Hirata Pork Buns from Ippudo

The girls each ordered their own fair shares of ramen from Ippudo, but I insisted on the Hirata Pork Buns–always a must!!

Green Tea Creme Brulee

Also at Ippudo, we got Jeujeubee a Green Tea Creme Brulee, brought out by all the waiters singing happy birthday. It was an epic sight: all these random men clad in black ramen bar fabric aligned in chorus formation singing in unison. It was pretty hilarious actually!

TAKOYAKI!!

And no NYC trip could be complete without a visit to Otafuku for takoyaki!! Especially not for Jeujeubee, a fellow takoyaki-phile! She loved the large octopus ball portions and the amalgam of sauces piled over. Hehe, win!

Kyoto-fu's Omakase

Kyoto-fu’s omakase included poached pears, ginger creme brulee, and chocolate miso brownie. As usual, the miso brownie outshined the other two, although the ginger-flavored brulee was quite an interesting concept.

Green Tea Chocolates & Hazelnut Cookies

The omakase also came with green tea chocolates and hazelnut cookies. I didn’t care too much for the cookies, but I adore Kyoto-fu’s green tea chocolates. Typically $3 apiece, these babies are worth every cent. They are so dense, creamy, and matcha-y; resembling more a sort of matcha fudge chocolate consistency… The matcha chocolates really are something else.

Warm Sweet Potato Cake

We also ordered a Warm Sweet Potato Cake on the side, which I also really enjoyed. This had a subtle sweet potato flavor, dabbled in some warn cinnamon and caramel. It was the perfect autumn/winter dessert– heartwarming and heartful~

Warm Chocolate Miso Cake

Jan-Jan and I also decided to get the Warm Chocolate Miso Cake, which was basically a chocolate miso brownie except slightly less dense, and having a more cake-like consistency. However, most of the flavors were consistent but does the combination get to me every time! I love everything about this: the presentation, the cake, the salty rich caramel… everything!!! I think this may be the only chocolate cake I would consider eating over Brooklyn Blackouts, and that is saying something!!

Green Tea Cupcake

Kyoto-fu’s people were really nice and gave Jeujuebee a green tea cupcake on the house for her birthday! It was really sweet of them, and the presentation was great too! The green tea cake was a little dry in my opinion, but I liked the matcha flavor in the cake.

In general, Jeujeubee’s birthday weekend was quite a success. For her 21st, I successfully took her to a ramen bar (Ippudo) and a dessert bar (Kyoto-fu), but never a legitimate drinking bar… Kinda funny if you think about it, but kinda perfect at the same time considering the love of food Jeujeubee shares with me!

Pizza Rustica Interior, pretty cute atmosphere

Usually when you hear the word “salad”, you probably first think of a pile of greens that is probably healthy but tasteless. This is a common misconception, further falsified by my experience at Pizza Rustica with their Antipasto Salad. The bed of greens were crisp and aromatic, drizzled in a delicious oil-based vinaigrette. There were also savory Italian cured meats of pepperoni and salami wrapped in provolone. I absolutely adore the intense flavors of Italian meats, a great way to dress up a salad to delicious unhealthiness! The artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers were also quite delectable. However, I found the anchovies way too salty and the tuna merely mediocre. The capers added a nice touch of flavor to the salad though, which I always find a welcome addition!

Antipasto Salad

We also ordered a Greek calzone with roasted red peppers, prosciutto, and ricotta filling. It was extremely filling but un-photogenic so no picture is included here. I must say I liked the salad better. The calzone dough was a bit bland, and I wish there were more prosciutto involved… However, it was pretty satisfying since I was starving by dinnertime. I just wouldn’t order it again. Next time, I would like to try a panini or one of their main courses, but the salad was definitely a win!

Sumptuous Hot Chocolate

Hey guys, so I know I haven’t updated in a long time, but I have much to fill you all in on!!! Exhibit A: this beautifully-rendered coffee art in a mug of rich Belgian Hot Chocolate served at Lucid Cafe. It was immensely satisfying, with an intense deep chocolate flavor. I think what really got to me was the wonderful aromatics of the chocolate; it wasn’t just thick or rich, but the quality and depth of the chocolate flavor really left an imprint in my heart.

Chwis's Mocha

Chwis got a really pretty Mocha as well. I had a sip and it was also very intense in chocolate-coffee flavor– way better than any other form of coffee I had drunk before. Plus the cute coffee art really added a nice touch. I always get really excited when I see creative methods of food presentation, especially since it means I get to photograph it!! Anyways, I highly recommend this cozy cafe to grab some toasty drinks during the holiday season. The cafe itself is really tiny, with only a few available seats but if you could manage to land a table, then it’s a great place to have just relax and have an intimate conversation with those dear to you. Plus, the warmth from our beverages were perfect for reigniting the friendship between Chwis and me after long months apart.

At 兰州拉面 (Lan Zhou Hand-Drawn Noodles) in Philly Chinatown, you can get a giant hearty bowl of beef noodle soup for only $5. That’s where Jan-Jan and I went when the first cold days of autumn hit! Jan-Jan being both a carnivore and Chinese food addict had both her preferences satisfied with this simple bowl of noodles. Me, I sucked up those noodles like a professional Hoover vacuum– so delicious!

Hand-Drawn Beef Brisket Noodles!

Jan-Jan had her noodles with sliced beef, while I got mine with brisket. There wasn’t much of a difference between the two as the meat probably came from the same cow. The only difference was that Jan-Jan’s beef was in thin slices while mine were in hearty chunks. Your choice is entirely based on how you want your meat cut. Aside from that, the aromatic beef stew and chewy doughy noodles are pretty standard for Lan Zhou.

Noodles Close-Up

I am definitely a huge fan of the stew because like a kiss, it spreads warmth from the lips throughout one’s body and soul. It is the perfect cure for the shortening and coldening of the days… The broth’s flavor is also very full, illuminated by fresh parsley and beefiness. I also found little pickled veggies in the soup, responsible for additional food fragrance. The meat was great, but could always be more tender. I assume they marinade the beef in some delicious sauces in order to give the noodles such intense taste. With the yummy meat, stew, and noodles, how could we not whirl into a state of blissful oblivion?

Escargot

A few weeks ago, Ninja-Kitty and I finally used our last Bistro of St. Tropez gift card from freshman year. Oh, the fruits of winning those First Friday scavenger hunts reap such delicious meals! This time, we had our stomachs set on the escargots: naked snails basking in a pond of glorious buttery truffle sauce. I think this must have been my second time eating escargot?

Epic Close-Up of the Epic Deliciousness!

Anyways, I really don’t see why some people are repulsed by the idea of eating snails. Perhaps since I am Chinese (we eat everything) and from NY (exposure to all cuisines), but I actually get a thrill from eating something out of the ordinary. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed by how normal they tasted; I expected some level of strangeness or extraordinaire from the snails, but they actually just resemble some sort of mollusk-like seafood. It was definitely the sauce that made the dish. The rich truffle flavor brought out the meatiness of snail and soaked mushrooms. The sauce was just so decadent, I drenched the rest of my table bread in it.

Calamars

For the second appetizer, we ordered the Calamars, which consisted of grilled jumbo calamari stuffed with some sort of pate-like sausage. The calamari was chewy and delicious, but the sausage was a little odd-tasting. Again, it was mostly the fire roasted red pepper sauce that carried the flavor. It was much thinner and lighter in comparison to the truffle sauce from escargots but still yummy with the sour undertones of pepper that highlighted the meat.

St. Tropez Burger

Ninja-Kitty ordered the St. Tropez Burger as her entrée, which came with hand-cut fries and a side salad. The burger itself was pretty amazing, with mushrooms and foie gras slathered on top. I stole a bite of that juicy meat with rich foie gras edge. It was snugly tucked within the soft bun, allowing the juices to seep into the bread.

Niçoise Salad

Hearing an old lady in the building recommend the salads, I got the Niçoise salad topped with a hearty filet of grilled Atlantic salmon. The fish was delish, as salmon almost always is (especially French salmon)! The charred roasted potatoes were quite flavorful, whereas the rest of the salad was mostly seasoned by the vinaigrette. I bit into a few strange vegetables like olives and this mini pickle-like thing, cornichons? Anyways, those weird things aside, this salad was probably one of the better ones I had. Well it sure better be, considering its $15 cost!

Carbonara Pasta

Finally got some pasta lessons from the K-Mart!! Plus he threw in a free tour of the medical school I’ll be attending next year. Not a bad deal considering I actually didn’t pay anything for this. I did make a run to Di Bruno Bros to get pancetta and pecorino cheese though. It wouldn’t have been the same without the pancetta, which is supposedly the Italian version of bacon only it tastes A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER! It is also a necessary ingredient in our desired dish: Spaghetti Carbonara, based on Rick Stein’s recipe.

Hand-Grated Cheese, SO DIFFICULT!

I got a pretty good quality pecorino cheese as well, only I forgot to bring my grater… so we had to crumble everything by hand. It was intensely difficult because the cheese was really sticky and hard. I had to try cutting it into cubes and employ some twisting technique to break it down into bits. Even then, we still got chunks that were impossible to mash. I was tempted to punch the bowl afterwards.

Pancetta & Diced Garlic

Cut up the oh-so-deliciously-cured pancetta, and I diced the garlic!! We used about half a bulb, which is about 6 cloves, though we definitely could have put more. In Italian food, more garlic is always better (in my opinion at least).

Chopped Parsley

Fresh parsley was chopped!

We lightly coated the pan with oil, fried the pancetta for a bit (which gave off an amazing scent), and tossed in the garlic and parsley. The parsley was actually a bit too concentrated, but that’s easily fixed by scooping some out.

When finished cooking, we tossed in the linguini pasta (which I learned to distinguish from spaghetti, thin spaghetti, and capellini). Mixing the pasta was rather tricky, since Italian noodles are much heavier and longer than their Asian counterparts. It was much harder to maneuver and toss around, but we managed.

Nearly Finished Product!

A great source of pasta sauce base is the leftover water from boiling the pasta. Afterwards, we tossed in some cheese and mixed it around more to melt. This was also quite challenging seeing how we had some big chunks of cheese, which led to improper meltage… When the pasta was nearly done cooking, we cracked three eggs in, took it off heat, and mixed like a crazy amusement park ride.  This allowed the eggs to cook itself into the pasta, adding a light coat of eggy goodness on the noodles.

Dinner is Served!

The end product was yummers! We had leftover cheese to toss over the pasta for extra flavoring. I enjoyed the rich flavor of cheese and egg, which surprisingly wasn’t too heavy. In fact, it was decadently delicious and well seasoned. The black pepper was just the right amount, adding a slight zing to the breakfasty pasta. This was the first time I tried pancetta, and I instantly fell in love. The meat complimented the carbonara so well that the mere thought of K-Mart’s earlier suggestion to substitute with bacon disgusted me. The flavoring of the pasta was great. The only problem I had with our final outcome was that the sauce was on the dry side, causing the noodles to be hard to swallow. We theorized that either not enough water was added, or that the cheese wasn’t crumbled fine enough to melt into the sauce. Whatever the case, there could definitely be improvement on our part!

Cinnamon Rolls

Since my family group was talking about Cinnamon Rolls last week, I just couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. I can’t say I’ve experienced the magic of cinnamon rolls before, having always smelled the delicious scent of Cinnabon but never having coughed up the cash to try one. However, the way everyone talked about them gave me the vibe that cinnamon rolls were one of those magical foods that warms people’s hearts.

“]

Self-Rolled =)

If you know me, then you know that I am a firm believer of baking from scratch. I hate baking from a box, or even using pre-made pie crust so I was quite adamant about finding a good scratch recipe. Luckily, the step-by-step guide from The Pioneer Woman seemed to provide everything I needed to make the perfect cinnamon rolls!

Probably the most challenging part for me was waiting for the scalded milk to cool. When I bake I get super-excited and impatient, so I stuck my pot into the refrigerator for a while and checked in 5 minute intervals. I kept trying to sip a little bit with my spoon to check the temperature (since I’m a cheap college student and don’t own a baking thermometer). I knew that the milk had to be cooled in order to add the yeast; too much heat would just kill off these adorable microbes. It’s actually kind of a funny story seeing how I’m currently taking a Microbiology Course and we were talking about optimum temperatures for microorganism growth. I ended up looking up the growth curve and optimum fermentation temperature for yeast, which is about 95 F. (Hooray for applying textbook to kitchen!~)

Of course I got impatient so I probably added the yeast above its optimum fermentation temperature. Oh well, adding the milk to the solid mixture probably balanced out the temperature! Then I had to wait for at least an hour for the dough to rise, so I wound up going to family group first. Then I left halfway through, came back to do the rolling with assistance from Ninja-Kitty!

Rolling up the Cinnamon!

This part was also a bit tricky! Cinnamon roll dough is soft, meaning it sticks very easily to the board and rolling pin so I had to lather on tons of dry flour. We also couldn’t get the proper size at first. I made three ridiculously huge ones, which turned out looking more like bread rolls used to make sandwiches… The second batch turned out tiny, resembling fig newtons. After a few tries, we finally got the right size, just like Goldilocks!

Done Baking!

Due to the different sizes of rolls we made, the baking time was different for each batch. It was crazy trying to keep track of everything while layering on butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In other words, our kitchen was a battlefield! We sprinkled stuff all over our counters, scrambled for ingredients, and ran around trying to make sure nothing was burnt. Adding to the stress was Chewy’s phone calls from family group, updating me on the progress. (I needed to finish before the session was over and everyone left!)

Fortuitously, they were celebrating Amy’s birthday that evening so the meeting was extended, and I was able to present some finished cinnamon rolls in honor of the festivities. I was so excited that I literally ran to Chewy’s room. It was a pretty good turnout, seeing how everyone was equally excited to try my rolls. And they loooved them!!!!!! In fact, I barely got to eat any myself after family group, friends, and my parents visited. My mom actually enjoyed these rolls more than the cupcakes I bought for her from Sweetbox for her birthday. I guess it just shows how magical cinnamon rolls, especially if you make them with love.

Ramen!

Due to the tornado of midterms that hit me these past two weeks, I haven’t been able to update on all the delicious things I’ve eaten recently, so expect an explosion of posts in the next couple of days! On that note, I shall proceed to tantalize you all with the delicious things I’ve eaten last weekend when I went back to NYC for Comic-Con/New York Anime Festival.

First night home, I went to Otafuku to stuff my face with takoyaki and okonomiyaki. (I had been craving takoyaki since I missed my chance at the Night Market.) The takoyaki was as amazinggggg as I remembered: crispy shell encasing gooey dough, octopus chunks, and a hint of ginger. (I was pleasantly surprised that they reduced the amount of ginger from the first time I tried it.) Honestly, the best part about Otafuku’s takoyaki is the combination of sauces they splash on. From the distinctly flavored okonomiyaki sauce to the cozy creamy kewpie mayo, topped with a heaping of light bonito flakes… Mmmm that’s the good stuff!

Okonomiyaki from Otafuku

I tried their squid okonomiyaki for the first time too! It had a milder flavor than the takoyaki, but man was it huge! After feeding some to Nyanko-Sensei I still had about half left to bring for my parents. (Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten all that takoyaki beforehand…) Nonetheless, the okonomiyaki was very delicious filled with the same doughy goodness, savory squid chunks, and diced scallions, all topped with the same delicious sauces used in takoyaki! So essentially it is essentially the same as takoyaki, except blander and in pancake form. Me, I prefer the takoyaki because the spherical shape just makes it 100x cuter!! Furthermore, the small size gives it a greater surface area:volume ratio that condenses the flavor, thus enhancing deliciousness! (Yes, midterms have definitely gotten to my head…)

Jjamppong from Jin Jia Roo (Food Gallery 32)

Friday after the Con, we trekked down to Food Gallery 32 in K-Town for dinner. I was freezing, so I decided to get the spicy Jjamppong soup from Jin Jia Roo to warm up. I don’t like onions…but they added a nice base to the soup. I loved the soup!!! It had that traditional Korean spiciness, that heats you up from head to toe, the only consequence being the burning sensation in your throat. I was pleasantly surprised to find noodles buried underneath the mussels. It was a very filling meal, and I would recommend it to anyone with a decent level of spice tolerance on a chilly autumn day.

Hirata Pork & Chicken Buns from Ippudo

On Saturday, Jan-Jan’s aunt treated us to Ippudo (which was super-sweet of her!) I put my foot down about Jan-Jan trying the Hirata Pork Buns, and she was very glad I did. She looooved them, hehe~ We got two chicken ones too, since her aunt is primarily vegetarian (but eats chicken?) It wasn’t as good as the savory fatty pork, but still pretty awesome with the classic  Ippudo seasoning and drizzle of kewpie mayo.

Miso Ramen, the tender pork <3

For the main course, I ordered the Miso Ramen, which was pretty good as all Ippudo’s noodles are. However, they weren’t nearly as good as the Spicy Miso Ramen, which I had a taste of from Jan-Jan. (Or perhaps I just have a proclivity for spicy stuff…) I still enjoyed the ramen, as I always do at Ippudo. The noodles were of top-quality, the broth was rich and hearty, and generally everything was in place. I was a little perplexed by the mound of ginger that I mixed into the soup. I feel like it might have been better if I took some of it out…

Anyways, we had a great time at the Con and eating out in NYC. The excursion left me at a crunch for midterms week, but without any regrets! ~^^~

Night Market!!!!

Although I was feeling under the weather last Thursday night, I couldn’t pass up the chance to check out the Chinatown Night Market. It was supposed to be modeled after the night markets in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but turned out more like a food truck/vendor street fair– a pretty overcrowded one too, but hey you gotta hold your ground to get to the good stuff!

Pumpkin Curry Soup from Not By Bread Alone

I spent most of my time waiting on line at Not By Bread Alone, which is actually a catering company from outside of Philadelphia. Since I figured it would be pretty impossible for me to try their stuff again, I was adamant about getting their famous pumpkin curry soup and crab cakes. The only problem was that they took forever setting up… In the end I only got the soup (since crab cakes would have probably taken about 45 min longer and I had already waited on line for about 30…) But wow was that soup amazing! Maybe it was because I was waiting for so long and getting hungry, or because I was getting sick, but that soup really hit the spot. It had that subtle sweetness from the thick pumpkin blended in with a zing of curry. Yes, I know this sounds like an odd combination, but it was soo good.

Italian Sausage from Renaissance Truck

Chewy got the Italian Sausage slider, which had really good meat. It was juicy and well-seasoned with some sort of spicy peppery stuff. There were nice undertones of nutmeg, five-spice, and some other flavors I couldn’t quite recognize. I just know it tasted awesome, and the bun was soaked in the spicy sausage juices, so it became really tasty too!

Apple Cinnamon Crepe

Jan-Jan got an apple cinnamon crepe from Crepewalk, which was okay. It was a little too sweet and not cinnamony enough, though I only took a bite. (Too absorbed in sipping soup!)

In the end, was the Night Market worth going to? Mmm, not exactly in the sense that it was extremely crowded, difficult to maneuver, and time-consuming. However, I did get to meet a cool new friend when I was waiting for my soup to be prepared. If only the event was a bit more organized, I think I would have enjoyed it more. In any case, I was introduced to some interesting new food trucks and excited to explore more!

In addition to the completed avant-garde science building on Drexel’s campus this year, they also tore down the old Ross Commons and replaced it with the third Sabrina’s Cafe in Philly. I’ve been meaning to trek down to the South Philly location, before this one even popped up on campus. But now that we have one just a few blocks away… I could get my breakfast/brunch fix any day of the week! And what better reason to go than to celebrate our suite’s rite of MCAT passage. (Woot! No BS/MD left behind campaign!)

Carlos 'Choochrur's Big Catch Cakes

Ninja-Kitty and I split the two specials: Hunter Pence’s French Toast and Carlos ‘Choochrur’s Big Catch Cakes (whew, that’s a mouthful… of carbs!) As silly as this sounds the bright contrasting colors of these two dishes, peachy orange and magenta red, brought a smile to my face. Usually the use of artificial coloring in food disturbs me, but I make an exception for breakfast… and red velvet. The Big Catch pancake stacks were topped with this red velvet berry syrup with a sweet strawberry flavor. I really liked the white chocolate raspberry butter melted over the cakes. The crumbles were a nice touch, although I thought the cheerios topping was a little too much (they were a little stale too). The pancakes themselves were average: soft and fluffy but a little bland. It was really the fruity syrup and delicious butter that carried the dish.

Hunter Pence's Let's Eat French Toast

I liked the stuffed French toast more, because the bread itself was sturdy and delicious. Hidden within the center was this sweet creamy blend of cream cheese, marscapone, and dried fruit. I think it was this rich, creamy, and totally-bad-for-you filling that perfectly complemented the toast. I could barely taste the effects of the sweet apricot syrup in the face of the rich cream and eggy bread. The bright orange definitely added to aesthetics though!

Sweet Potato Fries

I got the Sweet Potato Fries too, because Resh had been RAVING about them two nights ago, making me inexhaustibly hungry… I didn’t think they were that amazing. Either she hyped it up for me too much, or I just had wayyy better at Bobby’s Burger Palace. Whatever the case was, these just didn’t cut it for me. Plus, the sweetness of the fries did not really help balance out all the sugar I was eating this morning. I had a bite of Steff’s Polenta Fries too, which were alright but a little too bland for my taste.

Sabrina's Interior, cute huh?

I am sooo stuffed as I am writing this post right now. I do not regret the sugar overload, but I do wish I got to try one of their omlettes. With Sabrina’s right on campus, this won’t be too hard to accomplish! Oh, and I forgot to mention. Sabrina’s really jazzed up Ross commons to a nice cafe/brunch atmosphere– very cute and quaint! I’ll be looking forward to a round 2 some other day~