Birthday with a Foodie Girlfriend!

It was my boyfriend's birthday a few days ago, a good excuse to eat!! The fatty foodie girlfriend that I am ensured that his birthday was loaded with food! Because his bday fell on a weekday and we were both exhausted from work, we decided to celebrate on the weekend. Ofcourse, with the fat mindset that I have, I'm not going to let the night of his actual bday pass without some cake and take-out! Living Social coincidentally had a deal @ Haagen Dazs a couple of days before his bday: $15 for $30 ice cream cake! I had no clue that I can custom order a cake =( so I grabbed one that was readily made. Fortunately it was still good, with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors, topped with frozen strawberries and Oreos. They also gave me a $5 gift card so I'm gonna order myself a coffee & chocolate cake next time! Woohoo

Came in a nice big box!

Looks like it's missing an Oreo ... or was it stolen? >=)

As for the take-out, I grabbed some grilled chicken over rice at Paris Sandwich, one of my favorite food spots in Chinatown!  They make the best chicken over the best short grain rice!  Oh, can't forget their green tea waffles ... delish!  They raised the price from a buck to $1.25, but still worth it!

They sure give a lot of chicken!

And as for the weekend celebration, we celebrated at Bayridge Sushi in Brooklyn.  Yes, yes, I know ... it was another coupon from Living Social.  I'm frugal, what can I say?  Anywho, we use to go to their old location once in a while for their all-you-can eat sushi.  We never made time for it ever since they moved to their new spot, so it was kind of nice eating at this roomier, romantic and hipper restaurant.  The fresh sashimi I ordered left me speechless because it was so buttery and melts-in-your-mouth!  My boyfriend ordered an udon noodle soup, which came in a bowl that I am on the lookout for!  I need to own that bowl!

Where can I get this bowl?

Eel avocado roll with oyster tempura roll

My entree: Sashimi with brown rice

Yeah so that was an extended birthday celebration with lots of food.  That's for being with a fatty foodie girlfriend!

Food and Family ... the Perfect Combo

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I had Friday off [because I have very cool bosses]. So I spent some quality t-i-m-e in Manhattan's Chinatown with my sister. We tried out a Vietnamese restaurant for the first time, Tu Do, located at 102 Bowery St. We stepped in fearing for the worst, but hoping for the best. It was about 1:45pm with only 2 tables seated with customers, so we were quite hesitant to walk through the door, but we figured that we should give it a chance and establish our thoughts after the meal. Luckily about 10 minutes upon placing our order, customers started to show up and we let out a sigh of relief! I guess people who work around the area take a later lunch?


So we started off with a shrimp summer roll for appetizer. It's always refreshing to begin a meal with a light and cool little snack, especially on a hot summer day! We each ordered a beef pho as well, and boy was it a ginormous bowl! It was quite the deal as they didn't skimp on the beef nor the noodles. It was so big that I had to take the rest of it to go. One may disagree with me however, as my sister finished hers entirely!


Pho is one of my favorite comfort foods. Don't underestimate this broth! It is comprised of so many ingredients, that even Top Chefs may not be able to identify some of the subtle flavors at a round of the Tasting Challenge. The noodle soup is so soothing to the stomach, I suppose it is a popular item on winter days. Nonetheless, the richness in flavor also makes it an irresistible option on hotter days! I also suggest adding a little kick to the beef and tripe with a touch of hot sauce mixed with hoisin sauce. Garnished with basil leaves, lime, scallions, onions and bean sprouts, pho is one of my all time favorites 'pho sure!

Case of the Mondays ...

So it is Monday, yet again. As with most people, I hate Mondays with a passion! One of the most unpleasant feelings occurs when Sunday night approaches and the length of your weekend comes hastily to its end. Though you should be using the last few hours of Sunday wisely, to your dismay, thoughts and pictures of yourself sitting before your stationary desk at work come gushing into your brain. No matter how fun-filled your weekend might've been, it ends on that horrible note! Now wouldn't it be nice if weekends were extended? Or even better, to have every Wednesdays off? I've been a long-time supporter of working Mon-Tues, taking a day break in the middle of the week, then working Thurs-Fri, and taking another 2-day break. Breaks are lovely! You'll be replenished the next day ... and it'll be a productive day! I say it should be federally mandated! Yay or nay?!

On a brighter note, on Sunday, before those irksome thoughts of work came haunting me ... I had my weekly fix of Vietnamese Sandwich, or Bánh mì! This sandwich is by far the best sandwich that's ever existed. Made with plain & simple ingredients such as pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro, grilled pork, mayo and cold cuts ... all resting on a toasty French baguette, this sandwich proves that some plain things in life can get a little addicting!

Believe it or not, I've actually attempted to make my own Bánh mì before, straight from scratch, yes including the French baguette itself!
Fine, I cheated just a teeny bit by using roast pork rather than marinating and grilling my own pork (I've seen the recipe!!). Well, to make a long story short, my homemade version of the sandwich was an utter embarrassment... not only to the Bánh mì itself... but to my culinary skills as well!

Now for the wandering minds, my favorite spots to purchase Bánh mì are the following, in no particular order (Well... maybe I do prefer one over the others. I'll disclose it someday! )
Thanh Da - Brooklyn, NY
Ba Xuyen - Brooklyn, NY
Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli - New York, NY