Totto Ramen @ New York, NY

i was in nyc this past weekend for my friend’s bday. 3 in the afternoon we were hungry, but a lot of places were closed and not yet opened for din din. we stayed at the westin hotel in time square and totto ramen was walking distance. i was always hesitated to try totto ramen and other popular ramen places in nyc because its guaranteed a long wait and probably jus hyped up places where food probably isnt that good.

well it was 3:30 in the afternoon i thought if i ever gonna try this place out, this would be the perfect time to try it out since the wait would be shorter during off-peak hours. i was wrong.

oh i also took my new lens that pork belly bought me for xmas, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens. my very first review with this lens. i was pretty happy with the performance.

there are a lot more ppl than it seems because ppl can put their names on the list and come back later. make sure you come back in time tho cuz if you are not there when they call your name, they will skip you and you have to wait again. trust me, they are very firm on this policy. i witnessed 4-5 parties got skipped and they cried, bitched, and whined and they still didnt give them a table. make sure you stay in this little ‘room’ too cuz the guy doesnt always make his way outside to call your name.

we ended up waiting for 1.5 hours or even longer.

everything was probably pre-made, they brought over food very fast. when we were ordering, the waitress told us three times that we ordered too much. she sounded like she didnt want to take our order cuz we ordered too much. we waited for 1.5+ hours and starving to death and cant have whatever we wanted? come one now.

Avo Tuna torched tuna sashimi w/ avocado marinated in special yuzu garlic sauce

nothing special.

Char Siu Mayo Don house special broiled pork with yuzu mayonnaise on a bed of rice
the texture of the char siu is inconsistent. some were dry and hard while some were super dry and hard. really hard to chew. nice flavor tho.

Totto Spicy Ramen with chicken- original rayu, spicy sesame oil, homemade noodles in a whole chicken and premium soy sauce based soup topped with scallion, char siu pork, bean sprouts, and nori

Totto Spicy Ramen with pork – the pork is cooked with a torch

the guy is cooking the pork with a torch for the house specialty

noodles are al dente, but too skinny for my liking.

char siu buns w/char siu chunk and tartar sauce
probably one of the worst pork buns ive ever had. dry hard pork, and i hate mayonnaise.

uni don – whenever i see uni, i just have to order it.

we managed to finish pretty much everything we ordered. i wasnt even super stuffed. the size of their ramen isnt big, i wouldnt be full if i just had that.

totto ramen is pretty hyped up. i did enjoy the broth but thats about it. nothing was spectacular plus we had to wait for so long for this, not even to mention in cold.

i would probably return only if there is absolutely no wait, but its very unlikely to happen.

bye totto ramen, we probably wont ever meet again.

Totto Ramen

Category: Japanese
366 W 52nd St
(between 9th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District
(212) 582-0052

http://www.tottoramen.com

Shake Shack @ New York, NY

when it comes to burger, it’s almost a regional pride. people on the west coast are all about in and out while people from Virginia DC area are all about five guys. shake shack is a new yorker thing.

i can careless about where my burger comes from, a burger is a burger. i like in and out because of its freshness, i like five guys because of its variety of toppings (MUSHROOMS). this is my 1st time trying out shake shack.

it’s right outside our hotel in time square and it was about time to get some snacks. super packed as expected, so we got take out.

all of their burgers are made of 100% all-natural angus beef. i got the shackburger with 3 orders of fries – cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and shacksauce. i know its a lot ketchup. i like my fries take a bath in the ketchup before entering my mouth. hmmmm

vanilla frozen custard with strawberry puree.

the burger was good, but i wasnt too crazy about it. the patty was lil dry, not juicy. i did like the vanilla custard a lot tho. very sweet and smooth texture. like the sweeter version of mcdonald’s ice cream aka my fave ice cream on the planet.

they are openning a store in chestnut hill (boston) later this spring!

Shake Shack
Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
691 8th Ave
(between 44th St & 43rd St)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District
(646) 435-0135

http://www.shakeshack.com

a random pic i took in soho. cakeeees

Revisiting My College – Syracuse University – Where to Eat!

2 and half years ago i graduated from syracuse university. i spent 4 years of my life in syracuse, ny and made some best of my friends in life.

syracuse is in the middle of no where, who would imagine there is actually a lot good food there like dinosaur bbq, insomnia cookies, funk n waffles, pastabilities’ spicy tomato oil- a syracuse signature, unique tea house – best green tea bubble tea ive had entire life, cream puffs, fish burgers, and so much more.

sherry, my best friend from college, went back to syracuse for grad school. i went back to visit her last fall in September. i was there only for 2 days so couldnt eat everything i wanted.

first thing first, i had to get some green tea bubble tea from unique tea house. hands down, BEST GREEN TEA MILK TEA IVE HAD IN MY LIFE. i believe its made of real green tea instead of fake power stuff. very rich and real green tea taste. all those all nighter’s, this green tea milk tea helped me to stay awake better than coffee would.

cream puffs, super good!!! the cream jus explodes in your mouth. super smooth and fluffy! way better than cream puffs from tous les jours.

i forgot to take a pic of the green tea milk tea, but you can see a lil bit of it on this pic.

Unique Tea House
(315) 422-7385
171 Marshall St
Syracuse, NY 13210
Tea, Smoothies, Japanese
Delivery, Free Wi-Fi, Kid Friendly, Late Night

the chicken waffle is from funk n waffle, which is my fave waffle place on campus
my fave thing is this smoked salmon w/ cream cheese waffle. now they are so stingy with the salmon, i remember they used be way more salmon back in the days.

Funk ‘n Waffles
(315) 477-9700
727 S Crouse Avenue, Suite 8
Syracuse, NY 13210

we took a nice walk on campus to help digest the food.

we drove to a park closeby

there is NO better way to spend the weekend other than drinking and eating with your fave people on this earth. so we drove to Three Brothers Wineries and Estates in Geneva, NY to taste some local wine. guess what can be the worst thing ever happened to you when you are at a winery. thats right! forget bringing your ID! and thats what i did, i forgot to bring my ID.

this vineyard is actually pretty big. it consists of 4 tasting rooms and each one of the room had different themes.

since i forgot to bring my id, i couldn’t do the wine tasting. they wouldnt sell me a wine tasting ticket. however, my friend still bought me a huge bottle of red wine slushy for me to sip on. i never drink red wine cuz i hate the taste of it and every time i drink it something bad happens (my body). this time, i had some allergic reaction. i was tearing up the whole afternoon.

we bought a few bottles and the wine was SURPRISELY GOOD! i highly recommend this place if you are in the area!

Three Brothers Wineries and Estates
15 reviews Rating Details
Category: Wineries [Edit]
623 Lerch Rd
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 585-4432

http://www.3brotherswinery.com

for din din we went to Dinosaur BBQ – one of my fave spot to eat in cuse. this place is AMAZING! easily beats any bbq place in boston! if you never had this before, you are def missing out in life.

unfortunately, its super packed as usual, so we decided to do take out.

we got the family meal or whatever, there are more chicken, pork, beef stuff on the bottom, but before i snap a pic of them, my friends already wolfed them down.

Dinosaur BBQ
(315) 476-1662
Barbecue, American, Southern/Soul
246 W Willow St
Syracuse, NY 13202

the 2nd morning, my friend picked Steak & Sundae to have some breakfast.
traditional american joint.

Steak & Sundae
Category: American (Traditional)
1850 Teall Ave
Syracuse, NY 13206
(315) 463-6551

http://www.steakandsundae.com/

University of Massachusetts Amherst was on the way from boston to syracuse, we stopped by a few place to grab a quick bite and drink.

very famous pizza joint – Antonio’s

again, i forgot to snap a pic before i ate it.

Antonio’s
Category: Pizza
31 N Pleasant St
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 253-0808

http://www.antoniospizza.com

stopped by Amherst Brewing Company to get a quick drink

Amherst Brewing Company
Categories: American (New), Breweries, Pubs
10 University Dr
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 253-4400

http://www.amherstbrewing.com/

stopped by Fresh Side for some tea rolls and some tea

jasmine tea

spicy chicken tea roll – curry chicken salad with cabbage, onion, a dash of cayenne pepper

teriyaki tea roll – made with Bean-curd rice, teriyaki chicken, bell pepper, carrot, teriyaki sauce

Fresh Side
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Asian Fusion
39 S Pleasant St
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 256-0296

http://www.freshsideamherst.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Freshsideamherst/

stopped by FroyoWorld for some froyo of course

FroyoWorld
Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
23 N Pleasant St
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 345-2988

http://froyoworld.com

SobaKoh @ East Village New York, NY

i have a lot stuff from my china trip to post, but im still working on the pix.
at the meantime, lets see this soba joint in new york city that i went this past summer.
i LOVE LOVE LOVE soba, so light, refreshing, simple, but yet tasty!! one of my fave food; i like it even more than ramen!
i didnt make a reservation cuz i dont know why i just assume all small japanese restaurants dont take reservations. we had to wait almost 2 hours, so make sure u make a reservation before u go.

you see where the vase is? if you go there early at night, you probably can catch the chef making the soba there.

pork belly got a set meal

Assorted Mix Tempura
2 shrimps, anago, veges

hot eggplant soba

Uni Ikura Soba
Cold soba with sea urchin, salmon roe, shiso leaves on top!!!! delish!!!

Green Tea Mousse
With whipped cream and red bean sauce

buckwheat ice cream, this was unusual and yum!

i did enjoy the food at soba koh a lot! would return in the future!

evo 8 <3

Category: Japanese
309 E 5th St
(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village
(212) 254-2244

French Macarons @ Bisous Ciao New York, NY

checked out bisous ciao couple months ago on the lower east side when i was in new york city.

macaron roses

its been a while since i visited so my memory is so vague now. i remember they were being generally decent, nothing mind blowing tho. they do have some interesting flavors such as:
pistachio – white chocolate pistachio ganache
gianduja – the classic mix of hazelnut and milk chocolate
yuzu- yuzu cream with a yuzu marmalade center
jasmine + green tea – jasmine infused white chocolate ganache
lavender + honey – lavender + honey flavored buttercream
mandarin and wasabi – mandarin was too strong, couldnt taste the wasabi at all.

Category: Food Bakeries Bakeries
101 Stanton St
(between Orchard St & Ludlow St)
New York, NY 10002
Neighborhood: Lower East Side

(212) 260-3463

http://www.bisousciao.com

2012 NY Street Ramen Contest Round 3 pix heavy

i took a day trip drove down to nyc to check out the 3rd round of nyc street ramen contest last weekend. i took a LOT pix and they are pretty self explanatory.

they had 8 ramen contestants.

1. ramen lab: italian ramen

roma tomato, chicken broth, petite basil, crimini mushroom, italian sausage, romano/parmigiano reggiano cheese, durum semolina ramen noodle.

this was my 2nd least fave one. it didnt taste bad at all but it tasted like spaghettis and meatballs, im here for some nice asian ramen, not some ramen version of spaghettis and meatballs.

2. hakkoan: Chan Chan Yaki Ramen

this was my 2nd fave out of all 8. brothless ramen with salmon, mushroom, cabbage, carrot, garlic, onion, and miso.

3. the shoyu ramen: shoyu ramen (soy sauce)

4. yume wo katare: shoyu ramen
this was the only one i didnt try because i just had a huge bowl of their ramen 2 nights before when they opened up in boston. please check out my full review.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is super passionate about his ramen and what he does. he was always cheering and brought a lot energy to the crowd.

their ramen looks like this:

5. colo pesu ramen: colorful ramen

worst ramen of all, tasteless, i hate all the artifically coloring.

6. jin ramen: spicy miso ramen

7. tonyu ramen: tonyu herb ramen with soymilk

i really liked this. i liked the taste of herbs, creamy but light broth, feels healthy, not overwhelming.

8. tabata ramen: dark men

my FAVE of all. so tasty and flavorful. def my kind of ra-men!!!!

i didnt vote, but id totally vote for dark men. they won at the end anyways without my vote. congrats!

random pix of the other stuff they sold there

green tea marshmallow

mozzarella pancake

pork belly super popular

gyoza

sweet potatoes, yummmmm

veggie soymilk smoothie

squid

hope everyone had a great weekend. im off to get my sushi fix tonight.

Manji Dessert @ Flushing New York

manji dessert is a chain in china. it’s probably one of my fave desserts place in beijing. i was so happy that i found out they have one in flushing new york. it’s located in the new world mall food court. although everything seems legit, but somehow it doesnt taste as good as the ones in beijing.

杨枝甘露－ my fave thing ever. mango pomelo sago with or without the green tea ice cream. very rich mango-y. love it!

i forgot what this was. some milky shaved ice with green tea ice cream. perfect for the hot summer.

pork belly enjoying his bowl of sweetness

we went to the super market in the new world mall. one of my fave thing to do with pork belly is grocery shopping.

look at these peaches! these are chinese peaches cuz ive never seen they have those in american grocery stores. pretty expensive at 3 for $5, i couldnt resist so i bought 3. man they are delishhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! soooooo gooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very sweet, juicy, perfect texture, not too soft not super firm/crunchy.

龙眼－ Longan

my fave ‘happy boys’. one of my fave drink at all times. very milky, powdery and sweet. tastes like condensed milk.

Categories: Desserts, Chinese
40-21 Main St
Ste 21
Flushing, NY 11354
Neighborhoods: Downtown Flushing, Flushing

Yakitori Totto @ Midtown West New York, NY

after those chuan’er that we had in flushing, we headed to yakitori totto to have more chuan’ers. ive been looking for good yakitori place because yakitori taisho was kinda disappointing. wanted to go to this place forever and we actually made a trip there before but it wasnt open.

they open at 5:30pm on sundays. we got there around 5:15 and were the first in line. all the staffs were smoking outside the restaurant. by the time they opened the line was already 10 deep.

this guy was really entertaining to watch. he sang along with the old school hip hop songs they played and bounced.

tuna – fresh, yum

chicken skin – i didnt really like that they dont marinate stuff. seasoning is lacking, you basically have to put salt/pepper/spicy stuff on by yourself.

hiza- soft knee bones

teba saki

juicy mushrooms.

kalbi – liked the sweet sauce

seseri- chicken neck

i wasn’t a huge fan of this place because
1. altho everything was perfectly grilled and very tender, but i think the meat wasn’t too fresh.
2. the yakitori was kinda bland. i would like it with more flavors other than just salt and pepers. the taste of chicken gets boring after a while. everything tasted pretty much the same. i wish they were marinated to give it more flavors.

the good: yakitori totto is relatively cheap comparing to other places.

man i really wish Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori is on the east coast, id go there everyday! the search for good yakitori continues…

Category: Japanese
251 W 55th St
2nd Fl
(between Broadway & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 245-4555

http://www.tottonyc.com

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