Kopitiam Lychee Bandung: Kopitiam is everything I want in a restaurant – it's unfussy, always introduces me to new flavors, is dependably delicious, and a great value. And I love their drinks, which are always served in pouches. Their current seasonal drink consists of lychee and rose syrup, with a generous helping of whole pieces of lychee fruit. I'd normally find it a little too sweet, but with the extremely hot weather in NYC, it was the perfect thirst quencher. Its floral notes are present but not overly dom... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Manna House Bakery Scallion and Ham Roll: I was on my way to Golden Steamer when I passed Manna House Bakery ~2 doors down on Mott St that had a small queue of older Asian customers. Locals don't normally wait in line, especially in places as impatient as Chinatown, so I decided to stop in and check out their selection. The cash-only bakery is very narrow, yet has an impressive selection of traditional Chinese pastries like pineapple bun, sponge cake, egg tarts, and more, all thankfully labeled both in Chinese and English. I left ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Bao Tea House Jasmine peach milk tea: Bao Tea House is a small shop in the West Village close to the West 4th subway stop, and it's my favorite place in the city for tea. Their jasmine peach milk tea was very well balanced, with a fragrant, creamy, floral, and fruity flavor (a combination I imagine most places would not get right). The drink came with brown sugar aloe cubes, with a slightly chewy texture that still has a bit of bite. Though it's an entirely different type of dish, the closest analogy I can make in terms of textu... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Zabar's Black and White Cookie: Despite having lived / been around in NYC for most of my life, I had not had a Black and White cookie until this week. I learned from Wikipedia that there are at least two styles of Black and White cookies; a dense shortbread base is common in NYC, while a more cake-like base with frosting is more likely to be found in Central New York. Zabar's is the latter, with a sizable diameter and soft, moist-enough cake base with a generous spread of chocolate and vanilla frosting, split evenly down... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Milk Bar Cereal milk panna cotta: This special cereal milk panna cotta, available at the Flagship Milk Bar in NoMad, is topped with roasted matcha meringue, corn flakes crumble, and dark chocolate shards. It's available just until the end of the day. It's really excellent, a dessert that could easily cost $11 in a restaurant without seeming out of place (it costs a little over $6). Surprisingly light, the panna cotta has a just-set fluffy texture; the matcha flavor is immediately identifiable in the chewy bruleed meringue, ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Milk Bar Apple Pie Soft Serve: While I generally find many items at Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar to be overly sweet, one thing that I’ve always loved is their soft serve. The cereal milk soft serve, in particular, is very well judged. This apple pie soft serve, available at the Flagship Milk Bar, is another great example. The tartness is surprisingly great, and the texture is perfectly smooth - more sorbet-like than ice-cream-like. The mix of spices (cinnamon, allspice, clove, and probably ginger, I’m guessing) is way mo... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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