Ninja New York

The past weekend was a friend's birthday and she (well her husband) booked a whole section of the place for a party of 24 people. I loved how we dominated the entire area.

My other friend needed to use the restroom so she and I went down into the restaurant first, yes, it's underground. Once out of the elevators, we had to walk thru complete darkness. Well, maybe not completely but it was dark and there were small steps which you have to watch out for. Opening another set of doors will bring you to the restaurant where all the tables and seats are, and to hype it up, they yell "HAI-YA" out of nowhere at no particular time or place.

Before eating, since some people haven't arrived yet, my table started ordering drink... specifically cocktails. We literally tried all the cocktails that were on their menu, they probably loved us.


Rin



Zai



Sha



Kai



Zen



Toh

All of them looked so pretty but I did have two favorites, the Rin and the Zai. Rin was more on the girly side, citrus-y fruity while the Zai was more refreshing and masculine. 
Because we had such a large party, everyone had to order from their prix fixe menu. J and I shared the Hanzou which consist of the following --


Batto Jutsu

A plate of duck pate and rock shrimp in yuzu sauce with a light vinaigrette salad. I loved the shrimp, I wish I wasn't sharing this... The duck pate would've worked great with some toast.


Hot Artichoke Dip

Another favorite of mine. More on the cheesy side but it's so good. You get bits and chunks of artichoke. Here, I wish they gave more bread.

Kataplana Hot Pot

 A pot filled with clams, mussels, seasonal fish and some potato in a Portuguese style broth. Again, bread please!


Angus Ribeye Steak

Cooked medium rare, just the way J and I like it. There was also a compound of urchin butter slapped right on top along with some fried garlic. The garlic had the texture of potatoes with just a hint of garlic essence. The steak was alright, nothing too phenomenal though.


Chocolate Cake w/ Raspberry Sorbet

Finally, the dessert. Wasn't so thrilled about the sorbet but the chocolate cake, well the middle section was really good. Mousse texture which reminds me of Three Musketeer Chocolate Bar, so nommy.

Since J and I sat at the table with friends, we literally took a bite from others and it also gave me a chance to snap away. Some dishes were presented really nicely but taste otherwise.


Caesar Salad



Creamy Crab Cake



Miso Salmon



Stew in a Stone

Overall, the meal and company was excellent. Would I come back? I'll have to think about it. The food is a hit or miss, it's really all about the experience that you're going to get here. Random ninja's bouncing out of nowhere trying to scare you with retractable knives. It's even better when the waiter aka ninja lend you their knives to scare your friends. Pretty awesome.


Ninja Star Martini

Can't forget about this drink. One of my friends ordered it, pretty sure he was out of it after chugging the last half of the drink before we left. No idea what's in it and shame on us for not asking. The description says "Mysterious Black Potion," I caught me off guard that it actually was served... black. But, it tasted good. Do you dare to try it?

Ninja New York
25 Hudson St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-8500


Hakata Ton Ton - Revisit

A revisit worthwhile.

Hakata is a place that requires reservations, unless you're the uber lucky type. If you're interested in my first visit, take a look here.

So, jumping right into it. There were two items that I definitely wanted again and for the rest, it was fairly new.

Kitaya Ai No Hime

Kitaya Ai No Hime (Beni)

J was interested in trying the blue and pink sake. I was just amazed at how pretty it looks. I really wanted to like the pink one but the blue actually won me over because it was a lot smoother and sweeter with no weird after taste. The pink had a bit of a tart to it which I'm going to pass.


Hakata Mojito

One of my favorite drink from HTT was their mojito. Definitely different than the usual ones because this one tasted sweet, which I looove.


Atlantic Salmon Carpaccio

Another favorite of mine. Very refreshing but you can still taste the salmon, that under the water seafood scent and taste just lingers with each bite.


Japanese Veal Liver Sashimi

This was an interesting dish, similar to the seared one in my previous visit. This came with two sauce, a sesame oil based and a soy based. I prefer the soy based because I like salty sauces... the sesame one was way too oily for me. The liver sashimi is very close to cooked liver, but it has a much more bouncier texture, also a lot chewier. It still has that gamey and irony affect though.


Himi's Famous Homemade Gyoza

Moving on to something that's not raw. The gyoza was quite an eye-opener. The gyozas that I ever had had always been the wrap enclosing the filling. But for this, they left each end opened... pretty neat. The dish also came out piping hot and oil splattering everywhere, it hurts! But it was good. J was having trouble keeping the meat inside the dumpling wrap, it was too hilarious watching him eat.

Onto the main course.
We were too amazed by the massive pot placed in front of us that I totally forgot to take a photo of it before we ate it. The photo above (which was taken at my last visit) is very similar if not the same as what we had. We ordered the Hakata Ton Ton Hotpot for two, it consist of collagen broth, tofu, dumplings, vegetables, pork belly, and tonsoku (pig's feet). The broth is amazing, a lot better than last time. There was a lot more flavor and wasn't as salty. I can eat this all week long. One down side, we had to wait 20 minutes for the pot to boil so everything would be cooked, but it was so worth it!

We also ordered ramen to finish up the delicious broth, good thing this didn't take 20 minutes. It's just regular packaged ramen but it was the broth that made it oh-so-awesome.

I love the idea of hotpot and then putting in noodles afterwards to finish up the meal. I love noodles and this is like a happy ending gone totally right. Although, I do suggest going here in the winter since it does get a bit warm inside when you start boiling away.

Hakata Ton Ton
61 Grove St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-3699

The Underground Lounge

One of my coworkers was going to play live at The Underground Lounge, I definitely wasn't going to miss it so I joined my other coworkers and trekked to the upper west side.

The lounge/bar is literally underground, well half up and half down. The stairs are tricky, I was thinking how many people actually tripped going up the stairs when they leave. The live music starts at 7pm so we stay by the bar to order some drinks and food first.


X-Rated Kiss

One of the better cocktails that I've had. It taste extremely girly and quite strong also.


Hard Cider

My dear coworker ordered Hard Cider which was just apple cider with just a teensy bit of alcohol content in it.


BBQ Chicken Wings

The chicken wings were alright, nothing really special about it. Although I did wish there was more because it wasn't enough to hit the spot.


Fish Tacos

After having fish tacos at Blockheads for the first time, I fell in love with fish tacos in general. Wherever I see it, I would want to get it. Glad we got to try the Mahi Mahi here beacuse they steamed the fish and the flavor of the fish is still there. Love the mango and pineapple in the mini tacos.

After finishing those two dishes, the live room was open for us to take a seat and get comfortable. It's not a huge place but it's definitely cozy. We continued to order food because we're still hungry. The food took a while to come once we migrated into the bigger room. But the quality doesn't fail to deliver.


Margherita Rustic Pizzette

One of the best pizza I've had. It was fresh and the toppings were just right, the crust was crunchy like a flatbread. I would just go back for the pizza and a drink, it's so good.


Cheeseburger Sliders

The sliders were mediocre, nothing fantanstic about it. It was a bit on the dry side, maybe we needed ketchup...


Muchos Nachos

The nachos were massive but then it started to get soggy in the middle. No beuno. I rather have the toppings on the side so I can just dip into it.
As the night progresses I got another drink --


Cuban Mojito Highball

It wasn't so great. I prefer the X-Rated Kiss a lot more. The mojito lacked flavor, there was a lot of mint but I tasted no alcohol, like it was filled mostly of water. What a disappointment.

The highlight of the bar/lounge was definitely the X-Rated Kiss, pizzette, and the live entertainment my coworker provided us. It was a very mellow night which was great for some relaxing time.

The Underground Lounge
955 W End Ave
New York, NY 10025
(212) 531-4759

Kowloon Cafe

It was a nice Saturday morning, J and I didn't want to head out to the city so we stayed in Brooklyn to find a spot to eat. It was around 1pm when we met up and decided to head to Kowloon Cafe. A Hong Kong based cafe, I love these kind of places. The staff spoke in Cantonese and the service was quick. I've never been here before but J had eaten here a couple of times already.

We got seated immediately but it took us a while to decide on what to eat since they have a ton of dishes on their menu. As usual, we ordered way too much. I guess we're back on the greedy track.


Grass Jelly w/ Soy Milk

I think J started to slowly like this when I ordered it back then. He's been bringing up this drink a lot lately and finally he gets his fix! They serve it really sweet here, and I was so glad that they put a lot of crushed ice into it... the ice eventually melted and mellowed out the sweetness of the soy milk.


Salt and Pepper Duck Gizzard

If you haven't noticed, J and I love gizzards. It's been a while since I've had duck gizzard, chicken gizzard are more assessible than duck. Nonetheless, the dish was good. A bit on the salty side but I can live with it cause I heart gizzards. Duck gizzards are just a bit larger in size but the texture are similar to chicken's, just as gamey and chewy.


Curry Fish Balls

Ever since we ordered the curry fish balls from Hong Kong Station in Chinatown, we are addicted. Not knowing how it would taste at Kowloon, we took the risk and ordered it. It was definitely different than HK Station because at Kowloon they actually use the curry powder which yields that curry flavor. At HK Station, they use crushed chilis, oil, and pepper as the curry sauce. I still love both styles.


Kowloon French Toast

I was never a big fan of HK style's toast but J loves it, must be a Hong Kong thing. This one in particular had a bit of a surprise in the middle for us. There was a thin layer, sufficient enough so you can actually taste it, of red bean paste. What a pleasant surprise! The entire toast was actually pretty good *claps*


Amoy Style Fried Vermicelli

Don't know why they didn't just call it rice noodles. When I'm in the mood for a light stir-fried noodle, rice noodle will be the choice. They have a lot less oil than any other noodle dishes and plus, the Amoy style has a lot of ingredients. Anything from ham, egg, onions, sour cabbage, peppers, shrimp... at the list goes on and on.

Curry Beef Stew w/ Rice

This is where we realized that we ordered more than we can consume. J was like, we should've sticked with the noodles. Haha! But hey, the rice dish was really good, like gooood. The beef was tender and soft, sauce was perfect, even the rice was good.

I definitely enjoy this meal. Then again, I think I just really like Cantonese food in general. A place that is worthy of return.

Kowloon Cafe
2365 86th St
Brooklyn, NY 11214
(718) 333-1388

Mile End

The search for the best New York poutine still continues. Of course, it will never be the same as Montreal's poutine but I would like to think there is this possibility out there where we'll find a poutine that comes close to our (J's and mine) favorite Frite Alors in Canada.

Somehow, searching around Yelp brings me to Mile End. They had good ratings, great photos and most important, the poutine looks really dam good.

When we arrived, we had to wait a while. I was actually surprised at how many people were eating here, must be good...

They had a small menu so deciding on what we want wasn't so difficult.


Classic Poutine

Looks pretty legit to me.
I wish the cheese curds were smaller and colder. Because by the time they served us the plate, the curds were melting. Gah! I want that squeaky feeling of cheese curds between my teeth. The gravy was good, not too overly seasoned and worked quite well with the fries, which were quite good also. And so, that's where the good food ends...

Smoke Meat Sandwich w/ pickle and slaw

The smoked meat was dry. They needed more fat in that meat, not just lean meat. Felt like eating dry cardboard. But, the pickle was amazing. Nice, crunchy, salty... the way a real pickle should be.


Grandpa

Another disappointment. Layers of turkey breast with thinly sliced pickle (-_-) and a turkey rillette, one word - dry. The only moisture was the pickles and the rillette. Plus, I felt like it lacked some sort of texture, probably would've helped if they gave me more pickles.

So, the entire time J and I was sitting at the counter, we noticed the dude behind the counter that was preparing sandwiches started munching on pieces of smoked meat and turkey. He would purposely slice more and just eat the extra pieces, and I say extra pieces because they actually weigh the amount that goes into the sandwich. Man, I rather go to Katz's and let them pile on the meat and they're not dry!

All-in-all, I'm only coming back for the poutine, if I ever come back.

Mile End
97 Hoyt St
Ste A
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 852-7510

Ed's Lobster Bar

I finally have the time to catch up on my post now since work is slowing down. Tax season was a pain and definitely tough but it's finally over, for now.

J and I went to Ed's Lobster Bar Annex near the Lower East Side. We were hoping there wouldn't be as much people at this location since the other one was at Lafayette Street, a total tourist trap.

We sat in the back where we were able to sit oustide and get some fresh air. Mind you, this was still in March so as the night got darker it starting getting a bit chilly.

We started with a selection of oysters. I don't think I ever know what kind of oysters I eat, west or east coast, I just eat them. I like that briny and fishy-ness from the oysters, pity how fast they go though.

Crudo Selection - Tuna

I don't think I really had crudo before, J explained it to me and it's such a simple process. Crudo means olive oil and sea salt with the cut of fish or meat being sliced thinly. Can't get any simpler than that, plus it was actually good. Simplicity is the key.


Mussels in Lobster Broth and Fennel

I find that whenever we head to a restaurant, if there's mussel, we're getting it. I know J loves mussels and the fact that it was in lobster broth totally got me sold. I like how big the portion is for this and it was only $10. And you get bread that was soaked in butter to dip into the broth. That is just amazing and genius.


Seared Day Boat Scallop



Special of the Night - 3 sliders (lobster burger, skate, fried oyster)

I had the scallops while J had the special. For once, I think I got the better end of the bargain here. I love scallops and pairing it with sauteed spinach and mashed potato was perfect. The scallops were just slightly overcooked, just slighty. But the overall dish was definitely good.

J's sliders were a hit and miss. The best was the fried oyster, the other two lack susbtance and/or flavor. Oh, if you love fries then you're in for a treat here, they give a shit-load of fries with your order.

I like Ed's Lobster Bar, but I also know that it could've been better. I think there's 3 locations and each location has a different menu, I'm determined to head over to the Lafayette one and try it out. Their menu was actually more appealing to me but hey... no complaints since it was a nice meal either way.

Ed's Lobster Bar
25 Clinton St
Manhattan, NY 10002
(212) 777-7370


Les Sans Culottes

One of my all time favorite restaurants would be Les Sans Culottes. They have a prix fixe menu which can literally fill you up like a balloon. They have price from $25, $32 and $35 that includes a three-course meal. J and I absolutely love this place, it's cheap and satisfies our tummy. We usually order from the $25 menu but we felt a little adventurous so we ordered whatever we wanted that night.

Fruit and Vegetable Basket

Fresh fruits and vegetables. The melons are always so sweet here.

They also give you a rack of sausage and you can eat and enjoy as much as you like. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, you can also use the table as a cutting table since they already covered it with a white sheet.

And that's not the end of the appetizers yet. They also give you bread, pate, butter and dressing to accompany the sausages, veggies and fruits. All these things are included with the prix fixe which is probably enough to fill a person that doesn't eat much.

Escargot

J and I love this dish, it's one of our favorites. Snails in garlic, butter and parsley. The reason why we love it so much and see ourselves coming back and ordering this dish is because it's actually still in its shell. Plus, it's so darn cheap... cheaper than other places that serves escargots.

Filet Mignon Champignons

Shell Steak w/ Peppercorn Sauce

The entrees are ginormous. They are seriously really generous with the portions and the food there is pretty decent.

Flan

Nothing better than to end the meal with a dessert. There's two choices you can have with the prix fixe, either flan or chocolate mousse. I'm not a big fan of chocolate so I always order the flan, though I did try the mousse before and it wasn't all that great. I recommend the flan for sure.

Definitely a great French restaurant if you want the bang for your buck kind of deal. But don't expect too much, you do get what you pay for.

Les Sans Culottes
1085 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 838-6660