Bokka- BonChon Chicken

To those of you who love chicken wings, this is a definite must stop. Cruise by St.Marks for a dozen of mouth watering chicken. This crispy, chewy, sweet, and spicy (if desired) treat will leave you craving for more. Although the service may be slow at times, once the chicken arrives, all your anger and frustrations will fade away with each bite.

Also, do check out the giant penis candle they have in their fireplace behind the cash register. I'm not sure if it's their way of sending out subliminal messages to lure in sex driven clients but their chicken already does the job with or without them trying to sell sex.

Bodhi Tree

Halloween 2009. We ventured though city looking for a place to eat. Somehow we ended up in the East Village walking down third avenue. In the daytime I've never noticed how many restaurants were down this strip. In the dark, you see the neon lights and the lights from inside the establishments shine out into the darkness of the night.

While distracted by the variety of options we had, this one caught my attention and stuck to in my mind. At first I thought it was a vegetarian restaurant judged by the name but as we were walking towards the restaurant I googled it on my phone and found out that it is a Thai place.

The menu selection exceeded my expectation. In addition to the pad Thai and curry dishes they also offer a selection of traditional Thai food. We ordered the shrimp pumpkin dumplings, basil noodles, calamari, and spicy pork. It's been a while since I've had a good culinary experience. After living in the city for 3 years, all the restaurants eventually tasted the same to me. However, this place was surprisingly unique.

The pork, which did not taste very spicy in the beginning started to become more and more intense with every bite. Eventually, the spices took over our senses. As a Halloween treat, the restaurant offered pumpkin custard on the house which was a great neutral dish to tame the spices that we have just devoured.

Would definatly do this again- but would want to try other things on the menu.

Tasy Hand-Pulled Noodles Inc

If you ever dreamed of chewy noodles with tastes that would burst in your mouth this would be a good place to visit. Although the sign for the storefront and the interior of the restaurant does a poor job in marketing the place, an article from the 2009 time out new york brings to our attention this little gem. The charm of it is, you walk down a small side street where is mostly tourist free getting the true experience of old Chinatown. A time before the place became infested with phony handbags and watches.
Their menu selection includes both noodles in soup and pan fry noodles. Usually the noodles comes with beef broth but upon request they can make it in vegetable broth. If you plan to take this home to enjoy, I would recommend pan fry since it will maintain its texture and taste by the time it reaches its destination. Noodles in soup has a tendency to soak up the liquid and become soggy uneatable substances.

Sentosa

So this wasn't the best Malaysian food I've experienced. Nothing beats going to Singapore and experience the true native taste. However, if you want anything close to it, don't attempt it here. Although the coconut rice is decent, the garnish for their Nasi Lemark is not the greatest and defiantly not the traditional selection. Also, their Prawn Mee lacks in the slight tang of citrus which adds on the ultimate kick for the dish. Another dish I tried was the Pan fry seafood noodle with sauce on top which was drenched with the sauce, usually a good thing, but since they put so much the noodle lost the crunchy chewing texture. So if you walk by this place, think twice, you may want to take the 7 train back to Manhattan Chinatown and pay a visit to Penang on Elizabeth.

Je Bon

There's always good places to eat on St. Marks. This place in particular is not as appealing as some of the restaurants on the strip. Although most customers seek for variety on a menu, too much variety will also scare people away. By offering both Chinese, Japanese, and a little bit of Vietnamese cuisine on their menu, people often freak out and think that the food will be a rip off of various cuisines.

When you first enter the restaurant, it is ambiguous as to where the host is and all the sudden out of nowhere, someone comes out to greet you. Since there is no crowed, you can expected to be seating in a prompt manner. The farther in you walk into the restaurant you get the feeling of being transported from a cheap bar with bad taste in decor to a nice cozy dining area. However, the nice dinning area is ruined by the hideous drink menu on the table made of cheap printing paper and ink that is slightly faded and bad choice of colors.

While sitting there waiting for the food, you double guess your decision to eat at this restaurant thinking that you will probably be served with nasty drinks and food that may drive your taste buds to a place you dread. However, to my surprise, once the food and drinks arrived, the drinks were absolutely delicious and according to my friend who had ordered a pork rib noodle soup, it was out of this world. Although the service was not outstanding considering the fact that the waitresses were busying doing absolutely nothing the food is worth the visit. From what I heard, they are in the process of restructuring so I am looking forward to the possible improvements of this place.

Garage

Somewhere on the west side there is a Garage you can retreat to for some food and live music. Although this may not be your bet if you're seeking quick service, there is a nice band playing inside that will help you calm your nerves while you're waiting to get served.

I ordered a bloody mary and their famous french toast. After trying a bloody mary for the first time, I don't think I'll ever do it again. Not sure if it's the drink or the way they made it at this restaurant. Since I am also used to the fact that most NYC restaurants list almost every ingredient in a dish to make it sound like you get more, I was truly surprised when my french toast arrived with blueberries.

Quantum Leaf

I have decided to go seagatearian for a little while which means I only eat seafood and vegatables so I decided to settle for a restauratnt that would cater to those demands. The menu is filled with various yummy delights suitable for vegans to people like me.

Hasaki

Nestled in the street next to St.Marks across from its sister store, Soba-ya, which I had mentioned in a prior blog is this little Japanese restaurant that delivers quality food and premium service for a resonable price. The service and the atmosphere is similar to the one at Soba-ya but their selection of soba is not as extensive.

This restaurant offers a variety of sushi and sashimi. If you're still not sure what you want after reviewing the menu, you can settle for a afternoon plate filled with mini portions of japanese delights. On this platter, you will receive a full portion of Shrimp Tempura, small piece of salmon, tiny bowl of seaweed, sample of a special dish, and your choice of sushi or sashimi. So if you're looking for a little taste of japan, don't hesitate.

Heartland Brewery- Union Square

Cozy pub with a decent list of draft house beer. Come in to taste a light apricot ale or whatever is in season or dive in to a oatmeal stout that leaves your taste buds with a touch of chocolate essence.

In the dimmed dinning area, share your most extravagant experiences and ideas with your friends or even a perfect stranger. Order a couple of dishes to share or something hearty to fill your void.

Bond 45/ Je Bon

As a friend of mine takes me to two different restaurants to show me service from no service, I slowly recognize the slight difference of what a good restaurant experience should be like.

After taking a seat at the bar in Bond 45 we were greeted by the bartender who asked us what we would like to drink and provided us with menus. Right away, we were all on first name bases and we were addressed as if they met us before. As more people entered the restaurant, the atmosphere become more lively but still maintained its warmth. The sushi chef and the bartender continued to make the way around the bar having small talk with all the customers. While the bartender ventures into unknown territory creating basil martini and kiwi martinis the sushi chef is molding edible art right before your eyes.

On the other hand, at Je Bon, the experience was slightly awkward. Although the environment had potential to be cozy, the bartenders appeared to be less charismatic. With clients at the bar, they were zapping flies with a electronic fly swatter that looked like a tennis rackt. I watched them kill a fly right next to a flask of saki which they later on served after checking that there were no dead flies. While one of the bartenders were assisting clients and staring out into space, the other one appeared to be engaged in a conversation at the bar with a few friends flauting her flare and stroking her own ego. So if you decide to visit this place, make sure you get a seat in the dining area and stay away from the bar until they undergo re-structing.

East Buffet and Restaurant

When you're hungry and can't wait to eat this is the place for you. Eat all you can in 90 minutes or less. So bring your tums and be ready for indigestion if you are unlucky.

As you enter the dining area you are quickly transported to a different world. The hostess seats you and writes the time on a slip of paper and you are released to gather food. The buffet tables are filled with various vegetables and meats while one one side you have a lady in a chef hat serving Peking Duck. Each order is made upon request so you tell her how many you want and she will arrange it on a plate for you. As you walk further down you will see the sushi chefs on the left and a sea of desserts on the right. From mango and coconut pudding, small variety of fruits, various sweet soups to American style pastries.

Although the selection is decent, I was a bit disappointed with the quality and freshness of the food. The service was very cold and tables were not cleared frequently. So after a few servings, you are left with a pile of dirty plate on your table. Once your time is up, your waitress comes to your table and advise you that is time to go and leaves you with the bill. Also, to ensure that they receive gratuity they have already charged it on to the bill, so no matter how discontent you are with their service, there is no way to show your discontent.

Soba-ya

If you're feeling lost and hungry, this may be your place to go. Nestled between 2nd and 3rd ave on 9th street, this Japanese focus on mastering the art of soba. Although their signature dish is their delicious buckwheat noodles, they also serve a variety of other noodles such as Ramen and Udon.

Once your in this restaurant you know that you can finally relax and feel at home in this cozy restaurant. So take a deep breath and enjoy the experience of eating healthy.

Nice Bar- High Bar

After getting ditched by two of my friends I decided to continue with my plan of checking out High Bar near Times Square. A little club nestled in the middle of Manhattan on the 16th floor, also known as the pent house, of what appeared to be an apartment building. Although this is not the typical view of Manhattan one would expect it was still a view after all. While various remixes of tango music played in the background men and women gathered on the dance floor showing off their most complex moves. For those who were less interested in showing off there were beds and couches where they could lay and sit to share their darkest secrets and most intimate thoughts.

Since I haven't been to too many nice bars in the city I will be grading more leniently on this one. Overall I would say that this is four out of five stars.

So if you want to take a special someone on a date or would like to have a more peaceful view of the city, this would be a great place to go. The best part about this place is that the people are friendly and not pretentious so you can finally relax, grab a drink, and enjoy.

Just a Beginning

Living in Manhattan for three years I am almost shy to say that I have not experienced much of what it has to offer. As a new addition to the big apple, there is so much to adapt to that oftentimes you lose sight of the actual beauty and bliss of the city. No wonder this was once voted the place where most tourists get heart attacks. But when you have the time to relax and enjoy the city, it actually has a lot to offer.