Chicken and Rice @ 53rd and 6th Halal Cart, NYC

My most memorable meal in NYC during my last visit to NYC was Chicken and Lamb Gyro Rice that was right outside the Sheraton Times Square Hotel. It wasn't something my friend and I planned on eating but we had it twice during our 4 day trip.

Chicken and Rice was listed first on my to-do-list during my second trip to NYC and this time round I had it at the Halal Cart on 53rd Street and 6th Avenue.



The Halal Cart on 53rd and 6th is by far the most famous Chicken and Rice Cart in Manhattan drawing locals and tourists from all over the world. There was a lineup when we arrived but it didn't take long before it was our turn to be served.



I chose the Chicken and Lamb Rice that was served with their secret "White Sauce" and Hot Sauce. Every single ingredient was strong in flavor but yet they melded so well together. The turmeric and spices from the meat to their Hot Sauce that is mellowed down by their famous White Sauce the meal was really satisfying especially when eaten outside in the cold weather. What a way to start my 4 day trip in NYC :)




Food: 4.6/5
Service: N/A
Ambiance: N/A
Price: $ (Under USD $10 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 6th Ave & W 53rd St New York, NY 10019
Tel: N/A
Web: http://www.53rdand6th.com

The best Fine Dining I've had so far @ Nota Bene, Toronto

It was my final week in Toronto before I head back to Asia for a month. I wanted to sample another fine dining establishment and decided on Nota Bene after reading a lot of positive reviews on the Internet.

The cuisine as described by Open Table is Contemporary American and featured a Hog Summer Night Special every Tuesday in July and August. Fortunately for us we dined there on a Tuesday night and had a chance to order their Hog Special.


Bread

Our meal started off with some Rye Bread which was served cold. I'm not a fan of Cold Breads in fine dining establishments as it tends to be a little too chewy.


SUCKLING PIG TACO

This was the first course of the Hog Summer Night Special. The shredded pork was tossed in a rather bland spice mix and is served with some Pork Crackling, Tomatillo, Sour Cream and Butterhead Lettuce


RICOTTA-STUFFED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS

The Zucchini Flowers had a nice textural contrast between the crispy batter and soft ricotta cheese. It was seasoned just right and the Ricotta Cheese was really good


HAMACHI CEVICHE

Absolutely delicious. The Hamachi literally melts in your mouth. The Acidity was perfectly balanced with the use of Buttermilk which toned down the sourness. Eaten together with the Cilantro and Avocado it was a really refreshing appetizer.


NOVA SCOTIA LOBSTER SALAD

Crisp Romaine Lettuce, Perfectly Cooked Lobster Meat, Crispy Croutons and Bacon Bits tossed with a Butter Milk Dressing that did not overpower the salad. This was another solid appetizer.


SUCKLING PIG PORCHETTA

The main course of the Hog Summer Special was simply divine. The natural flavor of the Pork Loin and Stuffing is accentuated so well in this dish. The Pork was moist and the Skin and Crackling was crisp. Easily one of the best Pork Dishes I've had.


12/OZ GRASS-FED NEW YORK STRIP

The Striploin was cooked perfect Medium Rare. It was had a nice flavor but it did not had a crispy crust like what I had in Giby's. It was definitely a very good Striploin but Giby's still has my vote for the best Steaks.


RABBIT SOFFRITO, PAPPARDELLE PASTA

This was Katrin'a entree and I had a little bit of it. The Pasta was cooked Al Dente with the Rabbit Meat really tender.


MEDITERRANEAN SEABASS

This was Lily's main course and we found it to be a little disappointing because it tasted similar to Chinese Steam Fish. Given we were in Nota Bene we expected something different.


SHAVED ONION RINGS

We ordered a side dish of Onion Rings. It was seasoned nicely with Sea Salt, had a light crunchy texture and the Onion Rings was sweet.


STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

A sweet but sinful dessert. The Caramel had a nice deep flavor and was really good the Sticky Toffee which contained some Pecan Praline adding a nice crunchy texture to the soft Pudding.


LEMON CURD, BUCKTHORN BERRY SORBET

My favorite dessert of the night. This dessert was an interplay of Texture and Flavors. The Lemon Curd's sourness complemented the Buckthorn Berry Sorbet and Raspberries. The Raspberries were served frozen giving it a crispy texture to contrast the soft texture of the Sorbet and Lemon Curd.


PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

The Ice Cream was decent. The Pistachio Flavor was strong but it wasn't as creamy as we liked. We did however enjoy the Sugar Biscuit.


Overall Note Bene is the best Fine Dining Restaurant I've had so far in Toronto. There were a number of dishes I really enjoyed such as their Hamachi Ceviche, Lobster Salad, Suckling Pig Porchetta and Lemon Curd with Buckthorn Berry Sobert.

People looking to visit Nota Bene should definitely go on a Tuesday to try out their Suckling Pig Porchetta!


Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Price: $$$$$ (Approximately USD $65 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3X3, Canada
Tel: +1 (416) 977-6400
Web: www.notabenerestaurant.com/welcome/
Map:

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Persian Cuisine @ Zaffron Ristorante, North York

Zaffron Ristorante is a Mediterranean Restaurant whose menu emphasizes Persian and Italian Food. The restaurant has earned numerous local and foreign awards and is Zagat Rated. Since it was our first time dining our friendly waiter gave us some recommendations on what to dine.


Sabzi Khordan: Persian Assortment of Fresh Herbs

Our Herb Plate consist of Mint, Parsley and Radish to start of our meal


Kashkeh Bademjan


It may not look pretty but this is one of Zaffron's Signature Starter. It's a Persian Eggplant Dip that's topped with Fried Crisp Onion, Fried Garlic, Olive Oil and Kashk (A Whey Type liquid). Mixing all the condiments with the Eggplant gave it a robust flavor that beats Hummus any day as a Bread Dip.


Focaccia Bread

One of Zaffron's Signature Breads. The Bread was served fresh off the oven and was fluffy on the inside and crisp. It was very good with Kashkeh Bademjan.


Salad and Pilaf


We had the option of Salad or Rice to go with our Meat Platter. I chose the Salad which came with a Thousand Island Dressing. The Pilaf was a simple White Long Grain Rice mixed with some Saffron Flavored Rice.


Assorted Meat Kebab Platter (Ground Beef, Ground Chicken, Veal and Lamb)

We each ordered our preferred meat kebabs which was then placed in a single platter for us to share. The meats were all delicious. My favorite was Lamb Sashlik which was super tender and had the right amount of seasoning.


We were a mixed bunch after our meal. Some enjoyed it and others thought it was so-so. As for me I enjoyed their Eggplant Dip, which I thought was much better than Hummus as a bread dip. The kebabs were they way I liked it, grilled and seasoned just right allowing the natural flavors of the meat to speak out.


Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $$$ (Approximatley USD $35 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 6200 Yonge St. North York, ON M2M 3X1
Tel: +1 (416) 223-7070
Web:
E-mail: info@zaffron.ca
Map:

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My first visit to NYC and my first meal @ "The Chicken and Rice Cart"

It's funny how I've lived in Toronto for ten years and have not visited New York City once. This time however I finally made it a point to do so as Zhao Kun and I flew from Vancouver to the Empire State for a four day visit.

We checked in Sheraton Times Square at around 11pm and thought of resting up for the next day. With our stomachs growling on a Friday Night we decided to get a quick bite and check out Times Square, which was just a couple of minutes walk from our hotel.





Just outside our Hotel we spotted our first Cart Vendor which was selling Halal Food that included Burgers, Hotdogs and a platter of Chicken and/or Lamb Gyros with Rice. This may sound a little ignorant but I expected to see a million Hot Dog stands similar to those in Toronto but this wasn't the case because the next cart around the South West Corner of our Hotel on 53rd Street and 7th Avenue was another Halal Food Cart selling Chicken and/or Lamb with Rice!




Since there were two carts next to our Hotel we decided to try both ordering the same dish of Chicken and Lamb on Rice that was dressed with a combination of White Sauce and Hot Sauce. Although both carts were serving Chicken and Lamb on Rice they both differ a little. The cart right in front of our Hotel had a Greek Influence serving Chunks of Marinated Chicken Dark Meat and Lamb Gyros with Pilaf Rice.



The cart on the South West Corner of 53rd and 7th Ave. had a Middle Eastern flair with minced Chicken and minced Lamb Meat that was served on a Saffron or Turmeric Basmati Rice.

Both were seriously delicious! But I liked the cart that was right in front of our Hotel preferring their choice of using strips of Chicken Dark Meat over minced Chicken Meat. Furthermore somehow their Chicken had a much better flavor. The Lamb Gyros was a little dry but this was solved with the delicious combination of White Sauce and Hot Sauce that was drenched on top of the meats.



It was sad I never thought of taking photos of the food we ate that night because it was just so freaking good! I craved for it so much that it was also my last meal in NYC where I managed to take shots of the food and cart of my favorite of the two which was the cart just right outside Sheraton New York.

I loved it so much that I did more research on the Internet and found out Chicken and Rice is one of the "must eat dishes" in NYC especially the cart on 53rd and 6th Ave., which draws a huge lineup every night and was ranked fifth on Trip Advisor's best restaurants in NYC. Some claim that the one we had on the South West Corner of 53rd Street and 7th Ave is actually a branch of the "Famous Chicken and Rice Cart" because they shared the same logo, bags and color.

Anyone coming to NYC you should make short culinary trip to sample some "Chicken and/or Lamb with Rice" when visiting the Times Square Area. The food is cheap and it's really good! The next time I'm back in NYC 53rd and 6th Ave., will be my first culinary food stop!

Food: 4.6/5
Ambiance: N/A (Food Cart with no seats)
Service: N/A
Price: $ (USD $6-USD $7 per person)

Contact Information
Address: Outside Sheraton Times Square and the other on the Southwest Corner of 53rd Street and 7th Avenue
Tel: N/A
Map:

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Middle Eastern Food @ Me.Va.Me

I wanted to take Zhao Kun for some Mediterranean Food at Zaffron with Sam and Verna when they suggested us to try out Me.Va.Me instead. The restaurant was located West of Zaffron at Dufferin and Steeles and was packed on a Monday night which had us waiting for thirty-minutes.

Unlike Zaffron which serves up Mediterranean Dishes that are of Persian origin, Me-Va-Me’s menu seem to lean towards Israel with the usual Shawarma, Kebabs, Salads, Dips and Grilled Fishes.

Flat Bread

Our meal began with some ordinary Flat Breads and some pickles. I much prefer the Flat Breads at Zaffron which was served warm and was very fluffy


Assorted Dips: Green Eggplant, Hummus and Baba Ghanoush

To go with our bread we ordered three different dips. My favorite was the Green Eggplant, which had a nice smoky flavor. The Baba Ghanoush was also very good.


Green Salad

This was my first salad that came with a Yoghurt Dressing since I last had it in Germany. The dressing was creamy and had a nice acidic balance.

Grilled Lamb Kebab

The Lamb was grilled Medium Rare as ordered and was very tender. It was seasoned with Salt and Pepper and lemon juice.

Grilled Chicken Kebab

Surprisingly tender and juicy for Chicken Breast. It was again grilled with Salt and Pepper and some Lemon Juice. The Tazitzki dipping sauce however wasn't very good. The vegetables were simply steamed and were quite nice.

Chicken Shawarma

The best of everything I've had. The chicken although a little dry was very well flavored. It tasted a little like Kentucky. It was great with some Pita and Baba Ghanoush.

The food overall was quite good but I preferred Zaffron’s kebab and breads better. The meal cost around CAD $30 per person including tips and taxes.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Price: $$$ (Under USD $30 per person)

Contact Information
Address: 330 Steeles Avenue West, Toronto
Tel: +1-(905) 771-7377

Sunday Brunch @ Peninsula Bangkok

Browsing through the Internet to pick our Sunday Brunch we stumbled upon Peninsula’s Famous Gosset Champagne Brunch that is only offered from December till February.



We made our reservation a week ahead and were lucky enough to get a seat at the patio overlooking the Chao Phraya River. The atmosphere was what I loved, classy but yet laid back. Shorts are allowed as long as you looked prep. The wait staff was super attentive as well with our drinks being refilled and plates taken without us asking.




Despite all these extras it was the food that initially made me come here for brunch and it didn’t disappoint. The variety maybe limited compared to the bigger buffets like Marriott and Sheraton Grande but the quality of the ingredients and food more than make up for it.

For a price of THB2500++ (with champagne) the main feature of this brunch is their live grill station featuring Boston Lobsters, Hokkaido Scallops, Wagyu Flank Steak, Cod Fish, lamb chops and more. Everything I ordered was surprisingly cooked perfectly which is a far cry from Four Seasons.






The grill station also served a host of Western Cooked Dishes that included a Prime Rib Roast, Torte Flambe, Potato Gratin, Ratatouille and etc. My favorite was the Salmon Crepe, Foies Gras and Lobster Bisque.





The other live station serves up Thai/Chinese Food, which were so-so. It wasn’t bad but neither was it very good. You are much better off eating the local restaurants in Bangkok.





Indoors, the restaurant houses a wide variety of hot and cold appetizers and desserts. Steak Tartar, Caviar, Fines De Claire Oysters from France are some of the items you should eat to get your money’s worth.






The only disappointment we had were the desserts. They looked very appetizing and even had their pastry chef roaming around to make sure everything is up to standard. Nothing we had was outstanding, from the cakes to the popcorn. The best desserts for a buffet I’ve had still goes to Rain Tree Café at Plaza Athenee.









Overall I really enjoyed my Sunday Brunch. The variety maybe lacking but so far the quality of the food was definitely the best I have had in any Sunday Brunch. Together with an excellent service and a great ambiance I would highly recommend the brunch here.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$ (Approximately USD $80 per person)