the tummies: Asian Food Goodness

The 3rd day in NYC saw the Tummies visiting one of their all time favourite Chinese restaurants (possibly in the world). How good is it? let's just say that Mr Tummy's mom actually requested to go there TWO days in a row while on holiday there a couple of years ago. For any restaurant to achieve this rare recognition is no mean feat especially given the high standards of Mr Tummy's mom. In fact, when Mr Tummy was talking to his mom the night before, she specifically asked him if he was going to that restaurant.

So what exactly is this well regarded restaurant called???

*drum roll*

And what exactly is so famous about it???

*another drum roll*

Xiao Long Bao! (otherwise known as Soup Dumplings to people who don't know Chinese)

(Here's a handy instructional guide on how to eat these little pieces of heaven without hurting yourself. The soup inside tends to be very hot, often scalding the uninitiated. muahahaha)

it's so good that each of us had to have 1 bamboo steamer each (8 XLB's) otherwise the Tummies risked fighting each other over the yummy-ness. this dish is usually served with a dipping sauce of vinegar and sliced ginger. best eaten when it's fresh from the kitchen at its hottest (and therefore most dangerous if you're not as skillful as us. heh)

in an effort to make sure we ate a balanced meal, we also ordered some braised tofu with spinach (a house specialty) and incidentally another dish that got us hooked to this place to begin with.

Following which, we rolled out of the restaurant and into the warm sunshine because we were so full and thought that perhaps a walk would do our digestion some good. Only partially true in this case. heh. We felt taht the walk definitely helped in our digestion and made us feel more comfortable after the meal, but a walk in Chinatown means to be tempted by the many sweet treats on display. Needless to say, Ms Tummy succombed to one of them (Mr Tummy happily joined in too! heh). Ms Tummy was drawn by the very direct advertising of this bakery.

Needless to say we walked out with 2 warm and lovely egg custard tarts that were ever so promptly devoured. Did someone say something about being very full? There's always room for dessert, especially if it's an egg custard tart as good as this one. Light flakey crust and a warm soft custard centre. Not too soft that it falls apart in your hand, but not too hard that you actually have to bite hard into it. Someone with no teeth would still be able to enjoy this lovely treat.

speaking of eggs... I couldn't resist taking a picture of this egg-cellent ad. heh.

later that evening, the Tummies would invite their most gracious host, C, to dinner at Kenka, a dive-y japanese place in the heart of St Mark's known for it's cheap draft beer and cotton candy machine. as if that wasn't unique enough, the "rules" as listed on the menu have to be seen to be believed. you can't make this stuff up even if you tried.

makes for a very interesting restaurant. all in all the food was good. we had a nice "steamboat" style soup since the evening turned out to be pretty chilly. perfect pick me up at the end of a long day of walking around the city.