Mukshidonna

I miss all things about New York but one of the things I miss the most is Ktown! I loveeeee being able to just go to 32nd street and being greeted by the plethora of Korean goodies. Budae chigae is one of my favorite dishes so I was so happy to find out that there is a place in Causeway Bay that serves this dish! The kimbap was HUGE and really yummy as well. I loved how you were able to customize the budae chigae and it was super flavorful and yummy. I will definitely be back!

Mukshidonna 

1/F

Jardine Center

50 Jardine's Bazaar 

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong 

Delicassen

Delicassen serves international comfort foods and is definitely a spot to check out if you are craving some stick to your ribs food. The food is also well prepared and super hearty but be ready for a 4 hour nap after your meal!

Spinach Artichoke Dip 
Mmmmm doesn't it look beautiful? This dip was creamy and decadent.. everything you want a spinach artichoke dip to be. I also really liked the chips, they were fresh and held up really well to the dip. 

Lobster Roll
Meh the bun was nicely toasted and while I know that lobster rolls are usually small this was truly so miniature. It wasn't bad but I think you can skip this and order other yummy things from their menu. My top choice for lobster rolls in the city will also be Luke's Lobster! 

Delicassen is not a must visit but I think it's a great choice if you are looking for a nice variety of comfort food, they have dishes ranging from fried chicken to Thai mussels... along with a

Delicassen 

54 Prince Street

New York

NY 10012

Raku

I am so incredibly excited to share this new restaurant with you guys! I met my dear friend J in Beijing and we've had many fun and crazy adventures in the motherland. He moved to NYC from Toronto a couple months ago and switched from his consulting job to opening up the best udon shop ever! I'm so happy to see all his hard work come together and hope you will all check out this place!

I initially came for the soft opening and noticed that there were some small tweaks that needed to be adjusted. I've been here twice after the official opening and everything has been STELLAR. The shop has hand pulled udon delivered from Japan 3 times a week and it's some of the best udon I've had. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so as you can see from these Yelp reviews! Apart from the delicious bowls of udon, the appetizers and rice dishes are also delicious! Please excuse the discrepancies in lighting - I combined photos from various visits!

Kiriboshi Daikon - Simmered Dried Radish 
The daikon is crunchy and seasoned perfectly. It is such a nice refreshing start to the meal with its sweetness and umami flavor. 

Chicken Tatsuta-age - Marinated Fried Chicken
The fried chicken is super juicy and the exterior is very crispy and not greasy at all. The kewpie mayo dipping sauce also has a nice kick to it! 

Agedashi Tofu - Deep-fried Tofu
An extremely Japanese appetizer done right. Soft and silky tofu inside with a fluffy and crispy coating. 

Atsugiri Bacon - Thick-cut Bacon
The bacon has such an incredible flavor. It has a lovely smokey element and also bursting with umami. I did not eat the fat but J said that it tastes great when you eat the entire piece with the fat and the leaner portions. I think it would be even better if it was grilled more to render out the fat and perhaps achieve more crispy bits (I love everything extra crispyyy)

Katsudon - Deep-fried Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl
Mmmmmmm I love this rice bowl. The onions are cooked until they are soft and sweet and the egg is creamy and perfectly incorporated into the sauce. The katsu is also able to maintain its crispy exterior and is lean but still tender. 

Niku Udon - Beef Short-ribs and Tripe 
Ok yes finally I talk about the udon. The soup for the niku udon is BOMB DOT COM. The soup for the other udons (except the egg and curry I think) is a clear dashi broth that is also delicious, but this beef soup is just next level. It is so rich without being heavy and has such depth of flavor. The short ribs are cooked over night and melts in your mouth. The udon has the ideal texture of being chewy and silky smooth. This dish is definitely a home run! 

Raku is definitely a must visit! Especially in these chilly winter months. You will be so satisfied and I can not recommend this place more!

Raku

342 E 6th Street

East Village 

New York

NY 10003

Ootoya

Ootoya is a delicious Japanese restaurant that focuses on traditional home-cooking style cuisine. There is always a wait for this popular restaurant but luckily T and I were able to snag a table in around 30 minutes after a SoulCycle session. The meal totally hit the spot after our workout and I would love to return again for a casual and delicious Japanese meal. Here is the menu!

Homemade Tofu with World Selected Salt - Yuzu, Plum, and Smoked (?)
I've had this before and it was just as delicious as I remember. I unfortunately don't remember the name of the third salt but it had a very deep and smokey flavor. The tofu is very soft and has a great soy bean flavor. It tasted so fresh and you can definitely tell that it is homemade, a great start to the meal! 

Self Selected Assortment of Yakitori
When the yakitori first landed on our table, my first thought was "WOW they are so huge!". They are definitely larger than you standard yakitori so please keep that in mind when you order! I thought that I would be able to eat it all along with my rice bowl but I was quite stuffed by the time I ate the yakitoris! Some of my favorites were the Gyu (Washu beef) and the Seseri (chicken neck). The Tsukune was not as good as I would have wanted and they also did not give us the egg dip! The Buta tomato (tomato wrapped in pork belly) was also good but not a MUST order. 

Kaisen Don
The rice was well seasoned and the fish was fresh. I had to pack away half of this because I couldn't finish it! 

Ootoya is always a safe choice when you want homey Japanese food that will make your tummy happy. The wait can be a bit of a hassle but it's not too bad on weekdays!

Ootoya

8 W 18th Street

Flatiron

New York

NY 10011

Sunchan

A lot of people have been telling me that Sunchan is a great Japanese restaurant near Columbia campus and I feel really silly for not going earlier! K and I finally tried it out and we just ADORED it. The place is nothing fancy, but you feel right at home and welcomed. The atmosphere is very cosy.  The staff is very friendly and nice and the food is absolutely delicious. There's always a crowd even on weekdays there but I have never had any trouble getting a table without a reservation. I have had the sashimi there and while it is decent, I think it is better to order the cooked food because that's where they stand out. I haven't tried the ramen there yet but E told me that it was very good too. I've tried many other dishes and everything has been scrumptious.

Unagi don
One of Sunchan's most famous dishes is their Unagi Hitsumabushi which is the Nagoya style of eating unagi don. More information is provided here. We didn't order that this time and opted for the regular unagi don because we wanted to try different dishes. The Unagi Hitsumabushi is for two people and looked quite large. I did not expect the unagi to be THIS delicious and our eyes both widened in shock when we had the first bite. The seasoning was perfect and the unagi just melted in my mouth gloriously. The rice was also amazing and was smothered in the sauce. I cannot wait to try the Unagi Hitsumabushi next time! 

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
When I first saw this, I thought that the batter would be too thick but it was actually just right when I ate it. The batter was so well flavored and was crispy yet not greasy at all. Very very solid tempura.

Robata Yaki Beef Tongue
The waitress told us that this dish wasn't too big so we decided to order it as well. But it was actually massive! It was flavored well and also cooked nicely with a yummy char on the outside.  The beef tongue was quite yummy but not the best I've ever had.

Sunchan

2707 Broadway (between 103rd and 104th)

Upper West Side

New York

NY10025

Momokawa

I walked to Momokawa  in a crazy snow storm and it was the perfect meal to warm me up. I noticed that there were a lot of Japanese diners here and that is usually a good sign that the place is authentic and the real deal. The decor is nothing fancy and has a traditional cozy Japanese vibe. The food was DELICIOUS. We got the sukiyaki and the ingredients were top notch and the soup base was delectable. It was just absolute perfection on a cold snowy night. Other dishes that we ordered were also very yummy. I highly recommend this place!

Momokawa
157 E 28th Street 
New York
NY10016

Yat Lok Restaurant 一樂食館

Yat Lok is a very famous roast goose restaurant in Hong Kong, the original location is in Tai Po but they have a location in Central so clearly I was not going to trek all the way to Tai Po haha. The roast goose was very yummy but I think I will order half a goose and bring it home to eat next time. The place was just much too cramped and I also didn't like how the goose was put in the soup. The noodles were also good! C and I both got a bowl of noodles and we were eyeing the life out of the half roast goose that the man next to us ordered. The goose was full of flavor and I enjoyed it, was it the best roast goose ever? That is hard to say but it is definitely a very solid roast goose. Apart from being cramped, the street noise was also very loud so I definitely will just order it to go next time!

Yat Lok Restaurant 一樂食館 
34-38 Stanley Street
Central 
Hong Kong

Mimi & Coco Japanese Street Food

Mimi & Coco was one of those unplanned meals that turned out super delicious. T was getting his 3/4 sleeve tattoo at the lower east side and wanted to eat at Katz's before his appointment. Unfortunately we were too late and there was a massive crowd there so we decided to just hop into any random restaurant to grab a bite. Coco & Mimi looked really cute and welcoming so we went inside and I am so glad we did! The staff is super sweet and friendly and the food is just delicious. This is homey and scrumptious Japanese food at its best. We ate it another time during T's other appointment also. I realized that I've actually seen their sign before when I went to Smorgasburg (still need to post that eeee).

Tonkatsu Curry
The panko crust was crispy and just the right thickness and the pork chop was tender. The curry was rich and tasty. Yum!

Chicken Karaage with Spicy Mayo
Although the tonkatsu curry was good, the chicken karaage is the ultimate winner. The chicken pieces were marinated perfectly and was juicy and succulent. The coating was delicious and crispy. The spicy mayo was also delicious! This whole bowl was just so comforting and delicious. T got the tonkatsu last time and also got this the 2nd time we came.

I don't think Mimi & Coco is a must go if you are visiting New York, but if you live here or have a craving for a delicious home-cooked Japanese meal in a cute and friendly atmosphere, definitely come to Mimi & Coco! Also, they are famous for their tokayaki balls so I definitely will give those a try next time. 

Mimi & Coco

92 Rivington Street (between Orchard St and Ludlow St)

Lower East Side

New York

NY10002

Blu Jam Cafe

Blu Jam Cafe is known to serve the most amazing french toast in the world and the first time I laid eyes upon these babies were on my friend J's instagram. They truly looked out of this world and after reading review after view on Yelp I was SO happy that I got to actually indulge in these myself. Blu Jam cafe is located in Melrose Avenue so it was perfect as we wanted to do some shopping afterwards. There was a bit of wait but the food and service was definitely worth it. Note: the servings are FRIGGING MASSIVE. We felt a bit bad as we could barely finish the food and even though we really did try our best we hardly made a dent in the mountain of food. We also had a rather intense night the night before so perhaps we weren't on our prime eating form.

Tari's Gang woohoo! 

Migas - Spicy Combination of eggs scrambled with jalapeños, chipotle, beef chorizo sausage, red bell peppers, tortilla chips and mozzarella, topped with homemade tomato salsa, served with corn tortillas and potatoes 
Can you tell how ridiculously huge this plate of food was? It could seriously feed a dinosaur. The eggs were creamy, smooth, and bursting with flavor. The spiciness along with the tang from the tomato salsa provided the perfect kick to my taste buds and invigorated my appetite. The corn tortillas were perfectly crispy and went extremely well with the creamy eggs. The potatoes were also sliced to the ideal size so that each piece was nice and crunchy. 

Steak and Eggs - Grilled Niman Ranch beef tenderloin with gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, red potatoes, topped with two sunny up eggs and hollandaise 
This was C's dish and I only tried a bite but he said that it was very good. I could tell from my bite that the steak was tender and well flavored. Only downfall was that C forgot we were eating Mastro's that night so he had steak for both meals which could be a win for some.

Crunchy French Toast - Egg brioche dipped in batter, rolled in crunchy corn flakes and grilled to perfection, topped with fresh fruit, served with vanilla bean sauce 
Oh boy oh boy the infamous french toast finally arrives! This was absolutely diiiivine. The cornflakes made these the crunchiest most decadent french toasts ever. The crunchy exterior enveloped a creamy sweet inside and the fruits were fresh and sweet. The vanilla bean sauce was also smooth and delicious. Heaven on a plate.

Uptown - Oven-roasted turkey breast, sliced tomato, cucumber, mayo, Dijon mustard, avocado and provolone cheese on toasted ciabatta 
This was T's sandwich and I also got a small bite of it. The bread was toasted perfectly and the filling was generous and went together very well. The avocado was lovely and ripe and the mustard and mayo provided a tangy creamy sauce for the sandwich. A very solid sandwich.

Blu Jam Cafe served some delicious food and the ambiance was warm and cozy. Service was also friendly. The food was well made and very comforting, a definitely must visit particularly for french toast lovers! All the food was delicious but I felt that the french toast was what made this place stand out.

Blu Jam Cafe

7371 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles

CA 90036

USA 

Societi

H and I have been wanting to try Societi for some time, I am not quite sure how I came about this restaurant but the reviews have been very good and prices also seemed very reasonable. We went with a group on Friday and although the food was good, I think it is better as a casual weekday dinner. Happy Friday should be reserved for more exciting meals and Societi comes across as a place you would drop by after work for a quick bite. The atmosphere was cozy and comfortable. The service definitely needed some improvement; the waiters were polite but undertrained. When I ordered the charcuterie platter the waiter looked absolutely bewildered... I repeated it several more times and he was still clueless. In the end I had to say "meat board" in cantonese for him to finally realize what I meant. It is a absolute given that waiters should at least know the name of the dishes on the restaurant that they worked at! The were also not very good with keeping the wine glasses full, we had to ask them several times to refill our glasses. They also did not have the knowledge that you had to change wine glasses for different types of wine and almost poured a new type of wine into a wine glass that was used to serve the previous wine.

Chicken Bites with Homemade Wasabi Mayo
Mmmm these were soooo scrumptious. I usually do not like white meat but the chicken was not dry at all. The chicken was really tender, juicy, and flavored perfectly. The outer layer was gorgeously browned and crispy. The chicken bites were not too greasy and each piece was a generous serving. I did not enjoy the wasabi mayo too much as it was a bit too sweet, if there was alioli this would have been on another level! 

Caesar Salad with Chicken Fillet
This was a decent caesar salad, the greens were crisp and fresh, the dressing was good, and the bacon bits and croutons were crispy. I am not a huge fan of salad so I just had a few bites of this. Nothing to rave about but this was decent and a good portion.

Grilled Sardines
These are probably the biggest sardines I have ever seen. I did not enjoy this very much, I though the taste was very sub-par and it may also be because I cannot deal with fish bones at all. The fish was grilled nicely though as you can see from the nicely charred skin. Perhaps someone who enjoys sardines would like this but I didn't think this was a very appealing dish overall. T was annoyed as well because the waiter did not notify us of the unusually large size of the fish so we ordered two dishes thinking it would be the small size and ended up only eating a very small amount. 

Societi Charcuterie Platter
Ever since the charcuterie platter at Franc in Shanghai, I have yet to come across one in Hong Kong that could even compare. I want one where there are pâté and terrines, not just salami and parma! This one had the pâté which was nice but apart from that the salami, parma, and chorizo was only so so. It would also be nice if the bread was a bit crunchier as it was a bit cold and stale. 

Homemade 8 oz Beef Burger with Swiss Cheese and Chunky Fries
I only had a small bite of this patty and I thought it was a bit too salty and sweet (strange I know). The patty seemed to just be over-seasoned and masked the flavor of natural beef. I am not sure if this means that the quality of beef is low therefore they had to go heavy on the seasoning to make up for it or if it was just a mistake in the execution of the dish. 

Spanish Omelet 
The egg was piping hot and fluffy while the crust was deliciously crispy. The chopped vegetables provided a nice array of flavors and the egg itself was also seasoned just right. This was a nice simple dish done right! 

Mussels with Tomato Salsa
The mussels were very plump and meaty and was drenched in a lovely tomato salsa that was very sweet and flavorful. 

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
This is was very simple dish but one that I enjoyed a lot. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and was infused with the aromatic flavors of the garlic with just the perfect about of heat with the chili peppers. I think it would be a good idea to order a meat dish along with this as it would get a bit boring if you just ate an entire plate of spaghetti with no meat but I did thoroughly enjoy this dish. 

Linguini with Braised Beef Cheek
The beef cheek was incredibly tender and just broke apart when you touched it with your fork. It was very very good but the sauce was just too sweet. If the sauce was done right this dish would have been very enjoyable. I think it would also be nice if there was another element to the dish such as diced onions. 

Grilled Ox Tongue
This dish was one of the restaurant's signature dishes but it just did not live up to expectations. It may be because I preferred my ox tongue to be prepared differently. The ox tongue seemed to have been cured as the texture reminded me of corned beef. Perhaps other people enjoy this method of preparation but this was not for me.

"Societi" Roasted Chicken 
Fortunately the restaurant's other signature dish did not disappoint! The chicken was incredibly juicy and the skin was roasted to a lovely golden brown. We were all pretty stuffed at this point but this was definitely a very well roasted chicken. 

The restaurant had its hits and misses, but overall the food is well done and the atmosphere is comfortable. The meal was not particularly memorable and I don't think I will be rushing back for more, but this is a place that I will keep in mind if I am in the mood for a casual quality meal. I think this is a nice neighborhood spot for people who live in Sheung Wan though!

Societi 

87-89 Jervois Street

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong