yummy cold ramen noodles at menkuitei are the best on a warm day!

(except it was very cool inside from the a/c) we got their newly 100% vegetarian

hiyashi chuka , perfectly summery-tasting with the mustard - and m tried their

cold jar jar men, which we normally associate with heavy sauce and noodles,

was so refreshing and light! a great mix of flavors - salty, umami, fresh, cool, so good.

this is it post/mid mixing, showing its dark roasted soy bean paste sauce :

then after a long walk, we stopped for a little dessert at just sweet dessert house,

after seeing they offered some shaved ice - korean and taiwanese both.

we opted for patbingsu (the korean one), which surprised us by coming topped

with cornflakes (!!) but overall it was very refreshing and hit the spot.

i finally had a little break, so we rode out to eat some vegan chinese at vegetarian

ginger in brooklyn heights. we got szechuan seitan and general tso's soy protein,

which came with hot & sour soup and salad (with amazing carrot ginger dressing).

the food was really good, but we left feeling maybe their lunch portion is better for

the kind of food (heavy) it is - we were so overstuffed having ordered 2 large entrees.

next time, we'll have an entree and a smaller appetizer or all-vegetable dish - or just

go for their lunch!

we walked down to the promenade - it was such a beautiful night, though this photo

doesn't do any justice!

some fresh mexican food at pequeña on a steamy memorial day (you'd think

it was independence day already).

mushroom tacos, possibly my favorite tacos in NYC, perfectly toped with

guacamole, pickled onions and fresh radish, and m's chicken enchiladas rojas.

it was a perfectly refreshing (yet super filling) cal-mex meal.

we even ended it on a tangy note with their key lime pie - cheesecake-y in texture

and density, it was so creamy and tart, and not too sweet. mmm~

m made me his version of the spicy shrimp dish with lettuce for ssam for dinner

tonight - so good with perfect amount of spiciness and sweet/tart flavors.

he put mushrooms & garlic, and unlike the wilted chard i put in mine, they really

complimented the texture and flavor of the shrimp.

not to mention how amazing everything tastes wrapped up in lettuce!

bonus photo of bento sleeping summer-style (planked) :

another amazing dinner at café 232 korean food.

we got some new things today - daegu jiri (mild codfish stew) and bulgogi over rice.

the stew was so brothy and refreshing, with an amazingly simple, but deep flavor.

it came with a small dish of soy sauce and vinegar to add an extra kick to the codfish and

vegetables in the stew.

and again, even their banchan was amazing - kimchi, spinach namul, omelet rolls, and chili

pickled daikon.

another plentiful & delicious meal at nicky's vietnamese : pork chop banh mi,

summer shrimp rolls, and pho.

mmmm so good.

lunch at café 232 korean is so good, all the time.

m got bulgogi bibimbap from the lunch menu, and i got the spicy jol myun noodles.

both came with lots of veggies, which was refreshing on a muggy day.

jolmyun was something i hadn't eaten in ages, and this was definitely one of the best.

their bibimbap and the bulgogi goes without saying how good they are!

here they are post mixing (bibim), ready to be eaten :

made some spicy shrimp stir fry with swiss chard, then wrapped everything

up in lettuce & perilla leaf ssam! mmm so good.

and we eat banchan straight out of the store-bought containers. yup yup.

yes we did (again) - steak and eggs with grits, and a short stack at mike's.

so good!

veggie burger & fries, chicken panini (with avocado & bacon) at choice market.

beautiful sunny, breezy day - too bad it was a bit to cold to sit outside.

the food is pretty decent at choice, it's just not pleasant to sit inside.

i've been swamped with paintings due soon, so m cooked me a simple yet really delicious

dinner - crisp-cooked brussels sprouts with garlic, with indian kidney beans masala and

japanese curry over rice. so nice to eat something homey and warm amidst crazy schedule

(and mostly eating crackers otherwise). :)

a near-80º day calls for something cool and refreshing.

not having much appetite for food outside, i made another version of bibim noodles
using the mung bean threads again. this time topping it with young radish kimchi,

thinly "shredded" thin egg crêpe, julienned cuke & carrots, sprouts, and over-easy eggs

for m's dish. and of course, copious amounts of delicious spicy sauce.

surprisingly filling and satisfying!

mmm amazing thai food at manee.

those are our 2 go-to dishes that are hard not to get each time : seared bass

in garlic soy sauce with string beans and baby bok choy, and green curry with chicken.

with huge mounds of brown rice. so good.

we hadn't been back to wally's square roots cafe since when they first opened

some years ago - i remember the food was ho-hum then and it was ho-hum

today at best - including the sullenly laid back server lady.

m's mushroom burger was very subpar - the meat was overcooked, though to give any

credit, the bun was pretty good. my "jazz panini" was pretty decent, with spicy veggie

sausage, roasted red pepper and melted mozzarella cheese, but it was a bit bland without

the help of some hot sauce.

oh well. you lose some and you win some.

classic pho and banh mi's at nicky's vietnamese - they were so on the spot today

and everything was amazingly delicious.

pho was so much brother with the perfect umami flavor (especially compared to our

last pho at hanco's). the classic banh mi (aka đặc biệt) and the grilled chicken banh mi were

both so good - perfect balance of flavors & fresh vs cooked. which is what makes me crave

vietnamese food on most days.