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

Midtown East, NY - The Campbell Apartment

Shanghai Margarita

Kentucky Ginger

Mango Mule

Roaring Twenties

Prosciutto Flatbread

The Campbell Apartment

15 Vanderbilt Ave 

New York, NY 10017 

(212) 953-0409

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

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

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

Teariffic Cafe - a really quick afternoon tea to get my nerves going

It's been a while since J and I came here and it's probably because we haven't had any time lately, not to mention it always seems packed when we walked by.

But this past Saturday it was quite empty, even around 1pm. Got a table in the right corner, yay for the wall because I can lean back. We ordered ourselves a drink and a plate to munch on to kill some time (I had an errand to run around 2, hence the quick tea-ing).

Usually this place is ran by waiters but that day, there were only 2 waitresses. J joked that the girlfriends had to substitute in for the guys...haha

The regular size Blackjack ($3.05) was something that J and I ordered a lot of back then, but haven't been for the past 2-3 years because it was too sweet. It's still sweet now. Our palettes changed a lot but I did want to recall some memories while drinking this, brings me back to high school.

This "exotic drink" as Teariffic quote it as, is on the sweet and sour side. It has blue curacao, strawberry syrup, lemon juice and honey - definitely taste the curacao and lemon juice more than anything and the color gives it that mysterious look. Wished it was more on the black side than blue to justify its name.

J wanted something hot, don't know why since it was humid that day. He ordered the Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea ($4.50), really wasn't worth the price since it was just tea. For some reason I was hoping it would have some pearls like tapioca but dragon type...yeaaaa. We admit it was good tea, very fragrant but I wouldn't come to Teariffic to get this type of tea.

Deep Fried Chicken Strips ($3.25) is usually what we get when it comes to tea-ing. It just works really well as just a dish to munch on and shoot the breeze with another person. Plus, it's enough to share and let the time pass. This time around, the chicken strips tasted more like pork, maybe it is pork but it's disguised as chicken. It isn't as great as it once was but it had that nice crunch factor to it, so it wasn't too bad.

I guess so matter how bad Teariffic changes or screws up, I think we'll still come back because there's so many more options on the menu. It's also one of the few tea cafes in Chinatown that has a lot of seatings and is also really casual.

Teariffic Cafe
51 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 393-9009

Hong Kong: Hui Lau Shan

Hui Lau Shan 許留山 is quite well known for their healthy drinks and desserts in HK. They're almost like Starbucks here in the states. Everywhere you go, there's a Hui Lau Shan.

Plus, it was a place that Anthony Bourdain had visited, must be good right?

After walking around in the streets in the sun, J and I needed something to drink. Not to mention we just ate some stinky tofu...haha

And oh...hello there handsome guy staring at my camera ;]

So majority of the items on their menu were mango mango mango. I'm not crazy about mango because I feel like places always overdo them, like they're way too sweet or they're not naturally sweet. J and I settled on this mango coconut drink with mango meat. Whoa...it was good! Chunks of mango in there with the right amount of mango and coconut together. Best served cold so drink up once it's handed to you. Good thing we visited this place.

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 

Hong Kong: King of Coconut

I was making faces when J told me about the King of Coconut 椰汁大王. Located pretty much everywhere. It's a small stand where they make juices, but better known for their coconut milk drink. If you're wondering, this is the same place we got the Sugar Cane Juice from but different location.

Apparently, according to J, this specific one makes the best Coconut Milk drink and I certainly concur.

Delicious! Not overly coconut-y at all. Didn't know why we didn't go back and get another one since we've been walking around the same place in circles. Not your average coconut juice, because this taste like a blend of the juice and the actual coconut meat which is why it's milky white...yum!

Hong Kong: Sugar Cane Juice

J knows that I love sugar cane juice, so it was no surprise that he wanted to take me this place that squeezes it fresh.

They're actually known for their coconut juice (will have that in another post) but for this specific location, it's the sugar cane that he said was good.

The aftermath of the poor sugar canes.

So, the verdict?
I didn't like it. It tasted weird...must be the difference in where it was grown and the weather temperature and whatnot. If you compare this to the sugar cane I had in Vietnam, the colors are totally different and it definitely taste different (it's a lot richer) also. J likes it, which is a good thing cause he can finish it. Haha

Vietnam: Sugar Cane Juice

I love sugar cane for the longest time, especially when I can have a whole cup to myself.

Finding a place to whip up some sugar cane juice in Vietnam wasn't easy, good thing my mom had a family friend that took us around and I specifically asked if there was any sugar cane drinks around. The friend found us a vendor in no time.

Why is Vietnam so friggin hot?!
I was even more depress when I couldn't have ice with mine because mom is afraid of the bacteria lingering in the ice aka water.

That's ok because you know, I really really really enjoyed it a lot. I love sugar cane juice, especially when it's from the village my parents once lived in.

Sugar cane has a distinct taste, it's not just sugar-y liquid. The one I had was a bit on the thicker side, not too thick where it's like a milkshake but it's definitely not water-y either. Personally, sugar cane juice with the color above suits to be a good sugar cane drink.

Drink Up: Teado

I've seen this place all over the Chinese magazines and when I actually looked it up on Yelp, it looked really adorable. I also looked at the menu to see if anything caught my eyes and it sure did.

It was a late night, I decided to pay Teado a visit after my doctor's appointment. Seems about right to treat myself to something sweet since I just got a shot.

The interior was small. One small table that seated 2 people and 3 chairs by the window out-looking the streets. I ordered a Rose Green Milk Tea with Bubbles.

Rose Green Milk Tea w/ Bubbles

The truth is, I ordered it because it was pink. I'm such a sucker for cute pink things... even drinks! It was a mistake since the drink came out not so great. It was a cross between a really bad yakult and honey and lemon. It was quite hard to finish, which I ended up not finishing. I would love to come back to try their regular Bubble Milk Tea. I mean, the decor of the shop is really adorable. Little Mario and Yoshi dolls, it's just pretty. I'm going to cross my fingers for a better experience next time.

Teado
145 Hester St
Store D
New York, NY 10002
(212) 226-7687

Bubble Me: Kung Fu Tea

I'll be starting a series of entries, definitely not consecutively, which will be revolving around Bubble Tea. There's a bunch of places in NYC that sells Bubble Tea and I'm interested in trying all there is.

If you haven't know what Bubble Tea is, it's basically you're average tea with bites of tapioca pearl balls that are chewy in texture. It's quite the "thing" here since they target youngsters and the idea of flavored tea with chewy add-ons.

I'll be focusing mainly on the classic, Bubble Milk Tea. Ordering that from each store I can't get my fingers on and rating them on a scale of 1-5, with one being the poorest and 5 being the highest. I'll be rating the service, atmosphere/cleanliness, and taste of the drink.

Bubble Milk Tea, usually made with black tea, sugar, milk and tapioca pearls. Although, there can be infinite variation of it doesn't mean it tastes good.

So, enough babbling and for our first look -- Kung Fu Tea.

Cute name indeed.
This branch located in Chinatown in Manhattan NYC opened not too long ago. I gave it shot because the name was just so intriguing. I liked how the place was clean and the girls behind the counter was freakishly friendly. I don't usually get that kind of service in Chinatown, let alone in a bubble tea store. This Bubble Milk Tea was definitely different than the others I've had before. This BMT was a lot more frothy and sweet. I mean, really sweet. If they cut back on the sugar, I would've gave it a perfect score. Other than that, I really adore the black and white vibe from this shop. All the straws were black which makes it so much easier to not stand there and choose which color straw I would choose.

Overall --
Service 4.5/5
Atmosphere 3.5/5
Taste 3/5
Likelihood to return is 75%

Kung Fu Tea
234 Canal St, Suite 107
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-3536  

Drink Up: Kelvin Natural Slush Co.

Walking down 14 Street, I spotted the Kelvin truck. I've heard they serve some heck of a slush and the weather was perfect for a great slush like that. Although getting it dead hot on a summer day will just make the ice melt faster, which is no bueno for me. Lucky enough, J and I got this at night... absolutely perfect.

Kelvin's slush is quite simple, you get to choose from 3 different types of flavors and get to add-in a fruity puree to give your entire drink a fresh kick. J and I opted for the special of the day - the Arnold Palmer. Iced tea slush and lemonade slush.

Arnold Palmer

Definitely a nice refreshing drink. If you like slushies then this is the truck you need to find. Just the right amount of sweetness in it to quench your thirst in the summer night.

Kelvin Natural Slush Co.
Various locations in NYC.
(646) 200-5083