Travel - The Hungry Nomad

Brooklyn, Crepes, French, French food, New York, Sweets

Crepes at Pates et Traditions- Williamsburg (Brooklyn, USA)

December 11, 2012 No Comments

Are you dreaming of eating in the French countryside but you can’t afford to take a plane across the Atlantic? You may be in luck…if you so happen to be anywhere close to Williamsburg. This is where Pates et Traditions is located. A small, quaint and kitsch French restaurant serving delicious savory and sweet crepes and other french comfort foods.

The restaurant is very small and cozy. If you don’t want to be getting up close and personal with your neighbors then this restaurant is not for you. Me? I don’t mind overhearing other people’s conversations once in a while. Especially in the morning when I’m barely awake enough to communicate with the Count. Our friendly server came over and shared all his favorites on the menu. Shortly thereafter, I was served with my badly needed latte. Creamy milk froth and strong coffee greeted my mouth. A few minutes later, I was a little bit more alert and started taking in the very cute decor surrounding me.

The walls are lined with postcards, paintings and kitchen utensils. The seats covered with colorful pillows.

There are two menus: sweet and savory (see menu). The savory was brought out first from which the Count ordered the croque chevre and I ordered the orientale crepe with the addition of chevre (because everything tastes better with goat cheese).

The orientale crepe was presented open face and consisted of spicy merguez sausage, peppers, sausage, tomatoes, eggs, Swiss cheese and my addition of goat cheese. The crepe itself was prepared with organic buckwheat flour and was cooked to perfection. All served with a side of green salad. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of this and although the portion was large enough to feed us both on that particular morning, I ate ever single bite and still had room for more.

The Croque chevre on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. The Count ordered it because he loves anything that uses goat cheese as a main ingredient. Although the menu stated that the dish was served with tomato sauce we did not expect it to be poured on top of the sandwich. The bread was that cheap white airy toast which when topped with the tomato sauce became a soggy mix that really was not the best combination.

For dessert we shared the chocolate and almond crepe. The crepe was served with a gooey dark chocolate mix in the middle topped with more dark chocolate, almonds, sugar powder and a side of whipped creme. So good, so rich, so filling. And me: so happy!

Asian, Chinese Food, Dim Sum, Philadelphia

Weekend Dim Sum at Ocean City- Chinatown (Philadelphia, USA)

December 9, 2012 No Comments

It is a beautiful foggy and rainy Sunday in Philadelphia. You know what that means? It is time for dim sum (for some). Many, including myself, prefer this Chinese tradition to the typical eggs and bacon brunch, mostly for the variety of dishes offered in one sitting. In Philadelphia, the best dim sum is of course located in Chinatown and includes restaurants such as Dim Sum Garden, Joy Tsin Lau and Ocean City Restaurant.

We followed the crowds to Ocean City where a crowd of people waited at the front for their turn to be seated. Luckily, the wait was not that long since we showed up after the 1pm lunch rush.

The food is served in steam table trolleys usually stacked high with bamboo or metal steamer baskets. Waiters push them around the restaurant from table to table, and you get to point to the dish that you want and order. Each table gets a card that is stamped. Each order typically costs only a few dollars adding up. Once seated, our eyes went directly to the many food trolleys circling the room. We selected the Har Gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), Shumai (pork), Siu Mai (open pork dumpling), a delicious shrimp and cilantro dumpling.

The Siu mai is a open-topped steamed pork and/or shrimp dumpling made with a wheat flour wrapping and is often topped with fish roe or grated carrot. This is always a favorite and is always one of our orders.

The zhaliang (friend, noodle-wrapped cullers) is a steamed rice noodle wrapped around crispy fried cullers topped with soy and hoisin sauce. The combination of the crispy and soft texture is a perfect contrast and tastes really good.

The Har Gau or steamed shrimp dumplings is always a favorite. It is a translucent dumpling made with wheat starch skin and tapioca to give it that stretchy texture. It is typically filled with shrimp only but sometimes if you get lucky scallions and bamboo shoots are used. The Har Gau is hard to find as it is typically everyone’s favorite. We waited around the longest for a basket of these.

Overall, our dim sum experience at Ocean City was pretty good. Despite the crowds of people, the service was pretty good for dim sum standards. We ended up eating way too much and only paid $30 for a table of two. Where else can you find such a grand feast for so little?

Coffee Shop, Cupcakes, New York, Pastries, Sweets

Cupcakes-Galore at Magnolia Bakery- West Village (New York City, USA)

December 6, 2012 No Comments

Bleeker street- one of the many places that make New York so charming, so unforgettable and so dear to me. Not only are there beloved Marc Jacobs shops sprinkled throughout the street but it is also a foodie haven beginning with Magnolia Bakery. Eating cupcakes while strolling through Marc Jacobs shops and bookstores? A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in my books.

It was my first time visiting Magnolia Bakery, somehow I happened to miss the reference on Sex and the City during my college years (apparently that’s what made them so famous?). So, having missed that boat I was not aware that there is usually a line up around the corner. On this particular Sunday the line up only extended to the door. I was okay with the short yet chaotic wait. So the Count and I lined up and took in all the sweet, sugary vanilla aromas permeating the air.

There were all sorts of people in the line up. The young family with kids swooning over the big three layered cakes, the Asian female tourists with their designer bags picking out their cupcakes, the old man ordering his usual and us, the first timers who were overwhelmed with the choices. Oh the possibilities.

Okay, so here I go: I don’t like cupcakes! Gasp. Yes I said it. There are many other sweets that I would prefer to a cupcake. So is it so horrible that neither of us actually ordered cupcakes?

I ordered a snickerdoodle tart from the glass display above. And the Count ordered the flour less chocolate cake.

After we yelled out our order, we waited to pay. The line up was a bit confusing as people were going straight to the cash counter and others were skipping the line. But somehow there was some sort of unspoken order amongst the chaos.

While waiting I was seduced by the variety of sweets that were calling my name including the three layered cakes in a variety of flavors. “Eat me Hungry Nomad, you know you’re hungry” they all said.

After receiving our coffee I got a chance to get up close and personal with the famous cupcakes…only for a short photo shoot. I definitely have to go back and try the cupcakes for I can’t really attest to their claim to fame without having tried it. Wonder what flavor I should try next time?

French, French food, Philadelphia

Parc Brasserie- Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia, USA)

November 26, 2012 No Comments

Once in a while I become nostalgic for my life in Paris. I miss every single detail that put together make Paris so magical. I miss the beauty that covers every inch of the streets, the cobblestone rues, the sound of the french ambulance sirens (am I weird), the beautiful well groomed people, the language and the food and even the subway system. When nostalgia hits the only way to satisfy it is to find a french bistro where you can pretend that for an hour, just for one hour, you are back in Paris. In Philadelphia this can be found at Rittenhouse Square at the Parc Brasserie.

Every single detail from the yellow fiber braided bistro chair on the outside to the layout of the restaurant on the inside and most importantly the menu seems to fit the profile of being a French brasserie. From the outside, the restaurant looks quite small but stepping to the inside you’ll be surprised to see just how large it really is. We managed to find a seat outside overlooking the park where people watching is at its premium. After ordering two glasses of red wine we were ready to order.

I had been craving French Onion Soup all day and started with that. For our main entrees we ordered the steak/frites and the burger. The onion soup was perfect. The rich flavor of the broth was a perfect blend of beef broth and caramelized onions. The croutons were nice and chewy and the baked cheese on top was the perfect proportion covering the entire bowl. I loved the generous portions of cheese which is essentially the best part of the dish. I will be going back for this soup alone. It was that good!

The Steak and fries were typical of what you would find on a menu in Paris and served just the same: With melting butter on top of the meat and generous portions of fries. If you are craving red meat this dish will definitely satisfy all your cravings.

The burger was served with a layer of caramelized onions on top. The meat was tender and full of flavor. The Count managed to polish his plate clean.

At the end of our meal, there was literally no room for dessert but I did spot my favorite french dessert on the menu: profiteroles. And so another trip is in order for a serving of onion soup and the profiteroles.

Farmer's Market, Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop Farmer’s Market (Fort Lauderdale, USA)

August 25, 2012 1 Comment

It’s Saturday. You are in Fort Lauderale. You are looking for something different to do. You want to stay away from the beach. You should go to the Swap Shop Farmer’s Market on Sunrise Blvd. It’s filled with fresh produce sold by friendly Haitians. If you are not looking for produce, there is also a flower market, cheap clothes, electronics, jewelry, you name it!

The Swap Shop also has a 14-screen drive in theatre and is the largest drive in and daily flea market in the world.

Where:

3291 W Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

(954) 791-7927

http://www.floridaswapshop.com

When: Every day

Philadelphia, USA

Kanella- Washington Square West (Philadelphia, USA)

August 19, 2012 2 Comments

It was a Monday afternoon and word got out that Anthony Bourdain was in town. If you follow me on twitter you will know that I am slightly obsessed with Bourdain. Therefore, it was no surprise that I was on a hunt to ‘run’ into him and casually offer my eating and travelling services. It was a guessing game on where he would end up for dinner and out of all the choices we decided to go to Kanella restaurant hoping to find him there. He ended up at Marc Vetri’s Amis. I can’t say I was disappointed with our choice. We discovered a true gem and had one of the best meals in a long time. We may not have met Bourdain but we did meet Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides who after our meal came to our table, asked where we were from and told us about himself and his cuisine. I respect a chef who treats his patrons as guests in his home and that is how Chef Pitsillides was. Friendly, charming and humble.

Chef Pitsillides is a proud Cypriot. Bringing home style Cypriot flavours from the beautiful island of Cyprus to locals in Philadelphia. I’ve never been to Cyprus but was a frequent travel to the Greek Cyclades islands while living in Europe and thus familiar with the regions food. (see menu)

As soon as I walked into the white washed stucco walls of the restaurant I felt like I was once again on the blue roof top islands of the Cyclades. Cyprus has a deep history of battles between the Turkish and the Greeks and is therefore equally influenced by each culture and their foods. Which is great for me because I love both.

This BYOB uses mostly organic ingredients plus makes everything in-house. I wanted to try as many dishes as possible so I opted out of the entree and instead ordered several appetizers. For our main dishes we ordered the calamari, saganaki and bureki and the lamb kofta entree. The Calamari was served with a side of Armenian tomato dip. It was perfectly cooked and tasted light, crispy and tender.

Next up was the Saganaki- a favorite of mine. The pan fried halloumi cheese was served in ouzo and lemon sauce with a delicious caramelized fig and side salad. This was one of the best I’ve had…including those which were devoured in many restaurants in Athens, Mykonos and Paros.

The Bureki was served next: a fillo pastry parcel stuffed with feta and thyme drizzled with honey served with a side of roasted beets. The presentation was so beautiful with a taste to match. Crispy layers of fillo oozing with feta cheese. The Count found that the honey made it more appropriate for dessert but I loved it, especially the presentation.

The lamb kofta was served next. It was a skewer of ground lamb mixed with apricot and pistachios served with a side of pomegranate salad, lentils and Greek yogurt. The lamb was excellent filled with magic flavors. But what truly made it special were the side dishes. The pomegranate salad was so original. I’ve never had pomegranate served as a salad as in Iran it tends to be eaten as a fruit or juiced. The mixture of pomegranate with onions and spices was excellent. Then there was the lentil salad which was again a first for me. I mixed spoonfuls of the kabob, pomegranate and lentil salad together and found the combination to be intoxicating.

The quality of the ingredients are present in each spoonful. You can tell that the chef really prides himself on his food.

For dessert we ordered the pistachio and olive oil cake and warm chocolate mousse. Both desserts were out of this world. I really loved the pistachio cake it was light yet intense in flavors served with a side of pistachio ice cream and cherries. The Chocolate mousse was baked to perfection oozing with warm gooey chocolate served with a scoop of ice cream.

Wow is all I can say about this restaurant. I loved the food, the presentation and the friendly chef.I was very impressed and can easily say this was one of the best places I’ve yet to dine.

Beer, Belgian, Philadelphia, USA

Belgian Cafe- Fairmout/Art Musuem (Philadelphia, USA)

August 11, 2012 2 Comments

While walking around the Fairmount/Spring Garden area admiring the beautiful homes, and deciding whether we should live in a brownstone with all of it’s inconveniences (i.e.- lack of parking space), we stumbled upon the Belgian Cafe. A cornerbistro/pub in the neighborhood, it would be hard to find if we hadn’t literally walked into it. We decided to stop in for a beer and would later return for a proper meal.

We were both happy to see that our favorite Belgian beer was on the menu. We returned on the 4th of July wanting something other than street food stands at the parade on Benjamin Franklin. The restaurant was busy but we were seated right away. The server was very nice and attentive and immediately took our order. The Count ordered a tomato and chevre cheese flatbread as an appetizer and the portabello mushroom sandwich as his entree. I ordered the mussels and fries. After all, that is what the Belgians are famous for.

The flatbread was quite literally a flat piece of bread sprinkled with cheese and tomatoes and drizzled with caramelized onions and balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t like it, nor did the Count. It was too sweet and the flavors did not blend properly.

My mussels arrived next. A huge portion with a pot covering it to be used for the empty shells. It was served with a side of crispy fries. The broth was what ruined it. It was too salty to the point that I had to drain each shell before taking out the insides. Usually the broth is the best part made to dip your bread into after the mussels are gone. But not this broth. This broth tasted like liquid salt.

The Count craved something on the healthier side. But the sandwich he ordered oozed with oil. The bread was most likely fried in butter. Each bite was oily. After a few bites he gave up. He moved on to the side salad, at least that wasn’t covered in oil.

I expected this place to be a traditional Belgian Cafe serving authentic Belgian food. Besides the mussels and fries most other items on the menu were typical of most continental restaurants (ie. hamburgers, sandwiches and salads). The quality of the food was lower than I expected.

It seems to be a great place for drinks and snacks since they have a large variety of beers and good greasy snacks. But don’t count on having an amazing dining experience. Go here for the beer not the food.

Korean food, Philadelphia, USA

WaJoe Korean Restaurant- Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, USA)

July 27, 2012 No Comments

Korean food is one of my favorites. In fact, if I had to choose between all Asian foods I would choose Korean and Japanese as the top two. I can’t believe I just said that because I also love Vietnamese and Chinese. How about we forget this favorites thing all together. I’ll just restart by saying I love Korean food. Vancouver has a large Korean community and growing up there meant I am completely spoiled when it comes to authentic Korean food (and all other Asian food). It’s funny how I learned to love Korean food since my first exposure to Korean was completely through smell. Ah yes, the infamous Kimchi. In College I lived in an all girls dormitory and on our floor there lived a Korean exchange student. Having a communal kitchen and fridge meant that everyone stored their exotic foods in the fridge. None of us knew what Kimchi was at the time, we just knew that the pretty Korean girl had something really smelly in the fridge all year. As soon as you opened up the fridge door, the smell of Kimchi would permeate the entire floor and linger there for days. Oh kimchi. The not so great odour of pickled Kimchi tickled my olfactory senses in the worst way possible and remained there for years.

It was not until a few years later that I discovered just how amazing Korean food was. I also fell in love with Kimchi to the point that I now store bottles of pickled kimchi in my fridge. I also introduced Korean cuisine to the Count who having similar taste in food also fell in love. We now make regular trips to Korean restaurants where ever we can find one. New Orleans was lacking in Korean cuisines (and many others in fact). So, you could understand how excited we were when we arrived in Philadelphia and realized that there is such a large pocket of all different types of international cuisine. Within our first week we made our way to WaJoe Korean restaurant.

Wajoe is one of many Korean restaurants in Philadelphia but we mainly chose to go there based on the proximity to our home. We went around 3 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. Each table has an installed barbecue in the middle. But we weren’t there for Korean barbecue. We were there for bibimbap and Japchae.

Once you place your order, it is customary to be served several small side dishes including fermented tofu, potatoes and bean sprouts in gochujang (chili paste).

And of course, no Korean meal is complete without a side of Kimchi.

For starters, we ordered the spicy rice cake. For a starters dish, it turned out to be quite large but so delicious that nothing remained except maybe a few rings of onion.

Spicy Rice Cakes

We ordered the Japchae. After I had half of it I realized there was no beef and the menu included beef in the description. When I brought it to our servers attention she said that most people in America don’t eat beef and that is why it was served without it. Never heard that one before. Needless to say she brought a small plate of fried beef to add to the dish. I thought that was a bit unprofessional. If you are going to list an ingredient in your menu then you should serve the dish as described. If I ask for no beef then serve the dish with no beef but don’t assume.

Japchae

Japchae is made with sweet potato noodles or glass noodles, stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables and served with beef. It is very tasty. Our next dish was the traditional beef bibimbap. Bibimbap literally means ‘mixed rice’. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed vegetables and chili paste. A fried egg and sliced meat are also optional additions. The ingredients are stirred together in a hot stone bowl right before eating.

Bibimbap

The result is shown in the photo below! A mixture of rice, beef, eggs and vegetables for a mouthful of bursting flavors.

Mixed Bibimbap

WaJoe met our expectations. We went there craving Korean food and left with our bellies full of Kimchi, bibimbap and other Korean delights. In terms of quality, I would not say that it is the best Korean food I have ever had but it certainly does serve staple Korean dishes. It was good enough that we have considered going there again.

Breakfast, Brunch, Philadelphia, USA

Sabrina’s Cafe and Spencer’s Too-Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

July 26, 2012 1 Comment

Saturday morning, stomach and fridge empty we decided to go out for brunch. With the help of Yelp we found out that one of the best rated brunch places was right next door. So with a hop, skip and a jump we ended up outside of Sabrina’s Cafe. The restaurant and outside was packed and the wait was over an hour long. But we got offered to sit at the bar and quickly made our way through the restaurant to the back. It was a perfect place to sit since I had a great view of everything that came out of the kitchen. And boy, did everything look tasty!

Our order was taken right away: the burger special for the Count and huevos rancheros for me. After a few minutes of food-watching we were served with what I rate as the best huevos rancheros I’ve ever had. It was presented differently than your typical huevos rancheros. It was served with two blue corn tortillas topped with a smoky chorizo sausage sauce finished with lime sour cream and spicy red pepper guacamole and 2 fried eggs with a side of hash browns and fried jalapeno peppers. I don’t think I need to go on about how amazing this meal was for the photo below explains it all. It was such a large serving but I polished my plate clean. Needless to say I could barely walk after since I was so full.

The Count’s burger special was served with a side of coleslaw and hand-cut fries. He was also very happy with his meal and he is known to be quite the burger snob. He said it was one of the best he has ever had. I can’t really give you details of the tasty burger because I confess I was so into eating my dish that by the time I looked up he was done with his. I could only take that as an indication of how good it was. But I think the photos are an accurate image of the tasty burger.

Everything that came out of the kitchen looked amazing. And every patron looked extremely happy. It is just one of those feel good places with good, rich and filling food in a great environment. In fact it was so good, we have already been there twice since. I guess you can say we are big fans!

Sabrina's Café and Spencer's Too on Urbanspoon

Philadelphia, USA

Osteria- Fairmount/Art Museum (Philadelphia, USA)

July 25, 2012 2 Comments

It has almost been a month since our move to Philadelphia and I have settled in familiarized myself with the city and the dining scene. After some research online I found the top 50 best restaurants in Philadelphia on PhillyMag‘s website. Determined to find out for myself I started my culinary adventure at a James Beard Foundation 2010 Winner Osteria.

Jeff Michaud won best Mid-Atlantic Chef in 2010 and the restaurant was nominated for the ‘Best New Restaurant’ in 2008. Not surprising given that everything from the decor to the wine and house made pasta was beyond perfect.

We went on a Friday night with reservations…a good thing since the place was full. The restaurant is beautiful. It has a rustic yet industrial feel to it. The best part was the glass covered patio looking onto the church next door. It was quite the experience.

As soon as we were seated, we were given our regular menu and an ipad for the wine list. That was a first. Is that what restaurants are doing these days? Anyway, I found it to be a bit confusing and wonder what the not-so-tech-savy crowd would do when selecting their wine.

The menu offers homemade pastas, thin crust pizzas and wood grilled meats and fish. We skipped the antipasti and went straight to ordering our entrees: the lombarda pizza (thin crust pizza with baked egg, bitto cheese, mozzarella and cotechino sausage- $18), the robiola francobolli (postage stamp ravioli served with royal trumpet mushrooms, butter and thyme- $16) and the farfalle pasta (farfalle pasta served made with smoked chorizo, zucchini and aged goat cheese- $16). See Menu

The Lombarda pizza was served exactly as it was described on the menu. The crust was perfect and crispy yet not burnt on the bottom. A few burnt bubbles on the top but not enough to ruin the taste. The flavors of the cotechino sausage and baked egg with the cheese blend and sprinkled herbs made for a perfect combination. The Count and I both loved it and found ourselves eyeing the last piece. I of course always get the last piece since the Count is too nice to say no (but mainly because there was so much more good food to come).

The primi pasta dishes were both delicious. However, we both agreed that the robiolla francobolli was the better of the two dishes. The dish was creamy and covered with butter and Parmesan cheese and quite literally melted in my mouth. It was the first time I tried such a pasta and thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I would have licked the plate if I could but it was a classy joint so I held myself back.

You can really taste the freshness and superior quality of all the ingredients in each bite. Hand made pasta is just something else and in my opinion should become the norm in all Italian restaurants.

Dessert consisted of the butterscotch bonet and chocolate flan with pistachio gelato. When our server described the butterscotch bonet I pictured something resembling a creme caramel. Hence, my surprise when I took the first bite. It was very rich in texture and nothing like a creme caramel. It was doughy and very heavy, drizzled with caramel sauce. It was the one thing I did not like all night. But of course it depends on personal preference.

The Count ordered the chocolate flan and advised me against the butterscotch bonet. So, with eyes that said ‘I told you so’, he refused to share his dessert. You may remember that we refer to him as Count Chokula for his love of all things dark chocolate. Of course he gave in and ended up sharing with me as he always does! That’s what husbands are for afterall. The chocolate flan was warm and gooey in the middle. It tasted like a flourless chocolate cake. The combination of the chocolate and pistatchio gelato made for a perfect dessert.