Flushing, NY

Occasionally, someone I know would want to go to NY for just one reason...to eat.  I know it sounds a little crazy....who would drive all the way to NY just to eat? Well, the food buddies would.

Food court at New World Mall

The first spot we hit up was the New World Mall at Flushing, NY.   It is a Chinese shopping mall with a huge food court at the bottom level.  This shopping mall grand opened a few months ago, there are a lot of different varieties of Asian cuisine to choose from - Malaysian, Taiwanese, Sichuan, Lan Zhou, Shanghai, Japanese...you name it.

Dumplings in spicy oil

 I can't say this was bad, but this was bad for what it was supposed to be.  On the menu when we ordered, it stated "紅油抄手", a famous Sichuan dish, which is spicy WONTON in hot oil, NOT dumplings.  We were very disappointed.

Spicy seafood noodles

We got this from the Malaysian shop, this noodle was good, but it has no Malaysian influences to it, not very authentic.  They did serve you a huge portion for the price you pay, and the taste was decent.

Ox tail noodle

This was purchased from the Lan Zhou shop (the first picture).  What attracted me to their shop was their advertised  hand cut and home made noodles.  Standing in front the shop is the noodle master who is constantly rolling the doughs and pulling them into noodles. He looked really good at it, so I decided to get my noodle from that shop.  In the end, it was not disappointing at all, the noodles were fantastic, it has the right amount of tenderness to it.  Also, very affordable.

Moon Kee Dessert

Probably my favorite spot in the food court, Moon Kee Desert.  This is a young dessert chain established in HK, best known for their mango and durian desserts.  I was surprise to see that they have imported the same chain to NY.  At first, I was skeptical whether it is the same chain or just a copy cat, but after looking at the menu and actually trying a few things, I am delighted to see that they have expanded their business to NY.

Mango with white coconut slush and tapioca

Mango Pancake

My favorite dessert from Moon Kee, also what got them famous in the first place.  Also available with durian. 

Barbeque Stand

A random barbeque stand you can find on the street.  But make sure it says "Traditional Xinjiang Barbeque", it's so good, and only $1/skewer.

Chicken Kidneys

Lamb heart

Carlo's Bake Shop

Carlo's Bake Shop from the TLC show - Cake Boss.  We waited in line for 20 min to get into the shop, and fought through the crowd to place an order.  But it was worth it.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is probably my favorite dessert, and there is no way I am going to go to a famous Italian bakery and not walk out with one.  The cake boss' tiramisu is not the traditional kind, it is modernized.  I have nothing against modernized tiramius, in fact I think a good pastry chef should add their own flavors and characteristic to their work.  This is not the best tiramisu I have had, but it's definitely up there.  The hardest part of making a good tiramisu is getting the right texture.  I like making my own tiramisu, if you ever tried to make one, you would know if you beat the mascarpone cheese and egg white too long, it will get watery, but if you don't beat it enough, it won't be soft, getting the right balance is the hardest part.  The tiramisu from Carol's Bake Shop has the perfect fluffiness to it.    

Chocolate creme tart

I think I like Italian dessert because they always have the right level of sweetness to it.  Sometimes when I eat American dessert, I feel like I am eating straight up sugar.  Even Italian ice cream, gelato, are never over sweet. 

Creme puffs

Mitsuwa food court

Whenever I go to NY, if time permits, I always try to drop by Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket in Edgewater, NJ.  They have a huge inventory of Japanese snacks, groceries, household items, and even beer and sake.  On top of that, they also have a food court in the supermarket, which have very affordable Japanese food. 

Herring with Capelin Roe Sushi

Capelin roe is super fishy, I wouldn't recommend it unless you think you can handle it.  I love fish, and the more fishy it is, the more I like it, so I love Capelin roe, they are also hard to come by in MD. 

Miso ramen

I usually don't like Miso ramen, but the one from Mitsuwa is pretty good.  Their meat is one of the best I have had, has the right porportion of fat and lean meat to it. We need a Mitsuwa in MD.

Roe on rice

Spicy miso ramen

Carlo's Bake Shop

Mitsuwa 

Coming Up: Medium Rare