Sugar Rush'ed...

...for the week at Serious Eats New York. Plus, a stop at the new Village Tart in Soho, Led Zeppole in the East Village, and lunch at Carteles ^_^
The Dessert Files: Village Tart...
...where I found olive oil madelines...
...and grapefruit tarts!
Sugar Rush: Spiced Hot Chocolate at Locanda Verde
First Look: Led Zeppole...
...it was all about the fried (funnel cakes)...
...fried (zeppoles)...
...fried (cream stuffed zeppoles)!
Lunch for one: Carteles
Sugar Rush: Balthazar's Hot Ginger Citrus Tea
Sugar Rush: Maialino's Olive Oil Muffin
Sugar Rush: Mud Cake at Rye House
Sugar Rush: Ceci-Cela's Pear Tart

Happy Friday! ^_^

Back in NYC, Spotted Pig with Kathryn

Thank you for all the comments on the last post!! ^_^ It's a shame I cannot teleport between NYC and Hawai'i...how delicious would that life be??

I've been taking photos less frequently since I got back to NYC, trying to wean myself from this "addiction". First it pained me to let meals go to "waste" by not having photographic evidence...but now, it's sort of nice to just oooh over a dish and dive in, without pulling out the dslr and snapping away.

However, I do get occasional pangs from non-camera-use-remorse ...last night I had dinner with Pierre at Pylos, a gorgeous Greek restaurant in the East Village. Towers of thinly sliced and fried eggplant and zucchini, a side of tzatziki. Thick cuts fresh squid, deep fried. And then we moved onto plate of lamb chops with mini stuffed eggplants and potatoes, then buttery rounds of poached salmon (raw at center) over spinach-rice pilaf. Sun-dried tomato and olive sauce to finish. A bottle of wine...

...And not a single photo. But on the flip side, the restaurant was crowded, tightly packed, it would have been awkward to shoot away. And to be honest, dinner is all the more lovely when you don't have to go "can you pass this one here? ok let me just grab a quick photo. ok, now this one. oh wait! hold it still!" Hahaha.

I'm still trying to find a happy balance between taking/not-taking photos.

But till then -> lunch with Kathryn at Spotted Pig - one of my first proper lunches of 2010! ^_^
We started with the Deviled Eggs (which Kenji coincidentally wrote about in NY Mag on the same day)...
...and then shared the special appetizer of the day, Prosciutto Fritters...
...unfortunately there were more greens than prosciutto in there...but still ono!
And then we split their signature Burger with Roquefort Cheese...
...man those shoestring fries are killer, especially all tangled up with the rosemary ^_^

The Spotted Pig
314 West 11th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 620-0393

Last Hawai'i Post For This Trip: Fort Ruger Market and Waiola's

I've been back in NYC for the past month, haha, but there was so much Hawai'i eating to do. My aunt and uncle from Paris are visiting Hawai'i in early summer...so I might go back to meet up with them then!

Below, Hawaiian plate lunch time at Fort Ruger Market with Shann, Kelly, and Steph ^_^
Here's the menu...plenty options!
We got "Plate A"...which comes with a little (a lot, actually ;) of everything. Clockwise from top left: Kalua Pig, Lau Lau, two scoops rice, Haupia, Lomi Lomi Salmon, and Pipikaula. So ono!
Here's a closer look at the LauLau and Kalua Pig.
We also got Li Hing Mui Icee...
...and dug into the musubi basket...
...for a Fried Rice Spam Musubi!
And then we went to the happiest place on earth: Waiola's.
Shann's order of Lychee Shave Ice with Condensed Milk...
Kelly used to come here so much that they already know her order! She doesn't even have to order! She just goes up to the counter, and its like magic...a large Rainbow Shave Ice with Azuki Beans appears.
The Azuki bowl is my favourite (also very filling haha)...and extra delicious when you get it with condensed milk. Steph got the same thing with different syrup flavours. So here you go: Lilikoi and Green Tea Shave Ice with Azuki Beans, Mochi Balls, and Condensed Milk.

And that's all of Hawai'i for now ^_^ See you back in NYC for the next post!

Fort Ruger Market
3585 Alohea Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-4531

Waiola's
2135 Waiola Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96805
(808) 949-2269

Hawai'i: Kaka'ako Kitchen

Quick dinner at Kaka'ako Kitchen before heading off to the movies with my mom. Furikake Tempura Catfish plate. I usually get this or the Fried Mahi Sandwich (on a taro bun with curly fries!). The Catfish is fried in a furikake speckled tempura batter and served with ponzu sauce on the side.
Cannot forget the mac salad and rice! ;) I try to eat as much mac salad as possible whenever I am home...near impossible to find good mac salad on the mainland.
Something was severely off with the bread pudding this time. Pudding was hard, just very hard. And the creme anglaise, gloppy. Too old maybe? I've mentioned on more than one occasion that this is my favourite bread pudding. Hopefully it was just a one-time fluke. If not...then...well... :(

Kaka'ako Kitchen
1200 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
(808) 596-7488

Hawai'i: Thang's

Still the best avocado smoothie in town ^_^
Remember these posts? And this one too.

Thang Coffee & Bubble Tea
1120 Maunakea Street
Maunakea Marketplace
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

Hawai'i: Makino Chaya

Hello, buffet time! This time we're at Makino Chaya in Aloha Tower.
Only in Hawai'i do I enjoy buffets this much. I have yet to visit a buffet on the mainland...
Lots of sushi, lobster and steak to order. Hot crepes and mini cakes for dessert. It's gone downhill since my last visit (when they were still located on King Street), but so long as the ikura is still good, I am happy.

Makino Chaya
1 Aloha Tower Dr
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 585-6360

Hawai'i: Lewers Lounge @ the Halekulani

At the bar with the super wonderful and sweet Farida. Lewers Lounge at the Halekulani. A few cocktails, and out comes a plethora of sweets. Lychee sorbet, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate souffle and vanilla bean ice cream. The best part were these mini lilikoi puffs that arrived at the end of the night. Little nibbles of the sweet sort, bursting with local fruit and cream.

People on the mainland might be more accustomed to the name passion fruit in place of lilikoi ;)

Lewers Lounge
2199 Kalia Road
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 923-2311

Hawai'i: Champion Malasadas

Nighttime malassadas with my mom (she really is the best ^_^) at Champion Malasadas. Made to order and only $.60 apiece. $.60!!! How awesome is that for something made to order?

Piping hot, we ate them in the car with the windows down. Steamy! Sugar dusted and super crispy on the outside. They're lighter than I remembered. Malassadas put other forms of fried dough to shame ;)
And one Guava Chiffon Cake for the hour after. Just one more reason to love Hawai'i.

Champion Malasadas
1926 S Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-8778

Sugar Rush'ed...

...for the week at Serious Eats New York. Plus, lunch for one at Kiva Cafe and McNally Jackson Cafe ^_^
Lunch for One: McNally Jackson Cafe. Congrats to Michi and Yen of Lunch Studio for the awesome redesign of the cafe space!
Lunch for One: Kiva Cafe. Lots of Tribeca moms + babies in strollers here ^_^
Sugar Rush: Blueberry Cookies at Luke's Lobster. The blueberry crumb cake will be available this coming weekend.
Sugar Rush: Caramel Crepes at Buenos Aires. The finish to a wonderful sweetbread, blood sausage, and steak dinner with Pierre.
Sugar Rush: Vietnamese Coffee at RBC NYC. Mmm indeed ;) Will be back to try all the cookies from Downtown Cookie Co.
Sugar Rush: Pretzel Bark at Bespoke Chocolates. Like the pretzel caramels, minus the caramel.
Sugar Rush: Ennju's Matcha Pudding. Also a good spot for sushi take-out near Union Square.
First Look: DT Works, The Dessert Truck Store. Menu here. Cheesecake and caramel here.

Have a great weekend :)

Hawai'i: Coffee or Tea?

My grandma's favourite dessert comes from Coffee or Tea in the McCully Shopping Center. Plush, little sponge cake rolls stuffed with cream. Sold in sets of 12 for $7.
The soft chocolate rolls comes with cherry speckled cream. Aren't they just too cute for words? ^_^
And the vanilla scented rolls have plain whipped cream. Clean and simple.

Happy Friday!

Coffee or Tea?
McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 942-4357