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 

Hong Kong: Amo Eno

Being in Hong Kong, J doesn't want to miss out on anything retro or "new." He somehow found a place inside a mall that offers touch screen for wine. Amo Eno, nestled in a mall in Central Hong Kong. A mall where all the high-end brands are. It's ok, we're just here for the food and booze.

I love the look and feel of this wine bar. They also sell different wine glasses and wine jars.

Ginormous touch screen to play with. You can choose your wine through here and even learn about them. I can literally sit here all day playing on that.

They also had these really good bacon toast. Went really well with sipping wine. Plus, it was refillable.

One of the great things about Amo Eno is the different amounts of wine you can get in a glass, your choice of sip, taste or glass. What's even better is they run on a membership card, a card which you pay a yearly subscription to and come whenever you want, put that card in the slot of which wine you want and get charged on the card. You can even get up and walk around with a glass and start pressing around and the machine will automatically distill the amount you chose, whether it be a sip, taste or glass.

The card is only for HK residents. J and I were bummed out. We hope that NYC is able to open up something like this for their NYC residents because truly, this is a genius idea.

Besides the endless amount of wine we drank, we ordered Cajun Crusted Shrimp Poppers with Brandy Lime Dip, a delicious side I might add.

If you like wine bars like we do and also something new and exciting, Amo Eno should be on your to-go list when you're in HK.

Hong Kong: Seafood by the water

What's better than relaxing by the water and having seafood?

That's pretty ideal. J and I went to Sai Kung (西貢) for the seafood because they apparently have the freshest kind. There's a whole strip of restaurants along the water but we went to Hung Kee Seafood Restaurant (洪記海鮮酒家) because J went there before and said it was good.

We went on a weekday and it was quite empty. J told me when he came with his relatives it was packed and you can barely walk. Waiting for a table can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes.

I actually wanted the experience of choosing my own seafood. It was tough since the workers don't really pay you much attention (unless you're a different color skin) but I manage to get some seafood for the table. After choosing what you want, they then bring it to the kitchen and a waiter comes and ask you how you would like it done. Pretty neat.

If you don't want the hassle of going up to where the tanks of seafood are, they do have a set prix fixe menu of 5+ dishes for you to enjoy, depending on your group size.

Starting it off, we ordered a bottle of Yanjing Beer. I have to say, it was one of the few beers I actually enjoy. Lighter than the usual beer and didn't have that bitterness to it.

The Blood Cockles came first. I had this in Vietnam, and I wanted J to try it. When I saw it here I knew I had to get it for him. The cockles were just boiled and given a vinegar dipping sauce. These seashells are the only one I've encountered that doesn't open when they're cooked, so you just have to open them up to slurp at them.

One of the main reason for coming to Sai Kung, for their Mantis Shrimp aka pissing shrimp (瀨尿蝦). I chose the ones with the roe and boy, was it packed with roe! Sauteed with salt and pepper is the way to go with these suckers!

Lastly I got us a whole fish. Finally, we can devour a whole fish on our own without our friends/relatives going in first.

Beautiful flesh. There's just something about Cantonese style cooking with fish that makes it so dam good. They just steam it but they do it correctly. If you steam it too long, it would be overcook and if too little, rare. Plus, I love the sauce - a light soy. Yum.

Eating seafood in any Asian countries is a must, so don't ever pass up on that opportunity.

8th Street Wine Cellar - Relaxing in a dim room until the night gets dark

Wine is great, especially during happy hour.

J told me that 8th Street Wine Cellar had a happy hour where a selection of their wine bottles are only $18, from 4-7pm. When we got there around 6pm, the place was already packed. We got seated half an hour later but at a great spot. Snuggled up in a corner of the bar, perfect.

I like how we're nestled in the corner where we won't get bothered much but can still get the attention of the bartender if needed.

We started off with a bottle immediately since time was tight.

Our food came pretty quickly. I love me some white wine, I decided on the Riesling. It was light and crisp, delicious.

Charcuterie ($16) board. Now we're talking.
From left to right -- mystery meat (no idea what it is, not that great anyways), kielbasa, gerkins, soppresata, pepperoni, and mortadella.

Baked MacDougal n' Cheese ($9) was pretty impressive, very cheesy and the secret ingredient was mozzarella cheese.

We ordered some extra Bruschette ($12) since we had some more wine. From top to bottom -- ricotta and jam, mushroom and white truffle oil, squash with goat cheese and chutney, and hummus with cucumber and tsastiki.

I would love to come back because of the great happy hour deal. But to secure a seat would mean to come early. This spot will definitely be on my list when summer comes since there's summer Fridays!

8th Street Wine Cellar
28 W 8th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 260-9463

Wild Edibles - An early affordable aphrodisiac coming my way

One of the best places for happy hour since it occurs everyday from 12-6pm. It's early but totally worth it.

J and I came for lunch around 1pm, good thing we were able to snatch seats at the bar because it was quite packed.

There was a small section of a fish market inside the restaurant. They sell their seafood by the pound there and during our lunch there, 2 people came for this...interesting.

I had a glass of Reisling White Wine ($9) while J had the Narrgansett Lager ($4) that came with 1/2 dozen of oysters. Quite a good deal for him.

We started off with a dozen of oysters, that day's special were Bluepoint ($.99 each). So delicious and succulent. For less than a dollar an oyster, we placed another order of a dozen oysters. They were so plump and meaty. Usually at happy hour, restaurants would give you the puny and meatless oysters because you're paying a cheaper price for it, but not here. Wild Edibles gives you quality even if the price they charge you is low.

For main, I got the Oyster Po'boy ($12.99). Going to avoid the next time I go there. The wrap was filled with cole slaw which made it taste like I was eating a plain lettuce wrap. I wasn't too impress with this. On the other hand, the fries were amazing...too bad I couldn't finish it.

A round of applause for J again for choosing the best dish (rolls eye). The Grilled Tuna Steak Club ($14.99) was the best fish sandwich I had ever devour. Hands down the best. The tuna was tender and grilled lightly so you can taste the fishy flesh within the sandwich. Tasted a bit like chicken if you ask me. I need to go back for this. I had to share half with J, at least he gave me half right?

I'm returning for sure, maybe some time soon since I can't stop thinking about the tuna club now.

Wild Edibles
535 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-8552

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

Hong Kong: Rice Noodles

Prior to dinner, J wanted to take me to 林記小食 for a quick bite. We were in Sai Kung (西貢) for a seafood dinner and since we were in the area, 林記 was a must visit.

It's very much like your average Dai Pai Dong (大牌檔) that has rice noodles with the sauces, fish balls, chicken, etc all on skewers.

We got the rice noodles with fish balls. I think why J likes it here is because of the peanut sauce. We don't have that here in NYC much and seeing it in its glory is quite satisfying. Plus eating everything with just a skewer stick is quite fun. It's a great snack and quick too. The perks of being in Hong Kong - never be hungry.