Dong Chun Hong

312 Fifth Avenue

(between 31st and 32nd Streets)

www.dongchunhongnyc.com

Busy Korean/Chinese fusion restaurant that is seemingly a popular place for lunch. DCH does offer a $9.99 lunch special, but most diners seemed to have a hankering for noodles!

And not just any noodles, but specifically JaJangMyun noodles. These are noodles with black bean sauce, and they are so popular at this restaurant that they even offer a happy hour price for it!

Since nearly every table with an Asian occupant ordered one, I being a proud Asian myself, of course, ordered the DCH JaJangMyun for lunch:

 

It arrived in a large bowl, along with a server carrying a pair of scissors. She used the scissors to cut the long noodles before I dug in to the task of mixing up the black bean sauce with the noodles.

It had an interesting taste, and glad that I tried it, but I must confess that I found it rather bland. I guess you have to be a fan of black bean sauce, or perhaps I should have added some kimchee (which came as one of the banchans) to my bowl to add more spice or flavor.

Vegetarians and vegans please note—the black bean sauce contains ground pork!

My dining companion ordered the shrimp fried rice, which she loved. She raved throughout the lunch about how “clean” and not oily or greasy it tasted.

 

For starters, we had ordered shrimp dimsum. And in a nice surprise, as opposed to the noted 4 pieces on the menu, it arrived with 6 pieces—at no extra charge!

 

Interesting Side Note. Each table had a “Call” button, which is used to summon the waitstaff. I was surprised to hear it go off quite frequently from other tables throughout my meal. I could see how it might be useful during a drunken, crowded late-night 2-in-the-morning party, but it seemed rather imperious to be used during a lunch rush where it seems more polite to just flag down someone with a glance or a hand wave.

 

Pros:

Clean and spacious.

Vegetables and seafood seem very fresh.

Service is helpful and friendly.

Cons:

Banchan—only two sad small plates were offered, but they were continually “refilled” with two new plates throughout the meal.

Final Thoughts

Decent restaurant option in Koreatown.

Royal Siam Thai Cuisine

240 Eighth Avenue

(between 22nd and 23rd Streets)

www.newyorkroyalsiam.com

Attention, Single Ladies!

If you’re in Chelsea looking for some quiet dining, Royal Siam Thai is a great choice. I have dined there on my own, with business associates, and with friends.

What makes this Thai restaurant better than the dozen other Thai restaurants in the neighborhood?

First: The interiors are exotic and relaxing. It might even make you envision that this is what you might find in a café in Siam.

 

Second: $9.95 dinner price!

We ordered the Pad Ma Kuur, which is sautéed eggplant with garlic, chili peppers, and fresh basil in soybean sauce.

 

And also the basil chicken.

 

It came with large cones of rice.

 

Third: 2-for-1 drinks! I had the Stephen Vincent Cabernet Sauvignon from California ($8). It was a pretty decent Cabernet for the price; smooth finish with no aftertaste. My friend had first tried the Ique Malbec from Argentina ($7), but it was a bit too sour so she switched to the Cabernet as well for her second drink.

 

Final Thoughts

Great low-key dining experience.

Chote Nawab

115 Lexington Avenue

(between 27th and 28th Streets)

www.chotenawabnyc.com

Pongal (see previous posting) is a great place to have a cheap and filling lunch around Curry Hill, but if you’re looking for something a little more spacious and comfortable go across the street to Chote Nawab.

 

The décor is also very modern and welcoming.

 

I ordered their chicken tikka masala lunch special ($9) and my friend ordered the dalcha (lamb and lentils) ($11).

 

The best part of their lunch special is that it comes with cabbage, daal, rice, and a basket-full of naan and roti. More than enough yummy bread to soak up the chicken tikka masala sauce!

 

Service was very attentive—making sure that our water glasses (mason jars!—seems to be common trend lately . . .) were always refilled without our asking. Though when the server was clearing our table at the end of our lunch, he dropped a knife that hit my hip. It luckily didn’t stain my dress, but I did feel it make some contact. But I guess accidents do happen . . .

Pros:

Food is flavorful and they offer plenty of bread.

Comfortable seating.

Great place to dine alone or with a friend.

Cons:

Lunch special is only until 3 p.m.

Final Thoughts

Would definitely go back. Have to try their chicken vindaloo!

 

L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolate

5 East 20 Street

(between Broadway and Fifth Avenue)

www.burdickchocolate.com

L.A. Burdick must be visited in person in order to fully appreciate if you are a fan of quality, handmade chocolates. Perfect place to shop for gifts for your chocoholic friends, and their prepackaged wooden bonbon gift boxes are pretty awesome.  And the staff is very friendly (they don’t mind you browsing and they wait until you approach them with questions as opposed to shadowing you throughout the store), helpful, and knowledgeable.

If the price is too chère for you, go, just to marvel at their high-concept, whimsical designs. And since they’re handmade, each piece is unique and distinctive. They are known for their mouse and penguin chocolates. Almost too cute to eat. Almost.

They also offer other treats as well!

 

 

And, not only is it a chocolate shop; it’s a café, too! There are a few tables where one can sit and enjoy a cup of spicy hot chocolate, which is like shooting sugar directly into your veins. I confess to wanting to crash right there at the table.

 

But perhaps it could have been because of the chocolate coconut cake with lime buttercream and coconut flakes. How can you go wrong with coconut?

 

And the Harvard Square—a dense, rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and walnuts. Truth be told, I found the Harvard Square to be a bit too rich for me, but it’s apparently one of their most popular items, so of course I had to try.

And they also create specialty holiday chocolates. For Easter there are BUNNIES of all sizes!!

 

As well as Easter eggs, of course!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Pongal

110 Lexington Avenue

(between 27th and 28th Streets)

www.pongalnyc.com

Have a craving for Indian food around lunchtime? And you happen to find yourself in Curry Hill?

If you’re hungry, go to Pongal with its $7.95 lunch special.

It’s small, cozy restaurant, but you don’t come here for the atmosphere.

You come here for the food, which is flavorful and plentiful. And enjoyed by all ages. I was seated between a family with two small children and three seemingly longtime friends who were out for a leisurely get-together. When the family of four were leaving, their young son who must have been only eight or nine, shouted to the server, “My compliments to the chef!” And the silver-haired group of friends to my right, raved throughout their meal about the raitha that came with the lunch special.

I ordered the Mumbai Thali, which came with two vegetable curries (eggplant and chickpeas—comes with the lunch special, you don’t get to select), one chappathi (a soft bread), two types of rice, dal, and raitha (yogurt):

The food had a great mix of spices, and was very filling while not being greasy. I felt so full that I did not even eat dinner that night.

And, yes, their raitha is special. While most other Indian restaurants have rather bland, watery, and tasteless raitha, Pongal’s had a spicy bite to it. It’s made of diced onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint.

I washed my lunch down with a Lassi, a yogurt shake, which you could request as either sweet or salty or spicy. I ordered mine sweet, and it was a perfect complement to all the spices that were part of the dish.

Pros:

Food is Kosher.

Known for their tasty South Indian vegetarian dishes.

Cons:

Very uncomfortable seat cushions on benches. Sit on the chair instead.

Seating is tight, as you can tell by my being able to hear the conversations of my neighbors so clearly.

Lunch special is only until 3 p.m.

Final Thoughts

Go, when you are hungry, and you won’t be disappointed.

Casellula

401 West 52 Street

(between Ninth and Tenth Avenues)

www.casellula.com

Best cheese and wine bar in NYC!!!

Order your wine, and then just put the fate of your meal in the hands of Casellula’s fromager.

I normally would not order a white wine—as I tend to think reds accompany cheeses better—but decided to ask the server to recommend one since I didn’t wish to be sleepy or too full as it was just the start of my evening.

After listening to our preference for reds, but wanting to experiment with a white he recommended the Kabaj, a Rebula from Slovenia—a heavier white wine.

The “back” story of the winemaker appears on the back of the bottle.

As we had decided to go with a bottle that was not offered as a wine by the glass, we were unable to get a tasting before ordering. So we basically put our trust in the server’s opinion of what we would like.

And, boy, was I wrong in my assumption that white wines don’t go well with cheeses! First, the color of the wine was dazzling. Against the city lights, it glittered like copper gold or amber. And it tasted like marmalade!

Once the wine is selected, the fromager takes a sip and then comes up with the perfect cheese flight.

The selected cheeses are then presented beautifully, with condiments on the side. The condiments are what make the meal such a unique and special experience.

Helpful Hint: Combine the cheese with its accompanying condiment, and then have a sip of wine. Pure joy!!

Two of the cheeses were not even on the menu! I believe the first cheese from the top was a Brillat from France. Favorite was the Ardrahan (second from top)—a pasteurized cow from Cork, Ireland, described as “Stinky. Intense. Oozy.” on the menu. It was accompanied with a fig spread. The other identified cheese was the Beenleigh Blue (fourth from top)—a pasteurized sheep from Devon, England. It’s described as “Crumbly. Fruity. Vanilla notes.” The third cheese from the top was from Spain.

We then decided to have the fromager select two additional cheeses for us, since we were still not finished drinking our wine. Again, the cheese plate came with a lovely pairing of condiments—who would think a cheese would go well with a deep-fried orange slice?!?

Cannot recall the name of the top cheese (think it was from France), but the second cheese was Garrotxa—a pasteurized goat from Spain—described as “Earthy. Sweet. Nutty.” It came with dried, pineapple strips. And it was delicious.

 

We also had an order of chistorras. Hot and spicy!

As well as an order of campo secco salami, which was selected by the fromager. The salami was rather a disappointment as it seemed so banal after a meal of such delightful surprises.

 

Pros:

Service: Excellent and knowledgeable.

Wine and cheese list: Extensive. And as noted, they may even surprise you with cheeses not even listed on the menu.

 

Cons:

Opens at 5 p.m.

Restroom is rather small.

Final Thoughts

If you are a cheese-and-wine lover, go! It is an experience that cannot be missed.

Ajisen Ramen

136 West 28 Street

(between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)

www.ajisenusa.com

Have a craving for ramen, but on a budget? Ajisen Ramen hits the spot!

Ajisen Ramen is a popular Japan-based chain of ramen noodle restaurants that first opened in 1968 in Kyushu, Japan. The Chelsea location is a low-key restaurant, with low-key service.

 

Their logo is of a cute Asian girl holding a bowl of ramen, which is featured on their menu and their chopsticks!

 

 

Went for lunch, which can get pretty crowded so would recommend going early before the lunch crowd arrives after 1p.m.

 

Started with their steamed pork bun. Yummy! Not quite as good as the one I had at Ippudo (still my fave ramen noodle restaurant), but a close second. It is filled with pork belly, pickled cucumber, scallions, and peanut crunch with hoisin sauce.

 

I had their original Ajisen Ramen with sliced chachu, half a hard-boiled egg, scallions, bean sprouts, and their special Ajisen white broth. Known also as “White Soup,” the broth is made of pork bone that is slow-cooked until it becomes a milky-white color.  Tasty, and not too salty!

 

 

It also comes in a bowl that if one looks closely features their logo of the cute little Asian girl!!

My friend had the veggie ramen—a vegetarian soy sauce base soup with bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, and shitake mushrooms.

 

On a cold winter’s day, the soups were perfect warm-ups!

Pros: Big bowl of ramen for under $10.

Cons: No alcohol. And would be hesitant to come for a late dinner as the neighborhood is not trafficked much once the sun sets.