Pocha 32

I've heard good things about Pocha, things like it's a great place to hit up when you're drunk and have the munchies. Pocha is a Korean joint that gives off a really casual atmosphere, casually enough to sit back, relax and get wasted. Lines can get really long especially when it gets later into the night. But I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

Been here twice already and both times my group ordered the Watermelon Soju. Basically a hollowed out half watermelon that contains watermelon juice, soju and some club soda. It's pretty fun when you drink out of bowls also, which is all they give you so don't ask for cups/glasses. They usually water down the watermelon soju which plays no affect on us so we would order bottles of Chamisul or Chum Churum aka soju and pour it into the watermelon. Their yogurt soju is really good as well.

With all that drinking, there has to be food. Pocha is really well known for their casseroles. Nice and piping hot, great for the colder weathers but it's good in the dead of summer also because they occasionally have air vents and circulation running through the joint.

A lot of places serve budae jigae, a smaller version of the Budae Jungol which they serve here. Consisting of a lot of random things, it's very comforting after 5+ shots of soju. I love the spicy broth and the bits and pieces that gets crushed and breaks down at the bottom of the pot. Do not waste the soup!

One of our friends wanted pork and he decided on the BBQ Pork. It wasn't anything special, felt a bit jipped since there wasn't much pork. Flavor was a bit off and it felt like they forgot to season it. But when you're tipsy and happy, you pretty much have no idea what you're eating, but you'll eat it.

I forgot what exactly happened but I think someone wanted pork belly but they didn't exactly just have pork belly but they had it with kimchi, and we ordered it anyways! The Kimchi and Pork Belly Stir Fry was definitely not what we expected but it was good. Spicy good. I really dig the tofu that came with it, flip it fast enough and you'll crisp each side.

Pocha is one of those boozey and loud places. They have fish nets all around the restaurant and you can write little notes on the chopstick covers or napkins and stick it through the fish nets. Service is average and you need to hail down the waiters/waitresses when it gets later into the night. Don't expect them to come to you and ask how you're doing. One thing though, just be careful of the stairs when you leave.

Pocha 32
15 W 32nd St - 2nd Fl
New York, NY 10001
(212) 279-1876

Lunchin' Solo: Tanaka - Lunch Box

Tanaka is really close to my office and my coworkers always order from here. I finally gave in and tried out their lunch box because it was the biggest bang for you buck kind of deal.

I ordered from Seamless and it said it would be ready in 10 minutes. There was a lot of food for about $10 (I also used a code so it was cheaper than the original price). The entree came with soup and salad which was already more than enough.

I haven't had Miso Soup in forever, this wasn't bad but I also forgot how salty it can be also. I always like the pieces of tofu that came with it. There was also a small side salad with the ginger dressing but I passed on that since I want to be able to eat my box.

I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki. Everything was placed really neat in the box. Salmon was really tender and had just the right amount of sauce, there was also some grilled vegetables on the bottom. The fried dumplings were really good too, still crunchy by the time I picked it up and brought it back to the office. Best of all? Was actually the California Roll, I'm not a big fan of it because it's just a simple roll with imitation crab meat, cucumbers and avocado, but for some reason Tanaka makes it really well.

I would order this again on days that I'm starving or want a bento box. For midtown, the quality is quite good. Usually, I can't justify the price to what I'm getting in Manhattan because I always find it more worth it to get the same thing in Brooklyn for a cheaper price. But this was far better than I expected, apparently not a lot of people agree. Should give this place a go for lunch, you won't be disappointed.

Tanaka
222 E 51st St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 308-6976

Il Corallo Trattoria

I've been to Il Corallo Trattoria twice already within a month. And yes, J and I are quite addicted to this place.

It was first introduced to us from our hair stylist (and yes, we go to the same salon and have the same hair stylist also), we actually sat at his salon for a good 10-15 minutes trying to find the place he was talking about on our phones, it was quite hilarious. Immediately after finding it, J and I had to go try it. According to our hair stylist, the price was cheap compared to city prices and the food was delicious. I pulled up the menu and saw they had endless amounts of pasta dishes - I need my pasta fix!

Il Corallo has a similar vibe to Bianca but a lot more laid back and casual. We got there around 2pm (for both times) and got seated right away.

The bread with olive oil and balsamic was really good. I like how dense the bread is so it can soak up the yummy oil. Each table had their own bottle of olive oil and balsamic so you can just pour away.

I ordered the Elderflower and Lychee Spritz which was very refreshing. Felt like I was cleansing myself - internally, it's nice to steer away from alcohol once in a while.

J had the Grapefruit Spritz which was good also, not a bit bitter and you can't really tell it was grapefruit.

Appetizer was the Bocconcini, a really nice light salad. The mozz was amazing, thank god we get to have two to ourselves. They also have prosciutto somewhere inside and pieces of shaved parmesan, one of the best starter plates I've had in a long time.

As for entree, we each had our own pasta. J ordered the Fusilli Tiberio because he likes fusilli, this dish wasn't creamy but it had a nice heavy flavor and aroma with it. What I liked was the lamb chunks, generous amount with nice artichoke hearts also.

I had to get the green noodles just because our hair stylist was raving about it. It was good but too creamy for me. The Fettuccine Molisane was filling and I really liked the texture of the pasta, a bit chewy and interesting to eat. There were a lot chicken chunks, my complaint would be that the mushrooms were sliced too thin, I can't find them!

After everything, we were stuffed but when the waiter came over and told us about dessert, we couldn't say no.

Oh my god, the Homemade Tiramisu was absolutely the best dessert I've ever had. So light and perfect. The mascarpone cheese was so fluffy and not too overly sweet. The cocoa on top didn't stick to the roof of my mouth, the lady fingers were entirely soaked in espresso leaving it un-soggy. Amazing! This is a must get, must!!!

So our meal, which was lunch literally felt like dinner. We had food coma after stepping out of the restaurant but that didn't stop us from coming back 2 weeks later.

We saw fresh pizza being made in the back and had to order it. Went with Pizza Napolitana because it was simple and we sort of learned from our lesson from the first time we were here. It was a decent size and it's enough to feed a person and have him/her be stuffed. We shared this (although I didn't really want to) and it's a lot better to eat it quick because it gets cold fast. The pizza had a really thin crust so it was really easy to just down like 3 pieces in less than 5 minutes.

Besides for pizza, we ordered the Cappellini Limone to share because we knew 1) the pizza wasn't enough and 2) if we ordered 2 pasta and the pizza we would most likely die. The pasta was so lemon-y good. Really light, a lot better than the creamy sauce. Wish I could've ate this all myself (haha, I hope J doesn't see this) and the pizza also...

I really don't want to rave so much about this place because we really want there to be less people coming here, we need tables for ourselves! But because I want to share the love, this is definitely a spot to go if you're looking for a place to take a date and you're a sorry broke ass person. It'll work, the lady will be impress.

Il Corallo Trattoria
172 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 941-7119

Bluestone Lane Coffee -- Midtown

About a month ago, I was on a crazy rampage with coffee. Basically that week I came back from skydiving, I drank a whole weeks worth of coffee, mainly lattes.

Literally each day of the week I had coffee from a different place. Then I somehow landed upon Bluestone. It just opened near my office so I had to try it.

Apparently, they were really well known for their Flat White and knowing me, I was curious. Bluestone is an Australian based coffee shop and a flat white is the Australian signature "latte." They are similar but the flat white is described as a more velvety and smoother coffee with a lower content of milk so you can taste the coffee even more.

First sip and I was in love. I really enjoyed the flat white and it was perfect with just one pack of raw sugar for my liking. It was $4.25 for the large which isn't a bad price. Heck, I would dish out more for something like it because it tasted perfect. There isn't a lot of flat whites in NYC so I'm glad that there's one right by me, I hope these Australian coffees are able to spread around NYC because they are just that fantastic.

Bluestone also carries pastries, like the croissant from Bathlazar. Nice and flaky with a hint of butter. But, $2.75 was a bit steep for a croissant. I did enjoyed it while it lasted...only 1.5 minutes haha

For now, Bluestone is my go-to place for a flat white. How can I say no when it's just so convenient.

Bluestone Lane Coffee
805 3rd Ave
Atrium
New York, NY 10017
(212) 888-8848

Cocoron -- Little Italy

Cocoron opened up a second location not too far from its original shop. J and I have been to the one on Delancey and it's always packed with people. We were hoping that the new location would be different and it was.

We came during lunch and it was pretty empty. The atmosphere was very similar to the Delancey location (barely any a/c) but food and decor was no different than their mother shop.

After looking at the menu which was filled with different sobas, we started with some appetizers. Shuto was J's choice, it was raw tuna liver with cream cheese. Very pungent, it also had that fermented scent and taste to it. Really salty and is definitely an acquired taste so beware!

I chose something on the safer side, Pork and Okara Croquettes were very delicate and delicious. Minced pork and potato mashed together and rolled into a ball to deep fry, really like the sweet and salty dipping sauce that came with it.

I had the Cold Zaru Soba. One of my all time favorites and also the simplest form of soba available. All I need is the soba noodles and the soy dipping sauce and I'm a happy camper. The best part would be the hot broth that's given to you at the end; pour it into the remaining soy dip and voila, you got yourself some soup to wash everything down. I also got a side of kimchi, really good. It's different than the average Korean kimchi because this is a lot sweeter.

J had the Japanese Chicken Style Curry Dip Soba. The dip sobas are usually the fun kind to eat since you get to dip it. He got a poached egg as his side because he loves the runny yolk.

I'm glad Cocoron opened another location because the other one was getting too stuffy and the long wait can get ridiculous at times. The new location at Kenmare is just as good and has a lot less people. At least I get my food quicker.

Cocoron
37 Kenmare St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-0800

Bocca Lupo - glass windows throughout but it didn't make up for it

It was one of those nights again where J and I don't know where to go for dinner. This time we decided to try out Brooklyn. Since we always eat in the city, a change of scenario would be good. I really wanted pasta and somehow searching on the internet, Bocca Lupo came up. Menu didn't seem too bad so we gave it a shot.

Presentation was nice but I found it a bit hard to take the rope off. J just slid it off while I literally sat there and undid the knot.

The drinks weren't too bad but it felt a bit watered down. I would rather stick with their wine selections than order these cocktails again.

We had two appetizers, the Misti Antipasti (lower left) and the bruschettas (upper left). The bruschettas were a bit disappointing, the flavor was dull and there wasn't much excitement to the taste palette. The Misti Antipasti was pretty good. For once, I didn't really care for the meats, but the cheese really stood out, especially the brie, really creamy and delicate tasting and worked really well with the candied walnuts.

Entrees were disappointing also. I wanted pasta and the only pasta they had was their special, which was the Swiss Chard Dumpling. Tasted very much like gnocchi but literally looks like miniature cucumbers. Didn't really like the texture much but the flavor of the sauce was good. That goes the same for J's dish, the Tuscan Spareribs Stewed in Tomato Sauce. This would've been perfect over a simple pasta like spaghetti.

Overall, not a flattering meal. Most likely would not return but I do like how the place looked.

Bocca Lupo
391 Henry St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 243-2522

Bassanova Ramen - you don't need much to be much

J and I first read about Bassanova and their ramen burger in the magazine and online, hoping they would have it when we got there but instead they said they'll have it by the end of the month. Still wanting to try Bassanova out since it opened in the midst of Chinatown, we were curious how this place would work in such an inexpensive area. Mind you, their ramen average about $14 a bowl, it's expensive considering you can get a bowl of noodles around the corner for about $5.

We chose to sit by the bar, facing the open kitchen where the chefs were putting together the bowls of ramen. There were mountains of different size bowls in front of us making the preparation hard to see.

Different sizes for different type of ramen. They only have 3 dishes on the menu when we went but I heard they increased it to 6 now, including the dipping style ramen.

The utensils given to us were huge. The chopsticks were twice the size of your average chopstick and the spoon was heavy, made with true porcelain . But it was fun using these to slurp up my ramen anyways.

J had the Green Curry Ramen. The bowl was big, not much was packed in it but everything was really good. Green curry was definitely something different in the ramen industry. When it comes to green curry, we think of Thai and southern Asian countries so the medley with ramen brings it to a new level. The wavy ramen was delicious and fun to eat. There isn't much broth so when you order kae-dama (more ramen) that might be a problem but by itself, finishing the ramen and broth is easy-peasy, if you can handle the heat.

I had the Tondaku Wadashi Jilu Ramen, simple yet flavorful. The broth was rich and the straight noodles were cooked al dente. Even though I was only served a slice of pork, it was nicely charred and had a really good smoke to it. Bamboo shoots were also really good, wished they gave more than just 3 strands. Yes, there's the problem of "not enough" broth again but realistically, how many people actually finishes the broth in a big bowl of ramen that has more than half a bowl of broth - not much.

I'm waiting for more items on their menu to return, especially the ramen burger.

Bassanova Ramen
76 Mott St
New York, NY 10013

BCD Tofu House - I like it when I get my own

BCD was re-opened after a long close and it's better than ever. They have long lines and also a long wait, anywhere from 20-60 minutes long. J and I had to wait a good 20 minutes for a table of two. We were seated in the back, they even had a second floor. The good thing about this BCD is that they give you a restaurant pager, when it buzzes, you know it's time for you to chow down.

When coming to BCD, you must get their soondubu. A pot full of tofu, spices, and your choice of meat. They have a big variety here, there's your regular pork or beef, kimchi, seafood and then there's curry and abalone for the more adventurous. Spice levels ranging from none to the extreme.

After ordering, the banchan or little side dishes were placed on our tables, they're unlimited so don't be afraid to flag down the waiters/waitresses to get more. We each had a fried fish, deliciously fried. Crunchy on the outside but the meat was moist and flaky on the inside. Usually you only get one grilled fish and it's usually the mackerel but here, you get your own and I can tell you, it's not mackerel here.

The fish is small but it's a good appetizer. Any bigger and you won't be able to eat your entree. Kimchi was good also, the other banchans were a bit underwhelming.

Ordered a small Goon Mandoo but come to think of it, they might've gave us the steamed ones. I couldn't tell since they seemed lightly fried but then placed into a bamboo steamer. Darnit! Apparently they be messing up our orders that night a lot. (We ordered a Chum Churum - soju, but they gave us ginger ale..., that we managed to fix.)

At last the soondubu. The Kimchi Soondubu was filled with tofu. The first spoonful I got was tofu, tofu, tofu...even when I mix I get more tofu. The broth was spicy and blended really well with the kimchi. Some kimchi and pork was squished in the middle of the tofu which I'm definitely not complaining.

With the order of soondubu, you get a raw egg which you then would just crack it into the stew. It's quite fun and it looks so much more appealing. I had the regular spice level which was just right, I can't imagine those that ordered the "danger" level. Although I did once at the location in Flushing which was hell!

J had the Curry Soondubu, something different but tasted a bit watered down. It just had that hint of curry flavor, he liked it. I liked mines a lot more. We had a bowl of rice each, I couldn't finish mine as I was too focused on the stew instead.

Towards the end, they gave us each the rice porridge. It's the type where they use tea to scrape off the rice from the clay pot, you just enjoy it like that to cleanse your palate. I'm not crazy about it because it had that smokey burnt taste.

I'm waiting to return. I can't stop thinking about the tofu ever since I had it but there's so many other places to try and eat also. I wish I was cloned so I can be at multiple restaurants at once...haha

BCD Tofu House
5 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 967-1900

Philadelphia: Wedge&Fig + Monk's Cafe

On our second day at Philly, we chose Wedge&Fig to brunch at because of the cute name and they had the normal brunch menu along with BYOB. The cafe was small but they have seatings in the garden which we were instantly interested in.

The garden looked really realistic and made me feel like I was in the rain forest, the floor was made of pebbles too.

We ordered our food and had our waitress opened our bottle of wine. They also provided an ice jacket for our bottle which was pretty neat since a lot of places just give you an ice bucket - boring.

The Strawberry Stuffed French Toast came in quite a big portion, our friend SS wasn't able to finish it and had to wrap up the rest. It was good and not too sweet which I liked but I can't imagine having it again later when it's all soggy.

Knowing how J is, he ordered the Bacon-Lattice Mac + Cheese Pie. Looks insanely unhealthy. Bacon was really good though and surprisingly it wasn't really a big dish. The pie part didn't seem to really work so bacon mac + cheese would've been a lot better by itself.

I had the Eggs NOLA; I like eggs benedict but you have to make it right. What's special about this was the cornbread instead of your average English muffin. The cornbread was a thick cut which makes it a bit soggy to eat. Didn't exactly enjoy it too much because even the sauce was a bit lacking in flavor, I needed salt.

Most likely I wouldn't be coming back because everything felt average and even below that, but one thing, the waitress was really nice.

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The next morning we went to Monk's Cafe. I initially wanted to come here for dinner but SS was like we haven't tried it out this visit to Philly yet so let's just go there before heading back to NYC.

The restaurant was completely empty when we went for lunch. It was quite dim inside with no lights, the only light that we saw was coming from the outside.

They have a huge variety of beer. So this would be a heavenly place for beer lovers.

Started off with some Frog Legs, they were lightly fried and then covered in a light buffalo sauce. Really good, very meaty. If you never had frog, they're very similar to chicken but a little chewier than usual. These would be great beer food.

SS got the Monk's Duck Salad, amazing. Duck was cooked extremely well, meat was tender and soft and the salad had a nice vinaigrette dressing that was really appetizing. Wish I had the whole plate to myself.

J was hungry so he ordered the Rib Cap Steak that came with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes. This is a hungry man's food! Steak was good but could've been better, the cut was a bit tough but nonetheless enjoyable.

I ordered the Provence Mussels because I've been craving. This was a bit disappointing. I specifically wanted this pot because of the amount of vegetables that's in it, from mushrooms to peppers to celery to leeks and garlic, but it was the parsley and cream that made me ultimately want it. The broth was weak and light which I did not like. I wish it was thicker and heavier in taste because my mussels were lacking flavor. The mussels were also small.

The Pomme Frites came with the mussels and they were ok, the bourbon mayo dipping sauce was a bit bland. We all got full in the end regardless. I can definitely be satisfied with just the frogs and duck salad.

Wedge + Fig
160 N 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(267) 603-3090

Monk's Cafe
264 S 16th St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 545-7005

Philadelphia: Oyster House + Jamonera

I was on a month of hiatus because I went skydiving in the beginning of August, I needed time to recover -joking, it was fun and since then I gathered so many food pictures that I was thinking of how to blog them. Enough procrastination.

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It was J's birthday and he wanted something mellow, nothing big, relaxing yet new. I saw Oyster House on Yelp as I was doing my usual browsing. The happy hour instantly caught my eyes and I knew that J would appreciate it.

We went early, since HH is 5-7pm on weekdays and 9-11pm on weekends. We dressed up for the occasion and let me tell you, walking in Philly with heels was a bit challenging. Our friend SS was having a hard time also, since she was also worrying about her dress...

HH only happens at the bar. We wasted no time and ordered 3 dozens once we sat down. The oysters comes out a dozen at a time regardless of the amount you order, but they come out quick. You can see the shuckers shuck away behind the bar and they do a quick and clean job, don't forget to show some love to them.

Oysters of the night were Watch House and they were delicious. With oysters you need to try one by itself and then the rest (if you like) with some vinegar and cocktail sauce and a bit of lemon juice, it'll help those that don't like the briney oceanic taste and brings the oysters to a more refreshing level.

Oyster crackers were sitting there in front of us, tempted, I tried one and it was the hardest and driest piece of cracker ever. You definitely need to place those in soup, eating by itself is just wrong.

I personally really like clams, that night they had these huge Cherrystone ones. J can see it in my eyes that I wanted. They looked beautiful. J and SS agreed they never had clams that were this good. No briney or harsh icky seafood taste, but instead was really fresh and easy to eat. As for myself, I enjoyed it either way.

We basically pre-gamed here and headed to Jamonera afterwards but literally came back the following night. It was that good! They had the same oysters and clams. But this time, the waiters/waitresses told us they over ordered a bunch of lobsters and determined to get rid of them (since they close on Sundays) are offering the lobster roll and grilled lobster for less.

The Split Grilled Whole Maine Lobster was excellent. Buttery and tender, it was like a lobster galore.

The best of the night was definitely the Lobster Roll - New England Style. I never actually like the New England style much just because of how much mayo is put on but this rendition was just perfect. Chunks of lobster and the mayo did not taste overpowering, plus the roll was buttered and toasted! I can't believe I would have to go back to Philly just to get this...

Oyster House is a must visit if you love seafood, and you bet I'll be returning if I'm in Philly.

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Right after, we walked (big mistake) to Jamonera to have some tapas and drinks. The inside was dim and had that really nice wine bar vibe but since we didn't have a reservation, they asked if we want to sit outside. We didn't mind since it was really nice out, the only bad thing was that birthday boy keeps getting bug bites.

Started out with drinks. They were on the weaker side and nothing much to rave about, I did expected more from Jamonera. Should've really stuck with wine...

We ordered 3 small plates to share since we already had 3 dozen oysters in our stomach.

The Crispy Cana de Cabra was actually really good. I never thought I would like goat cheese. The fried goat cheese was creamy and crunchy which was really appetizing, for you non-cheese lovers, this can be a start. The Thai basil dressing was excellent, the only best dish we had here.

I should've known that the Charcuteria wasn't up to my expectations when I saw the photos on Yelp but I totally forgot and ordered it. The meats were really "meh" and have no salty kick or spice to it, kind of boring.

Finally, the Grilled Spanish Octopus looks and sounds amazing but they overcooked it! I was shaking my head as I took the first bite, I love octopus but this was a bit on the forceful side to eat. Plus, I'm not sure if this dish was suppose to be served cold...oiy.

I saw good things about Jamonera but I definitely didn't have that experience.

Oyster House
1516 Samson St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215)567-7683

Jamonera
105 S 13th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215)922-6061