Kung Fu Kickin'

Photo by LyndalWines.

I don't get it...is "Kung Fu" supposed to be code word for "Fierce"? "Strong"? "Potentially lethal"?

If I drink this, will I instantly become a warrior princess, sprout nunchucks and kick some major Crouching Tiger butt?

And what's up with her lack of eyes?


...I'll think about it.

Hiroko's Place: Hand-sewn Charm Lovely Yoshoku

This review originally appeared on The Gotham Palate.

Struck by a sudden craving for yoshoku (Japanized Western-style food), I eagerly awaited my visit to Hiroko's. Tucked into a side street with a string of white lights-like-pearls, Hiroko's Place almost evades the eye with its decidedly non-flashy decor. Upon entrance, I was instantly charmed by the hodge-podge collection of different seat cushions - from leopard print to mint green - all appealing to your gastronomic sensibilities.

All around me, wide-eyed girls in 2D stared at me behind their framed cases - a geisha serving tea, a girl with long braids and one with buns sticking out of her head. They were all by the same artist, Kayo Aiba. If you look closely, the pieces seem to be embroidered. After some googling, I found out that Aiba creates one-of-a-kind illustrations using her needle. She sews pictures that follow a kawaii (lovely) theme.

Kayo Aiba art.

Behind my dining companion, a picture of a girl sprouting a head of red petal blossoms graced a black piano below it. I was tempted to run my fingers through the glossy keys and play a version of "Mr. Lawrence," which seemed appropriate. More art spanned the entire right hand wall, squeezed next to a bookcase brimming with manga. The manga library atmosphere reminded me of Anime Castle in downtown Flushing that sells copious amounts of graphic novels and anime by way of Tokyo.

Since it was barely 5 p.m., the restaurant was still quiet. I saw only two customers - one salaryman wearing glasses sat by himself flipping through a magazine. The other was an oji-san (grandpa, or older gentleman), tapping away on his laptop, his shoulders hunched and face bent into the screen. How kawaii (cute).

Later (around 6:15 p.m.), three preppy-dressed Japanese young people holding big, clunky shopping bags entered and sat behind us, talking rapidly in Japanese. My beginner's Japanese could understand a smattering of phrases, such as: "Hajimemashite, dozo yorishiku" (How do you do?) and "Kaikei o onegaishimasu" (My bill, please).

Napolitan Spaghetti.

Behind the counter, in the kitchen, a lone chef stirred and flipped our dishes with gusto. Chloe ordered the Napolitan Spaghetti ($10), drenched in ketchup and sausage pieces.

Omurice.

I had the Omurice ($11), a blend of soft-grained fried rice, chicken chunks (albeit slightly overcooked) and eggs. It's a Japanese comfort food I relish. My dish came with a small scoop of macaroni salad and a bed of green lettuce, carrots and cucumbers, finished with a light vinaigrette dressing. Again, ketchup was the key ingredient at work here. I also detected a hint of Worcestershire sauce, which produced the soy-vinegar-spice flavoring.

The omu curry also looked appealing. I later found out that it's the No. 1 favorite item here, followed closely by Seafood Doria and Hamburg Curry Doria, or sauteed hamburger and three cheeses with white sauce and curry sauce. The tea and coffee options were aplenty, from green to chrysanthemum to lapsong souchong. I saw six tea infusers lined up along the counter, ready for brewing. The siphoned coffee here looked promising, too.

Throughout our relaxed meal, the music changed pace from reggae to Japanese hip-hop, from electronica to the ubiquitous J-pop songs. Utada Hikaru's "First Love" brought me back to high school. One song was reminiscent of the Beach Boys - except the lyrics were all in Japanese.

Even our servers, two Japanese ladies, were kawaii. One was a hip, young barista in a black-and-white graphic T-shirt; the other a little older (auntie?) wearing colorful clothes and turquoise makeup to match. Her big eyes stuck with me. While she wasn't Aiba, she certainly resembled the artist's muse.

Hiroko is like your fun, cute aunt who cooks you all the dishes Mom doesn't make anymore. The fine service and tasty food won me over. Hours could have passed by and I wouldn't have noticed. I shall be back!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Date-friendly and girlishly adorable to boot. The food is the real deal, but my stomach definitely had room for dessert. I'll have to sample the refreshments (tea and coffee) next time around.

Location:
Hiroko's Place
75 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012
212.625.1303

Panera to the Rescue

Panera goodies.

On one of those truly icky days when the humidity soars and your face is one hot mess, you could use a cooler or two. Try one of Panera's Frozen Mango Smoothies made with real mango chunks, ice and raspberry syrup swirl. I like to pair that with the Carrot Walnut Muffin, a sweet medley of carrots, walnuts pineapple and raisins.

Happy Birthday to Me...

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday weekend so special! Karaoke singfest, a gooey chocolate cupcake (thanks, C!), cakes No. 1 & 2, dinner, drinks, 16 Handles and good company ~ what more could a girl ask for?

I'm glad we're on this boat called friendship together...

...because without you I'd sink!

(OK - I'll stop with the cheese now. But freals, you know who you are. Major <3.)

I love me some cupcake! Excuse me while I -nom nom- get -aefaoejg;vnm;lm - a bite...

Poking Our Nose Around the Poconos

Corned beef hash with two eggs sunnyside up and home fries.

This entry originally took place on July 11.

Destination: Poconos, Penn.

Ham and Egg in a Pan really deserves a longer, more thorough shout-out, but due to time constraints, I'll just touch on its main strengths. My family and I have been visiting the Poconos almost every summer since I was eight or nine years old. Sometimes we'd rent a house for a week and engage in outdoor sports; other times we'd go on a day trip for good eats, The Crossings and antique shopping.

But no matter what, one of the highlights has got to be the the food. There's the Pocono Cheesecake Factory, and then there's Ham and Egg in a Pan - a family-owned restaurant selling breakfast food all day long. Think of your local diner - but better. Ham and Egg delivers with its signature pumpkin pancakes, famed corned hash and gracious service. The hot chocolate's not bad, either (whip is an absolute must).

Dripping with bacon anticipation.

My sister generously allowed me to snap a shot of her bacon before it became a mere crumb on her plate. And yes, it tasted as good as it looked...

Farmer's omelet.

I ordered the Farmer's omelet, comprised of three eggs, peppers, mushrooms, home fries (inside it) and - by request - cheddar cheese. It was the heartiest omelet I've ever tasted. The omelet could have used more cheese (c'mon, bring on the cheese!) to off-set the dryness of the home fries, but otherwise it was plenty fulfilling. I just squeezed a zigzag of ketchup on top for moisture.

American Candle.

We like American Candle for its freshly ground White Russian coffee, banana nut bread mix and, of course, the candles. So many to choose from! Everything from the floral, the fruity, clean laundry and lemon meringue pie (not edible, though). You could get lost in the pursuit of scent. Just don't sniff them all at once - you might reel with the intensity.

New York-style Pizza.

After an afternoon of shopping, we settled on New York-style Pizza to see if the restaurant would live up to its name. We ordered a regular pie with mushrooms. While the flavor was right on and the ingredients were fresh, somehow this Poconos version was missing a certain hefty 'chew' to the crust. Less than an hour later, we were all left with hunger pangs. The dough lacked substance, but for the price ($12! a steal), it wasn't too shabby.

Today's LUNCH

Spam & Egg Miso Ramen.

Today's lunch consists of:

-2 pieces of sliced sodium-reduced spam (still plenty salty)
-1 boiled egg
-1 packet of Sapporo miso ramen
-handful of bok choy (not pictured)
-1 hearty appetite

Chunks of spam.

Always hits the spot.

Clazziquai: Where Chocolate Truffles Fall

My new favorite song. I've been hitting "repeat" for the last half hour. Woe is me.

"Chocolate Truffles" is the first track off of Clazziquai's new album, Mucho Punk. I think it would make the perfect soundtrack to the second season of "Coffee Prince." Just a suggestion. Plus, you don't have to understand Korean to get the gist of this song. So crank the volume, pull a chocolate truffles and start melting.

While you're at it, go watch Chocolat featuring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. I've already seen it twice and it doesn't get old.