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.

Enid's - You took me back even though I said no

I can't remember the last time I had brunch with J. Actually I can't remember the last time J took me somewhere for brunch and not let me know where it is. I really love the feeling of surprises, wished he did this more often.

I really had no idea where we were going until I saw the name of the restaurant on its front door. It sounded familiar because J wanted to take me here before. I said no to the idea because it was so far and a little out of the way to commute to. No more excuses now since J drove. =]

The place was quite large once we were able to get in. The door knob was a lot lower than expected. Especially when you have a tall guy like my boyfriend trying to open the door.
Starting off with some drinks, I had the Grimosa ($7) and he had the Hot Ginger Whiskey ($7). Extremely well done drinks, especially the whiskey. You can't taste much of the whiskey at all but the aroma of it can definitely get me high. I would love to have this every time I'm sick.

J ordered the Fried Jalapeno Cheese Grits ($10) which was pretty good and also healthy. He actually got some greens with his dish. The biscuit were probably the best part because it was crunchy and flaky at the same time. Add some butter on and dam...I can eat a whole basket of this!

I decided on the Garlic Shrimp and Grits ($12), not too sure why I ordered it because I'm not that crazy about shrimps. But let me tell you this, I'm so glad I ordered it. The garlic sauce was amazing and flavored the grits oh so well. The shrimps were cooked to perfection. We both had eggs sunny-side up because we love the runny yolk. If I don't have toast or bread on hand, I usually just pop the entire yolk in my mouth...mmm runny goodness.

I wouldn't mind coming back because the waitresses were friendly and the atmosphere is very welcoming. The feeling was very laid back and relaxing. Plus, they got a full bar.

Enid's
560 Manhattan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 349-3859

Hong Kong: Stinky Tofu

Even though Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐 didn't originate in HK, they do sell them in the streets. I'm glad that I don't actually think they're stinky, they're just aromatic to me. As J and I were walking in the streets, we smelled it from blocks away. But as we got closer, the scent dissipated.

This little spot has other yummy bits also but we just wanted the fried stinky tofu.

They have condiments for you to dress your tofu. You can come back for endless sauces.

Verdict? It was good, could've been great if it was fresher when we got to it. But the sauce was like "girlll oh ma gawdddd" good. Love the spicy kick to it and the fermented aroma. I can totally just inhale this stuff. Stinky tofu is one of those special delicacy that you just have to try at least one, liking it or not can be a totally different story.

Whitman's - A suprise that will leave me speechless

I know J has been wanting a Juicy Lucy for the longest time. The idea of having melted cheese in a burger is just something we can't pass up on. Plus, I was totally in the mood for a burger and something fried...

J ordered a Negra Modelo ($7) beer. I'm not a big fan of beer so I just stuck with my water.

The Fried Pickles ($4) were alright. I didn't like them as much just because I thought they were too thin and weren't crunchy enough. The dipping sauce was delicious though, I'm sure it's not cheese but J keeps telling me otherwise. I prefer a thick and crunchier crust, but I still can down endless bowls of this.

I was the normal one that ordered the regular Juicy Lucy ($10). The patty might look small but it was a delicious ball of goodness. I was trying to flatten the burger but forgot about the cheese in the middle until J was like "omg it's squirting from the other side."

The cheese were actually all situated in the center, I wished it was more all over the patty. You can actually have your choice of cheese but I just went with the pimento cheese since that was the regular one on the menu. The pickle was ginormous though and spicy. So good and fulfilling.

J's crazy Juicy Lucy ($10) with bacon ($1) and fried egg ($2). I know he just had to do it. I have to say that it looks absolutely beautiful when it came out. The egg was so perfect and I wanted his greens! Anywho, his was less messy than mine. Odd, cause my plate was filled with meat juices...hahaha

Whitman's
406 E 9th St
New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-8011

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: Traditional Candy and Coconut Wrap

One of the best thing about HK is the endless street food, I can even get my desserts in the streets. Walking along, J and I saw something that was pretty strange. It wasn't the Dragon Beard candy which instantly got our attention. It was a good thing that there were no lines.

The man with his small stand of yumminess!

I was so amazed at how he makes the 糖葱餅 or Traditional Candy and Coconut Wrap, but if I were to literally translate from Cantonese to English, it would be "Candy Scallion Cookie."

It was really simple. He already has this hollow tubular sugar candy stored somewhere and took it out, place it on the coconut wrap and then put a spoonful or two of shredded coconut, roasted sesame and sugar on top. Roll it up and... voila!

It only cost 6HKD which was less than a dollar here in the states.

It was really crunchy but then chewy at the same time. It wasn't too sweet which got me by surprise. I love how the tubes look!

Halfway through, it got completely squished. One of my favorite odd snacks in HK. So glad we stopped to get this!

Randazzo's Clam Bar - Getting my white and red on for the night

One of the few times I ever had dinner at 9pm. I was starving waiting for J to come and pick me up. I was actually on the verge of being grumpy. Good thing he took me somewhere close, plus the service was quick also.

We always pass by Randazzo just because we would crazily walk to Roll N Roaster which is a couple of blocks down. We said to ourselves that we would go to Randazzo soon but that never happened until now.

The waitress that served us is such a doll even though she could be my mother. J ordered an appetizer, pasta entree and house wines.

The house wines are so adorable! I want a whole box of those bottles to myself!
I had the Chardonnay ($5) as he had the Merlot ($5).

Mmm bread. We actually didn't have any of the butter...

The appetizer was delicious! The Combo ($22.95) which consist of scungilli, mussels, shrimp and calamari was perfect. The size was just right and everything tasted really good. The mild marinara sauce complimented it really well, good thing we didn't get the spicy one...

Lastly, the pasta dish. No it's not that small but I was just too hungry and totally forgot to snap the dish as a whole so I just ended up taking a photo of my dish. The Shrimp Randazzo over Linguine ($23.95) was delicious! Shrimp, clams and mussels in a lemon, garlic, butter and wine sauce was just over the top. This is where we use the bread, to soak up all the yummy sauce.

I would just come back for that pasta dish, all to myself. It was on the smaller size but it was good. Definitely quality over quantity here.

Randazzo's Clam Bar
2017 Emmons Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 615-0010