Kulu Milk Special
Mini Sweet Balls w/ Black Sesame Paste
Mango and Grass Jelly Tapioca in Coconut Milk
37-06 Prince St
Flushing, NY 11354
Showing posts with label Queens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Queens. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Tito Rad's Grill & Restaurant - Six years is celebrating with comfort and homecooking
Surprise surprise!
Suppose to be how I should've felt when J took me here for our six years together. I was, but I also guessed it before we even started walking to the restaurant. I'm pretty dam good sometimes.
Tito Rad's a Philippines cuisine restaurant that specializes in home cooking, or at least that's what it felt like. The atmosphere was very laid back. Also, my first time trying real Philippines food. I really wouldn't know what to order if it wasn't for J.
The layout of the restaurant looks a lot like a Vietnamese restaurant. It's not big, but the decor felt really home-y and simple. There's TV screens everywhere, so it's like you're dining at home.
Our spread. Yes, we ordered a lot of food and yes we did finish it all. Philippine cuisine is definitely different than your Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. Not too salty or packed with a "bam" flavor either.
Dinuguan ($7.95) was a creepy dark looking dish. The appearance is quite a turnoff eh? It's pork in vinegar and pork blood, the cooked pork blood gives it that dark brown color. How does it taste? Well, for one thing, it was really iron-y and gamey tasting. I like coagulated pork blood but this was on a totally different level. It tasted too strong for me, good thing J liked it...he can have it all.
I have to have some vegetable on the table, so I decided on the Ginisang Ampalaya ($8.45). A simple dish consisted of bitter melon, eggs and shrimp. It tasted really light and not bitter at all which I'm surprise. I've had bitter melon at other restaurants before and it was always bitter. Plus, this melon is good for you - prevents diabetes.
J was so excited about the Lechon Kawali ($7.95). When it came out, I knew why. It was pork belly, fried pork belly. It wasn't even dripping in oil, felt like it was flashed fried because it was dry and still really crunchy. Ok, maybe crunchy to a point where it's a bit hard. You need to know how and where to bite so you don't get hurt. No joke, eating this takes experience and practice! Either that, or just chew and bite really slow. I really like the skin and the fat part...hehe.
Last but not least, the Inihaw Tuna Belly ($Seasonal) was really good. Smokey and tasted great with the salty sauce. It took the longest to cook and I keep telling J to wait for it because I didn't want to start eating the other dishes before this. Totally worth it because the skin was sizzling and had a nice crisp to it.
And if that wasn't enough, we ordered dessert.
Tough decision but I clenched my hands and ordered the Tito's Delight ($6.95). Presentation was really pretty and colorful, 3 different slices of cake - Ube (purple yam, addicting texture and taste), Leche Flan (tasted like a cheesecake version of flan, quite dense), and Cassava (suppose to be made from the cassava plant but I take sticky rice and banana here). Great dessert overall and it really lets you have a glimpse into the Philippine's culture.
Lovely meal and I couldn't ask for anything more than just spending the evening with my boyfriend and having a simple yet satisfying dinner for our six year.
Tito Rad's Grill & Restaurant
49-12 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside, NY 11377
(718) 205-7299
Suppose to be how I should've felt when J took me here for our six years together. I was, but I also guessed it before we even started walking to the restaurant. I'm pretty dam good sometimes.
Tito Rad's a Philippines cuisine restaurant that specializes in home cooking, or at least that's what it felt like. The atmosphere was very laid back. Also, my first time trying real Philippines food. I really wouldn't know what to order if it wasn't for J.
The layout of the restaurant looks a lot like a Vietnamese restaurant. It's not big, but the decor felt really home-y and simple. There's TV screens everywhere, so it's like you're dining at home.
Our spread. Yes, we ordered a lot of food and yes we did finish it all. Philippine cuisine is definitely different than your Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. Not too salty or packed with a "bam" flavor either.
Dinuguan ($7.95) was a creepy dark looking dish. The appearance is quite a turnoff eh? It's pork in vinegar and pork blood, the cooked pork blood gives it that dark brown color. How does it taste? Well, for one thing, it was really iron-y and gamey tasting. I like coagulated pork blood but this was on a totally different level. It tasted too strong for me, good thing J liked it...he can have it all.
I have to have some vegetable on the table, so I decided on the Ginisang Ampalaya ($8.45). A simple dish consisted of bitter melon, eggs and shrimp. It tasted really light and not bitter at all which I'm surprise. I've had bitter melon at other restaurants before and it was always bitter. Plus, this melon is good for you - prevents diabetes.
J was so excited about the Lechon Kawali ($7.95). When it came out, I knew why. It was pork belly, fried pork belly. It wasn't even dripping in oil, felt like it was flashed fried because it was dry and still really crunchy. Ok, maybe crunchy to a point where it's a bit hard. You need to know how and where to bite so you don't get hurt. No joke, eating this takes experience and practice! Either that, or just chew and bite really slow. I really like the skin and the fat part...hehe.
Last but not least, the Inihaw Tuna Belly ($Seasonal) was really good. Smokey and tasted great with the salty sauce. It took the longest to cook and I keep telling J to wait for it because I didn't want to start eating the other dishes before this. Totally worth it because the skin was sizzling and had a nice crisp to it.
And if that wasn't enough, we ordered dessert.
Tough decision but I clenched my hands and ordered the Tito's Delight ($6.95). Presentation was really pretty and colorful, 3 different slices of cake - Ube (purple yam, addicting texture and taste), Leche Flan (tasted like a cheesecake version of flan, quite dense), and Cassava (suppose to be made from the cassava plant but I take sticky rice and banana here). Great dessert overall and it really lets you have a glimpse into the Philippine's culture.
Lovely meal and I couldn't ask for anything more than just spending the evening with my boyfriend and having a simple yet satisfying dinner for our six year.
Tito Rad's Grill & Restaurant
49-12 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside, NY 11377
(718) 205-7299
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
San Soo Kap San
I was craving for some Korean BBQ and after my coworker told me how good this place was, I knew I had to go. J and I arrived at SSKS on a Tuesday night around 8:30pm. The restaurant was pretty empty but I definitely didn't mind it.
We got down to business and ordered asap.
There was a wide selection of banchan and every single one of them tasted excellent. I loved the kimchi the best, they even refill your banchan. Beside the banchan, there's also complimentary miso soup, grilled mackerel and steamed egg. My favorite part is definitely the sauces, love me some miso paste dip.
First up, is the Sam Geup Sal ($20.95). They give you 3 strips here instead of 2, so the awesomeness of this place just went up because we get an extra piece. It also tasted a lot better here for some reason, must be the freshness or the cut of the meat.
I mainly wanted to come here for their Angus Kalbi ($29.95).
We also ordered the Haemool Pajun ($15.95), you can probably see that in the photo below...
The beauty of BBQ-ing. The kalbi was extremely tender and flavorful, no need for sauces here.
The way I eat the pork belly. Lettuce, kimchi, pork belly, miso paste - put into mouth. Heaven!
Our meat piled on the side of the grill. So friggin delicious!
I'm definitely returning. Everything about this place was pretty dam amazing.
The waitress helps you cook tableside so you literally don't have to do anything. There's a free salad bar with unlimited amount of yummy oranges for after the meal. They even have a TV screen that was displaying soccer, win!
Probably the best thing would be how laid back it was. No one rushed us and I truly appreciate that. I rather go on a weekday when it's not busy at all rather than the weekends when you're literally fighting at the salad bar. This place closes at 2am so plenty of time for some great late night grilling.
San Soo Kap San
17110 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11358
(718) 445-4850
We got down to business and ordered asap.
There was a wide selection of banchan and every single one of them tasted excellent. I loved the kimchi the best, they even refill your banchan. Beside the banchan, there's also complimentary miso soup, grilled mackerel and steamed egg. My favorite part is definitely the sauces, love me some miso paste dip.
First up, is the Sam Geup Sal ($20.95). They give you 3 strips here instead of 2, so the awesomeness of this place just went up because we get an extra piece. It also tasted a lot better here for some reason, must be the freshness or the cut of the meat.
I mainly wanted to come here for their Angus Kalbi ($29.95).
We also ordered the Haemool Pajun ($15.95), you can probably see that in the photo below...
The beauty of BBQ-ing. The kalbi was extremely tender and flavorful, no need for sauces here.
The way I eat the pork belly. Lettuce, kimchi, pork belly, miso paste - put into mouth. Heaven!
Our meat piled on the side of the grill. So friggin delicious!
I'm definitely returning. Everything about this place was pretty dam amazing.
The waitress helps you cook tableside so you literally don't have to do anything. There's a free salad bar with unlimited amount of yummy oranges for after the meal. They even have a TV screen that was displaying soccer, win!
Probably the best thing would be how laid back it was. No one rushed us and I truly appreciate that. I rather go on a weekday when it's not busy at all rather than the weekends when you're literally fighting at the salad bar. This place closes at 2am so plenty of time for some great late night grilling.
San Soo Kap San
17110 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11358
(718) 445-4850
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Book Chang Dong Soon Tofu
Finally, the boyfriend can get his tofu fix. I've been wanting jigae for a while and J has been wanting tofu stew, it worked out.
J heard that BCDS Tofu was good and not just from one person but from multiple people like his coworkers and friends. We came on a Sunday, after a tiring work day for me, good thing J drove.
Got seated immediately and were given water and menu. They don't play. The place was really spacious with a literal runway down the center where the waitresses and waiters can strut their stuff while serving us.
Mmmm the delicious banchan. I'm starting to appreciate Korean's banchan a lot more now. Even though majority, actually it's everything, are vegetables they taste pretty darn good. The usual kimchi will always be there and if you're lucky, you'll get tofu which I personally love.
Ordered a bottle of Bokbunja ($13), black raspberry wine. Shhhh...I know J is driving but a little won't hurt. Plus our tolerance isn't like the average Asian's - if ya know what I mean.
I sort of wanted a meat dish, like kalbi or bulgogi but J brought up Seafood Pancake ($13) so I just nod in agreement and didn't pursue my meat quest. It was good. Thin but still dough-y and even had clam meats, yum! Slightly crunchy on the outside which wasn't so disappointing. I mean, I fairly enjoyed it.
My delicious Mandoo Soon Du Bu ($9.95) with rice. Oh the fluffy rice was good, too bad I couldn't finish it. I had 3 ginormous mandoo in my little pot. I chose spicy as so did J, you have a choice of 4 different levels of spice in your broth - mild, medium, spicy, very spicy.
Besides the mandoo, there are pieces of meat at the bottom and the ever so silky smooth tofu. It was a great soup. I would come back in a heartbeat in the winter weathers.
Remember the eggs you saw in the photo with the banchans? You crack them in the soon du bu! I was so excited to do this part because it was actually quite fun and amusing to me. As to my failure, the yolk broke...
J had the Seafood Soob Du Bu ($9.95) which I was surprised with. I thought he would choose something bolder but seafood? That's usually what I choose, then again I think I stole his choice of the mando...bwahahahaaa
The meal was excellent. I haven't been this satisfied and full in a while. Definitely a spot to come for some good tofu stew.
Book Chang Dong Soon Tofu
152-22 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-2001
J heard that BCDS Tofu was good and not just from one person but from multiple people like his coworkers and friends. We came on a Sunday, after a tiring work day for me, good thing J drove.
Got seated immediately and were given water and menu. They don't play. The place was really spacious with a literal runway down the center where the waitresses and waiters can strut their stuff while serving us.
Mmmm the delicious banchan. I'm starting to appreciate Korean's banchan a lot more now. Even though majority, actually it's everything, are vegetables they taste pretty darn good. The usual kimchi will always be there and if you're lucky, you'll get tofu which I personally love.
Ordered a bottle of Bokbunja ($13), black raspberry wine. Shhhh...I know J is driving but a little won't hurt. Plus our tolerance isn't like the average Asian's - if ya know what I mean.
I sort of wanted a meat dish, like kalbi or bulgogi but J brought up Seafood Pancake ($13) so I just nod in agreement and didn't pursue my meat quest. It was good. Thin but still dough-y and even had clam meats, yum! Slightly crunchy on the outside which wasn't so disappointing. I mean, I fairly enjoyed it.
My delicious Mandoo Soon Du Bu ($9.95) with rice. Oh the fluffy rice was good, too bad I couldn't finish it. I had 3 ginormous mandoo in my little pot. I chose spicy as so did J, you have a choice of 4 different levels of spice in your broth - mild, medium, spicy, very spicy.
Besides the mandoo, there are pieces of meat at the bottom and the ever so silky smooth tofu. It was a great soup. I would come back in a heartbeat in the winter weathers.
Remember the eggs you saw in the photo with the banchans? You crack them in the soon du bu! I was so excited to do this part because it was actually quite fun and amusing to me. As to my failure, the yolk broke...
J had the Seafood Soob Du Bu ($9.95) which I was surprised with. I thought he would choose something bolder but seafood? That's usually what I choose, then again I think I stole his choice of the mando...bwahahahaaa
The meal was excellent. I haven't been this satisfied and full in a while. Definitely a spot to come for some good tofu stew.
Book Chang Dong Soon Tofu
152-22 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-2001
Friday, March 30, 2012
Bangane
I've seen this restaurant on Yelp for the longest time. J and I finally went there since we drove, taking the public transportation takes a lot of work unless you live around the area. Bangane is on a strip of sidewalk which no other restaurants are in sight. From the outside, it practically looks like a flower shop since it has plants lined up against the windows.
I read that the staffs at Bangane doesn't speak English too well, or even none at all. They either speak Korean or Mandarin, none of both which we speak. You have a choice of whether to eat at the traditional tables where you sit on the floor with cushions for your tush or sit at tables with chairs. We opted for the traditional seating for the full experience.
Bangane has a small menu and the sole purpose of us going there was to get their 3-course goat feast. The 3-course was only $29.99 per order and you have to at least order 2. With all the food that comes with it, it's totally worth it.
Right as we order, less than 5 minutes later the banchan starts rolling out. So many different kinds ranging from kimchi to julienne scallions to eggplant. The waitress also brought over the burner for our first course.
When you look at it, it does seem overwhelming but the process was just so fun to eat.
The mixture of different kinds of sauce. It was absolutely amazing-mazing, worked so well with the goat meat. They also use the same sauce for the 2nd course.
When the first course was served, I was so excited. We saw the waitress bring out a large goat shank and started peeling away the meat to place on our bamboo steamer.
It was insanely massive. She put every last piece of meat on the steamer, minus the fat and veins but yes... every last piece of meat.
I start to dig in right away. There's many way to eat this and it's totally up to you and what you're comfortable with. J and I took the lettuce that came with the banchan and started making wraps with it. I gave up when it comes to dipping my wrap in the sauce because I could barely pick any up, as a result I just start spreading it in the wrap itself. So delicious. The goat meat was so tender and doesn't taste or smell gamey at all.
When we were a bit more than halfway through with the goat meat, the waitress came out with another pot. A pot filled with water, chives, scallions, and that sauce I was talking about. She then dumped the rest of the goat meat into the small pot. We waited silently and slowly for our second course to cook.
While we were waiting, J started taking pieces of meat off the pot... -_-
After a few minutes (it cooked really fast!), the goat stew was ready to chow! Extremely aromatic and warms up the heart.
Finally, the third course was about to be made right in front of us. Using just a bit of the broth from the goat stew, the waitress mixed in rice, radishes, scallions, seaweed, and that sauce again! She cooked it in the same pot where the stew was cooking and combined everything together.
The last course was a light fried rice, but up to that point... we were getting so full. We really couldn't finish it but it was really good. I would love to come back with a group of friends because doing this again with J would be overkill, we need more people to divide and conquer it!
Bangane
16519 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11358
(718) 762-2799
I read that the staffs at Bangane doesn't speak English too well, or even none at all. They either speak Korean or Mandarin, none of both which we speak. You have a choice of whether to eat at the traditional tables where you sit on the floor with cushions for your tush or sit at tables with chairs. We opted for the traditional seating for the full experience.
Bangane has a small menu and the sole purpose of us going there was to get their 3-course goat feast. The 3-course was only $29.99 per order and you have to at least order 2. With all the food that comes with it, it's totally worth it.
Right as we order, less than 5 minutes later the banchan starts rolling out. So many different kinds ranging from kimchi to julienne scallions to eggplant. The waitress also brought over the burner for our first course.
When you look at it, it does seem overwhelming but the process was just so fun to eat.
The mixture of different kinds of sauce. It was absolutely amazing-mazing, worked so well with the goat meat. They also use the same sauce for the 2nd course.
When the first course was served, I was so excited. We saw the waitress bring out a large goat shank and started peeling away the meat to place on our bamboo steamer.
It was insanely massive. She put every last piece of meat on the steamer, minus the fat and veins but yes... every last piece of meat.
I start to dig in right away. There's many way to eat this and it's totally up to you and what you're comfortable with. J and I took the lettuce that came with the banchan and started making wraps with it. I gave up when it comes to dipping my wrap in the sauce because I could barely pick any up, as a result I just start spreading it in the wrap itself. So delicious. The goat meat was so tender and doesn't taste or smell gamey at all.
When we were a bit more than halfway through with the goat meat, the waitress came out with another pot. A pot filled with water, chives, scallions, and that sauce I was talking about. She then dumped the rest of the goat meat into the small pot. We waited silently and slowly for our second course to cook.
While we were waiting, J started taking pieces of meat off the pot... -_-
Finally, the third course was about to be made right in front of us. Using just a bit of the broth from the goat stew, the waitress mixed in rice, radishes, scallions, seaweed, and that sauce again! She cooked it in the same pot where the stew was cooking and combined everything together.
The last course was a light fried rice, but up to that point... we were getting so full. We really couldn't finish it but it was really good. I would love to come back with a group of friends because doing this again with J would be overkill, we need more people to divide and conquer it!
Bangane
16519 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11358
(718) 762-2799
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tianjin Xianbing
I found this little shop on Yelp and was surprised at how close it was to all the times I've been to Flushing. I probably walked passed it a dozen times and never realized. Tianjin Xianbing is part of the Golden Mall on Main Street in Flushing, Queens. I often go to Flushing for the quality of the food they offer there.
Beef Roll, is what they called it. I tried saying beef wrap, beef cake, yea I was a total fail. The menu here is all in Chinese, so it's either best to have a friend that can read or just look around until you find something that appeals to you. I saw this roll on yelp and thought instantly that I need to try it. Luckily, my Chinese reading skills kicked in in a pretty good time.
The Beef Roll consist of stew beef which is packed with flavor, using a scallion pancake to roll it up is pretty genius. One thing though, this snack is an overkill in oil. J and I got to the bottom of the roll and shook our head. Ended up throwing away about an inch of the roll, a waste but it's better than clogging up our arteries. It's a tasty treat, until you reached the bottom...
Tianjin Xianbing
41-28 Main St, D1
Queens, NY 11355
(212) 518-1952
Beef Roll, is what they called it. I tried saying beef wrap, beef cake, yea I was a total fail. The menu here is all in Chinese, so it's either best to have a friend that can read or just look around until you find something that appeals to you. I saw this roll on yelp and thought instantly that I need to try it. Luckily, my Chinese reading skills kicked in in a pretty good time.
The Beef Roll consist of stew beef which is packed with flavor, using a scallion pancake to roll it up is pretty genius. One thing though, this snack is an overkill in oil. J and I got to the bottom of the roll and shook our head. Ended up throwing away about an inch of the roll, a waste but it's better than clogging up our arteries. It's a tasty treat, until you reached the bottom...
Tianjin Xianbing
41-28 Main St, D1
Queens, NY 11355
(212) 518-1952
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