itsderlicious

[itsderlicious]

Aoyama Flower Market Tea House

Omote-sando, Japan | Despite the line out the market and down the street, we waited in anticipation. The husband surprised me with what must be the absolute most gorgeous teahouse there is, in all the land! Inside the flower market, open glass doors, into a greenhouse cafe. Breathtaking. I imagine it to look different day-to-day, season-to-season, being obviously, flowers grow and change. And really, photos do not do a justice.

[itsderlicious]

마포나루

보쌈, Pork Belly / 막걸리, Rice Wine / 해물파전, Seafood Pancake

[itsderlicious]

냠 냠

Random Korea Eats. Top Left: 돼지불고기, Pork BBQ / K-Pizza / 팥빙수, Red Bean w/ Shaved Ice / 충무 김밥, Squid & Rice Roll /  Osulloc Tea House, Hallabong Affagado / 명동 칼국수, Knife Cut Noodle Soup

[itsderlicious]

명동

Twist Potato Snack. It was actually sweet... which was kinda odd, but how can a preggo mama resist?

[itsderlicious]

닭갈비

Incheon. Right outside our cousin’s house. One of my all-time Korea favs. There were these hidden, cheese-filled rice cakes in there, too. Of course, that end-of-meal, charred fried rice is to drool for!

[itsderlicious]

asiana airlines

In-flight. LAX > ICN. Bibimbap, of course.

[itsderlicious]

mu ramen

Long Island City. Phone Day-of Reservations at 3pm Only. Otherwise, you go and you wait. We put our name down at 5:30pm (when they open) and sat down to eat just before 9pm. At this point, the expectation is - high. We couldn't pass up the - Tebasaki Gyoza, foie gras-stuffed fried chicken, and managed to snag the last 2 available U & I, uni and maguro starters. But really– it was about the ramen. Husband and friends, opted for the Tonkotsu 2.0, while I indulged in the Spicy Miso, which is actually a tonkotsu broth (with slightly thicker noodles). And, it didn't end there…while we're at it, we figure we try the Mu Ramen. So for dessert, the oxtail and bone marrow soup with sour pickle and cabbage. - Verdict? That fatty thick and cloudy, tonkotsu broth, hit the spot, and the spicy miso paste put it right over the top. It's good. 3hrs+ wait, worthy.

[itsderlicious]

sai kai dining bar

West Village. Uni and truffles - they're all over Instagram, and through some stalking I came across this new'ish ex-Masa chefs' spot. Dark and beautiful interior. Quite the romantic venue. The small bites plates were undoubtedly food porn-worthy. Extensive sake selection. Most notable is that uni gratin bowl, as recommended per our server (off-menu dish). They also threw in a delightful dessert for the 29 years young birthday.

[itsderlicious]

Gori Gom Tang

Homemade. Make sure you have enough ox-tails (I used about 4lbs). Let the bones sit in cold water for about an hour. Most of that bright bloody red will drain out. Then boil on low to medium simmer for 1 hour. And - here’s the trick. Drain the pot, wash those babies in cold water, and make sure, to wash the pot as well! Get that gunk outta there. This is the only way to ensure a clear and clean broth. Then proceed to re-boil for up to 8 hours, trimming off the fat and gunk at the top of each hour. Slow and steady, at low heat. The last 2-3 hours or so, throw in some garlic and radish. Pair with freshly-cut green onion and salt to taste. And kimchi, obvi.

[itsderlicious]

pok pok ny

Brooklyn. It's rare, that I'm so excited about actually eating – that I don't take those few seconds beforehand to take acceptable photos of the food. In this case, it didn't even matter. I won't go in to how long it's taken us to make it here. Ugh. (I apologize for not even having photos of all the dishes we had, but again, it doesn't even matter!) If you've watched Andy Ricker's documentary, Farang – he's perfected the Kai Yaang (Whole Roasted Young Chicken) – essentially rebuilding a rotisserie device he discovered in Northern Thailand along with concocting the magical combination of ingredients to stuff those babies with. ANYWAY. I would like to take a moment of silence, for how amazing this chicken is. {silence}

Also must mention, the cocktails. We're not much of drinkers, but I had the Mango Alexander: Mango, Vodka, Coconut Cream & Lime. Jay had the Tamarind Whisky Sour: Tamarind, Lime, Palm Sugar & Bourbon. A-mazing.

[itsderlicious]

THE DUMPLING PROJECT

Homemade. So, I’ve embarked on the journey to perfecting the dumpling! I know there’s a million ways at this, but I started with what we had in the fridge. 

1st Batch: Pork Shoulder & Veggie

Ingredients: Pork shoulder, perilla leaves, jalapeños, soy sauce, sesame oil, cabbage, green onion, garlic, and an egg. 

  Overview: Flavor-wise, I could have went heavier with the seasoning, yet otherwise pretty fresh (mostly because of the perilla). Overall, I wanted them to be chewier. The green color on these veggie wrappers were spot on though.

  Notes: Next time, add tofu or noodles for texture. And don’t skimp on the ginger (didn’t have any).

[itsderlicious]

momofuku noodle bar

Momofuku Ramen – Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, & Poached Egg. Very clean, refreshing, flavorful broth. I can taste the konbu, the pork, the chicken, complex – but not oily or dense by any means. Noodles were cooked perfectly, as I would assume. I can't help but mention, it still left me wanting… chili oil? or kimchi? something like that. #stillyummy

[itsderlicious]

root & bone

Alphabet City. Root & Bone seems to be all the buzz, and we couldn't help but give in to that BUCKET OF BIRD. Apparently, the place is booked til who knows when, and no one seems to give a sh*t (us included). They seem to be trying to accommodate as many people as possible, which might have contributed to the pre-fried chicken? The flavor is there – sweet tea brined, pickled lemon dusted, with a spiked Tabasco honey dipping sauce. I just wish it was… crispy. Although, honorable mention to the cornbread. And not shown here, but the cheesy grits were divine. Oh and, I do not know what is in that cheddar waffle, but was pleasantly surprised by how amazing they were. The banana pudding made up for the dry coconut cake. The graham cracker crumble and pecan praline were a nice touch to the pudding. The place is adorable, and Chef McInnis is very friendly. Give 'em some time, they may be on to something...

[itsderlicious]

mok bar

Chelsea Market. Kimchi Ramen, Ho-Cake, Disco Fries, Classic Ramen, and the Tteok-Boki / Very homestyle flavors and colorful presentation. Honorable mentions to the Ho-Cake dipping sauce and the Tteok-Boki.

[itsderlicious]

tacos rigo

CANCUN, MEXICO After a few days of all-inclusive for breakfast, lunch, and dinner– these tacos were #bomb. I don't know what was in those salsas, but quite the painful yet most satisfying BURN. Got introduced to the "gringas" which is essentially a tortilla with melted queso topped with meat and veggies. Disclaimer: They also have brain, eyeball, tongue, if you're up for it!

[itsderlicious]

black tree

The Winter Pig, with extra bacon and a fried egg & The Short Rib. It got a bit messy, but like.. bacon drippings messy, you know?

[itsderlicious]

The fiancé, friend, and I woke up at 5am to stand in line for the original Cronut -- Rose Vanilla. At the time, customers were limited to 4 per person, and the bakery was selling around 200 a day. Despite our efforts, the last cronut was sold just a few people in front of us. Disappointed and sad... we hung around with DKAs (still awesome) and iced coffee...