Tag: ramen and friends

Categories
asian

Larb Ubol – Isan Authentic Thai

Yoshie had a Ramen and Friends lunch at Larb Ubol in Hell’s Kitchen. She and Rob like the chef’s other restaurants in Queens.

I got lost because there were so many Thai restaurants in this area on 9th Ave. I remembered it had Larb in the name though. I always wanted to know what Larb was. I’ve seen it on menus. Turns out it’s minced meat salad. I tried the Chicken Larb. Kind of tasted like Chicken Salad …you know, like if you got a chicken salad sandwich?

I felt like Homer Simpson saying, “Larb! Larb! Larb! Larb!” in silly melody. I don’t know if he ever said that, but it seems like it he would.

I liked the Roast Pork and Crispy Pork a lot. That was good.

Larb Ubol – 480 9th Ave (@ 37th St) New York, NY 10018
Ramen and Friend’s review – http://www.ramenandfriends.com/2013/08/larb-ubol-08-17-2013.html

Categories
restauranting

Bab al Yemen Restaurant

We went out to Bay Ridge with Ramen and Friends to Bab al Yemen. There was a Japanese TV crew filming us for a morning news segment. Only problem was that there was no beer or alcohol. It’s fine. I survived and it was still fun. Actually just as fun and enjoyable. Maybe I don’t need to be drunk all the time to have a good time. I learned something about myself.

The food was really good. But everyone got stuffed on the bread and dip appetizers –Hummus, Baba ghanoush with Lamb and Chicken. Too hard to enjoy the rest, although that stuff was good too. I liked the Roasted Lamb Haneeth especially. A lot of it I don’t know what we were eating. I thought they were all called Fahsah.

Yoshie and Rob’s boy is really into dinosaurs. I tried to do some magic tricks and tell a few jokes. I think the best one was “What do you call a video game playing dinosaur? …a SEGAsaurus!” He didn’t care.

Bab al Yemen – 413 Bay Ridge Ave (btwn 5th & 4th Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11209
Ramen and Friend’s review

Categories
bar/drinking seafood

Pier NYC on Roosevelt Island

I met up with Ramen and Friends on Roosevelt Island at Pier NYC, right off the F train stop. I didn’t realize how easy it was to get on the island. I just remember watching Dark Water and the only way to run away from the creepy ghost girl and get off the island was by the air Tram. But it was pretty easy by train.

Pier NYC –an outdoor drinking and eating spot on the west side of the island, right across the street from the train stop. I got there late to meet everyone. They warned me about the Whoopie Pie and the BBQ, which they didn’t think was good. So I went with some $2-3 Oysters and $1 Clams. Pretty good pricing, with such a nice view of the water. Also went low-carb with a couple of gin and sodas ($7 each).

Then a few of us too the air Tram back to Manhattan. It was fun. Only a regular MTA card swipe –so basically free on my unlimited card. Dang, I felt like Jennifer Connelly. But more like in Requiem for a Dream.

Pier NYC - 425 Main St. Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Ramen and Friends’ review

Categories
restauranting

Cheburechnaya’s Lamb Testicles, Heart and Fried Beef Brains

Yoshie’s Ramen and Friends adventure took us to Cheburechnaya (Kosher Russian) in Rego Park, Queens. This is where we ate Lamb Testicles, Heart and Fried Beef Brains…

It was pretty confusing ordering these. I couldn’t tell how many came in an order. We almost got five orders of Testicles, which would have been 25 balls. That would have been too way many balls. We just got one.

They had other stuff too …like this huge bowl shaped bread, called Noni Toki. It was almost like matzoh. Their Uzbeki style bread was good for the Hummus and Babaganoush.

They served many different types of Chebureki and Samcy patties. We had the ones with pumpkin and ribs. There were real ribs with bones. I liked those a lot.

I recommend the Whole Grilled Chicken. That was really good for sounding so tame (unlike the testicles). I would have been interested in the Lamb Fat and Veal Sweetbread Shish Kebabs if we were to order more.

Really cool restaurant. I enjoyed pretty much everything, even the balls. They even played Sade via Youtube on the TVs the whole night.

Cheburechnaya – 9209 63rd Dr. Rego Park, NY 11374
Ramen and Friends’s review

Categories
restauranting

Himalayan Yak Restaurant

This Ramen and Friends adventure took us to Himalayan Yak in Jackson Heights, Queens. Got to taste a bunch of things. I liked the Sha Bhaley meat patties and their hot sauces. Different hot sauces that I don’t know how to describe, but they were different and all hot. And the goat Sha Momo Dumplings were right on.

The group seemed to think it was hilarious that the Himalayan Exotic section of the menu had American Cheese in the dishes. I got the Ema-Datsi (The fiery Bhutanese national dish!!! Long green chilly in a american cheese sauce served with rice). It was sure spicy. I had to stuff my mouth with their breads to cool me down.

Himalayan Yak – 72-20 Roosevelt Ave. Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Categories
restauranting

Elza Fancy Food in Brighton Beach

A Ramen and Friends adventure all the way down in Brighton Beach. That train ride was tough on a hangover. But it’s pretty cool walking out into a totally different neighborhood –big Russian community. The restaurant we were going to, Elza Fancy Food, is Uzbek – Korean. The menu looked like part Korean and part Russian. But I did recognize that Uzbek style bread.

The Borscht was great when sour cream broke up in it. The beef was tender.

The Plov looked like Beef Fried Rice, but it was better that what I expected. It was surprisingly great. I only ate about half of it. So stuffed from eating everyone else’s food and the side dishes that came out.

The Apple Compot drink was nice. And the 99cent beer we got from the bodega nearby was the perfect cure to my hangover.

Elza Fancy Food - 3071 Brighton 4th St (btwn Oceanview Ave & Brighton Beach Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11235
Ramen and Friends post
KikaEats post

Categories
chinese

Uncle Zhou Restaurant

A Ramen and Friends adventure at Uncle Zhou in Elmhurst, Queens. My favorites were the Triple Delight Dumplings, Big Tray of Chicken and Pancake sandwich. I really needed to wipe my mouth with the pancake bread after the Spicy Crispy Rabbit. The Sichuan Peppercorns in there knocked out my tongue all numb. It was an interesting sensation that I curiously kept coming back to try …but really difficult to eat.

I think I paid around $11 at the end of the check split. Really cheap for all I ate.

Uncle Zhou - 83-29 Broadway Elmhurts NY
Ramen and friends’ post

Categories
chinese

Nom Wah Tea Parlor – Dim Sum Dinner

Yoshie’s Ramen and Friends took this outing to Nom Wah Tea Parlor (claims to be the oldest dim sum parlor in NY). Renovated earlier this year and now under the management of the family’s younger generation.

When I used to pass by this place years ago, I could never tell if they were opened. The doors would be wide open, but the lights off and Chinese newspapers laid out as if they were under construction. I love Robyn Lee’s pre-renovation account of Nom Wah. I like how the waiter/chef didn’t take their order, but just made food based on the number of people. Sounds like I would’ve love this place.

Now they have a menu to order ala carte and not from a cart (like a lot of dim sum places). Prices might be a little more than those other places, but this dim sum is available at night and cooked individually to order. I really like the Turnip Cake with XO Sauce …different than just regular Turnip Cakes. Also a good Steamed Pork Bun, Spareribs and Fried Soft Shell Crab.

I’ve been on a particular diet this past week (which I’ll write about soon) and this was on the one mandatory binge eating day per week to spike my caloric intake. I tried to eat and drink as much as I could. It was tough. I had to force myself to eat ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory afterwards. I know, poor me. Well I don’t know if I ate enough this day, because I haven’t lost any weight since.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor – 13 Doyers St (btwn Bowery & Chatham Sq) NYC 10013
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory – 65 Bayard St (btwn Elizabeth & Mott) NYC 10013
Ramen and Friends’ review