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7 posts tagged Chinatown
King’s Noodle Restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown…#happiness!
Ok, so I have been going to this restaurant since I was a little one. I am visiting Toronto for the weekend, so whenever I am home I always try to get this spot in.
King’s Noodle Restaurant is a Cantonese restaurant. It is always packed! Food moving and grooving all around you…wontons being boiled, rice noodles being steamed and rolled, Chinese donuts being fried, bbq whole pigs and ducks making their way through the dining room to the front window where they are beautifully displayed and carved to order;)
I love this place! I love the smells, the colors the energy and most importantly…the food.
I ordered up some the classics…wonton noodle soup with egg noodles, Chinese donuts, broccoli with oyster sauce, and some bbq duck over some steamed white rice. Just as a side note…the congee looked great and was another popular dish being served at this restaurant (p.s. the chinese donuts are meant to be dipped into the congee..cool!)
Wonton noodle soup
Chinese donuts
Chinese donuts cut up and ready to eat.
BBQ duck over steamed white rice
Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
After stuffing face we took a stroll through Chinatown and then to Kensington, probably one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. Saw some incredible Vietnamese Banh-mi shops right beside the restaurant…I need to head back soon…very soon!
A couple cool spots in Chinatown. I LOVE that I live next door :)
Needed a pick me up yesterday. I love exploring Chinatown and finding those hidden gems.
The first thing I noticed was this awesome cart! It’s called “Yao’s Dragon Beard”. Intriguing…
The genteleman behind the cart was pulling a hot glucose/corn syrup mixture. He was pulling it until it started to form thin, hairlike strands. To stop the strands from sticking he would press it into rice flour..cool… he then breaks off 2 inch pieces, places it in the palm of his hand and sprinkles in some coconut and crushed peanuts, then rolls it up. What an awesome little treat! Its like eating a cloud. So light! I would recommend putting it all in your mouth at once, let it melt and then eat the coconut and peanuts at the end. yummy.
After my beard candy I made my way over to one of my favorite little bakeries New Wing Wah Bakery INC. This place is always packed and has the best steamed buns! I love the black and red bean. :) There are also savory options like sausage and pork and vegetable. Each bag costs around $4.00. There are also other treats in this store like lotus seed pie, black bean pie, preserved egg crisp..if your feeling adventurous etc.
Last but not least I had myself some bubble milk black tea across the street at Quickly. The tapioca balls inside were so satisfying and the black tea flavor was perfect!
Every spot on this little food crawl is on the same block, Grand st btwn Bowery and Chrystie. If you just so happen to be in Manhattans Chinatown I would highly recommend stopping in.
New Malaysia in Chinatown
Just finished lunch and had to blog about it right away. Fantastic!
Went to New Malaysia. A small Malaysian eatery in the middle of Chinatown, Manhattan. I love how it is hidden in a little alley. My kind of spot! Ordered roti cinai (cause its my fave!) Belacan fried anchovies (ikan Bilis) and Asam stingray in Banana leaf, no Malaysian meal is complete without some stingray.
Roti Cinai: is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia and Indonesia. Served with a curry sauce.
Belacan fried anchovies: These shrimp paste (belacan means shrimp paste) covered anchovies came crispy, crunchy and extremely salty! The anchovies were then sauteed with some sliced onions and served just like that. This dish is what is eaten in Malaysia while drinking beer. I guess fried anchovies in Malaysia are what pretzels are in America ;0
Asam stingray in banana leaf: the stingray is covered with a sauce made of tamarind juice, garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, dried chilis, dried shrimp paste (belacan) and chili paste. Wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled on hot charcoal. Served this with fresh lime and some sliced onions. ugh!!! One of my favorite dishes!! Ate it with some coconut rice. Happiness!
Hot Pot in Chinatown….LOVED
Had Hot Pot for the first time last night..so much fun! We went to a spot called Grand Sichuan. Go with a bunch of your friends and just order a variety of goodies for the table. Please try at least one crazy ingredient. Ours was tripe..delicious!
Some of the dishes..shiitake, tripe and tofu skins
We each got our own little bowl and put in a little bit of the garlic oil and fermented tofu paste. Then we mixed in a bit of each broth. One being very mild and the other having Sichuan and chili peppers infusing into it (this means spicy!!).
After putting together a little broth for yourself, we then placed in the protiens and some of the veg into the boiling broth in the middle of the table.
Once cooked, take it out and eat it in your broth. You keep doing this until all the ingredients are done and then you drink your broth.
It was a lot of fun and really delicious! My favorites were the tofu skin, pea shoots and the sliced lamb. Yum!
San Francisco food crawl!
Here is what went down on my very first day in San Francisco
Walked into this incredible Middle Eastern store on my way to Tartine:
The gentleman that owns this store is from Palestine and he carries goods from all over the Middle East. Check it out! Fresh dates and fresh figs.
There where beautiful hookahs and artifacts all over the store. The spice blends where awesome!
He carried 3 different kinds of Za’atar!! Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese. How cool! Some varieties may add savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed. One distinctively Palestinian variation of za’atar includes caraway seeds, while a Lebanese variety sometimes contains sumac berries, and has a distinct dark red color.
Date and rose ice cream!
Halva, The primary ingredients in this confection are sesame seeds or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey.
Made our way to Tartine and got the Mixed Berry Brioche Bread pudding..;) and the Pain au Jambon, a ham and gruyere cheese croissant..this one took the cake for me. Have not had such a delectable croissant in a long time.
Eden excited about being in Tartine..ha! so sad!
Started walking to Chinatown and came across Swans Oyster Depot…COULD NOT PASS THIS UP!
Got a dozen oysters, seafood cocktail and beers. Loved that they served Boudin sourdough. This bread was GOOD! A little butter sprinkle of salt..delicious!
Chinatown was incredible!
There was this bakery called Golden Gate fortune cookies. It smelt so yummy and sweet in there. The freshly made cookies were coming out of a machine and the women were placing the fortune inside and folding them over. They placed them into these little molds and remove them once they cooled down and hardened.
Stumbled into a little teahouse by accident where the owner was feeding us cup after cup of teas from China that have different health benefits. One was even a baby making tea..ha ha! For anyone struggling to have a baby…head to Vital Tea-leaf.
He was totally playing around with us, at one point he made every man in the room stand up and salute him, making them promise to treat their women like Queens. I like this guy!
Got ourselves some Sichuan noodles served with a peanut and chili sauce after at Z&Y restaurant..really good.
By this point the food consumption of the day was getting a little intense, so headed to the SFMoma and saw DearHoof perform.. What a day! It was awesome!
I love San Francisco!
First day down..3 more to go! Yeeha!
Lam Zhou Handmade Noodles..A great way to enjoy a rainy day.
I woke up this morning on a mission: must eat noodle soup (this rainy weather is getting me in the mood;). Lam Zhou Handmade noodle is what I found. It had everything I was looking for and more.
I ordered the first thing on the menu, beef noodle soup. The beef broth was rich and the noodles were bouncy and fresh. Watching the gentleman in the front pull and form the tender noodle strands made for an incredibly special experience. The slapping of the noodle on the marble counter added the perfect sound effect and for a moment there I really felt like I was backpacking in China. I am such a nerd!
The man at the next table took a liking to me and kept handing over all the different accompaniments he recommended I add to the soup. He was so sweet. After watching him put a couple tablespoons of chili oil into his soup while sweating profusely and spitting out bones all over the counter, I took his lead. I love this kind of stuff! I added in some chili oil and started spitting my bones everywhere. I got a big smile for that one. ;)
It is so entertaining sharing food experiences with the people around you. Please find a place close to you that hand pulls noodles. You will love it - oh, and please let me know when you do. I’ll add it to my list ;) x
Malaysian Chicken Satay on a Tuesday
Have you ever had Malaysian food?!?!? I had it for the first time last year and have had a love affair with it ever since. I found some great spots in the city such as, New Malaysia Restaurant in Chinatown, Manhattan and Taste good Malaysian cuisine in Elmhurst, Brooklyn, which I have already done a blog post on (check it out;)).
One of my favorite dishes is chicken satay with peanut sauce. I was able to re-create my own version last night at home. I did not have a grill so I skipped out on the skewers. This dish is traditionally served with a cucumber and onion salad.
After doing a bit of research I realized there are many interpretations of this dish. This is the one that I put together and I have to say..it was freakin delicious!!
Malaysian Chicken Satay
5 large shallots
2 lemongrass, cut up
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons peanut oil
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 chicken breast, sliced length ways, to 1/2 inch sliced strips
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
½ cup water
bamboo skewer, soaked in water
Directions:
Blend the shallots, lemongrass, garlic, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, cumin, salt and vegetable oil together in a blender until a fine paste. Get a pan hot with the peanut oil and fry the paste on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly (tends to stick to the pan, be careful not to burn), add the the freshly squeezed lime juice and the brown sugar. Mix and let cook on medium low heat for another 5-7 minutes. The mixture should look brown and thick. Let the mixture cool to room temp. Take out 3 tablespoon of the paste and coat the chicken pieces. Cover and let marinate for 4-6 hours or if you have time over night..these guys are best after a nights worth. If grilling, place on soaked bamboo skewers and grill. If not then get a heavy bottom pan hot and pan sear.
Before
After…
After cooking..
Peanut Sauce
Take the rest of the paste and mix with peanut butter, soya sauce, fresh ginger and water stir together and top with roasted ground peanuts.
Serve the chicken satays with the peanut sauce and the cucumber salad on the side.
This dish is great for dinner partays!!! Try it out! So easy and so special!
