late night eats: hop kee

It's entirely possible that I ate enough Chinese food yesterday to feed a family of five in Guangdong. After work, I went to Joe's Shanghai to satisfy a weeklong craving for soup dumplings with Ali and then we went to Verlaine for those yummy $5 Hanoi lychee martinis. But by around 1AM, I had downed several lychee martinis with the rest of the Filipino crew and then that inevitable craving for Cantonese food hit us. And before I could say "MSG", I was back in Chinatown stuffing myself silly.

So yes, I guess at this point I must concede that I eat too much. After this post, I am enforcing a moratorium on food stories. I don't think my body can handle one more week of eating at this pace, and I think the blog's readers want to read about something other than food for a change. So this will be the last one for awhile (or so my waistline hopes).

With that, let's end the food tripping streak with an ode to my beloved Chinatown hole-in-the-wall: Hop Kee. Hop Kee has gotten more attention lately for being featured in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations in the "Disappearing Manhattan" episode. He went to Hop Kee with Chef Chris Cheung to show the vast difference between what the white folks and the Asian folks ordered back in the day at this place. Bourdain's childhood menu consisted of egg rolls and sweet and sour pork, while Cheung's included snails in black bean sauce and Cantonese-style crab. Watch it, I kinda love this episode:

Filipinos particularly love Hop Kee because the Chinese food we grew up eating is precisely this type. Well, plus we love ending a night out by pigging out on Cantonese food and Hop Kee stays open til 4AM, ably satisfying our post-drinking cravings. I've actually only been at this place at normal hours once: for dinner with my friend Kathryn last Wednesday to sample their snails in black bean sauce. Yummy as they are, it's a bit of a challenge to eat the snails so it's not something I'd ever order when I'm suffering from drinking-induced hunger pangs at 3AM. This was quite possibly the healthiest meal I ever had at Hop Kee, with just the snails, sauteed veggies and some salt & pepper pork chops:

The 3AM lineup is not quite as healthy. It's gotten to the point that I just fire off the orders at the waiter without looking at the menu because I know what everyone wants: yang chow fried rice (2 orders), salt & pepper squid, salt & pepper pork chops, and walnut shrimp. Last night we got thrown for a loop because the waiter heard me say "salt & pepper shrimp" instead of "salt & pepper squid." But we ate it anyway, and it was good. And we still had the squid. Oink oink.

The walnut shrimp, with it's sweet white sauce, batter-coated shrimp and caramelized walnuts, is to die for. I want some right now.

The chicken was something new on our lineup, but it was pretty good too.

I always find myself with deadened taste buds the next day from the massive intake of MSG. But I don't care. Like Anthony Bourdain, I too love MSG. And I have to say that it's bugging the hell out of me right now that I've never tried that pan-fried flounder. Damn you Chris Cheung, damn you ...

Ok, last of the food posts, I hope. Let's see how long I'll last.

Hop Kee is located at 21 Mott Street (between Chatham Square & Mosco Street), New York, NY 10013. Tel. (212) 964-8365

a plate i would marry

Today I decided that I love this dish so much that I want to have it on my wedding day and on my deathbed:I apologize for being so morbid, but really, that's how much I love this dish. I still vividly recall the gaping mouths and salivating tastebuds that the mere description of this dish induced when Mika and I first read it on the tapas menu at Bar Carrera: "Smoked salmon, mascarpone & black caviar on a toasted mini brioche, drizzled with honey." (not as sexy but equally seductive was the price tag of $6) Since that first bite, I haven't been able to swill wine at Bar Carrera without ordering this alluring little snack. It's just perfect. There's that sweet and lightly toasted brioche smeared with creamy mascarpone, then topped with smoked salmon that brings substance, lovely pliant texture, and a complimentary mild salty taste. A sprinkling of caviar adds pleasant bursts of ocean flavors into every bite, and a drizzle of honey perfectly harnesses all these tastes into a pleasantly sweet whole. It's unexpected and yet just so right. Truly, I might marry this plate if I could.

Before I do, let's just put the tipsy woman to bed, shall we? Gnight dearies!

Bar Carrera is located at 175 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10003 and 146 West Houston Street, New York, New York 10012

kampuchea

After two rounds of delicious cocktails at Milk & Honey, Zoe, Johan, Lucie and I went to Kampuchea for a bite and a nightcap. I'd been wanting to try Kampuchea for awhile since I've had some amazing sandwiches at Num Pang. Kampuchea is, of course, Chef Ratha Chau's establishment which preceded Num Pang. It turned out though that the dish of the night was not the Kampuchea Num Pang that I had but the delicious grilled corn on the cob that our waitress guaranteed would "change your life."

That was some truly scrumptious corn (so awesome I forgot to take the brutalized lime wedge off the plate for the pic, sorry). I am one of those strange souls that do not like mayonnaise, but I was over the moon with the chili mayo, coconut flakes and chili powder topping the lightly grilled sweet corn. I love how the corn was not grilled too much. The light char gave the corn flavor but didn't overpower its natural sweetness. Very yummy. Very worth $6. (By the way, yes that's a San Miguel beer you see by my corn. And no, it's nowhere near as good as the San Miguel beer in the Philippines. *sigh*)

My Kampuchea Num Pang consisted of housemade pork pate and headcheese terrine with coriander, carrots, cucumbers all tucked into a toasted baguette. It was nice but not as fantastic as what I've had at Num Pang before.

That said, I am dying to go back to Kampuchea to try all the other yumminess on its menu. The party beside us ordered some tamarind baby back ribs that smelled like heaven. Kampuchea does 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Sunday evenings, and I am definitely down with a chill evening of ribs and vino. But I think next time I'll beg for a table by the windows, far from the stifling heat of that open kitchen.

Kampuchea is located at 78 Rivington Street (corner of Allen Street), New York, NY. Tel. (212) 529-3901

dessert truck

It's not fair. Dessert Truck makes indulgence way too easy. After a delicious late dinner at Yakitori Taisho with Mika, Monkey and Buddha, we were nicely satisfied and not really seeking to stuff ourselves silly. But then Buddha wondered out loud, "I wonder if the Dessert Truck is still there ... " and then there was no turning back. I've been badly wanting to try the sweets served up by former Le Cirque pastry sous-chef Jeremy Chang but I always end up too stuffed for dessert when I'm that area. Today, though, I would not be stopped (well, I also had my boyfriend with me, which meant I wouldn't have to face the guilt of devouring the entire dessert on my own).

We ordered the warm molten dark chocolate cake ($5) with olive oil ganache, hazelnuts, sea salt, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream (they ran out of vanilla, and what's so wrong about chocolate on chocolate anyway?). The dessert was phenomenal. The cake was rich and moist, and the filling wonderfully warm and oozy. The hazelnuts, which were seemingly coated with some sort of brittle, provided a wonderful crunchy contrast to the molten cake. I imagine they'd be addictive even on their own. This dessert is. Worth. Every. Calorie.

Where:
East 55th Street, just off the northeast corner at Lexington from Monday to Friday, 12 noon- 3PM
St. Mark's Place (8th St) and 3rd Avenue from Monday to Sunday, 6PM to 12 midnight

my weekend in polas

Super long post and gratuitous use of Poladroid warning.

I feel like I had a really long weekend because I did so much. And ate so much too. Not a good thing for my figure because I've had to lay off Bikram (my pesky cold would infect everyone extra fast in all that heat and humidity), but whatever. What's the point of working out, if not to enjoy pigging out all the more?

I started the weekend with a totally unnecessary but very enjoyable red velvet cupcake from Buttercup. I was craving for it badly, so I walked through the drizzle to grab one and ate it as I walked home to the Upper East. I figured I was burning calories as I ate so it wasn't so bad.

On Saturday, I went out to see apartments in Union Square, so I also spent some time walking through the outdoor market. I snacked on an Italian cheese stick (ho-hum) from one of the booths and got some handmade spinach ravioli to experiment with at home. I daydreamed of buying fresh herbs but since we're moving and I have a black thumb, I thought it best to spare the adorable mini basil bushes.

Then I realized it was the best time as any to get a haircut, so I trained it down to Chinatown and sat down with Charlie, my main guy at 22 Pell Hair Salon. He hacked off a good 5 inches from my way too long hair and gave me a very layered cut. I don't love it but I like it enough. I'm just glad I don't have to ponytail it anymore. And it cost all of $25 (plus tip) so I'm not complaining. After my cut, I had to stop for bubble tea. I ordered a cold taro green milk tea with pearl tapioca ($4.25) at Green Tea Cafe on Mott between Bayard and Pell. I thought it was pretty good. Bubble drinks in the Philippines are more like milkshakes, but here it really tastes like tea, which I like. And I just loved the consistency of their tapioca balls: soft but firm, and nicely chewy. Yum.

Then I made my way back to Shake Shack, where I met friends for dinner. I was pretty excited because I had never tried Shake Shack before; the line is just too darn intimidating! Thank god for the bubble tea. I wasn't starving in line but I had a healthy appetite when I finally had my burger in hand. I was originally going to get a cheeseburger was convinced that I had to have the 'Shroom Burger ($6.50), so I got that and was not disappointed. There's nothing better than a breaded pattie stuffed with portobello mushroom and melted cheese (supposedly onions too, but I didn't really taste it). The crisp lettuce and tomato gave nice contrast, and even the bun was pretty tasty. My only complaint? It's so small! It's perfect for a small chick like me but I imagine the average man would need about two burgers to feel full. Oh, I also tried the Shakemeister Ale ($5.25), brewed by Brooklyn Brewery especially for the Shake Shack. It's a little hard to appreciate beer from a plastic cup but it tasted pretty good. The hoppy taste was very apparent, and it was not overly bitter, which I like since I'm normally a Hefeweizen drinker. Would definitely order it again.

After dinner we went to 40/40 to watch the Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight, which was, lets face it, really not much of a fight. Hatton hit the mat TWICE on the first round, and surprise surprise, was knocked out before the second round even ended. Manny's untouchable! Filipino pride!!!

I felt kinda bad for the owners of 40/40 for a sec because they probably didn't make back what they had to pay in order to show the Pay-per-view fight there. The Filipino crowd walked out immediately after the fight ended in search of cheaper libation. But then I remembered Jay-Z owned the joint so jeez, who needs to feel sorry for him?

We ended up having martinis at PS 450 and then ended the night with, what else, more food. We went to Yakitori Taisho and gorged on saikoro steak, grilled squid, chicken skin skewers and these phenomenal grilled pork spare ribs ($7.50). Mmmmmmmmm ...

Yeah. It was a good weekend.

late night eats: bereket's doner kebap

A lot of food was consumed last night. A lot. After the Italian extravaganza at Morandi, we went to Wilfie & Nell for drinks and ended up annihalating the thick and meaty french fries, which were so perfect with the malt vinegar. We then moved on to LES to meet some more friends for, what else, lychee martinis at Verlaine. When we finally stumbled out of the bar in a martini-induced haze, we were all craving for a midnight snack. Enter Bereket.

I have a special spot in my heart for Bereket because it's the only place outside of Germany that I've ever been able to get a doner kebap. Doners were our staple post-party grub when I was a party-loving intern in Stuttgart in my early twenties (ouch, it hurts to say that). It's not mindblowing, really; it's essentially a pita stuffed with lamb meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and some wicked special sauce. But something about it is just so amazingly satisfying at 3AM, all the time.

I didn't get to finish mine last night because I was so incredibly stuffed, but it was still so good to be able to bite into a doner to cap off the drinkfest. Yum yum yum ...

Where: 187 E. Houston Street on the corner of Orchard Street

the ktown tour

The dragon roll at Maru

Had the ultimate Ktown evening with Avery, Steve and Dexter involving heaps of Korean BBQ, lychee martinis, shochu, flaming rolls, scotch, fruit plates, karaoke and dancing. You know it was a good night when you find yourselves eating scallion pancakes at a deserted Korean restaurant at 3AM, pondering whether it's a good plan to get a bellboy with a luggage cart to wheel your catatonic friend all the way to his hotel room. I feel strangely well today for someone who only slept 4 hours. I guess I'm not as old as I thought ... more gluttony to come for the rest of the weekend!

rush hour burger bar

"It's food for people man! You drunk, we deliver! You ring, we bring! We're your 1 stop munchies cure! Free late night deliveries."

Sorry to my sweetie for having to post a pic of him annihilating this burger from Rush Hour. I don't even remember having taken a bite of this burger so obviously I didn't have the presence of mind to take a food pic last night. I was pretty incapacitated by those sneaky lychee martinis at Verlaine. What I do remember is walking over to El Castillo de Jagua for a cubano, and the guy literally shutting the door in our face. M*therf***er. I was very upset. So we walked down Ludlow and chanced upon Rush Hour, which is on a mission to feed the hungry and drunk (or in some state of munchie-seeking) late at night. I recall prodding the sweetie to have the French burger ($5.95), which is spruced up with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Again, I don't recall what it tastes like but I can't imagine that a burger with those two ingredients could be anything less than good. Just thought I'd share this late night joint with y'all in case you're ever walking around the LES wondering where to get a late bite after getting your ass kicked by some lychee martinis.

P.S. There's apparently a picture of an inebriated Ben Affleck devouring a burger on their counter. I wish I could say I saw it, but no such luck.

Where: 134 Ludlow Street between Rivington and Stanton

Late Night Snackage

1:28AM and I would love to sink my teeth into some potato & goat cheese pierogies from Stanton Social. Just $8 per plate but these babies are quite possibly the most amazing things on Stanton Social's menu. The pierogies are best eaten with a generous heap of truffle creme fraiche and some of the sweet caramelized onions. Try to eat one and not close your eyes in ecstasy, I dare you.

Where: 99 Stanton Street between Orchard and Ludlow Streets