Cascabel Taqueria

I walked by this cute mexican restaurant when I was walking back from main campus to my apartment and was curious about whether is was good or not. There was a good amount of customers inside which is usually a good sign. T was here to visit me and we decided to come here for lunch before heading to Electric Zoo since it was near my place. The reviews on yelp were not too good but I thought it was pretty decent. I don't know if I would make a point to come here but if I was craving for a Mexican meal near home I would keep this place in mind! Flavors were really robust in all the dishes and the servings were HUGE.

Bloody Marys
I think they were having some buy one get one free special. These were ok but I think it was a bit too salty for me (this was months ago though so my memory is fuzzy oops). I did like how it came in cute mason jars though. 

Guacamole Tradicional Con Tostadas
The guacamole was pretty decent. It was creamy and fresh. Nothing amazing just regular guacamole thought. 

Pescado - Crispy yellowfin tuna belly / Hearts of palm / Olives / Onions / Thai chili
I love love love fish tacos but this was not too great for me. I expected the fish to be much more fatty and soft since it was tuna belly (toroooo oh yes) but it was a little bit dense. The ridiculous load of olives was also a bit overwhelming for me. The flavors were pretty interesting, and I enjoyed it for the first few bites, but I don't think I would order this again. 

Carne Asada - Sliced yucatan achiote hanger steak / Oyster mushroom / House made creme / Crispy shallots / Cilantro
I think this was my favorite taco of the day. Once again you can see that the serving was MASSIVE. We actually packed a lot of this to go and had a great time eating leftovers one night :) The meat was bursting with flavor and the crispy shallots were also very strong in flavor. I think it would be even better if there was some fresh salsa or something acidic to balance out the strong flavors. 

Chorizo - House made mexican spiced sausage / Smoked paprika / Onion / Cilantro
T loves chorizo and I think he quite enjoyed this. I had a bite and it was also very flavorful but I personally did not like the texture of the meat and preferred my big chunks of carne asada :D 

Please keep in mind that the servings are ginormous. We thought they would be these small tacos and we could share 3 orders but we were so so wrong. I think this is a good addition to the neighborhood but I am excited to explore other mexican places in NYC.

Cascabel Taqueria
2799 Broadway (W 108 St and Broadway)
New York
NY 10025
USA

BCD Tofu House

BCD Tofu House is one of my favorite restaurants in K-town (if not NYC...). I first had my taste of its amazing soondooboo chigae in LA and have loved it ever since. I think it's tofu stew is the bessstt and it's kalbi is also super delicious. I wish they also had tteokbokki... if they did they would be seriously a fantasy land. There are so many options in K-town and everyone has their own favorite but I think BCD is definitely my top choice (although I have not tried all of them yet!). BCD also recently moved to a new location and it is much more spacious.

Bibimbap
Generous serving, lots of ingredients, delicious. 

Soondooboo Chigae
The soup is really flavorful and the tofu is silky and delicious. They also give you an egg which I think really makes the dish even more creamy and comforting (some places don't... sadness) Definitely a perfect dish for cold winter days! 

Kalbi
The marinade is really sweet and I just loveeee that. The kalbi is really meaty and super tender. It comes in a super sizzling plate and the onions will continue to brown and become delicious under the meat. The serving is also super generous and I just can't stop stabbing my chopsticks into these delicious pieces of meat and transferring them to my mouth. Oink oink.

BCD Tofu House

5 W 32rd Street

New York

NY 10001

USA

Don Pepe

Don Pepe has been a restaurant that has been mentioned so many times and I've always wanted to go but knew that it took some planning because it was pretty far (near the airport). People have always talked about how delicious and hearty Don Pepe was and I finally got to try it last week! The decor is nothing fancy and it was a very home style italian atmosphere. The food was absolutely excellent and I would love to return again. Service was also friendly and efficient. Come with a big group of friends and order a ton of their house wine which is actually quite decent. You will leave extremely satisfied and I am already planning for my next visit!

Fresh Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Peppers 
All the ingredients were fresh and I liked the addition of the sweet peppers which was a nice touch from the traditional caprese. This dish was good, but not something I would order specifically as it was not extremely special (save tummy for clams hehe)

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Presentation aside, these mushrooms were absolutely delicious. The grilling of them resulted in a glorious charred smoky flavor and the portobello was seasoned perfectly and the texture was also so satisfying and had a great bite to it. 

Don Pepe's Famous Baked Clams 
*holy music plays*... these clams are DIVINEEEE. These are one of the most famous dishes at Don Pepe and I can absolutely see why. The juicy meaty clams are smothered in a strong garlic mixture/sauce and then covered with crunchy delicious breadcrumbs. We could not stop eating these. The flavors are just ridiculous and the textural contrast of the clams and the breadcrumbs was unreal. MUST ORDER. 

We ordered two more orders later 

Linguine with Clams 
I wonder how many garlic gloves they use per day.... not complaining though because I love all this stinky stuff like garlic, scallion, onions, shallots.... my boyfriend is a lucky man. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the clams and garlic sauce was perfect. The dish was simple and the flavors worked together perfectly. The dish concentrated on the perfect extraction of the flavors of the ingredients and I completely gobbled this up. The only thing about this dish is that it is quite oily. There also seems to be some parsley in there (blech) but I could not even taste it (hooray!). 

Linguine with Marinara Sauce
Once again perfect al dente pasta, I am usually a white sauce type of girl but this meat sauce was also bursting with flavor and highlighted the sweetness of the tomatoes. 

Veal Don Pepe
YOU MUST ALSO ORDER THIS. This was another favorite from the night and I wish I was not so full to the brink of explosion or else I would have eaten it all. I had a couple bites of this and it was just heavenly. The veal was so tender and the breading was perfectly crispy and just the right thinness. It was fried to the ideal golden brown and the bruschetta mixture on the top was a burst of freshness that complemented the veal so well. 

Don Pepe is sort of a trek but it is definitely worth it. Definitely adding this to my list of restaurants that I want to bring my boyfriend to when he visits in February! 

Don Pepe 

13558 Lefferts Blvd

Ozon Park

NY 11420

USA

Sobaya

I still have one more post for LA and a TON for Hong Kong from the summer but I feel that I must start posting about my New York restaurants so I'll start that now and will add in LA and HK ones periodically! Sobaya is known for its soba (duh) and I've heard really great things from my friends here. I've been eating like a crazy pig these few weeks and was craving some delicious but light food so I decided to go to Sobaya for dinner while C was in town. Sobaya imports its buckwheat flour from Japan and you can tell that they really take pride in their food. Apart from soba, they also offer udon, various types of appetizers, and also sushi rice bowls. I love how you are able to pick different sizes for the soba and the rice bowls so I could mix and match my dinner. The atmosphere was clean and cosy, very traditional japanese style. Service was polite and efficient. They don't take reservations so aim to get there either early or later for weekends. We went on a Thursday night around 7:40 and the wait was only 15 minutes so it might be smart to go on a weekday!

Agedashi Tofu
The tofu was a bit too firm for my tastes but the crust was nice and crunchy. I usually prefer a silkier tofu but the seasoning was decent.

Sake Oyako Don - Salmon and Salmon Roe Rice Bowl
The salmon sashimi was decent, the slices could be a little larger. Texture was quite nice. The ikura however was excellent, slightly firm with a delicious burst of savory goodness. The rice was also cooked and seasoned well. I ordered the mini don and the portion was actually quite sufficient.

Uni Cold Soba - Fresh Uni with Grated Mountain Yam
YUM! This was deliciousss. The uni was incredibly fresh and sweet. The amount was also quite generous. The soba had an amazing texture, very firm and perfectly chewy. The mountain yam was quite interesting, it was very slimy and gooey but went very well with the soba. I felt that the soba dipping sauce could be slightly more salty but I know that you are suppose to enjoy the delicate flavor of soba. I think next time I will add some ikura and take it to the next level. 

Uni closeups are always fan favorites 

Sobaya was delicious and I will definitely be returning. I was stuffed after the meal but did not feel gross and heavy. The flavors were so clean and fresh and you leave feeling satisfied and healthy. I will definitely be returning!

Sobaya

229 E 9th Street

New York

NY 10003

USA

San Marino Seafood

After recovering from our pork belly extravaganza, J and I decided to go to Hungtington Library and grab lunch at San Marino Seafood beforehand. The restaurant is known for its fresh seafood and I was not disappointed! We got a bunch of things to share and everything was delicious! The restaurant is very homey and cosy, nothing fancy but fits in well with the simple and fresh seafood. You feel very welcomed and the service is also extremely friendly.

Corn Chowder
This was incredibly rich, creamy, and bursting with flavor. The amount of clams were also very generous and each clam was meaty and plump. A must order! Also, a cup is quite sufficient for a girl I believe, it is very rich! Gotta save your tummy for upcoming goodies.

Freshly Shucked Oysters
Super fresh and sweet. Just perfect!

Bucket of Mussels and Clams
Mussels and clams were both full of flavor and very meaty. The broth went perfectly with the natural sweetness of the seafood and the bread was grilled perfectly and was ideal for dipping up all the juices.

Shrimp Sandwich
The little shrimps were oh so good. They were super sweet and had such a great bite to them. They were lightly dressed in mayonnaise and the tomatoes and lettuce were also crisp and fresh. The only thing that would make this better was if we toasted the bread. 

Overall the food was so good and you can tell that they really take pride in the quality of their food and customer service. Such a lovely start to our day! Below are some pictures of the gardens at Hungtington Library (yes I am partial to roses hehe)

If you're in LA and want to have a short getaway you really should visit Hungtington Library! It's so beautiful and you can also indulge in some delicious seafood beforehand!

San Marino Seafood 

2150 Huntington Dr
San Marino
CA 91108
USA

The Hungtington Library 

1151 Oxford Rd
San Marino
CA 91108
USA

Pizzeria Mozza Again

2nd time and there will definitely be a 3rd time! Amazing food, great atmosphere, and really reasonably priced too!

Palsaik Samgyupsal Korean BBQ

You all know I love to pig out, but this meal at Palsaik really was on another level. The food coma that ensued was basically hibernation. J and I ate so much that I thought I would explode... it was SO good. This restaurant is famous for its pork belly and you can get the set where 8 different flavors are served. The flavors were: wine, original, garlic, ginseng, herb, curry, miso paste, and red pepper paste. The set also came with a seafood soybean stew and veggies! We also ordered a prime ribeye and the waiter almost didn't let us because he thought were insane for ordering so much food. The pork belly was so fatty and full of porky flavor, each of the seasoning was unique and delicious. I think one complaint is that we actually would not have minded cooking our own food but the waiter would always run over and seemed annoyed that we meddled with the grill. A great thing that they do do though is make kimchi fried rice at the end of your meal - AMAZING! Overall a glorious meal and I would definitely return!

Palsaik Samgyupsal Korean BBQ

863 S Western Ave

Koreantown

Los Angeles

CA 90005
USA