Spot Dessert Bar - My life is golden with sweetness

After having our lunch in KoreaTown on New Year's Eve, J and I wanted some dessert. Or, maybe it was just me that wanted dessert. It was really cold out and we wanted to go somewhere warm, just bum around for a bit and digest the food we just had.

Just around the corner from our lunch spot was Paris Baguette, a Korean bakery but we decided no and went to Food Gallery which was right across the street and headed up to the 3rd floor where Spot Dessert was. We saw it opening up a few months back and saw the Golden Toast, I knew we had to try it.

We did worry that it might be seasonal but good thing they still have it!

Apparently, J knows the girl behind the register. How coincidental! She even gave us a friend discount, awesome! There were a lot of seats since it's an open food court.

So, I wanted the Hot Thai Coffee but I think J said the wrong thing when he ordered and we ended up with a Hot Thai Milk Tea ($3.50). Probably just rolled off his tongue since he's so use to just having the thai milk tea instead of coffee...

It was good though, nice and hot. Some places don't make their beverages hot enough and I appreciate that Spot does.

The Golden Toast ($8.75) really caught our eyes. Especially after coming back from HK and having the best french toast of my life, I needed this. Although this didn't cut it but it was still good. Infused with honey, the toast didn't come out as sweet as I thought it would be. The whip cream actually helps balances it out and the strawberries were a great counter-ingredient. The combination of the sweet toast and the tartness of the fruit made it that more bearable.

Would I get this again? Probably not because the Kabocha Brulee Cake will always be my favorite at Spot.

Spot Dessert Bar
11 W 32nd St
2nd Fl
New York, NY 10001
(212) 967-1678 

Randazzo's Clam Bar - Getting my white and red on for the night

One of the few times I ever had dinner at 9pm. I was starving waiting for J to come and pick me up. I was actually on the verge of being grumpy. Good thing he took me somewhere close, plus the service was quick also.

We always pass by Randazzo just because we would crazily walk to Roll N Roaster which is a couple of blocks down. We said to ourselves that we would go to Randazzo soon but that never happened until now.

The waitress that served us is such a doll even though she could be my mother. J ordered an appetizer, pasta entree and house wines.

The house wines are so adorable! I want a whole box of those bottles to myself!
I had the Chardonnay ($5) as he had the Merlot ($5).

Mmm bread. We actually didn't have any of the butter...

The appetizer was delicious! The Combo ($22.95) which consist of scungilli, mussels, shrimp and calamari was perfect. The size was just right and everything tasted really good. The mild marinara sauce complimented it really well, good thing we didn't get the spicy one...

Lastly, the pasta dish. No it's not that small but I was just too hungry and totally forgot to snap the dish as a whole so I just ended up taking a photo of my dish. The Shrimp Randazzo over Linguine ($23.95) was delicious! Shrimp, clams and mussels in a lemon, garlic, butter and wine sauce was just over the top. This is where we use the bread, to soak up all the yummy sauce.

I would just come back for that pasta dish, all to myself. It was on the smaller size but it was good. Definitely quality over quantity here.

Randazzo's Clam Bar
2017 Emmons Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 615-0010

Flex Mussels - Special Happy Hour

This past Monday, Flex Mussels sent out an e-mail stating that they would be having Happy Hour for the entire night. Which means, $20 for all-you-can-eat pots of mussels (with only 3 different flavors to choose from), $1 oysters and half off all their wine and beer selection. That's pretty dam awesome.

J and I had been to Flex before, specifically the one downtown (they have 2 locations) and loved their Happy Hour, we just never found the time to go again after last year.

It was a full house when we got there, you can only get the Happy Hour special at the bar or counter. The wait wasn't bad, especially when you have some booze in your hand. We got seated at the bar and fun began.

I had white wine the entire night, love how smooth and light they are compared to red wine. I switched between their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc ($5.50 - half off).

Mmm...Bread and Butter. I like places that serve their butter soft, not brick hard. I like to be able to spread them on the bread, I know you're thinking the same.

We wanted the $1 oysters but by the time we sat, they were all out. We ended up getting their special West ($3.50 each) and East ($3 each) Coast. They tasted divine. I would go for another round if it wasn't for the mussels.

Complimentary Flex House Cut Fries that comes with the Happy Hour special. They're pretty darn great. Also not a bad idea to soak up the sauce from the mussel pot either.

So, there were three choices you can alternate from for the all-you-can-eat special. Classic, Dijon and Fra Diavolo.

Fra Diavolo is just a very classic Italian sauce. It has chunks of tomato, basil and spices.

Dijon, which is J's favorite, was very buttery with a hint of mustard kick to it. I personally don't like because the mustard seems too strong for me.

My favorite of all, the Classic is just a simple herbs, garlic and white wine. It's not overpowering and you can definitely taste the freshness of the mussels here.

J and I keep saying how we should go back and try their other pot of mussels, like the one with bacon and lobster.

Flex Mussels
154 W 13th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 229-0222

Mandoo Bar

I have been running errands with J these past few weeks and it's just hectic. We're around Koreantown often so we decided to revisit a spot where we once loved. It's been a good 2-3 years since we been here and before that, we use to come every week. No joke, the waiter knew us back then because of how often we ate there.

After a couple of years, the place completely changed...for the worse. Upon arrival, I noticed that the staff that wraps the dumpling has gone from 4 to 2 ladies. The inside smelled of nail polish, the floors were sticky. And the patrons were all non-Asians, not a single Korean customer in sight. That's quite sad considering this is a Korean dumpling house. The waiter was also very clumsy and seems to not be able to handle a couple of tables by himself while his colleage goes out for a smoke break.

They also have a larger menu now, and I mean literally larger menu. There's ramyun and an extended bibimbop selection on the menu.

Their usual banchan. Yes, it only consist of radishes. Although the kimchi-ed radishes looks poorly presented, like they only gave us scraps.

The Goon Mandoo ($9.24), what a weird price...was the only thing that tasted good, sadly to say. Crunchy exterior with a good meat filling, nothing to complain about here.

J and I love their Fried Tofu ($5.50) because of the delicious sauce. But the tofu definitely looks a lot messier this time around. The pieces weren't even and it wasn't pan-fried long enough to give it that crisp edge.

We always get the Combo Mandoo ($12) just because it's consist of a better deal with 3 different kinds of dumplings. I liked the vegetable, J liked the meat, and we both have mutual disagreements for the seafood. This time, the seafood was poor, it was just half filled. The vegetable lacked the potato noodles they used to put in and the vegetables tasted like it had been freezed for months. The only constant thing was the meat dumplings.

Last but not least, it was definitely one of those colder nights so we took a shot and ordered their Ra-Myun ($10) that had tofu and egg. It was just a mediocre dish with no meat. I rather have a bowl of Japanese ramen than this.

So we were extremely displeased with the meal. Most likely we won't return and I really don't suggest coming here because I'm sure you can find better mandoos elsewhere. At this rate, Mandoo Bar is barely surviving then again, as long as non-Korean customers continue to come, they'll last.

Mandoo Bar
2 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 279-3075

Brunchin' @ Cafe Mogador

Ever since I tried hummus for the first time (thanks to my beloved J), I absolutely fell in love with it. Yes I was skeptical at first but it's one of those time where it was love at first taste. J and I visited Cafe Mogador for dinner before and it was definitely memorable. The food was amazing even though there was a bit of a wait.

As for brunch, we did wait for a table for about 10 minutes. Not so bad.

The reason for returning was definitely the hummus. I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Started off with a Bloody Mary ($7) and Blood Orange Mimosa ($7). I'm not crazy about the Bloody Mary, never was and never will be. The Blood Orange Mimosa wasn't so great, tasted a lot of citrus than alcohol.

The perfect plate of brunch. The Middle Eastern Eggs ($10) included hummus, tabouli, salad and eggs any style you want. I love me some sunny-side ups. This was the perfect portion for a hungry Asian girl that was craving for some hummus.

J had the Moroccan Eggs ($10), with 2 poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce and home fries.

The eggs looks like it was poached in heaven or something. It didn't lose the consistency of the whites at all and the yolk was spilling out perfectly.

I really enjoyed the homefries. Crispy skin and soft flesh, seasoned really well with salt and pepper. One of the best homefries I've had in a long time.

I've been here twice and the food has yet to disappoint. The wait might be long but it's definitely worth it.

Cafe Mogador
101 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10009
(212) 677-2226