My Cubicle Smells Like Fish!

If you ask me to name a cheap, simple food that I can't resist myself from eating, I'd have to answer you Chinese buns. Yes, those carby little devils that typically cost under $1.00 each that are paired with an array of fillings - roast pork, kaya, ham & egg, hot dog, cream, nothing at all, or the one filling that I was in the mood for today, tunafish!

Now, it is quite the challenge for someone who works in Midtown Manhattan to find affordable lunch. I am truly envious of those who can afford to go out for lunch 5 out of the 5 workdays, because like I've mentioned in a previous post, even salads can cost up to $10! So I've set a budget for my lunch on days that I don't feel like bringing any homemade food to work: $5.00. Yup, cinco dolares! Believe it or not, it is possible! However, my options are undoubtedly, very, very, and I mean, VERY limited. I can count restaurants in Midtown that offer lunch under $5.00 with five fingers! Well, I might be exaggerating a wee bit, but it is definitely as hard as finding treasures on the ocean floor! Luckily for me, Fay Da, a Chinese bakery is just around the corner ...

And so I decided on the tuna bun. Fay Da's tuna bun is unlike any other that you may find at a Chinese bakery. It isn't just a plain bun with tuna fish filling. It is a cylindrical bun with soft edges and a distinctive top crust whose texture is comparable to pastries made with phyllo dough. It is well-balanced with a slight flakiness and a slight crunch with every bite, but because it is much more compact than phyllo dough, it doesn't leave a single flake on your lip!

They also fill the bun with a decent amount of tuna fish, so don't worry about not getting your bang for the buck (buck 25 in this case). Although my cubicle smelled very much like fish after I split the bun into two, it was very well worth it.

Fay Da also offers a variety of other baked and steamed buns. What's even better is they are situated in the same location as Lunch Box Buffet, where I get my $5.00 lunch boxes with 5 selections.

Oh don't worry, you'll be seeing a lunch box soon enough, when my cheap a** gets too lazy to cook.