Breakfast Toasts

Every morning, I have my favorite breakfast of avocado toast and hot honey lemon water. It's such a nourishing and delicious start to my day and I always go to bed excited to eat that the next morning. I usually just sprinkle on some Himalayan pink salt and cracked black pepper on top of the avocado. I get this amazing wheatberry bread from my neighborhood bakery that has the most amazing texture and fragrant seed topping. I add half a lemon to a cup of hot water with raw honey. I love it to be piping hot but I also have to make sure that the water is not too hot or else it would ruin the honey. Recently I've also started eating toast with almond butter, banana, and coconut flakes. It is absolutely dreamy and I highly recommend eating both for breakfast for a sweet and savory combination! 

It's so crazy to think of how I used to not eat breakfast... or sometimes I would have instant noodles for breakfast. Breakfast is such an important meal and this always makes me feel so fulfilled and happy.

Pokeworks

I was always wondering why there was a lack of poke places in New York since I felt that it would be something that New Yorkers would love. Then suddenly a TON of poke places opened up and food blogs are saying that poke bowls are the hottest food trend of 2016! I have yet to try a lot of the other places yet such as Sons of Thunder but will definitely get around to it! Pokeworks was absolutely delicious but I hear the lines are insanely long now because some website ran a special on their poke burrito -_-

Salmon Shisho - Salmon, Green and Sweet Onion, Edamame, Cucumber, Shiso Leaves, Crispy Onion and Garlic, Yuzu Ponzu
The salmon chunks were juicy and very fresh. I loved the tart and refreshing flavor of the yuzu ponzu and the distinct taste of the shiso leaf. Avocado was obviously lovely and creamy and the crispy onion and garlic gave it a great textural contrast and a kick of flavor. 

I loved my meal here and clearly a ton of other people do too! It is inexpensive and keeps you feeling full and healthy. Hopefully the lines will calm down after a while!

Pokeworks

63 W 37th Street

New York

NY 10018

Bravo Pizza

N lives really close to Bravo Pizza so this is our go to whenever we hang out at her house. The crust is always great and the pizza humongous. My two favorite flavors is the ricotta and spinach and ricotta with pepperoni.

Bravo Pizza

146 5th Avenue 

New York

NY 10011

Katsu-hama

Katsu-hama is a tonkatsu speciality restaurant and I've been meaning to pop by for a while since I love tonkatsu. I thought it was pretty tasty but nothing too special. I've had better katsu don's at regular Japanese restaurants. My ultimate favorite tonkatsu is still Tonkichi in HK but that is far far away right now :( I still need to try out Go Go Curry!

Prawn Katsu 
The prawns were well sized and the breading crispy but slightly too thick. 

Katsudon 
The sauce and onions were well cooked but the pork filet had large chunks of fat which were quite unappealing. I actually prefer the katsudon over at Raku, which also serves amazing udon! 

In general I would not go back but I think it's a decent place for a inexpensive lunch if you work in the area.

Katsu-hana

11 E 47th Street

New York

NY 10017

Earth Cafe

Earth Cafe is a super cute cafe in Manhattan Valley with delicious offerings such as avocado toast and frittatas in a bright and sunny interior. They also have some outdoor seating for when the weather permits. It is a perfect spot to catch up with a friend over coffee or to get some work done alone.

Goat Cheese, Walnut, and Honey Croissant
This was absolutely heavenly. The croissant was flakey and buttery and the filling was just perfection. The tartness of the goat cheese was paired nicely with the sweet and gooey honey and the crunch of the walnuts completed this dish. 

Earth Cafe 

2578 Broadway 

New York

NY 10025

Erin Mckenna's Bakery

Erin Mckenna is a bakery that specializes in vegan and gluten free baked goods. A colleague who is vegan brought in these cupcakes and I must say I was incredibly impressed by how decadent and delicious they were! The frosting was luscious and the cake was very moist.

Erin Mckenna

248 Broome Street

New York

NY 10002

Community Food & Juice

Community Food and Juice is one of the most popular restaurants around Columbia. The atmosphere is bright and airy and the food is delicious and wholesome. I haven't been back to Community in ages and decided to grab brunch with C one sunny day. There was a 20-30 minute wait on a weekend which is not bad at all and we were really happy with our meal.

Banana Walnut Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter 
Mmmm these were so good. While they were not as good at Clinton Street's, these were still fluffy and hearty. I loved the addition of the crunchy walnuts and the maple butter were also yummy. The one big complaint I had was that the server charged me for asking for extra syrup when I asked if I could get the rest of the pancakes to go. It was definitely a "seriously?" moment and just did not seem very nice. 

Vegetable Frittata - Asparagus, Melted Leeks, Roasted Tomato, Fontina, Lynnhaven Goat Cheese, Fresh Thyme
I had a bite of this and loved it! The veggies were all delicious and the goat cheese was heavenly. 

Heritage Hickory Bacon 
Decent and smokey bacon! Love bacon with pancakes! 

Sweet Potato Fries 
These tasted nice but were very soggy. I would give this a miss. 

Overall the meal was enjoyable but I would not say this is a must visit in New York. It is a cute spot if you are in/live in the area.

Community Juice & Food

2893 Broadway 

New York

NY 10025

Snowboarding Fuel

We made this breakfast of champions during our snowboarding trip to Okemo :) It was a ton of fun and I loved making them a little more special in a Mickey Mouse shape.