Midtown East - Hot Kitchen

I've been to Hot Kitchen a couple of times, for dine-in and takeout.

I see myself coming back whenever I'm craving for something spicy. It's a Szechuan style cuisine. The service is quite fast and the food is usually a hit or miss, depending on what you order. I usually get the lunch specials since it's the best 'bang for your buck' kind of deal.

I'm not exactly fond of their soup, the Hot and Sour Soup is barely hot - spicy wise and temperature wise.

I think this is probably one of the best dishes I've had from them. The Double Cooked Pork was very flavorful and I just couldn't stop eating those scallion/leek things.

The Shredded Pork with Dried Bean Curd was insanely oily. I think I would've enjoyed it if it was more gravy and sauce without the extra dollop of oil in it.

Not a bad rendition of the Mapo Tofu. Feels like it's missing some magic powder or ingredient but overall, not a bad choice for something spicy.

Hot Kitchen
251 East 53rd St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 588-8826

BCD Tofu House - I like it when I get my own

BCD was re-opened after a long close and it's better than ever. They have long lines and also a long wait, anywhere from 20-60 minutes long. J and I had to wait a good 20 minutes for a table of two. We were seated in the back, they even had a second floor. The good thing about this BCD is that they give you a restaurant pager, when it buzzes, you know it's time for you to chow down.

When coming to BCD, you must get their soondubu. A pot full of tofu, spices, and your choice of meat. They have a big variety here, there's your regular pork or beef, kimchi, seafood and then there's curry and abalone for the more adventurous. Spice levels ranging from none to the extreme.

After ordering, the banchan or little side dishes were placed on our tables, they're unlimited so don't be afraid to flag down the waiters/waitresses to get more. We each had a fried fish, deliciously fried. Crunchy on the outside but the meat was moist and flaky on the inside. Usually you only get one grilled fish and it's usually the mackerel but here, you get your own and I can tell you, it's not mackerel here.

The fish is small but it's a good appetizer. Any bigger and you won't be able to eat your entree. Kimchi was good also, the other banchans were a bit underwhelming.

Ordered a small Goon Mandoo but come to think of it, they might've gave us the steamed ones. I couldn't tell since they seemed lightly fried but then placed into a bamboo steamer. Darnit! Apparently they be messing up our orders that night a lot. (We ordered a Chum Churum - soju, but they gave us ginger ale..., that we managed to fix.)

At last the soondubu. The Kimchi Soondubu was filled with tofu. The first spoonful I got was tofu, tofu, tofu...even when I mix I get more tofu. The broth was spicy and blended really well with the kimchi. Some kimchi and pork was squished in the middle of the tofu which I'm definitely not complaining.

With the order of soondubu, you get a raw egg which you then would just crack it into the stew. It's quite fun and it looks so much more appealing. I had the regular spice level which was just right, I can't imagine those that ordered the "danger" level. Although I did once at the location in Flushing which was hell!

J had the Curry Soondubu, something different but tasted a bit watered down. It just had that hint of curry flavor, he liked it. I liked mines a lot more. We had a bowl of rice each, I couldn't finish mine as I was too focused on the stew instead.

Towards the end, they gave us each the rice porridge. It's the type where they use tea to scrape off the rice from the clay pot, you just enjoy it like that to cleanse your palate. I'm not crazy about it because it had that smokey burnt taste.

I'm waiting to return. I can't stop thinking about the tofu ever since I had it but there's so many other places to try and eat also. I wish I was cloned so I can be at multiple restaurants at once...haha

BCD Tofu House
5 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 967-1900

Lunchin' Solo: Yogi Korean BBQ - Spicy Pork w/ White Rice

The Yogi cart is here occasionally and not all the time, it's a hit or miss when I see it. The first couple of times I saw it, I was either not in the mood for it or I had already brought in lunch from home.

But this time, was an excellent time to get it since my coworker was getting froyo from the truck right next to it.

Thankfully, there was no line because nothing can be worse than standing in line for food when its 85 degrees out and you're near a blistering hot little food cart.

They had an array of options, anything from tacos to burritos to rice. I settled for the rice since by that time, I was really hungry and you can't really screw this up. The Spicy Pork ($7) was my choice since I didn't want Teriyaki Chicken or Bulgogi. They were also out of fried rice, what I initially wanted, so they gave me white rice. Told them to add on the kimchi and also some salad, ended up choosing the ginger white sauce - the guy told me it was made of ginger and some vinegar, sure why not since my pork is spicy anyways.

Kimchi was pretty great, might be sliced up too small but overall not bad. Also, be great if it was colder but no complaints because it was pretty bomb.

The pork was amazing. Tender and flavorful, the sauce went so well - kind of addicting. I was so glad I got the white rice also, the juices from the pork literally just covered the rice making it extremely heavenly. I've had fried rice from a Korean cart before and it wasn't exactly great so I'll steer away from it for now when I still can.

Definitely return for their tacos and burritos, plus the 2 guys working in the cart are extremely nice.

Yogi Korean BBQ
47th St & 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10017

Lunchin' Solo: iKimchi - Spicy Fried Pork

I've heard about the Korean Food Cart on Lexington Avenue near Baruch College but never really found the time to get it. Finally, as I was running some errands in the neighborhood I decided to stand on the long line and wait for my food.

Good weather and street food don't go well together. I despise the long lines but for good food, it's worth it.

There's like 4 people running this little cart. The chef, the person assembling my tray, the person taking my order, and finally the guy that just replenishes the items in the cart. Their meals range from $5-7 and miso soup for $2 unless you get it with the lunchbox which is just $1 more.

Heard from J that the Spicy Fried Pork is good since he works in the area and got it multiple times, so that's what I got.

Not a bad deal, the Spicy Fried Pork w/ salad and rice was $6. They also prefer you telling them if you want kimchi or not along with the time when you place your order. Salad was on the weak side, can't you give me more? But, I did get hooked onto their salad dressing. So good! I'm guessing ranch and vinaigrette? I did see them squirting 2 different sauces on it!

Kimchi was ok, took me an hour to finally be able to eat my lunch which by that time, my kimchi was warm. I like my kimchi cold because it holds that crunch. Even though it was warm, the crunch was still there. A good little banchan to start with.

The combo came with fried rice, I wasn't too crazy about it because it was a bit on the hard side. But I do appreciate the meat. Very flavorful and they give a generous amount.

Not a bad choice for lunch since I can sort of justify the price. A lot of times Korean lunches can come out to being $7-10, especially around K-town but this is quite reasonable.

iKimchi
Lexington Ave (between 24th and 25th Street)
New York, NY 10010

Hong Kong: Snakes and Frogs

One of the more exotic meals I had in Hong Kong consisted of snakes and frogs. This is what I'm talking about. I know Asian countries eat animals that aren't considered "normal" in the states and it's so hard to find places like that back in the U.S.

Somehow, J wandered the streets of Hong Kong (prior to my arrival) and found this little shop. Really small, maybe about 6 seats? and definitely not for the queasy and OCD clean types.

The menu is in Chinese, not one bit of English at all. If you speak Cantonese then you're saved but for the unlucky ones that don't speak Cantonese, you have to wish and pray that a English-speaking HK-er is there to help translate.

Each meal was different. There's an A, B, C, and D meal, each consisting of different dishes. Although each meal does have a soup and a pot of casserole full of rice and meat.

We ordered the B meal which had the snake clear soup, snake thick soup, and a frog casserole in a clay pot.

The clear soup was very flavorful, also very hot! You don't taste anything snake-y about it. I mean, if no one told you they used snake to make the broth, you wouldn't even know.

I really enjoyed the thick soup. There was a lot of ingredients and had the consistency of hot and sour soup.

There was a lot of snake meat in the soup. Tasted bland and chewy, almost like chicken when you boil it down to make soup. All the flavor was in the thick broth, add some wood-ear mushrooms, preserved mustard cabbage and probably a lot of MSG and this was quite amazing.

Lastly, the frog rice casserole in a clay pot. Rice was really good, it had that dryness to it where the grains don't stick to each other (yes, that's how you know it was made correctly). Smother the whole thing in soy sauce and we had a perfectly cheap meal that fed 2 people.

So, there's nothing creepy, disgusting or gross about it. You just have to have an open-mind and be willing to try it. After all, everything is food...circle of life!

They had turtle also, wondered how that would've tasted...

Hong Kong: Yoshinoya

There were days where J and I weren't so hungry, we needed something small but yet filling. There are tons of street food in HK but sometimes we just want a break from it.

J told me about Yoshinoya since it was literally right below our building and around the corner, so convenient. Took us a while to decide what we want. I ended up asking them if they have a extra large size...and they did!

It's great how it came with a drink, we chose tea, and nicely packed utensils.

We ordered the Beef Bowl - extra large baby! Doesn't look like much but it filled us up. The rice was fluffy soft.

Might look a bit dry, but the beef was really tender and when you bite down into the beef along with some onions, the flavor burst everywhere. So gewd! It's probably overpriced here in the states so I'll just get it when I can when I'm in HK =D

Lunchin' @ Sophie's Cuban Cuisine - Cod Fish Stew

As you can see, I've been to Sophie's quite often lately (which can also explain the weight gain I'm seeing - not good!) because it's literally across from my building. The convenience of its location made it a lot easier and also more tempting to go there. They also have different dishes each day from Monday through Friday to spice up your taste buds.

I saw they had Cod Fish Stew on Friday and knew I had to try it. I love cod, it's one of the fishes that I can eat every day. When it's cooked just right, the meat of the fish would just flake off and it's of a milky white color.

At Sophie's, you get 2 sides with their meals. I refuse to ever order beans with it because I despise beans. Rather, I've gotten my Cod Fish Stew with Yellow Rice and Salad ($9.00).

Yes, it's pretty pricey for lunch but the portions are huge and can easily be two meal. I was so greedy and fat that I wanted it all in one sitting.

I was afraid the salad would be too soft because they might've left it in the fridge for a couple of days and that the dressing was too watered down. Boy was I wrong. The lettuce was still fresh and crunchy, same goes for the cucumber and tomato. The dressing was a strong vinaigrette which was very appetizing.

Onto my beloved stew. I have to say that Sophie's make really good stew, any kind of stew for that matter. I always get rice with it because I love the way the sauce seeps around the rice and covers it in every way. So dam good.

There was a lot of cod fish pieces which I appreciate. Stewed with onions and bell peppers, the taste was so aromatic. The fish was a bit tough but it's because it had been stewed for so long. Fish doesn't get softer when you stew it for a long time, meat does. The meal was still delicious and I would definitely get it again.

Sophie's Cuban Cuisine
Lower Atrium
805 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 308-1024

Weekday Lunch: Bian Dang Truck

Thanks to my new app which I got recently, I can tell which food trucks are around me. Such a useful tool to sure a hungry stomach. I found that Bian Dang, a Taiwanese cuisine, truck was around the neighborhood so I walked a bit. Giving the nice weather, too nice since the sun was blairing down.

The line was insanely long when I got there, probably more than 10 people. But, I was determined to get me some Taiwanese lunchbox!

After waiting for 15 minutes, my order took less than 3 minutes to reach my hands. That's pretty quick, I started to get a bit worried but I might as well hope for the best.



I got the Chicken Leg over Rice with Meat Sauce. Holy...it was a big portion.

Delicious meat sauce that is just clinging on the rice.

Amazingly crispy skin. How can you have chicken without the skin?! That's illegal!

The coloring on the chicken looks heavenly. The meat sauce was quite different than what I expected. Then again, I never had Taiwanese meat sauce before. The meat sauce is on the sour side and I found that it's from the pickled cabbaged they used. Extremely tasty because it's not the usual savory flavor you would get, a little kick of sourness is definitely unique.

What I do regret is not getting their tea egg. It probably would've went perfect with the entire meal, although I did have a problem finishing it. The prices for the truck is $1 less than if you get it at their storefront.

Bian Dang Truck

Various Locations - check their twitter

New York, NY

Weekday Lunch: Biryani Cart

There are so many food carts out there, especially halal carts which makes it quite overwhelming. Usually we just choose the cart that pretty much closest to us or go to the one that was conveniently there.

I been having some hit and misses with halal food carts because each vendor makes it differently. The meat and the sauce are pretty much similar throughout all the carts but the rice is the splitting point for me. I like the basmati rice, long grained and nicely spiced. There's only a handful of places that don't overcook their rice here in midtown.

While doing my lunch walks, one day I saw a cart that said Biryani Cart. Doesn't look like the regular menu I'm used to seeing so I gave it a try, not to mention the other carts closer to my office wasn't so great.

Halal food are so inexpensive, for a mere $5 you get all of the above. If you're a small eater, can definitely be split into two meals. Everything on the plate was extremely flavorful. I always order the chicken over rice because it's a safe bet. Back then, I would just have them put the white sauce on but recently I've been loving hot sauce. The two sauces, white and hot, perfectly mended together to give you the full affect of halal food.

If you see the little peek in the center, the rice is basmati which I absolutely love. This cart has been my go to place for a good hearty container of halal food. I've been going there nearly every week since I discovered it. Oh, they even dress your salad with vinaigrette - how awesome is that?

Besides the usual chicken/lamb over rice and gyros. This Biryani cart has different items on their menu. Anything from curry chicken to kati rolls to marsala chicken. I'd love to try their other dishes but I always find myself ordering the chicken over rice over and over again.

Biryani Cart

On the corner of 45th Street and 3rd Ave

New York, NY 10022

Weekday Lunch: Asian Station

My firm had previously ordered from Asian Station and what we had was so memorable that I had to get it again. Ok, I mean go there again but get something else because I have no idea what my firm ordered.

Hot and Sour Soup.

Pretty decent in my opinion. There were chunks of tofu and mushrooms. If it was just a bit more on the hot side, then it would've been perfect. But for a side soup, this is quite good.

Baby Eggplant w/ White Meat Chicken in Garlic Sauce and Rice.

This was delicious. Great hearty Chinese meal which really does the trick if you want something on the rice side. I ordered brown rice since it's a lot healthier and I don't feel too guilty. If you're not a big eater like me, this splits perfectly into two meals which you can do lunch and dinner or lunch and lunch.

It wasn't too pricey given that it's in midtown manhattan, just $7.50 for the rice and side of soup. Definitely one of the better Asian food in midtown I've had so far.

Asian Station

155 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 752-7321