The Halal Guys @ 53rd and 6th - NYC

May 10, 2014

Sometimes it's pretty cool having a food diary/journal especially since you can go back and track what you did or ate in the past. 

I can't believe it's been two years since I've had Halal Guys in New York! 

Obviously it was so good that I had to go back again and this time it was on a much nicer sunnier day. 

 The original location is still the busiest (and still the best so I've heard)

I got the same Combination Platter for $6 that I had last time

(I love that they didn't change their prices for inflation)

With HOT SAUCE! I finally got the fully experience haha

The hot sauce made it so much tastier! Who would have thought? A little hot sauce goes a LONG way with the white sauce, tender gyro and yummy chicken (it wasn't dried or overcooked this time) 

The place definitely hasn't changed! Definitely a must-try in New York City

May 21, 2012

  

After a morning at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) admiring Van Gogh and Dali's masterpieces, we decided to grab food from one of the most famous food carts in New York City:

Located at the corner of 53rd and 6th avenue, it was an easy walk from MOMA. 

The line-up wasn't super long when we got there (probably because of the rain), so we quickly chose our lunch and frantically tried to find somewhere to sit down and eat. 

Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of options for tourists to sit and eat on a rainy day (Starbucks on the opposite side of the street or McDonalds further down 6th avenue). 

Mixed wrap $5

Combination Platter $6

Chicken and lamb together in a huge dish! The portion size was fit for two people and it was only $6?!? This proves that you can eat a yummy and filling meal in one of the most expensive cities in the world! 

Fantastic! There was a ton of food here - the lamb was nicely seasoned and savoury (it wasn't too gamy tasting) and the shredded chicken was succulent and full of flavour from the spices. 

I also really liked the yogurt white sauce because it made the dish work well together. Delicious! 

The rice was okay, it wasn't the best compliment to the food since it was slightly overcooked and hard that day. However, the lettuce was super fresh and when you eat everything together - it was just amazing. 

Overall: AMAZING! You've got to try it here! The food is delicious and service is pretty fast. This is probably one of the best meals in New York City (and it's under $10 - it doesn't get any better than this!). 

Best Bagels & Coffee - NYC

The Concrete Jungle in the morning...

There were some good reviews for this bagel place near our hotel, so we decided to check it out:

The place was really busy! Always a good sign

Everything Bagel with Bacon and Cheddar Cream Cheese
The bagels were huge! And they were warm and chewy with a ton of cream cheese.
I'm not a fan of cream cheese, but the guy taking my order told me I had to try it - so I opted for the bacon and cheddar since I figured if I had to do it then I might as well get something that would resemble what I'd order in my bagel anyways. OMG and I ever glad I did. The bacon and cheddar cream cheese was AMAZING! The bagel was crazy good and it was less than $5. Awesome value for money here!

Cinnamon raisin bagel with cinnamon raisin walnut cream cheese
Another delicious combination! Perfectly chewy and warm bagel (like it was fresh from the oven) and yummy sweet cream cheese.

Overall: Great value at Best Bagels & Coffee! The bagels are huge and they definitely don't skimp on the cream cheese. It also helps that they're so cheap, filling and delicious! 

Pie Face - New York City

Greenery and iconic buildings in New York.

I had a craving for pie - so I did some quick Yelping and found Pie Face. 

Cute bag! 

A trio of mini pies: 

Lemon, Chocolate and Apple Crumble

The lemon curd on the pie was thick and gooey, but it wasn't too sweet. Unfortunately, the crumbly shell and hard lemon curd didn't make a good combination either. 

The apple crumble was okay with sweet apple and sultanas. The crumble on top was crunchy and tasty with the cinnamon, but again the pie crust was awful. 

The chocolate tart was yummy! The chocolate mousse was light and fluffy with a rich chocolate flavour. 

Overall: Pie Face has a lot of interesting options, but I wasn't a fan of their sweet pies except for the chocolate pie. 

Website: http://piefacenyc.com/

Schnipper's Quality Kitchen - New York City

My original flight into New York City was cancelled due to construction at Newark Airport, but I managed to get on an earlier flight. Unfortunately it ended up delayed 2.5 hours because of the heavy fog. However, I still made it into the City That Never Sleeps! And I immediately started my touristy thing starting at Times Square:

  

On my way back to the hotel, I passed by Dean & Deluca, but I noticed that there weren't a lot of people (most likely because everything was so expensive). So, I followed the crowd and saw that a lot of people were going to Schnipper's Quality Kitchen. 

Pretty simple menu...but I still had no idea what to order.
So I decided to get something fast to go:

Sloppy Joe $7.50
It wasn't the most attractive Sloppy Joe I've ever had, but it was pretty darn good!
The combination of the soft and soggy egg bun with all the ground beef, tomato and delicious blend of spices was amazing! It was so messy and so worth it.

Overall: Schnipper's was a little pricier for a fast food joint, but the food was simple, classic and delicious! Yum.

Website: http://www.schnippers.com/

Congee Queen

Congee Queen recently opened up a new branch off Highway 7 near the 404. As a grand opening promotion, they offered 10% off your meal - so you can imagine the crowds of people at this point.

Half a Roasted Duck

The duck was really greasy. There was just way too much oil drenching the duck. 

King oyster mushrooms and snow pea sprouts

It was also rather oily. I can't help wondering how much MSG they put into their food because I was parched after the meal.

Stir Fried Green Beans

This was a rather bland tasting dish of stir fried beans; the Maple Yip beans are much better.

Fukien Fried Rice

I've never had Fukien fried rice that I didn't like...until now. It was probably the combination of ingredients: they just didn't work well together which made the fried rice dish rather tasteless. It was strange considering there was shrimp, chicken, beef, Chinese mushrooms, peas and egg - and yet nothing stood out. 

Beef and Broccoli

This dish was one of the better ones at dinner. 

Dried Pollock and Pork Bone Congee

A watery congee and not very good. I would recommend trying the pork bone congee at Keung's Restaurant instead.

Top: Beef stir fry on a sizzling plate and Szechuan eggplant

The eggplant dish had a strong salted fish and vinegar flavour (not very appetizing) and definitely nowhere near the quality of Maple Yip's Szechuan eggplant dish.

Salted fish and diced chicken tofu bowl

Very overpowering salted fish smell and it wasn't balanced out by the chicken or tofu. 

Golden Tofu dessert

Interesting...but nothing delicious. 

Overall: We had a pretty bad experience here. We made reservations in advance and yet still ended up waiting an hour for a table. I completely understood that it was super busy since it's the opening month for the restaurant and they were running this promo.  However, our party kept getting bumped from the list in favour of other groups, which was not acceptable.  Although we got some free dishes to compensate, the food wasn't enjoyable at all. The food came out quick and the service was fast, but it just wasn't enough to give it a good review.

Website: http://www.congeequeen.com/

Milagro Cantina on Yonge

My best friend wanted Mexican to celebrate her birthday, so I made reservations at the uptown Milagro after seeing some positive reviews.

Guacamole and Chips
The guacamole had a lumpy texture, but it definitely didn't deter from the taste or slow rush of heat (and it made it seem more authentic rather than the store bought pureed guacamole). The chips were pretty interesting too - probably homemade. 

La Perla tacos: battered snapper, tropical slaw, chile crema in a flour tortilla
I was so distracted by the pretty and colourful tacos that I didn't really anticipate the heat from the salsa and chile crema. OMG did it ever pack a punch! I thought I might have accidentally eaten a habanero or jalapeno pepper. I might have guzzled half a pitcher of water and 1/2 of the guacamole and chips.


Enchiladas Tacuba with roasted chicken, corn tortillas, salsa
The enchiladas weren't the most attractive dish I've ever seen, but it was pretty tasty with a hint of heat.

Albondigas Del Patron: beef and pork meatballs with chile morita sauce
The meatballs had cheese inside them! Gooey oozy cheese inside the spiced meatball with buttery avocado slices and rice on the side.

Adobados tacos: seared ribeye, smoked bacon, three chile adobo and cilantro
The flank steak had great flavour and the best part was it wasn't super spicy! 

Pierna De Cordero: braised lamb shank in guajillo, beer & mezcal, papas
The lamb shank was really delicious with tender meat and great flavour. The delicious sweet and a little spicy sauce was nice (especially with the potatoes).

Molten Lava Cake
Really delicious with rich chocolate oozing out of the warm cake and a strawberry crema on the side.

Overall: It was an decent Mexican meal at Milagro. There was a lot more heat and spiciness to the food than I was used to (and maybe not as much warning) and it was a little on the pricey side.

Website: http://milagrorestaurant.com/