Em Vietnamese Restaurant - Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY

There's never a time when I'm not in the mood for a soup noodle - ok, maybe when it's like 90 degrees outside but as long as they have the air conditioner blasting, I can eat a bowl of pho any day.

Pho wasn't really the specialty at Em, my eyes were fixed on the Hu Tieu. Coming from a Vietnamese descent, I'm always up for trying delicious Vietnamese food and hu tieu is one that really connects me back to my roots. The simple yet flavorful umami broth with toppings of ground pork, quail egg, shrimps and tons of herbs can leave a person salivating.

Jimmy and I were meeting up with a friend, so I thought Em was a perfect spot for some chill time and delicious food. Decor was simple and clean, service was quite good.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Pho Bo Em

Hu Tieu Em

The Hu Tieu Em really hit the spot. Lucky for me, the weather that day was dreary and rainy so it was the perfect comfort food. Viet life isn't just about pho (or maybe it is...), there's so many different noodle soups that Vietnam has to offer and the hu tieu at Em is perfect to start your adventure.

Verdict:
Food ~ 4 out of 5
Price ~ 4 out of 5
Service ~ 5 out of 5

Em Vietnamese Restaurant
1702 86th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11214

Formosa Cafe - Brooklyn, NY

I was so sad to find this place right before my fiancé and I moved. We honestly missed these kind of Taiwanese style cafes. The kind where you can spend all afternoon just sitting there chatting and drinking some bubble milk tea and munching on popcorn chicken.

In a way, I'm glad we found it. Very popular during the day time which makes it quite difficult to get a table. The service here is pretty good for an Asian cafe, the girls behind the counter works quick. The drinks and food are also very good. I've been getting their Bubble Milk Tea non-stop whenever I'm in the area. I love a good milk tea when I can taste the tea and not entirely too sweet. This place does it right and does it well. The Jasmine Milk Tea is also a winner here, taste light and refreshing.

Our first time at Formosa, we stayed and chatted the night away. We ordered the bubble teas, Taiwanese Curry Popcorn Chicken, and Durian Crepe Cake. Everything was good; chicken was crispy and not just covered in flour, crepe cake wasn't too sweet and had a light hint of durian.
We keep coming back here to just get their bubble tea whenever we're in Brooklyn. Definitely recommend.

Bubble Milk Tea and Durian Crepe Cake

Same as above but with Curry Popcorn Chicken

Verdict:
Food ~ 4 out of 5
Price ~ 4 out of 5
Service ~ 4 out of 5

Formosa Cafe
5323 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11220

Born Thai - Brooklyn, NY

After a pre-game with the fiancée (yup, just got engaged!) and friend, we were still hungry. Walking along Flatbush on a rainy day isn't that pleasant. But, what stopped us in our tracks was the happy hour Born Thai still have. Plus, Thai food sounded quite promising and comforting on a rainy night.

There was still a lot of tables open (lucky us). The happy hour beverage menu was quite simple, nothing too extravagant and it was all around $4-6. The food here was what caught us by surprised. I honestly wasn't expecting much but each plate we ordered totally delivered. Also, service was on point and friendly.

We started off with the Curry Roti which came with Mussaman curry and not your average curry, it was delicious. The curry was slightly sweet and gave a bit of heat. Next was the Curry Puff, also excellent choice, the puff pastry was perfect and flaked off just how it was suppose to. At this point, I was looking forward to the noodle and rice dish we ordered. It all came out in a timely manner and tasted like it was made with love (yea, sounded quite cheesy there). The Curry Fried Rice was nice, I loved the basil in there which made it very flavorful and fragrant. The Drunken Noodles was a one of a kind, made with udon, the dish was slightly spicy and the intensity builds as you keep eating, also quite addicting.

The night was good. We ordered a couple of more drinks and the wait staff didn't bother us. I believe happy hour ends at 8pm but with good food, company, and drinks the night seemed endless. Definitely a hole in the wall. I plan on revisiting some time soon.

Gin Daisy

Old Fashioned & Cuba Libre

Curry Roti

Curry Puff

Drunken Noodles

Curry Fried Rice

Verdict:
Food ~ 5 out of 5
Price ~ 4 out of 5
Service ~ 4 out of 5

Born Thai
293 Flatbush Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217

86 Hot Pot BBQ - Brooklyn, NY

It was a night to catch up with my girlfriends and what's better than to hotpot that night away. It was a chilly day in New York, so hotpot was definitely the better option. 86 Hotpot opened not to long ago and is still fairly new to the neighborhood of Bensonhurst.

It was quite empty on a Thursday night, but nonetheless, the service was pretty great. 86 Hotpot BBQ has both your regular hotpot and bbq, we only did hotpot which was $21.99 a person - not bad since it includes seafood (like mussels, clams and crab) which a lot of places don't. The interior was very modern and clean, sauce station was a bit small. The placement of the raw food that came out was on point, they didn't mix the more bloody items with the rest of the food (always a pet-peeve of mine).

At 86 Hotpot, you're given a menu with a list of food and you just mark off what you want. Very efficient and the food came out at a timely manner, which is always a good thing. One thing that might be interesting to know, if you're a party of 4 or less, you'll most likely get a big pot of broth to share whereas if you have a larger party, each person will get their individual pot.

I'd definitely recommend 86 Hotpot, it's very similar to 99 Favors. I need to come back to try the BBQ.

The spread...

Verdict:
Food ~ 4 out of 5
Price ~ 4 out of 5
Service ~ 5 out of 5

86 Hot Pot BBQ
2239 86th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11214

Ganso, Ramen Bar - Brooklyn, NY

A good ramen shop is hard to find, let alone trying to find one in Brooklyn.

It was one of those nights where J was craving for ramen and I refuse to head out into the city, so we were left with limited options in Brooklyn. After minutes of deliberation, we chose Ganso. It was on my radar, but back like 2-3 years ago, and to be honest, I don't even remember why I wanted to go there.

The ramen shop was quite large, more spacious than your average traditional ramen joints. The place was very modern and chic, with random Japanese posters all over the walls. I chose to sit at the booth, nice secluded seats to be away from people and you don't have to worry about speaking over or under people's voices.

We ordered two appetizers and then our own bowl of noodles.
The Braised Short Rib Buns were served first. It felt very underwhelming when I bit into it, the bun was filled with shredded scallions to a point of which it should be just known as the scallion bun, the miso-mustard glaze was barely there, the taste of the beef short rib was bland, I couldn't find a thing about the bun that was good...maybe the bun itself?
The Japanese Fried Chicken on the other hand was a different story. When it was placed on our table, I literally just stared because it was the least eye-appealing fried chicken I've seen. The pieces were small and oddly shape. At first taste, the chicken were extremely over-seasoned and salty. But, dip it in the yuzu-mayo sauce and it turned into a perfect little morsel of goodness. That literally made me do a 360.

After finishing the appetizers, which I rather go on and on because I was enjoying the Japanese crafted beers with it. This is one of the few ramen shops that carry a variety of Japanese crafted beers. Their menu on it is quite descriptive, so you'll definitely be able to pick on to your liking; bottled or draft.

The ramen was bomb. I honestly wasn't expecting much but I was glad I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought. The Spicy Soboro Miso ramen had a kick-ass spicy miso broth which was addicting. The chili was ground and mixed in with the miso paste which gave the broth a really different and special taste. Noodles were bouncy, al dente and also a lot. J's Tori Shio ramen was good also, opposite spectrum from mine. His had a more clearer broth, very flavorful and oil-less; it's like a Japanese version of mom's chicken soup.

Verdict:
Food ~ 4 out of 5
Price ~ 3.5 out of 5
Service ~ 3.5 out of 5

Japanese Crafted Beers

Japanese Fried Chicken

Beef Short Ribs Bun

Spicy Saboro Miso Ramen

Tori Shio Ramen

Ganso Ramen
25 Bond St
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Park Slope, NY - Spice

Thai Iced Tea

Steamed Dumplings

Tofu Pad Thai

Spice

61A 7th Ave 

Brooklyn, NY 11217 

(718) 622-6353

Kulu Desserts - a treat that was long awaited

A big gap formed from late December until now, no explanations really, unless you want a reason...and the reason will be I was extremely busy, with work.

I finally was able to relax after April and even then it I still have loads of work to do. The life of an accountant. J and I along with another two friends decided to invest in a day of relaxation, it was pretty much a spontaneous day. After a late lunch, we visited Kulu Desserts which has basically your average Asian desserts. Anything from bubble tea to crepes and cold/hot dessert soups.

I personally love watermelon, then again, who doesn't? The Grass Jelly and Watermelon in Coconut Juice really hit the spot. Had a nice coconut milk flavor that wasn't too overpowering, the watermelon gave a nice crunch while the grass jelly gave a nice jello-bite to the whole ensemble. It's a good choice for a hot day, especially since it's already July.

To wash everything down, J ordered our usual, Green Tea w/ Honey. It's extremely light and refreshing, has just enough sweetness from the honey but something tells me that they added a bit of simple syrup in there also.

Nonetheless, Kulu is pretty neat for a hangout spot but it gets quite cold in there with the a/c blasting. And also, there are a lot of young Asian kids hanging around. After a good 30 minutes, we felt out of place, our friend was like maybe we should've went to a bar...

Kulu Desserts
806 62nd St
Brooklyn, NY 11220
(718) 680-2818

Shinjuku - we are not how we once were

After being terribly disappointed with a restaurant closing down (if you must know, Bab Al Yemen is officially closed as of August 2013), J and I had to decide quickly on a place to eat. We walked past Shinjuku before and saw the all-you-can-eat sign for $19.95 and thought we'll try it out one day - that day was here.

The restaurant was quite empty and quiet when we got there, it was around 9pm already. We were asked if we wanted to do the AYCE or the regular menu. The AYCE consist of a lot of varieties, sushi, cooked dishes, skewers, soup/salads and special rolls. The waitresses give you 2 small pieces of paper to mark off what you want. The wait didn't take too long for the food to arrive at our table.


Soups were ok, a bit on the MSG side but overall it's not bad. The vegetables in mine were definitely not cooked, it was just thrown into the hot soup which I'm not a crazy fan of.

J went a little crazy and got the Tuna and Salmon Salad which were practically the same thing but with different fishes. The dressing tasted like thousand island and they added a lot of panko which then got really soggy.

Probably my favorite out of everything because it was quite crunchy, meaty and not that oily. This was worth a re-order.


J wanted sashimi and ordered one, told me some of the pieces taste like it was frozen and was thoroughly defrosted. Hahaha...can't expect much from a place in Brooklyn. The sushi was just meh, uni wasn't fresh but the sweet shrimp was alright. The handroll was massive, it's like they cut 1/3 of the avocado and just stuffed it in there.

All of the special rolls weren't special at all. Each one was filled with avocado (must be really cheap). A lot of it tasted really mushy and you can't really distinguish the fish from the avocado from the rice from the seaweed. Yes, it was that bad.

Don't think I will be returning. The quality was really poor and I really just can't see myself eating more avocados. But, if you love them, please come.

Shinjuku
1664 Sheepshead Bay Rd
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 934-8886

Karczma

Random Saturday, random place, random dinner. It was a last minute pick for J and he wanted to try this Polish restaurant in Brooklyn. I had to take the train there after work, the only train that was in the area was the G train, literally less than half a block away. But J had picked me up with his car somewhere around the area of Williamsburg, right off the bridge (yes, I'm spoiled).

It was a full house, so we ordered some drinks to let the time go by faster.

J had a Czech Lager, pretty smooth and not a bad beer at all. I would have no idea how beer is suppose to taste cause I don't exactly like beer much, correction - I don't drink beer much.

I like something more like a Mark and Ginger, easy but you taste the liquor. The price for this drink here was quite the band for you buck, and there were a lot of Mark in there, I saw her pour it. J and I already like the place.

We finally were seated in the corner of the restaurant, nestled in the side with wooden seats and table. The dimness of the restaurant really sets the mood.

Started off with some bread and butter along with some olive oil and...soy sauce. It definitely was soy sauce, I assume it was suppose to be balsamic but it wasn't! We stuck to the butter.

This was interesting, I wasn't surprise that J wanted the Peasant Style Lard. It was so oily and fatty but yet so good at the same time. Fat people galore here!

I wanted the Steak Tartare and at this moment, I realized we ordered too much food again even though J denies it. The tartare came out very unappetizing, like something I just bought in the meat section at a supermarket. It did look fresh but I was full of skepticism. But, we ordered it and we might as well eat it.

Mixing up everything; there were capers, diced onions, pickles and that thing on the upper left hand corner which I have no idea what it was. Altogether, it was interesting and tasty. Needed a bit of salt and that's what we did. It tasted really healthy, even with the small egg yolk. We actually paired it with the lard which balances everything out. The tartare acted as a palette cleanser for us...haha.

The entree was crazy, it was a Grilled Platter for 2, it might as well be a platter for 3 or 4...just not 2. There was an insane amount of meat; bacon, chicken, salmon, kielbasa, white sausage, blood sausage and I'm probably missing something but it was massive!

As if the entree wasn't enough, it came with potatoes and mushroom cabbage. Oh lord, I felt the food coma creeping up on me. It was obvious we couldn't finish everything, so we bagged up the meats.

I wanted to order dessert but I didn't think our stomach allowed it so I stuck with coffee.

The Karczma House Press Coffee was strong and intense, this yield 2 cups of coffee which was well worth the price. It was delicious and I love how I can just pour it into my cup, actually J poured it for me but you know what I mean.

I really think we'll be back because we really enjoyed the atmosphere and food, oh and of course - the drinks.

Karczma
136 Greenpoint Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 349-1744

Anatolian Gyro

J and I haven't been going to new restaurants lately because we haven't really made the effort to. As of late, we've actually been visiting old places and just grabbing quick bites. Revisiting a familiar cuisine was definitely one in our books. Anatolian serves up Turkish food, and we been craving for hummus.

We both thought this place was more of a cafeteria style, you order at the counter and bring your food to the table but apparently not. We were told to have a seat and they'll serve us...haha we were such fools. For some reason, it was majoring hot that day. Weatherman said it was going to be cold, so I wore a thick long sleeve which was definitely not a smart move. There also wasn't much air circulation in the restaurant...

The waiters were extremely friendly, like big-smile friendly. I like that.

J ordered a Russian soft drink, I didn't notice it on the menu but it didn't surprise me since he's always up for trying something new. It was pear flavored and tasted good, refreshingly good. I can always count on J to order something different and good.

What we literally have been waiting for. The Hummus was served with fresh Home Bread; the waiter made sure to tell us that part. The bread was so soft and fluffy, spreading the hummus on top made it heaven!

The hummus quickly disappeared since J and I use a thick amount of spread on each piece of bread.

Another dish we have been ordering at Turkish restaurants are Fried Liver Cubes. Some might like the liver-y and iron-y taste of it but J and I love it. I mean, it's fried! Anything fried taste good, right? We squeeze the lemon all over and eat it with the raw onions they give and it's quite delicious. Great appetizer.

At this time, you might think that's all but we did order a sandwich each. We both had it on pita bread, I had the Shish Kebab while J had the Gyro. The sandwich came in similar form, meat on the bottom with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers on top. They also provide you with white and hot sauce so you can put as much as you desire.

I wasn't able to finish my sandwich so I started picking at the meat. There was a lot! I eventually gave up because I was so full. It was a really satisfying meal. Anatolian is moving soon but just around the corner for a more spacious area. Can't wait until they open up the new place!

Anatolian Gyro Restaurant
1605 Sheepshead Bay Rd
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 769-4754

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

Munchies Cafe - something to cool down with during the heatwave

Munchies Cafe (MC) is fairly new, a nice addition to Brooklyn. The little cafe is really bright with summer colors, but the one thing that probably draws the most attention would be their touch screen computer monitors. Each table of 4, has a computer monitor that is connected to the internet, smaller tables don't have this feature. You can use it like your regular laptop/computer, watch anything on it and do whatever you please.

Their menu is pretty big, anything ranging from drinks, desserts, and savory foods.

J and I just wanted to relax and get away from the heat a bit. We ordered a drink and dessert each.

I had a regular Green Tea w/ Honey while J had a Strawberry Green Tea. I thought mine was way too sweetie, too much honey in there (I actually think it's some sweet syrup other than honey).

J had the Mario Brothers Snowy Mix Fruit. He chose watermelon as his fruit and coconut and red bean ice cream, all swimming in a sweet milky broth. Not bad, but it was definitely filling and there was a lot in there.

I had the Mango and Papaya Snowy Mix Fruit with green tea ice cream and mango pudding. They definitely pureed the mango and papaya to use as the "broth" base. It tasted very smoothie-like and so many fruits and pudding...

In all, I'm not too crazy about this place. It's nice to hang out and chill but the food just didn't wow me. I would come back for a drink and just chat.

Munchies Cafe
12 Bay 25th St
Brooklyn, NY 11214
(718) 333-1088

Brennan & Carr - a special independence day in the heat

This year's July 4th was insanely hot, like temperature hot, like I want to dance naked in the street hot. J and I wanted to go to the beach but you see, we woke up late...actually, we woke up around 8 and was like let's sleep a little more and rolled over and passed out. The next thing we knew, it was already 11 and we had to sluggishly push ourselves up and get ready. So, by the time we got in the car and headed off to the beach, there was a long line just for parking...we turned around and drove off.

Needing something in our stomach, more like J's stomach since I already had steak for lunch haha

Brennan & Carr was on our list for a while, because of their roast beef sandwich. The place looked like a little cabin, gave me the cute vibe.

The Onion Rings were ok, had too much batter going on there and just a small amount of onion in the center. Plus, it was like hard-crunchy not fresh good crunchy. Need to go get my fix on onion rings now since this didn't cut it.

The menu wasn't big, but there were different variety of things. Everyone there ordered the clam chowder and what seems like iced tea, must be really good...must order next time.

J ordered this massive sandwich which he inhaled in like 5 seconds. The Gargiulo Burger obviously appealed to J because of the beef patty, roast beef, cheese, and onions, plus it was dipped into this heavenly beef broth. It was good but also really meaty and heavy.

I had a regular Roast Beef Sandwich with cheese, didn't want onions this time. Very simple and quite excellent. Mine was dipped also, makes it less dry and a lot easier to eat. I wished I had the appetite to finish it but the steak that was sitting in my stomach earlier was fighting me. J ended up finishing my half sandwich, fatty!

The atmosphere was really laid back and the staff there were nice. Looks like they came out of a 1970s movie, cool eh?

Brennan & Carr
3432 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 769-1254