted to reward myself for all I had to go through for those cupcakes, so I tried the red velvet, my favorite.

Red Velvet Cupcake

I was not incredibly impressed. The red velvet was pretty good, but I definitely had much better ones at Pinisi, and even Martha’s. Of course, the cake was very moist, with a nice doughy mooshy texture. But the center was a bit wet, leaving me suspicions of underbaking. The cream cheese frosting was very whipped and light, which I liked, but it was on the sweeter side. I sensed only a hint of cream cheese buried within a sweet vanilla-tasting frosting. Comparing it to the red velvet cake my suitemates made from a box for my birthday two days ago, I think the Betty Crocker cake mix was better.

Later I tried the chocolate with chocolate frosting. I liked this one better, but it was still not up to par with some of the other cupcakes I’ve had. The chocolate cake was moist and rich, and the frosting was thick and chocolatey… But there wasn’t anything special other than the homemade chocolateyness.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Well if anything, I would say what impressed me most about the cupcakes was that they were aesthetically pleasing, especially with the colorful sprinkles (which matches the truck’s sprinkles design). But the bottom line is, we taste with our tongues and not our eyes. That is why I don’t think the 30-minute wait in the cold was worth it.

Grade: B-/B

Conclusion: Decent cupcakes, but NOT WORTH IT!! Honestly, I don’t understand why the lines are that long anyways…Is it the fact that it’s a truck that gets people hyped up? Because it certainly should not be the cupcakes. Well at least the prices were good: $2/cupcake.

Location: Varies

Other Opinions:

Yelp, Messy and Picky review, Mac & Cheese review

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Spicy Soup & Hot Chocolate

November 7, 2009 at 2:09 pm · Filed under Philly: University City ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For the first time ever in my life, I lost my voice last week. It was unbelievably frustrating to have suddenly been rendered speechless permanently for a few days. Even more unbelievable was the crazy seizure-like hacking cough I had developed after I regained my voice. It was awful. And sadly, I wasn’t the only one afflicted with this terrible bug that’s going around.

When my friend B. Yi heard me die halfway through speaking, he recommended getting some hot and spicy soup at Koreana, a small Korean family-run restaurant at the back of Chili’s near Penn’s campus. Apparently traditional Korea remedy says that drinking extremely spicy soup is throat-healing. Well, at this rate, I was ready to give anything a try. Plus, even if it doesn’t work, this would be a perfect excuse to eat Korean food, which I miss and love.

It was a bit difficult to find Koreana since it was hidden around the back of Chili’s and appeared sort of shady at night (a bit like a run-down supermarket stand in Chinatown). However, when my roomie and I went inside, it was packed! Nearly all the customers there were Asian college students, but that’s pretty understandable considering it was Friday night, near Penn’s campus, and had nice prices.

Koreana

Koreana restaurant

Food was ordered up front where we picked up a number and put at our table. My roomie and I lucked out as two people just left when we went to sit down. The wait was a bit long, but it was fun chatting and enjoying the bustling environment.

I got the Samsun Jan Bong, as recommended by B. Yi for my cough. This was basically a large bowl of savory spicy noodle soup, probably made with red chili paste base. The broth was great, except after several spoonfuls, I would feel my spice-levels rising, and had to chew on some noodles. The noodles were on the soft side, a bit boring since there was no elasticity whatsoever. I liked the octopus bits inside the soup as they were chewy and seafood-y. I picked out most of the onions, although I must say they added good flavor to the soup. (I just dislike eating them.)

PB060004

Samsun Jan Bong, oozing with spicy yumminess!

Overall, I really liked the soup. It had a soothing comfort food effect and had the same nice spiciness as the Indian takeout we ordered two weeks ago, really tummy-warming, and heart-warming as well!

My roomie really enjoyed her Samsun Udon soup too. (I didn’t get a picture of this, but I did get a taste. It wasn’t spicy but still warm and savory.)

After our meal, we went on a little adventure on Penn’s campus (or more like walked around in the cold), so we froze up a bit again. Thus, we decided to pay a visit to The Naked Chocolate to defrost with some hot chocolate. Mmmm…

So the thing is, two of my other friends who had Naked Chocolate’s hot chocolate, hated it. They thought there was nothing special about it to be priced at $3.75. However, the more they had said it was bad, the more I wanted to try it and see for myself.

My roomie got the Classic Hot Chocolate European Style, and I got the Hawaiian Hot Chocolate European Style. It was served in a cute dish with a glob of whipped cream drizzled in caramel sauce and a wafer cookie. Very classy. I approved.

PB060006

The perfect decadent drink on a cold autumn night~

There was a little spoon for me to drink the hot chocolate with. One sip, and it sent me flying to chocolate heaven. I loved the rich thick chocolate that was so similar to ganache. It was only somewhat lighter and less viscous than ganache, but it had the same decadence. The Hawaiian chocolate was savory because it contained some salt, which I actually thought added some pizazz to the drink. However, after drinking the chocolate by itself for a while, it became too salty. The proper way to enjoy the Hawaiian was to spoon some whipped cream and caramel into the chocolate. The sweetness of the caramel and lightness of the cream balanced out the salt. That was pure bliss.

PB060008

This is the way to eat the wafer: dipped in some chocolate, whipped cream, and caramel. Mmmm...

My roomie loved her Classic as well. It was very similar to the Hawaiian except there was no salt or caramel. However, the deep chocolate is still pretty awesome by itself. We both contended that we would order their hot chocolate again, and theorized that our friends must either have no tongue for exquisiteness or ordered American style (which perhaps tastes more generic).

It was a wonderful night!

Grade: Koreana B+/A-, Naked Chocolate hot chocolate gets an A, for amazing!

Conclusion: Yummy warm fluids are the perfect medicine for a recovering cough and a cold day!

Locations:

Koreana

3801 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

The Naked Chocolate

3401 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228

(215) 222-3710

Other Opinions:

Koreana (Yelp, Urbanspoon)

The Naked Chocolate (check previous post)

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Froyo in Philly

October 25, 2009 at 9:43 pm · Filed under Philly: University City ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A pang of froyo deprivation hit me when I heard about Red Mango’s new pumpkin spice flavor (which I’m definitely going to try when I go back to NYC next weekend). But then…I heard about Sprinkles! Sprinkles is a self-serve, pay-by-the-pound frozen yogurt shop down Chestnut Street on UPenn’s campus. I had to go! So yesterday, my roomie and I sloshed through heavy rain for her first froyo experience and my salvation.

Sprinkles!

Sprinkles!

It took me by surprise! The row of different-flavored frozen yogurt machines made me think that I had slipped in a puddle, fractured my head, and gone to froyo-heaven. There were original flavors like chocolate and vanilla, dessert-like flavors like New York Cheesecake and Cookies ‘n Cream, fruity flavors like berry sorbet and pomegranate, and even seasonal flavors like pumpkin. I wanted to try them all!

Row of Sprinkles flavors

Row of Sprinkles Flavors

Then came the vast array of toppings. They had the Coldstone-esque ice cream toppings, various syrups (chocolate, caramel, butterscotch), and the typical Red Mango/Pinkberry toppings (fruit, mochi, and cereal).

ice cream-like toppings

Ice Cream-Like Toppings

Syrups & More Toppings!

Syrups & More Toppings!

Yesterday I decided to get a cup of green tea tart and chocolate. I topped the green tea with blueberries and mochi, and the chocolate with cookie dough. It was wonderful! I loved both flavors. Although it had neither the smoothness of Red Mango, nor the lightness of Pinkberry, Sprinkles was special in its own way. In fact, it beats its NYC counterparts in many ways. Sprinkles was dense in flavor, so I really got to enjoy the green tea aroma and rich chocolate taste that I cherish. The cookie dough chunks were awesome on the chocolate. I liked the calm Oriental blend of mochi, blueberries, and green tea as well. That cup of froyo was definitely worth getting thoroughly soaked!

Cup of Blueberries Mochi on Green Tea Tart, and Cookie Dough Mixed in Chocolate

Cup of Blueberries Mochi on Green Tea Tart, and Cookie Dough Mixed in Chocolate

Close-Up!!

Close-Up!!

I was so impressed by Sprinkles, I went again today with my roomie and Vanilla. This time I got berry pomegranate tart and New York cheesecake. I topped the pomegranate with some blackberries (one of my favorite healthy combinations), and the cheesecake with caramel sauce and brownies. I loved the pomegranate. It was fruity and tart, and I could really taste the blast of berries. The cheesecake was delicious in the beginning, but got heavy later on. It turned out weird as a yogurt I suppose, because it lacked the smooth richness of ice cream. The caramel sauce was great (well I just love liquid caramel), but the brownies tasted funny.

Cup of Berry Pomegranate Tart with Blackberries and New York Cheesecake drizzled with Caramel and Brownies

Cup of Berry Pomegranate Tart with Blackberries and New York Cheesecake drizzled with Caramel & Brownies

Grade: A-

Conclusion: Would definitely come again! Pomegranate’s the best, then chocolate, then green tea, but those three are all ridiculously good. I want to try more flavors…

Location: Map

3606 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.387.1222

Other Opinions:

Yelp, myfoxphilly

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Indian Take-Out

October 25, 2009 at 5:20 pm · Filed under Philly: University City ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday afternoon + amazing brown suitemates = Indian take-out and movies!! The last time I had eaten Indian food was at Baluchi’s during the summer, so I’ve been long overdue for some delicious Indian food. Luckily Pri had grabbed us a menu earlier from a place called New Delhi, and word on the street says it’s one of the better Indian restaurants.

New Delhi menu now magneted on our refrigerator door.

New Delhi menu now magneted on our refrigerator door.

I love samosas (potato/veggie stuffed Indian pastries) so we got one each. These were great! Warm spiced potato-peas stuffing wrapped inside a doughy crunchy shell. Well, the shell was not really impressive, but the stuffing was very fulfilling. It went well with a dab of sweet-sour chutney sauce, but I preferred the pure unadulterated flavors of peas, potatoes, and lentils.

Samosa

Samosa

Samosa Innards. Mmm, the stuffing.

Samosa Innards. Mmm, the stuffing.

We also ordered two plates of chicken: chicken curry and chicken jal farezi (another type of curry cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and onions). Both orders came with a serving of basmati rice (Indian rice characterized by lack of stickiness). I liked both curries. The chicken was soft and chewy, layered in spicy sauces. The jal frezi had a nice savory sour taste from the marinated tomatoes and peppers while the regular curry was bursting with different-flavored spices. It was my favorite kind of spicy, not tongue-numbing, not throat-irritating, but just plain heats-up-your-mouth-and-warms-up-your-tummy spicy.

Combination of curries and basmati rice.

Combination of curries and basmati rice.

On the side we got two naans and one tandoori roti. Both are types of Indian bread. The naan is fluffier and doughier whereas the roti is chewier. The roti tasted a lot like the softer version of a matzah (Jewish Passover bread), or a tougher version of a pita. Nonetheless, they’re all delicious. It’s hard to go wrong with Middle/South-Eastern flat breads!

Naan (left) and Tandoori Roti (right)

Naan (left) and Tandoori Roti (right)

Grade: B+/A-

Conclusion: I wish the samosas were bigger…But other than that, it was an extremely satisfying meal, which reminded me how delicious Indian food is. I can’t wait for our next week suite take-out!

Location: Map

4004 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3020

(215) 386-1941

Other Opinions:

Yelp, Urbanspoon

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Stuff from Starbucks

October 24, 2009 at 5:29 pm · Filed under Philly: University City ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Sadly enough, probably the best place I could swipe my school ID for food is the Starbucks on Drexel’s campus, so I often go there after Physics with my friend Resh. As strange as this sounds coming from a food-o-phile, I could be pretty calorie-conscious sometimes, especially at Starbucks since they list their nutrition facts (which in my opinion  is both a good and bad thing).

But I decided to splurge a little and get a creme-based green tea frappe. I love practically all of Starbucks frappes. I mean, I usually hate drinking coffee, but the sweet and creamy blends Starbucks make are absolutely irresistable! I liked the green tea frappe, although I thought the nice tea aroma was not strong enough. I suppose I just enjoy a richer green tea taste. The frappe was still cold, smooth, and sweet, with a hint of green tea. My only complaint is that there are always a few bits of ice inside the frappe that doesn’t get blended. I guess this is the downside of an express service.

Mmmm, creamy green tea frappe.

Mmmm, creamy green tea frappe.

I also wanted to see how perfect their perfect oatmeal is. It turned out to be not-so-perfect, but a major improvement from instant oatmeal. I hate how instant oatmeal tends to be runny, whereas Starbucks’ oatmeal was warm, chunky, and viscous. Still, it wasn’t very impressive, especially not for $3. Word on the street is that Jamba Juice’s oatmeal is a lot better, but I have yet to try it.

Kind of Average Perfect Oatmeal

Kind of Average Perfect Oatmeal

And another thing I have to mention: The seasonal hot pumpkin spice lattes are amazing!

Grade: A- frappe, B- oatmeal, A pumpkin spice latte

Conclusion: When at Starbucks, order drinks, not oatmeal.

Location: Map

Market St & Market St
Philadelphia, PA 19104

(215) 895-6209

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Macarons at Koryodang!

October 14, 2009 at 11:28 am · Filed under NY: Manhattan: Koreatown ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My favorite Asian bakery of all time is probably Koryodang, the infamous, slightly-more-expensive-than-usual Korean bakery. Naturally, I couldn’t resist a visit on my trip back to the city, so I dragged a bunch of my friends with me after KTV (karaoke) in K-Town.

Koryodang!!

Koryodang!!

I was thrilled when I noticed $1 macarons (traditional French wafer-like cookie filled with ganache) on display in the pastry section. Enticed by the price and selection, I knew I had to buy a few.

Macaron Display

Macaron Display

I started off with the chocolate macaron because that’s the only flavor Danishee didn’t dislike. (This way we could share!) It was average. I really liked the puffy cookie part that was slightly flaky and crumbly on the outside but chewy gooey on the inside, as the wafer part of the macaraon should be. The more you chewed on it, the more gooey and sweet it got! What I didn’t like was the ganache filling. It was ridiculously airy and light, like chocolate whipped cream. It had no taste, which didn’t make sense because chocolate, especially chocolate ganache, is supposed to be rich, so it was rather disappointing.

Chocolate Macaron

Chocolate Macaron

Next came the green tea macaron. This was definitely the best out of all three macarons I bought. I suppose it was expected because Koryodang is an Asian bakery and thus would have authentic green tea flavor. And naturally green tea is very popular among the frequent Koryodangers and the frequent Asians in K-Town. When bitten into, the cookie mooshes into a mesh of green tea goodness. The flavor was nice and strong, but the taste was still sweet. The ganache blended incredibly well with the gooey part of the wafer creating a core of aromatic tea filling. It was amazing.

Green Tea Macaron

Green Tea Macaron

Last I tried the raspberry macaron. This was also quite delicious. The filling was a layer of raspberry preserve and another layer of cream. The preserve definitely consisted of a heavy raspberry flavor. This dampened the taste of the cookie and cream. However, I still enjoyed the burst of raspberry and macaron texture.

Raspberry Macaron

Raspberry Macaron

I also brought some delicious breads/buns to take with me back to Philly, which I ate a few days later. My favorite of all time is the chlorella (a type of traditional Korean green tea bread apparently named after an algae). Stuffed with rich green tea-scented cream cheese in a soft green bread dotted with dried cranberries, this bread is odd but heavenly. The outside of the bread is slightly crunchy topped with a piece of sugar and caramelized walnuts. What never ceases to amaze me is how good the green tea cream cheese is. It maintains the sour creamy goodness of normal cream cheese, but has a strong flavor of hojicha (deliciously roasted Japanese green tea).

Green Tea Bread

Chlorella! (green tea bread)

Green Tea Bread Innards!

Chlorella Innards!

Grade: A- macarons (I averaged the grade), and A for the chlorella!

Conclusion: Green tea flavored stuff at Koryodang rocks!! And I love its new cheap delectable macarons.

Location: Map

31 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001-3801

(212) 967-9661

Other Opinions:

Yelp, Chow

Comments (2)

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