Shoot First Eat Later

Afternoon Tea at Peacock Alley, The Willard InterContinental Hotel

As a special treat for me since I’ve never experienced the delights of afternoon tea my cousin La invited Sha and me to Peacock Alley at The Willard InterContinental Hotel. They are very well known for their traditional afternoon tea which they have been serving for over a century.

This was the reason why I spent the whole day by myself in Georgetown while my 2 cousins worked in DC. I met them at the hotel at 4:00 pm for our cousin bonding over tea and little sandwiches.

Peacock Alley was literally an alley in between some conference rooms. The place was quite small but all the tables were booked for diners enjoying afternoon tea.

The harpist right beside our table played holiday tunes since we were there last December 2, 2012.

I’ve never had a timer with my tea before. Sosy talaga! The timer was for 3 minutes, their suggested time for my tea to steep. I had the Willard custom blend tea which the server said was their most popular tea.

tea menu

We were served everything on this menu.

sandwiches, scones and pastries menu

This was our afternoon tea good for three people. We actually one of each item on the menu. There was another plate of sandwiches and cakes.

Who wouldn’t enjoy an assortment of yummy pastries?

I loved the cranberry and spiced scones specially with the lemon curd, Devonshire cream, apricot and raspberry preserves.

All the sandwiches were delicious but my favorite was the nutty free range chicken salad on seven grain bread.

The whole experience was very relaxing and sophisticated. You can’t help but relax and enjoy the ambiance, music, and eat slowly savoring each tiny bite.

me with Sha and La

AFTERNOON TEA IN PEACOCK ALLEY
Menu

Days of Operation
Friday – Sunday

Hours of Operation
1:00PM- 4:00PM

Cost of the tea is $39 excluding tax and tip, additional $10 for Glass of Moet Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne.

Willard InterContinental Washington1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20004

Main Phone & Reservations:
(202) 628-9100, (866) 487-2537

Baked and Wired

My real destination in Georgetown was Baked and Wired. It took me a while to find it with only a picture from google map on my iPhone to guide me. But the lure of coffee and cookies made me even more determined to find the place.

I finally found the place tucked along a street lined with beautiful and expensive homes.

The shop was divided into a ‘baked bar’ and the wired side which housed the coffee bar.

They had a really unique and gorgeous way of showing off their wide variety of cupcakes, cookies, bars and biscotti.

Glass beakers never held more precious commodities than these cupcakes.

biscotti anyone?

Since cupcakes don’t hold much temptation for me I was more drawn to the cookies in the big glass jars. I really wanted to buy this double chocolate cookie but I didn’t like my cookies with filling. Yes I’m one of those weirdos who eats an Oreo without the filling. I scrape off the filling and give it to my fat appreciative dog.

I did buy a peanut butter cookie with chocolate filling for my cousin-in-law Chee since he loves peanut butter as much as I do. And boy, did he like this cookie.

peanut butter cookie with chocolate filling

Since I just love Fig Newtons I couldn’t resist buying a couple of these phig newtons. Their web site described these as – whole dates that have been cooked down with sugar,lemon juice, and spices to make yummy goo that is sandwiched in layers of homemade cookie crust. Hmm, I thought Fig Newtons were made with figs?

phig newton

After buying my baked goodies I went to the other side of the store for coffee. I passed by this display of dog treats they call zilla bones. Kudos to Baked and Wired for not neglecting man’s best friend.

zilla bones

They sold coffee made from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Intelligentsia Coffee, two roasters whose coffee I’ve also wanted to try.

coffee menu

This was the only place where they had coffee beans for you to smell before ordering.

All the fans of Baked and Wired show their love with notes on napkins.

I forgot which coffee beans I chose for my drip coffee but whatever it was I was satisfied and happy with it. It was a good reward for a whole day’s worth of walking.

The phig newton was just ok for me. I wanted it gooier and to be honest I expected it to be a whole lot better than the commercial fig newton but sadly it wasn’t. Could it be due to the dates used instead of figs?

drip coffee $1.95 and phig newton $1.50

Next to chocolate or peanut butter my favorite desserts are anything with apples. I’m forever on a quest to find the best apple pie.

I liked the apple caramel bar much better. The apple chunks were crunchy and the buttery caramel provided just enough sweetness to contrast with the tart apples. The oatmeal crust couldn’t have been a better base with it’s crunch and added health benefit.

apple caramel bar $2.75
Granny Smith apples and gobs of homemade caramel on a brown sugar oatmeal crust, topped with more oatmeal crunch.

A cup of coffee and 2 pastries were my brunch for the day. I didn’t eat any real food because I was meeting my two cousins for afternoon tea later in the day. It was enough to tide me over until more carbs. What a wonderful ‘diet-breaking’ day so far.

Baked and Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
[between 30th and 31st Streets, just south of the canal]
telephone: 202.333.2500

New Winter Hours
starting 01.24.12!
[m] 7 am – 7 pm
[t-th] 7 am – 8 pm
[f] 7 am – 9 pm
[sat] 8 am – 9 pm
[sun] 9 am – 7 pm

Dean & Deluca at Georgetown, DC

Having exhausted the suburbs in Virginia, I decided to spend the day in Georgetown, DC for a change.

I went to work with my cousin La and she brought me to the Metro station nearest her office which was Federal Station SW.

Luckily the rush hour was over so we took our time figuring out what ticket to buy. La hasn’t taken the Metro in a while.

The map was more complicated than the one I was used to in Hong Kong but it wasn’t really that complicated. Just figure out what color is the line your stop is on and stick to that line.

From Federal Center SW my destination was Foggy Bottom-GWU on the blue line.

I love the architecture of the Metro station. It had an old world feel.

It was so, so chilly when I got out.

It was more than a mile to the farthest point I walked to in Georgetown but it was an easy and pleasant walk.

I didn’t really have any destination and the stores were the same everywhere else. Then I remembered La telling me that Dean & Deluca had very good scones so that’s where I went.

Can you believe all the scones were sold out? What a bummer!! I looked for something else to buy. I took pictures of all the amazing prepared food they sold. Why don’t they have a branch in the ‘burbs?

I would like a chicken pot pie please.

Hmm $9 for a chicken empanada? Mahal no? These were just normal sized.

All the desserts didn’t affect me until I saw these cookies. It made my heart go flip flop. I wanted to buy the triple chocolate and sea salt chocolate chip but I held on and looked for something different.

This was the first time I saw sushi made with brown rice.

I finally decided on this huge Latte Bar made with dried fruits, nuts, coconut, dulce de leche & chocolate chips.

Latte Bar $4.25

It was just ok for me. It was a bit dry but I enjoyed eating the dried fruits and nuts. It reminded me of trail mix and granola bar combined. I wish I got those cookies instead.

Dean & Deluca
3276 M Street NW, Washington DC 20007
telephon: 202.342.2500

Open Monday – Sunday
Cafe 7am to 9pm
Market 9am to 9pm

Lunch at Ozzie’s Corner Italian

My cousin La and I went to Ozzie’s Corner Italian for a quick lunch because she had a free coupon for dessert. When we got there she realized that she left it at home. No worries I’m sure the food was going to be good since Ozzie’s was a part of the Great American Restaurants chain.

I’ve been to almost half of the restaurants in their group and I enjoyed all my meals there. There’s the unforgettable crab cakes eggs benedict on biscuits from Carlyle, yummy bread and cookies at Best Buns Bread Company and to-die-for lobster roll at Coastal Flats.

I appreciated the coat rack.

We were served their signature fried doughnut holes and foccacia (pictured above). Doughnut holes without glaze are delicious specially when served piping hot.

I had the incredible jumbo lump crab cakes which were prepared a bit differently from the ones I had at Carlyle. These crab cakes had very little fillers and mayonnaise that’s why the patty barely held it’s shape. The star was the sweet, fresh lump crab. Instead of crispy crushed potatoes I had it substituted to all field greens. This entree was very filling and satisfying. I took home one crab cake for my niece Erin.

jumbo lump crab cakes (market price)
crispy crushed red potatoes & field greens

La had the short ribs as I expected. She always orders either duck confit or short ribs. Always. The short ribs were very tender and the gravy was thick, rich and delicious although I still preferred the short ribs I had at Michel the night before. The creamy mascarpone polenta was 10x deadlier than mashed potatoes. Again Erin had a doggie bag of her mom’s leftovers.

beef short rib ragu $19
creamy mascarpone polenta, cippolini onions, wild mushrooms and buttered carrots

Their version of tiramisu was unlike any I’ve ever encountered. Instead of the usual layered dessert theirs was shaped into a roll just like a Ho Ho cake. Just like their entrees dessert was a big American size serving too. We barely ate half before we surrendered. It was richer than the authentic tiramisu but I wasn’t complaining. It was perfect with coffee.

You can imagine Erin’s joy when she came home from school and found a crab cake, short ribs and tiramisu for her snack. Guess what she ate first? The tiramisu. That girl is just like her aunt – a dessert freak.

tiramisu ho ho $7

Ozzie’s Corner Italian
11880 Grand Commons Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22030
telephone: (571) 321-8000

Dinner at Michel at The Ritz-Carlton, Tyson’s Corner

Last November 30 I spent the whole day in Tyson’s Corner Center, a popular mall in Virginia. After shopping I met up with my cousin Sharon for dinner. I wasn’t really hungry but when she mentioned eating at Michel I was suddenly excited.

Having eaten at Michel Richard’s Central, I had even higher expectations for Michel at The Ritz-Carlton. Note: This restaurant closed last February 19, 2012. His restaurants Citronelle and Central are still open though.

The head chef gamely posed for me.

There was purple accent lighting in the restaurant which made the white balance of my pictures really off. I tried my best and still the pictures came out with a strange tint.

Even though I claimed not to be hungry I just had to order the cheese puffs. Even though the puffs weren’t piping hot they were extremely good. The puffs were crisp, hollow and had a strong cheese flavor. There was no scrimping on cheese for these puffs. I had to stop myself from finishing it all. It was so worth the carb overload.

cheese puffs (gougères) $8

I’ve heard so much about their famous short ribs that were cooked for 72 hours in 133F /56C using the sous vide method. The beef was very tender with all the collagen broken down yet it still had a nice bite and beefy texture. I appreciated that the beef didn’t lose it’s flavor to the braising liquid. The red wine sauce highlighted the essence of the beef. This was truly an outstanding homage to short ribs.

short ribs braised 72 hours $36

I requested that the side dish of garlic mashed potatoes be replaced with a side salad but they didn’t allow it. My cousin Sha enjoyed the super smooth, super buttery garlic mashed potatoes. I tried a little and it seemed there was equal parts butter and potatoes. It was too sinful!!!

garlic mashed potatoes

Sharon ordered the lobster burger which I also wanted to try. I didn’t like the lobster burger very much. It reminded me of the lobster ball you eat with shabu-shabu. I prefer lobster roll type sandwiches more.

lobster burger $30

french fries

There were so many desserts to choose from but the waiter suggested the apple four ways and I’m glad I listened to him. The four ways were apple opera,
apple soufflé with caramel sauce, caramelized apple with rice krispies and apple sorbet. I loved all the apple desserts which were made with such detail and packed with tons of flavor. One little bite gave such an intense kick of apple goodness that four little servings were more than enough for the two of us to be very, very satisfied with dessert.

apple four ways $11

My favorite was the creamy apple soufflé that had so much flavor that a good dowsing of buttery caramel sauce only amplified the sharp apple taste.

apple souffle with caramel sauce

Thank you Sharon for the wonderful dinner at Michel. My next trip to DC I want to eat at Citronelle to complete my Michel Richard experience.

Michel (now closed)

The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner

1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA 22102

telephone: 703.744.3999

My Hong Kong Disneyland Experience Day 2

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and the best place to have it is at Enchanted Garden in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

When you dine here you get to meet the Disney characters as they go around the dining area and you can have your picture taken with them.

Enchanted Garden

The restaurant was bright and had a very nice ambiance.

The breakfast buffet cost a reasonable HK$278 per head considering the vast amount of food choices available. There was a hot noodle soup station, egg station, congee, dim sum, Indian specialties, cereal, bread, cheese and so much more.

Mickey waffle

Mickey pancakes

Pluto

For almost a year I’ve been eating only low fat yogurt and fruit for breakfast. This was my first breakfast cheat ever and it was well worth it. The bbq pork pastry, vegetable dumpling and pan fried turnip cake were among the best dim sum I’ve ever eaten in Hong Kong. The quality was really top notch.

my breakfast

Bircher muesli is one of my favorite breakfast food and their version is absolutely divine. I’ve never had bircher muesli with so many different kinds of seeds and sweet raspberries and blueberries. The fig compote added even more texture and flavor to the already perfect muesli. If I wasn’t already too full I would have eaten another bowl.

bircher muesli with fig compote

My friend Elizabeth was raving about how perfectly chilled the fruits were so I had to try some. She was right and it was the sweetest melons I’ve eaten in a long time.

sweetest melons

As soon as we arrived in Disneyland we saw the train arrive so we made a run for it and caught a ride to Fantasyland where we started our second day.

Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad

FANTASYLAND

Our first ride was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I couldn’t believe how long the line was and most of them were adults. Thankfully we had a fastpass and it cut our waiting time drastically.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I didn’t know what to expect in this ride and it turned out to be quite an enjoyable ride as we follow Winnie the Pooh’s search for “hunny.”

Next was the 3D or should I say 4D movie experience. I loved how the food and characters seem to jump at you. But what surprised and delighted me more was the occasional spray of water directed at my face and the delicious smell that wafted in the theater whenever food came out on screen. This was one of my favorite shows.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

I regret missing this ride.

Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup

Each area in the park has it’s own colorful and specially themed restaurant.

Clopin’s Festival of Food

TOMORROWLAND

I loved Space Mountain!!! The first time I rode it was when I was 12 years old in Los Angeles Disneyland. It was just as thrilling as I remembered it.

Space Mountain

Autopia

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

The Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was an interactive ride that put you in the middle of a video game. You can control your car’s direction with a joystick and use the gun to shoot specific targets. Your score shows up on the console

It was way fun! I had a car all to myself and used both guns to shoot as many targets as I can.

Comet Café

Orbitron was another ride that you can control yourself. I was wondering why our car was the only one not going up and down. That was when Elizabeth told me I had to use the control lever in front to move our car up and down. Amazing!

Orbitron

Another show I enjoyed very much was The Stitch Encounter. Even though I haven’t watched the movie Lilo and Stitch I was simply amazed how the animated character on screen spoke and interacted with the audience. I don’t know how they managed to make the character move and speak in sync to the improvised and unscripted repartee between Stitch and the audience. It’s one show you should not miss!!!

The Stitch Encounter

FANTASYLAND

We went back to Fantasyland to take more pictures. Everything looked different at night. The lighting in Disneyland was dramatic and created a different feeling when walking around the park. You really have to experience both daytime and nighttime Disneyland.

‘it’s a small world’

Cinderella Carousel

Sleeping Beauty Castle

I bought this super cute Mickey and Minnie mug so I will remember my fabulous trip to Hong Kong Disneyland every time I drink coffee or tea.

Mickey mugs HK$90

After I bought the mug above I saw these adorable mugs which I also wanted to buy.

Goodbye Disneyland. I had a really, really great time.

For dinner we went back to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and ate at the classy Walt’s Cafe.

Walt’s Cafe

My red martini was made of vodka, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and mango juices. All I can say is more vodka please? 😀

Red Martini HK$75

I’ve never had crusty bread that looked like a popover. The presentation was really unique.

crusty bread

I wasn’t sure whether to order this salad based on the name. It sounded like a heavy salad. It turned out to be much better than I expected. The chicken breast roulade stuffed with crab meat was sublime. I loved the light vinaigrette on the salad greens specially when combined with the pesto and fruits.

chicken breast filled with poached crab meat with
papaya and mango salad HK$128

Elizabeth had the cobb salad which again was presented beautifully.

cobb salad HK$128

I had the miso cod fish. It was thick and well cooked. I adored the flavor of the miso marinade and didn’t even bother with the beurre blanc. It didn’t need any sauce at all.

Pan-Fried Miso of Cod Fish with
Lemon Dill Sauce “Beurre Blanc” HK$248

Our next main course was this magnificent grilled seafood platter for two which had lobster, crab legs, salmon, cod, scallops and squid. I was already too, too full after my salad and fish so I just tried a little of each. Delicious!!!

Seafood Platter for 2 HK$538

It was a good thing the dessert took a while to come out or I couldn’t have eaten it. But then I’m never too full for dessert. The almond apple tart had a strong rosemary flavor that seemed strange in the beginning. We weren’t used to an herb usually used for lamb or beef to be used with a sweet dessert. The creme brûlée ice cream was really good.

Rosemary Almond Apple Tart with Creme Brûlée Ice Cream HK$88

I cannot say it enough. The food at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel rocks!!! From the Chinese food at Crystal Lotus to the heavenly breakfast buffet at Enchanted Garden and fresh seafood at Walt’s Cafe, the excellent food is just one of the many reasons to stay at this hotel. If not for all the walking at Disneyland I would easily have gained 5 lbs.

Thank you again to Cebu Pacific and Hong Kong Disneyland for the fantastic and super duper fun weekend where I released my inner kid again. I never imagined I would enjoy Disneyland so much. There’s really more to eating and shopping in Hong Kong. There’s Disneyland.

Day 1 of my Disneyland adventure

My Hong Kong Disneyland Experience Day 1

Woohoo!! I went to Hong Kong Disneyland for the first time last weekend. It was a whirlwind 2 day stay but we managed to ride and see almost all the attractions.

My day started really early with a flight on Cebu Pacific that was really pleasant and on schedule. From the airport we went straight to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel where we were billeted for 2 nights. Click here for more pictures of the hotel.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

After leaving our luggages in our room and snapping lots of pictures we took the hotel shuttle to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel where we had a scrumptious Chinese lunch at Crystal Lotus restaurant. Click here for pictures of all the yummy food we ate.

Crystal Lotus’ Disney characters dim sum

I was so excited to go to Disneyland right after lunch. In my opinion February is one of the best times to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. The weather was a cool 16-18 C and there weren’t as much people as in summertime.

Here’s our group of bloggers and new friends.

Right after entering the park in the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad at Main Street U. S. A. which we rode on the second day. It took us straight to Fantasyland. It was a nice and easy ride and we saw some animals from the Jungle River Cruise along the way.

We met our friendly tour guides Janice and Danny who took us on an exclusive and VIP tour around the park. We bypassed lines and got special treatment which was very unforgettable. If you want the same experience Disneyland offers this special tour service.

As part of the special tour we got reserved sidewalk space for an up close look at the colorful Flights of Fantasy Parade. All the floats were from different Disney movies and all had moving characters or live people dancing around.

Flights of Fantasy parade

Our next stop was at Adventureland where we took the Jungle River Cruise.

Adventureland – Jungle River Cruise

It was a really entertaining ride for all ages. Our captain was a gregarious fellow who never failed to point out all the realistic animals and lots of special effects.

These ‘men’ on the tree actually moved and yelled.

Fantasyland – it’s a small world

The next ride was at Fantasyland’s it’s a small world where moving and singing costumed dolls representing different countries sang the same song in the local dialect. Here two Filipinas sang “maliit ang mundo”.

We also watched a live show called The Golden Mickeys with singing and dancing from all your favorite Disney characters and with appearances by Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Woody and Jessie, Quasimodo, Stitch and Mulan. It was fun seeing the host Cece change costumes and sing and dance in almost all the production numbers.

The Golden Mickeys

Our final stop for the day was the newly opened Toy Story Land.

Toy Story Land

The bigger than life props and grass made me feel like I was one of Andy’s toys.

There were 3 new rides and the most thrilling was the RC Racer. Only a few in our group dared ride it. Our host Danny explained that sitting in the 1st row will give you the mildest experience while the 5th row was the scariest. Naturally I sat in the 5th row with Jaclyn and Robbie. I was glad that the RC Racer went up the highest only 3 times. Any more than that and my tummy was starting to feel queasy. But I loved, loved, loved the Rc Racer!!

RC Racer

The Toy Soldier Parachute Drop was a more sedate ride perfect for younger kids.

Toy Soldier Parachute Drop

You can tell by all the strollers parked below that Toy Story Land is a must visit attraction for toddlers and kids of all ages. I also enjoyed the Slinky Dog Spin which reminded me of a more sophisticated version of the caterpillar ride of my youth.

Slinky Dog Spin

Dinner was at Corner Cafe. My friend Elizabeth has been to Hong Kong Disneyland many, many times but she has never eaten at Corner Cafe because of the long lines getting a table.

Corner Cafe

We shared the Corner Cafe Cobb salad and were amazed at how fresh the lobster and smoked salmon were. The salad was really, really good. I just wish there were more lettuce. There was also pastrami and cheese slices, cubed chicken breast, hard boiled egg and avocado. It was really a complete meal in itself.

Corner Cafe Cobb Salad HK$188

I never imagined I would find lobster in Disneyland and it was sooooo good! It came with fries, mashed potatoes or rice but since I didn’t want any carbs my plate was bare. But who needs those when you have lobster and tenderloin on a plate.

Surf and Turf HK$298

Everyone was excited to see Cheesecake Factory on the menu and almost all of us ordered this trio of cheesecakes. It had the same name but it wasn’t from the US restaurant that we know.

The Cheesecake Factory HK$98

Sleeping Beauty Castle

We had to interrupt dessert to catch the Disney in the Stars Fireworks show complete with music which made it even thrilling to watch.

Disney in the Stars Fireworks

Good night Disneyland! I’ll be back again tomorrow. Click here for Day 2 of my Disneyland adventure.

Hong Kong Disneyland
Park hours: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

General Admission Ticket (aged 12-64) – HK $399
Child Ticket (aged 3-11) – HK$ 285
Senior Ticket (aged 65 and above) – HK$ 100

Little Pie Company

Before going to the United States I promised myself I will ease up a little with my diet. I was allowing myself to eat cookies, scones, cornbread and apple pie.

I did research where I could find the best apple pie and Little Pie Company in New York City kept popping up. So after lunch at Ping Seafood I requested my cousin Virgil to take me there.

The place was simple and very unassuming.

Coffee is the perfect partner for pies and muffins.

You can whole pies in 5, 8 or 10 inch sizes or even in slices if you just want to try it.

Naturally I bought their bestseller, sour cream apple walnut pie made with Granny Smith apples.

I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of the inside of the pie. That’s what happens with good dessert. I totally forget to take pictures.

The pie had super thin slices of apples and it had a creamy texture. The apples remained crisp and it had a slightly tart flavor from the sour cream which was perfectly balanced with the sweetened crunchy walnut topping.

It was definitely the usual American apple pie. It was so worth our trip. I also bought a small Mississippi Mud Pie which was uber chocolatey. It was good too but I loved the apple pie more.

sour cream apple walnut pie
10 inch: $30.00 8 inch: $22.00 5 inch: $8.00

The previous night our friend Victor drove us to Levain’s so I could stock up on my super duper favorite dark chocolate peanut butter cookies. I wrapped my stash and immediately put them in the freezer in Virginia then in Los Angeles. It’s still in my freezer in Manila waiting for me to enjoy them guilt free. Trust me it will still be as good as the day I bought it.

Levain’s cookies

My cousin Sharon bought this huge loaf of banana chocolate chip bread which must have weighed 5 pounds and cost $40 if I remember right.

Levain’s banana chocolate chip bread

Oh boy, it was dense yet super moist and studded with lots of chocolate. We had it for breakfast for a couple of days. It was great with coffee.

Little Pie Company
424 West 43 Street
(between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10036
telephone: (212) 736-4780

Store Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am-8pm
Sat: 10am-8pm
Sun: 10am-6pm

Levain Bakery167 W 74th St #A, New York, NY 10023, USA
telephone: 212-874-6080

Dim Sum Lunch at Ping Seafood Restaurant

For our last meal in New York City we had dim sum in Chinatown with my cousins Virgil and Jerome.

The special dishes looked really good but we stuck to regular dim sum.

The dim sum was just average. The ones at Jin Fong were a lot better.

BBQ pork puff pastry

shrimp dumplings

spareribs

chicken feet

steamed rice rolls

ham sui kok

pork siu mai

tofu fa beancurd pudding

We seem to be always ordering the same dim sum dishes every time! It didn’t matter if the food was good or not. The important thing was I got to visit my 2 cousins who were based in New Jersey. I can’t believe I forgot to take their pictures. I have to consciously remember to take more people pictures next time. I find taking pictures of food so much easier.

Ping Seafood Restaurant
22 Mott St New York, NY 10013-5033
telephone: (212) 602-9988

Dinner at DGBG Kitchen & Bar

I know I promised a post on Hong Kong Disneyland but I had hundreds of pictures to sort and edit so I’ll just continue with my trip to New York City last November.

I’ve always wanted to try the food of Daniel Boulud so I checked the menus of all his 8 establishments in New York. DGBG Kitchen and Bar was one of the most affordable and it was the only one I could get a reservation at short notice.

We arrived at 8:00 almost an hour late for our reservation because of NYC traffic. The place was jam packed. We met our NY based HS classmate Bea there for dinner.

The ladies restroom had really interesting wallpaper. I probably stayed in there longer than I should have.

The restaurant was really, really dark. I’m surprised my pictures came out not bad considering I didn’t use flash and there was barely any ambient lighting. I really love the 20mm/F1.7 lens of my Panasonic GF3.

The restaurant had 14 varieties of house-made sausages. We wanted to try a lot of them but decided on the beaujolaise which had the following as ingredients – pork, mushrooms, onion, bacon & red wine and was served with lentils du puy. It was an interesting appetizer to share.

beaujolaise sausage $14

I tried a bit of La’s soup and was floored on how good it was. The first taste was a zing of tart flavors and immediately followed with the sweetness of the spaghetti squash all in a buttery smooth soup. The pumpernickel croutons, caraway cream and pumpkin seed oil added even more depth and complexity to the soup. It was really was on the best soups I’ve ever had.

butternut squash soup $9

For her main course La had the frisée salad with poached egg, chicken liver,duck confit, lardons, sourdough croutons.

frisee Lyonnaise $14

I’ve never had skate fish before so Bea gave me some to try. I was amazed that the texture was just like crab. The simple sauce made with brown butter, lemon and capers was just perfect with the fish.

grenobloise crusted skate $25

My burger was made of a 6 oz beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon and mustard. Instead of fries I asked with a green salad.

The burger was absolutely delicious and decadent. It was definitely worth $17. The salad was a tad wilted though.

the Frenchie burger $17

We ordered the baked Alaska for my 10 year old niece to see and try. It turned out that the flames weren’t enough to evaporate the strong alcohol so she wasn’t able to try it at all.

baked Alaska $18

Even the soufflé was heavily liquored up with armagnac and served brandied dried plums.

souffle chaud $10

Overall everyone was happy with my choice of restaurant. Even Bea hadn’t eaten here before. Thanks for treating us Bea. See you again soon!

DGBG Kitchen & Bar
299 Bowery New York, NY 10003
(212) 933-5300