Chrysantha "it doesn't take a whole day to recognize Sunshine" C.'s Profile

Very cute restaurant with a great casual vibe.. Came out here for appies and drinks with Ashley ... Ordered some appetizers... rice balls, baked clams, and the grilled octopus. Loved the baked clams, I could have eaten 15 more. Along with our order was a complimentary mozzarella and tomato/basil with pesto dish that I loved... They also gave us complimentary desert - some italian donut covered in powdered sugar with a choco dipping sauce. Everyone around us ordered pizza, but we were way too full to eat such a heavy meal before heading out to dance. Can't wait to come back for pizza...

Walked into La Cocina at 9am ready to chow down on one of their several lunch special items that were already prepared during breakfast hours :)

I used to always pass by this restaurant when I lived in Queensvillage - the signs for the Mofongo caught my eye... I finally walked in one day to try an empanada and the Roast Pork and I fell in love!

The Modongo (Tripe Stew) has great flavor and is super tender!

Drunk and hungry I stepped out of Penthouse to grub at this diner... Pulled out my yelp app and zoned in the words "Spaghetti" & "Meatsauce" voila! Thats what i ordered... I must say that I loved it... Sauce was tangy and sweet and they didn't skimp on the meat!

I had just completed two 12 hour night shifts and two hours finally into rest I get a call from Sarah raving about this new PBS series called Kimchi Chronicles and how she is craving Korean soft tofu soup .. I was half asleep and all I could recall her screaming was "jiggae" lol.. as tired as I was you have to know that Korean food is my weakness... and in 5 minutes I was up and out of bed...

My original plan was to eat live squid but it turns out that they are mating until September and  Sik Gaek Chun Ha will not have any until then.  The next Korean restaurant that has been on my to do list was Hahm Ji Bach ti finally try the   DAEPAE SAMGYUPSAL.  It is a bit of a trek to get out there but nonetheless now I know just how worth it was to do so.

Along with the pork belly I ordered Soondoboo which is a seafood soft tofu soup with mussels, clams, and shrimp as well as spicy boneless Pork bulgogi.

People on yelp weren't lying when they said the amount of banchan delivered was insane.  They didn't have bean sprouts and mook but I was nonetheless satisfied with the wide array of options we could feast on prior to the BBQ being fully cooked on the stone.

The customer service was on point at the restaurant too. My friend Sarah is Korean and kept saying she felt like she was "at home".  The ladies even reseated us so we could charge our cell phones by the nearest available wall outlet while we enjoyed out meal.  Not one dish was left untouched.  We were stuffed at the end of two hours.

Tip: If you are in Manhattan, take the LIRR to the Murray Hill stop! it's right around the corner from the restaurant!

Growing up in the Bay Area we are super spoiled with HUGE Asian Markets all within a 10 minute drive from each other.  When I moved to NY the only certified places I can count on purchasing fresh seafood (ie shrimp with head and tail on not the preshelled cooked versions in your grocer's freezer aisle!) are local neighborhood Chinatown's.  I recently moved from Brooklyn to Queens, and until finding Pacific Supermarket, have been taking the long long long trek to Flushing just to do my basic Asian grocery shopping. AND BTW when I grocery I usually buy about $60-$100 worth of stuff, so that means I am lugging about 45lbs of stuff on the train all the way home! So finding a store closer to my house is a plus!

It's amazing how difficult it is to buy simple ingredients such as lemon grass and chinese eggplant even in the most ornate Organic Veggie Market in and out of Manhattan and Queens.  And I am sorry but I don't want to spend $1 on 2 lemons at Key Food when I know I can buy them at 5 for $1 at an Asian Market! lol...

Anyhoo, I took my first trek to Pacific Supermarket one sunny afternoon to hopefully buy ingredients so I can make my own Pho (Vietnamese Soup) at home as well as some sort of Fish curry, and Pancit Palabok (Filipino Noodle Dish) ... To my delight this supermarket did not only bear the same name of my childhood Asian Market back in Daly City but it was filled with everything my heart could desire in one location - from Filipino Pandesal and Haupia to thinly sliced meats for Pho to a wide variety of vegetables and an assortment of seafoods that are constantly on my grocery list.  Obviously some of their seafood still can't compare to the freshness that you get at Chinatown so there will be a few items I will skip like their Prince Edward Mussels at $2.99 a bunch since half of them already looked dead in the bag.

Anyhoo I am glad I found this little gem that is only about 1.5 blocks away from the 7 Train.  Thanks Yelp!

Oh Yeah! I felt Like I was in Daly City, California Again!
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Like a KID in a CANDY store!
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Ooooh Yeah Butterfish Baby!
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5 stars for:
- satisfying my dimsum craving at 7pm
- excellent customer service with a smile
- shrimp & chive fried dumpling
- house special dumpling soup
- outlets to charge our dying iPhones while we grub!

Dim Sum has been a very important part of my life for as long as I can remember growing up in the Bay Area. Early morning Sundays were always spent with my mom and dad scurrying to DOL HO in San Francisco's Chinatown to eat in a small hole in the wall dim sum joint elbow to elbow with other old Chinese patrons. If anyone knows dim sum, it's me...

My friend Germaine first introduced me to Nom Wah.  We had planned a lunch date which unfortunately never transpired.  I must admit I was a bit skeptical about eating dim sum in Manhattan's Chinatown... not to knock Chinatown, but from what I had seen the few times I've visited, it just seemed so commercial and i couldn't believe how small it was compared to SF.  I had it ingrained in my mind that if I wanted authentic Asian anything - I'd have to get far away as possible from Manhattan Chinatown and stick with Flushing which was more reminiscent of the hardcore Chinatown's I was used to.  

Yesterday I woke up with a strong yearning for Dim Sum... I ended sleeping in until 3pm and finally recruited my homegirl to grab Dim Sum with me at Nom Wah; afterall I remember reading in Yelp reviews that they served Dim Sum all day long... at this point it couldn't hurt to try.

Armed with some info on what to order thanks to Yelp, I opted to skip out on some of my traditional favorites such as chicken feet, spare ribs, and sticky rice.  I was hoping they had tripe on the menu but I was satisfied ordering:

House Special Dumpling Soup, Shrimp and Chive Fried Dumpling, Fried Donut wrapped in Noodle, Beef Balls, House Special Egg Roll, and the Bacon and Shrimp fried ball.  The waiter also convinced us to order a bottle of Vhino Verde for $24.

First off, the serving size for the Dumpling Soup was huge.  We thought they would be single serving size good for one so we checked 2 on the order sheet. The broth was not greasy and very flavorful and the dumplings were huge and meaty.  Definitely not a disappointment and my favorite item that I had ordered. I imagined living down the block and ordering it everyday for lunch or dinner =0)

My second favorite item was the shrimp and chive dumpling.  I must say how much I loved it! I've ordered this in several dim sum joints before and hands down this would be one of my most memorable shrimp and chive dumplings due to the meaty interior and the smoky after taste that I look for when they get it right.  

I am definitely ready to return.  It's good to know that I can get my dim sum fix on at any time of day from now on!

PS, I love the cul de sac Nom Wah is located on... Away from the commercial streets, it's so romantic and private with its cobble stones...

I Luv Me sum SHRIMP and CHIVE fried Dumpling!
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Menu
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After Sunset
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Enough Soup for Me and You
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I woke up yesterday morning feening to eat oysters and ceviche... I thought about City Crab or FISH... but I decided that I wanted to try something new.  I found a thread on CHOWHOUND about ESSEX's $1 ALL-Day-THURSDAY oyster happy hour.  I figured that there would be no way I'd make it in time for Ten Bells' HH so I decided ESSEX it is!

I ordered 20 Blue Point Oysters which came with two sauces: a mignonette type sauce with chiles or jalapeno because there was a nice kick to it & another topping that resembled a finely diced salsa fresca - both were wonderful to pile on each oyster.  For an appetizer it was a toss up between the calamari with avocado/jalapeno dipping sauce, the crab cakes on hearts of palm, or the tilapia & mango ceviche.

Being that I was feening for ceviche all morning, that was the natural choice.  But the choice fish wasn't too appealing to me, only because in my cultural, Tilapia was always considered a poor man's fish.  In the Philippines, Tilapia is one of the cheapest fish that you can find plus its farmed.  To this day, my parents think its crazy that Tilapia is on mainstream menus... although it is meaty and flavorful and easy on the pocket.  I asked the waitress which of the three she recommended - and without hesitation, she said CEVICHE! and so, Ceviche it was!

The ceviche was pretty good.  I liked that they used a partialyl ripe/green mango. I was worried it would be a super sweet ripe mango that would over power the entire dish... the green mango added bite and a refreshing flavor.

I also did not make it to happy hour on time, but my kind waitress gave me my first bottle of beer at 1/2 price anyway...

Service was great, there was no room at the bar but the waitress gave me a table with no fuss or pressure to order anything from the menu.  The food came quickly and every four minutes someone was refilling my water cup =0)

The couple in front of me ordered the Swordfish over a seafood bouillabaisse... I could see PEM's, Scallops, and huge tiger shrimp. This is definitely on my To-Do-List to order the next time I pay ESSEX a visit!

I loved the lofty vibe with the white painted tennis balls that were intricately placed on the walls to create gorgeous light patters.  The music was great too!  the HIGHLIGHT of my night was eating Oysters to Pharcyde's "Passing Me By" - who would have ever thought? Only in my apartment would that happen - other than here, at THE ESSEX!

As soon as I found out that DUCK DOWN was going to hold their CMJ showcase at LPR, I booked my tickets as soon as I could...

JEAN GRAE! whhhhhhhhhhhat?
9TH WONDER whaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Pharoah Monch waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Kev Brown whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

I waited some time for my roomie to get ready and we ended up running late to the show (like-12:15-late).  There was a line outside but since I had purchased online, the door people let us in quickly and without a wait.. I was soooooo worried that I was late for Jean Grae, but I walked into Smiff n Wessum and the music to Mary J. Blige's "I Love You (Little Spring Memories)" and immediately I knew I was in the right place and feeling good to be surrounded by the HIP HOP that I LOVE and Grew up with.

The venue is small but packed.  Interesting decor, specially the chairs.. You know the music was HAWT when there was not one soul in the bathroom.. YES THE WOMEN's Bathroom!

I worked myself to the front just in time for amazingly talented Jean Grae to grace the mic...  I've said it before and I'll say it again... Jean Grae is reminiscent of true great female rappers of the past! Intelligent, Sexy, & a BEAST on the MIC! After she performed, Pharoahe came on... and I was sad to find out that I totally missed 9th wonder and Kev Brown... but at least I got to see Jean Grae!

I'd definitely come back to other venues here.. Loved the intimate setting and the stage so close to the level of the audience!  I didn't have any drinks so I can't comment on that.. the MUSIC ENOUGH MADE ME HIGH!

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Here's a link to my video for her performing "Love Thirst"
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I'm a bit surprised about the very low reviews... I ran across this vintage store while searching for a Duane Reade after work today.. I have been looking for a scarf for my pin up style and actually found one I liked for only $11.  I walked around and was intrigued by many of their home accent pieces, trinkets, and accessories.  The vintage aprons caught my eye when walking past and there was an apron in the store that I liked for only $35 plus I know that I wont find anything like it.  I didn't have any problems with the sales assistants.  I am looking forward to visiting this place again to see what other cool things I can find.

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This review is from first impression... and it won't be the last because I am eagerly awaiting the next time I can eat at this restaurant.  

It's been a while since I've been able to eat really good Malaysian food.  The last I can recall is at Banana Island back home in California, and even with that it's been too long.  I wanted something authentic ... something where the locals flocked too...  I've driven past this restaurant a few times at different hours of the day and always noticed that there is always a good number of customers.  I almost ate here one day but it is cash only and I only had my debit card and didn't feel like looking for an ATM in the heat.

The moon and the stars aligned on the 7th of this month and off I was to Satay for dinner.  We ordered Roti Canai, Haianese Yellow chicken, chicken satay, tom yum soup, Bean curd Shong King style, and some pork chop dish along with two desserts.

My mouth watered the entire time we waited for our food just looking at what everyone else was ordering.  The food was delivered in less than 10 to 12 minutes tops.  I was amazed at how quick the service was regardless of how full the restaurant had become once we walked into the doors.  Everything was flavorful and my favorite dish was the Bean curd shong king style which was packed with huge scallops and shrimp.  The satay chicken tasted exactly how I imagined it too and better!  

While waiting for dessert I oogled at all the other popular dishes everyone else seemed to order. I was very full but still doing my "research" for the next visit I am already anticipating!

All of the dishes were huge servings and enough for left overs.  I wasn't a huge fan of the porkchop dish because of the marinade they used.  I did however love the desert I ordered that tasted much like "rose"... it was pink with gelatin, ice, milk, red beans.. etc  I loved the fragrant taste that it had.

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