Cha Chan Tang - breakfast before you leave

There's not enough Chinese restaurants in Chinatown that does traditional Hong Kong breakfast. Cha Chan Tang is one to consider since it's the most spacious and eye-appealing.

J and I came in for breakfast before I had work, service wasn't the fastest but it was quite average. Just like any Americanized Chinese restaurant, they have your letterized meals and each comes with coffee or milk tea of your choice; ie. A=macaroni in soup with ham.

Something really simple like Satay Beef Instant Noodle Soup is done really well. I can always make instant noodle but satay beef is definitely something I wouldn't be willing or wanting to whip up at home out of the blue. The meal is $4, well $3 to be more accurate since a drink is usually around $1.

 
J got Preserved Egg w/ Pork Congee along with Soy Sauce Fried Noodles. Both of these for just $3.75 which is a really good deal.

Portion size is generous, especially when you're only one person. I'm not crazy about congee but I do really enjoy the soy sauce noodles. Combine the congee and noodles in one bite and it's quite heavenly. I always think that the congee is bland and the noodles are more on the oily and dry side, therefore they're a perfect match when ordering and eating them together.

The atmosphere of Cha Chan Tang does give you that hint of Hong Kong cafes because of the stand off-ish feel. I mean, you sit, you order, you're served, you eat, you pay, you leave. There's hardly ever any smiling or nodding or goodbyes. It's just how it works. If you ever went to Hong Kong, you'd know what I mean.

Cha Chan Tang
 45 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 577-2888

Mini Express - well worthy breakfast

I find myself struggling to think of what to eat on a Sunday mornings. I usually pick up my breakfast on my way to work and sometimes it's just the regular Chinese pastry with a small coffee, cost me $1.70 total, can't beat that price.

But there are times where I want something different and maybe a bit more extravagant.

And this was definitely something I was looking for in a gourmet breakfast (as least to me). I like the whole Cantonese-style breakfast thing, where I can just choose a letter on the menu and the staffs would know exactly what I want. There are a lot of options but I went for the Sauteed Ramen Noodles in Soy Sauce, all came with toast and coffee. The best part is the price, total was just $3.25. Yes a little more than what I usually spend but I get noodles with meat and vegetables, have to treat myself sometimes.

You might think it's a heavy and oily breakfast but after nights of drinking, this is probably the best Asian hangover breakfast. I also like how their "buttered" toast are made, with sweetened condense milk, score! The place is small so if you can help it, order it to go as service is quite fast. They also have some really great items for lunch and dinner.

Mini Express
14-18 Elizabeth St, Ste 32-33
New York, NY 10013
(212) 267-0888

Dudley's - LES brunch

J and I along with a friend had a NYC scavenger hunt last Saturday and was in desperate need of food. Actually, it was only me that was in desperately need of food since the previous night was a bit wild. Originally wanted to go to the Classic Coffee Shop, but we all fail to realize it was closed on weekends! So, we just walked around until we found a place that caught our eyes and stomach.

Dudley's caught our eyes and looked very modern and welcoming. We sat at the bar, took a while for a staff to realize we were there to give us the menu and also took a while to flag down one to take our order. Pretty poor service. What's even worse is that this couple next to us got their utensils before we did and we came and ordered before them...I'm starting to sense some discrimination here...

Anyways, enough of the service, let's move onto the food.

J ordered the Cortado, pretty bitter which I didn't like. I would need to add more milk and lots of sugar.

I had the Flat White which I wasn't too thrilled about. It wasn't as great was I hoped it to be. It tasted a bit bland and didn't give me that velvet-y texture, also got cold really quick (no beuno).

So, I still had a light "hangover" from the previous night which usually means I don't want other people's food but my own which also means I didn't get to try the other two dishes. I was cradling my plate which was the Fried Egg Sandwich. It was good, but I just couldn't finish it. The sandwich felt like a fancy version of a breakfast sandwich, I can totally deal with this.

The other two dishes looked really appetizing but I didn't really hear J or our friend rave about it... The Wild Mushroom Eggs Benedict and Avocado Toast were a lot smaller than expected. Overall, not too bad but the whole experience was just average, or maybe even below average. Very mediocre.

Dudley's
85 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 925-7355

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

Maine: Nicky's Cruisin Diner - the best chicken fried steak ever

Alright so it might not be the best ever that I've had since this is only the first time that I had it, but still, it was quite bomb.

When J and I were in Maine, his cousins took us around to eat at places. Bangor, Maine is small but that doesn't mean they don't have good food. Nicky's is a great diner. The typical diner you would see in the movies of the 80s, kind of cool and retro.

The decor of Nicky's was extremely colorful. I mean you can probably spend hours looking at the driver plates on the wall, random hanging pinball machine and this photo booth which I have no clue if it works or not.

J had the Wolfman Jack ($7.99), extremely big breakfast. Well worth the price for so much food.

Ok, so my Chicken Fried Steak ($9.49) was extremely delicious. Maybe it's because I haven't had it before but it was just really dam good. Tasted like fried chicken wings without the bones. The gravy was perfect, I was always afraid it would be heavy and salty but it was literally just perfect. My favorite part would be to just dip the fried steak into the egg yolk. This is definitely one of the best brunch I've ever had.

I'm hooked now, onto chicken fried steak. I would totally order it again and again and again.

Nicky's Cruisin Diner
957 Union St
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 942-3430

Hong Kong: Fung Shing's cheap breakfast

While breakfast in Hong Kong is pretty cheap in itself, I mean you can step out and have a bowl of something for less than $5USD, whether it's the street vendor or at a cafe shop.

J took me to a restaurant (yes a real restaurant with servers and pretty clothed tables) for breakfast. We caught the breakfast deal a few minutes away from the lunch (lunch=more expensive). The special, which everyone comes to Fung Shing ( 鳳城酒家) for, is a bowl of congee which is rice porridge and a plate of rice noodle rolls for $15.80HKD. That's roughly around $2.25USD which is insanely cheap.

The size were quite decent also. You would get completely full from both items. J and I shared since we wanted to leave room in our tummy for more food later.

The congee consisted of corn and minced pork (玉米猪肉碎粥). I'm not fond of corn in my soup or congee, but in anything else I guess I'm ok with. We came here twice and the first time we had the congee, it was a lot saltier than the second. J came 3 times, his second time (which was with me) was the only time it was salty...how lucky of me.

The beef rice noodle rolls (牛肉腸粉) were delicious. So soft with a slight chewiness to it, plus it had minced beef in the center. I would order this alone, and multiple plates of it.

Lastly, I decided to order something extra. The skin was good and the filling was just mediocre. It's like a lettuce and shrimp dumpling (生菜蝦餃), tasted a lot better if I used the soy sauce from the rice noodle.

It's a great place to visit considering the deal you get for breakfast, the only sacrifice you have to make is waking up early.

Dough - I like how you're chewy and full because it's satisfying

J and I saw a video on Dough and was mesmerize by how they make their donuts and all the different flavors of frosting they have. So, on a spontaneous morning we decided to drive there and have our morning fix of donuts and coffee.

The selection of donuts weren't that big but the donuts itself were huge. They all look amazingly good also, there were some that sounded a bit too sweet so I passed...even though I have no idea how it might taste. Definitely don't let that deter you away from wanting to try it.

We got our Small Coffee ($1.50) and went straight to the coffee station to fix it up. The milk were in the fridge right next to the coffee station.

There were only 4 stools inside Dough, 2 facing the window and 2 facing the kitchen area where they whip up the donuts. Homey.

Sugared Donut Holes (4 for $1.25) are a great way to get rid of the holes inside the donut. They also make great snacks. Chewy and light, I can snack on this all afternoon.

The Blood Orange Donut ($2.25) is rich in flavor, tangy and a tad bit of sweetness is a great blend for a donut. I took the orange slice off since it was getting in my way and I had no idea if it's suppose to be eaten or not... Nonetheless, I enjoyed the donut. It was not your average Dunkin Donut's donut, it was ginormous, to a point where I couldn't even finish it.

J got the Lemon Poppy Seed Donut ($2.25), don't let the appearance deceive you. This was lemon-y goodness. Mind you, it got some of my blood orange on it because the girl behind the counter just smooshed it in a paper bag.

If you're not in the mood for coffee, they have a fridge full of other beverages OR if you love coffee, they have it in cans so you can buy them and brew it at home.

Truthfully, I would stay away from the coffee here and just get their donuts because the coffee wasn't so great. A bit watered down and luke warm to my taste.

Dough
305 Franklin Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
(347) 533-7544 

M Star Cafe - Reminding me of what I once had

Occasionally, J and I would go out for breakfast. It's easy to find a diner here but for an authentic Hong Kong style breakfast, it's a challenge. What I mean by authentic or even close enough to an HK breakfast would be ordering by the letter. That's right, you didn't read wrong...ordering by letters. HK is all about being quick, so just saying the letter A, B, C, D, E, etc...can mean 2-3 items in your meal.

J went to M Star before so he knows what to expect. M Star is actually the closest you can get to some authentic HK breakfast. If you want to know how it feels like in HK, this place can definitely give you a glimpse/feel to it.

J got the C meal and I got the D meal. Both includes a drink, coffee or milk tea unless you feel adventurous, then go ahead and mix the two (there is a such a thing). Both of our meal include toast, but J got the egg...

My Satay Beef w/ Instant Noodle came in a decent size bowl, but it was packed with noodles. The satay beef gave a nice kick to the entire dish. Even though this might be really simple to make as home (I mean, hello...it's just instant noodles right?) but the idea of going to a restaurant for it just makes it that much better knowing that I didn't have to cook it and I wouldn't have to clean it, yay!

J's Macaroni w/ Ham, yet another simple dish but so comforting. This is refreshing and tasted clean, hearty and filling at the same time.

And because that wasn't enough, knowing our greedy-asses we got the Pan Fried Steamed Rice Noodle ($3). We both never had rice noodle pan fried before so it instantly caught our eyes. Deliciously crunchy and smothered in the sweet sauce and peanut sauce. I just wished they cut it into smaller pieces...

Overall, great place for some Cantonese breakfast. Might be a bit packed in the morning but if you're a small group of 2-3, spots open up within 5-10 minutes.

M Star Cafe
19 Division St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 966-8988

Tom's - The decorations are still hanging and shining

J took me to Tom's one of the weekday mornings, I was taken by surprise because he didn't tell me where beforehand. I liked that. We nearly couldn't find the place until we saw this restaurant (well, we didn't even know it was a restaurant until we took a step closer) that was covered with Christmas decorations. J thought it was a shop that sold trees and holiday ornaments but it was actually Tom's.

They open bright and early, we were the first patrons of the day. Sat anywhere we wanted and were handed the menu immediately.

Very laid back and casual diner.

The menu was full of various different dishes (front and back) to order for breakfast. It was a lot to comprehend and then decide...way too early for this.

It looked really festive inside, or maybe they were either too busy or lazy to take down the decorations. Either way, it was really attractive inside.

My coffee ($?) came first alongside a tin can of milk. I like my coffee with a lot of milk, actually I'm glad they serve the coffee with milk and not just cream.

A plate of condiments started rolling in. Pancake syrup, regular butter and flavored butter.

The different flavored butter were so unique and delicious. Makes me want to make my own butter now, yum!

J had the Special 2 by 2 by 2 Combo ($9) which consist of two large pancakes, 2 eggs (any style) and your choice of ham, bacon or sausage. Definitely a good deal for breakfast and it's a big portion also.

I had the Eggs Florentine ($11) with home fries on the side. It was really good and filling. They gave a lot of spinach which I love and everything came together nicely.

The orders were done pretty quick. The entire meal was very satisfying and left us very happy that morning. Would love to come back to try their lunch and also the famous Cherry Lime Ricky.

Tom's
782 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 636-9738

Breakfast @ Ess-A-Bagel

This bagel shop is right near my workplace which is insanely convenient. They have the array of different spreads from tofu lox cream cheese to chicken salad. They also have your cold cut meats if you prefer.

Breakfast in the morning is chaotic here. Upon entering, you would be completely confused because of the long lines and crazy zig zag to get to the end of the line. Lucky for me, there was only 2-3 people in front of me that morning. I was so relieved.

You have to know what you want here because once you're being called up, you tell them what you want and how you want it. They don't have the patience to be waiting for you while they have a long line to cater to.

I was craving for a bagel with cream cheese, but the usual cream cheese sounded boring...

Decided on an Everything Bagel with Lox Cream Cheese ($3.95). Don't know what I was thinking but I find myself not being a fan of an everything bagel. I totally forgot about the garlic bagel, and this one was so pungent. I'll stick to a plain or sesame, anything but garlic.

The lox was really good. Creamy and had bites of cured salmon in it. I think I enjoyed it more because it was pink...

Had a Small Coffee ($1.40) along with my bagel since I'm sure I needed something to wash it down with. I had no sugar in my coffee this time and surprisingly, it was bearable and tasted great with the lox bagel.

A simple spot for sandwiches, there are endless combinations you can get here. Next time, I'll be getting the tofu lox... yum.

Ess-A-Bagel
831 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 980-1010

Breakfast: Big Wing Wong

It's rare that J and I have the chance to go out and eat breakfast. We usually don't eat breakfast together but when given the chance, we opt for a Chinese one. There's so many varieties and choices instead of your boring eggs and bacon or oatmeal or breakfast sandwiches.

I barely ever eat at Big Wing Wong because I usually go to Big Wong or Yee Li (which changed names and management a couple of times). I'm very picky when it comes to Chinese restaurants that offers roast meat. I remember back in the days where you would order a rice or noodle dish and there would be greens in it but now...not a single in sight. So far, only Yee Li gives vegetables with their rice and noodles dishes. Do tell me if there are other restaurants that does this.

J likes Big Wing Wong and it's too early to argue otherwise, so I agreed.

Roast Pork Rice Crepes.
I really wanted the rice crepes with the fried cruller but they didn't have it. I didn't want shrimp and beef so we stuck with roast pork. Made fresh on the spot and was delicious as a morning appetizer. Love how they doused the whole plate in soy sauce.

Pork with Thousand Year Old Congee.
J's go-to morning order. I would order congee but I can never finish it and I don't like how steaming hot it is! I get so impatient which then leads to me burning myself and so that would ruin my chance of actually enjoying the congee. Big Wing Wong puts julienne pieces of ginger in the congee, which I'm not a big fan of either.

Wonton Mein.
Simple and yet filling. Dumplings with noodles is the way to go when you have no idea what else there is to get. I was looking around and overheard patrons eating rice for breakfast, way too early for that. The noodles were perfectly cooked, still has that bounce which I absolutely love when it comes to eating egg noodles. The wontons were excellent also. Remember the soy sauce from the rice crepe? Try it with the wontons because it gives it that extra little salty and sweet kick.

Good breakfast? Indeed. Service was fast and ordering was pretty easy once you know what you want. Big Wing Wong is one of the places that opens bright and early.

Big Wing Wong
102 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-0696