URGENT - Hong Kong Airport: 2-Hour Morning Layover

I live in small-town Thailand, already an 8-hour bus ride from the crappy food available at BKK airport. Usually when I pass through HKG after that, the first thing that catches my eye is Popeye's. (We do have tasty fried chicken here, but like most street food here it's not served hot, nor does it come with fries and a biscuit!). But there's actually even less Chinese food in my town than there is mediocre Western food, so I'm always thinking I should take another look.

So no worthwhile dim sum, but what about other Chinese? Would the Taiwan Beef Noodle place still seem decent to someone who's eaten a lot of beef noodle in Taiwan? Or even good non-fast food Western for under 15USD, like quality pizza? Of course, everything sounds great on the airport website, hard to tell...maybe that's why I always end up at the standardized Popeye's.

NancyC in China & Southeast Asia

URGENT - Hong Kong Airport: 2-Hour Morning Layover

Are any of the places with dim sum within the restricted area any good? I've frequently had nearly 4 hours' transit time in HKG but it still seems like a hassle to go through immigration just to eat.

NancyC in China & Southeast Asia

Indonesia - Dinner at "White Man's Village" in Nusa Dua, Bali

Was under the impression it just meant "white" for certain things. People told me they would say a cow was bule or a dog was bule but not rice or tree bark. I dunno, am also Asian so I was never called that, nor Nyonya.

NancyC in China & Southeast Asia

Guilty Pleasure

Previously:

- Mac & cheese made with a big block of Velveeta and sliced hotdogs. Sometimes I make the sauce with a little milk, most times with pasta water, but every once in a while it's nothing but melted Velveeta. The hotdogs aren't always hotdogs though...sometimes they're reasonably-healthy chicken sausages. But to make it even worse: French's fried onions sprinkled on top, sometimes.

- Pizza Rolls--don't buy them much because they go too fast, and if I had to choose I get a bit more satisfaction from the Velveeta.

- Stove Top--same deal. If I have it in the house it will go too quick. I don't go into withdrawal if I simply don't buy, though.

- Crab rangoon/wontons. Have to make them myself to really love them though, and of course the problem is once you get the oil fired up, you might as well make a lot for one sitting. Knowing I NEVER feel great afterwards, I try to convince myself that buying the skins and canned crab take too much effort.

Since moving to small-town Thailand the guilty pleasures are:

- Chicken fingers. I buy from a vendor who fries every last part of the chicken and sells it with sticky rice, but all I want is the breast-meat chicken fingers. Really thick and always fairly crisp even when room-temp (most of the time). I will also stuff a couple in a hamburger roll and rejoice in that sandwich.

- Kit-Kat Chunky. Regionally-produced chocolate--at least what's available in a small town--is abhorrent. Better imports like Ritter cost the same as they do in the States, and I can't afford that too often now. But Kit-Kat Chunky both tastes exactly as it should and comes in at a low-enough price (about $1) to keep a few in stock for emergencies.

- Peanut butter/chocolate Oreos. I don't know if they sell this variety in the States, and I've never been a craver of Oreos there. Here, again I have to try not to buy, as a roll will magically disappear in two days.

- There used to be a vendor here who sold deep-fried Shan tofu (chickpea-based, not soy-based). I went enough that I was ashamed to admit to anyone I knew...I mean they're basically fried cubes and I was eating them for my whole meal, at minimum once a week, and most of the other Westerners here are fairly healthy eaters. Was also slightly embarrassed that she always gave a knowing look when I rode up on my bike. I guess it's good that she decided to quit the biz, but I miss her.

NancyC in General Chowhounding Topics

Can lumpy yogurt be fixed after it's finished?

Definitely not overfermented, no grit. It looks great sitting in a big batch, and tastes fine, but once you scoop it out it seems like too much liquid in parts and, well...lumps...in parts. We just got delivery yesterday for the first time, and the other person who first introduced me to this guy's yogurt seems to like it lumpy because she makes no attempt to stir it out when serving it. But today I will see if it can be smoothed out.

NancyC in Home Cooking

Can lumpy yogurt be fixed after it's finished?

I know other Westerners in town have bought yogurt from him and like it as is, but I'm certain plenty of others will expect something a bit smoother. i would really be afraid of offending him (and basically being his only customer that had a problem with his product) if the lumps are supposed to be easily stirred out on our end. We don't have a whisk because there's nothing to whisk...it's a Burmese restaurant. I'm going to try stirring longer today with the fork, yesterday it didn't seem to be changing anything but we probably just didn't do it enough.

NancyC in Home Cooking

Can lumpy yogurt be fixed after it's finished?

The tiny restaurant I work in (in small-town Thailand) has started purchasing homemade yogurt from a guy who delivers to several other shops.The flavor is good but it's quite lumpy. Maybe not a big deal to eat at home, but we are going to serve it to customers. (And no, it's a REALLY small restaurant, so we don't have the capacity to make our own rather than buying from him).

I have seen some info online that suggests lumps can be avoided by whisking more thoroughly earlier in the process, and that perhaps a higher heat might meld the lumps and whey together a bit more. But since he's been doing this a while, delivers to other places without issue, and I wouldn't want to offend him, I am not sure I can make these suggestions.

So what can be done once the yogurt is completed? I've read that putting it in a blender could make it more liquidy. We whisked it a bit with a fork (we don't actually have a whisk but if it makes a difference I guess we could get one) but perhaps we needed to make a longer, more concerted effort.

Or is there nothing that can be done after the yogurt is finished? Are the lumps are permanently in?

NancyC in Home Cooking

Sky Ice: good Thai food (and ice cream) in Brooklyn--can it be??

Is khao soi really uncommon in New York? It isn't something I really crave, but the way you two write about it makes it sound like it's not easy to get. However, I don't like it too sweet and it must have crispy noodles!

(I mean, I've had it without before so I don't think it's absence indicates a mistake, I just prefer it).

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

Yuba Restaurant – A New Generation of Chefs and Excellent Innovative Japanese in the East Village

Perfect, we don't speak Cantonese anyway! My mom and I would be getting sushi, but my dad doesn't really like it (will generally only eat small amounts of salmon). I had to send him the menu because really what he usually gets any time we get sushi is a tempura bento box...I assume he'll eat their cooked fish dishes, though!

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

I'm really all over the place with this. I'm going to send my dad the Yuba menu and see if he is OK with those cooked dishes. Are they still BYOB? Wasn't sure if their website is up-to-date.

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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

NancyC in Manhattan

Yuba Restaurant – A New Generation of Chefs and Excellent Innovative Japanese in the East Village

Hmm. Would love to know if they speak fluent Chinese...if I do end up coming here with my parents, they would certainly be more comfortable discussing specials.

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

I agree, but Yelp has become so ubiquitous and the sample size is so large. But yes, some of the positive reviews are fake and some of the bad reviews are exaggerated for "comedic" effect.

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

Thanks for the review. It's a little confusing because every post here and on Yelp mentions Seki's sauces and occasionally cooked sushi but the online menu makes everything sound more plain. Have to think about this.

As for the "box of dreams" at Hatsuhana, I saw that before on the menu and was trying to figure out if that was basically chirashi doled out into smaller portions for better presentation.

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Hatsuhana
17 E 48th St, New York, NY 10017

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

Definitely more "good-to-very-good" rather than truly top tier. I had dismissed Yuba because I wasn't sure my dad would like those cooked food options (very set in his ways--Taiwanese and believes little else is worth eating).

Hatsuhana had been hovering on the list as well...I might need to take another look at the menu. Thanks!

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Hatsuhana
17 E 48th St, New York, NY 10017

Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

Thanks. I'm waffling between Seki and Kanoyama right now.

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Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

I didn't want omakase, you were right. I am still on the fence because I am getting thrown by Yelp reviews of all these various places. Even the ones with mostly good reviews have a decent amount of reviews along the lines of "WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THIS PLACE SUX".

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

I have been to Sakagura before and only had their cooked food, but they also have sushi. I don't want my father to be completely left out, which is why I was wondering if Sakagura's sushi was worth mentioning to make both me and him happy, but it seems not.

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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

I've never done omakase before, I guess because I'd prefer someone else pay for that! And not my parents because then I'd feel guilty over it not being something they also wanted badly enough. Someday!

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

Thanks, everyone! I guess what I would prefer is something a lot closer to the 15 East price than the 2-rolls-for-$9-lunch-special spots, but...not quite THAT high. I'll check out some of these other recommendations!

No comments on Sakagura's sushi? It seems from the menu you can't choose types so maybe that's already a minus.

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15 East
15 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

NancyC in Manhattan

$50 per person at 15 East possible?

My parents are footing the bill, but I still prefer it not get crazy expensive. Also, we are unlikely to drink so I'm only asking about food price. Can we get away with $50 each or are there other recommendations for places that have both good sushi and good cooked dishes (my dad doesn't like sushi).

I looked at the 15 East menu, and it seems if my dad gets a cooked dish and my mom and I get 10-12 pieces of sushi each that's already averaging about $50 without even getting any appetizers--which seems like a shame to miss. And is 10-12 pieces too much or too little for an average appetite, I have no idea?

Or what about Sakagura? I have been before and there are a lot of cooked items my dad would eat, but I've never tried their sushi...is it any good?

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15 East
15 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

NancyC in Manhattan

XSG Dumplings gone?

Jiabing is the "sandwich" made on thick wedge-cut bread at most dumpling places; that's what's in your link. ("Jia" indicates something is stuffed inside). Shaobing only refers to the bread itself, as it doesn't have to be stuffed. It is thinner and somewhat more crisp, has sesames on the outside, usually rectangular and can be cut open to make a pocket. Sometimes only has green onions inside. I've mainly only had it as part of Taiwanese breakfast or Taiwanese street food, or waaaay back when Mongolian BBQ was more common I would often get shaobing instead of rice and make myself sandwiches. It sounds like what you had at the Shanghainese place. I like both, but want the option.

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

XSG Dumplings gone?

I was out of the country for much of 2010 and 2011 thus far, so I don't think I was around when XSG and Prosperity opened. One thing that intrigued me was that you posted XSG had shaobing, rather than jiabing as most dumpling places have. I love love love jiabing and don't have any complaints about the ones available throughout New York, but I also love stuffed shaobing and am wondering where else you've had it?

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

What is your favorite Chinatown restaurant?

Intriguing. It definitely doesn't sound like normal mohinga. I've never had a bowl that actually had pieces of piece in it, more just a fish-paste infused broth. Lemongrass doesn't usually have a strong presence either. There are varieties of course, but this doesn't sound right. Will have to get there to give it a try...where I live, I normally eat mohinga at least once a week so I am pretty familiar.

I've never heard anything about mohinga made by people with Chinese or Thai ancestry (and Thais have their own version anyway), usually the style differences are between Myanmar's ethnic groups.

I haven't been to Cafe Mingala but from looking at their menu, what they serve is definitely not Americanized. Now, whether or not their RENDITIONS are Americanized, I can't say. It's a bit out of the way for me to try just for the sake of it...maybe if I start missing Burmese food too much in the next couple months that I'm back in New York though...

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Cafe Mingala
1393 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021

NancyC in Manhattan

Corner 28 – Peking Duck Buns, Why Has Someone Not Done This in Manhattan??

I was a little confused by this thread, for the same reason! Did Deluxe Food Market stop selling these?? I used to get them all the time, hadn't in a while... but am still there several times a year picking up what I consider better frozen dumplings than the dumpling-specialty joints, and I just assumed they were still selling the mini duck sandwiches. Loved them, and because of location and those frozen dumplings, am much more likely to get those there. Hmm, I might have to check in a few days.

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

Java Indonesian Rijstafel

What exactly is the difference between rijsttafel and the dishes you can get at a Padang makasan? Does a rijsttafel involve only non-Sumatran dishes, or does it feature a mix across all islands? Do rijsttafel dishes have more clear Dutch influence? It's just something I had never heard of until looking at these boards today (certainly never saw this word in the parts of Indonesia I've visited, which admittedly is only Kalimantan and Sulawesi), and it was startling to see something with such an obviously Dutch name being such a high bar-setter for so many people!

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

cambodian fish amok

Random question to all the haw mok experts here. Where I live in small-town Thailand, I have only seen the steamed banana-leaf custard thing at street markets...good but not great as it's not fresh. However, there is restaurant that lists on their English menu an amazing dish called "ground fish curry mixed with curry banana leaf" but I've been assured by Thai-script readers that it says haw mok in Thai. Can someone read the photo and confirm?

But it's absolutely not the same thing. The fish is ground up, there is a variety of seafood mixed in, including chunks of fish, shrimp, mussels and clams, and ginger is a HUGE feature, then the whole mixture is wrapped in foil and steamed, but it does not form a solid shape like the banana-leaf version does. Is this a different, but still authentic way of making similar ingredients into a somewhat similar dish? Maybe it's simply faster? This isn't a restaurant for foreigners by any means, and this dish is only listed as a hand-written item...in fact it disappeared at one point when for some reason the owner switched menus with her sister's nearly-identical restaurant, so she now has different hand-written items on the menu. I had to get this photo by going to the sister's restaurant (where her sister does not make it).

Never got around to taking a better picture, only have this crappy mobile phone photo...not sure if it's helpful or not!

NancyC in Outer Boroughs

He Nan Flavor Now Open in Chinatown

I don't completely agree. At least among my family and the people I know, of course there's a strong preference (in our case, for Taiwanese) but yes, there is definitely a lot of "hey, I haven't had _blank_ regional food in a while, let's go get some..." or even "hey, I've never tried food from _blank_ region or _blank_ minority group" (although that "never" is a rare occurrence).

This is pretty much going through my head the first time I saw Xi'an Foods.

Anyway, I'm excited to try a new place!

NancyC in Manhattan

Litmus tests: Thai food

I live in Thailand too and I agree, although some things are more balanced (like pad thai) than their American counterparts. Generally I find the coconut-based curries a bit too sweet, preferring chili-paste stir-fried dishes, and many street foods are surprisingly sweet, like grilled pork skewers. Usually the best bet for me is anything that is supposed to be heavier on the sour flavor, those aren't too sweet.

In my case the vendors believe I'm Thai so they aren't altering the heat (and I like it nose-runningly spicy anyway), and the sweetness still stands out in certain dishes. Overall I do not find it overwhelming, I'd still say it's less sweet than the US version of Thai food, but it's not AS big a difference as I'd expect (only talking about sweetness, not the general deliciousness which is very high here of course!).

In my town what is written as Panang curry on an English menu is not the same as what the non-English-speakers call Panang...the English-menu Panang tastes more Malaysian, lots of peanuts, but definitely "candied." I can't say I don't enjoy it now and then, though!

However, I NEVER eat Thai desserts or drinks the various drinks here, other than mango sticky rice. Toooo muuuuch suuuuugaaaar!

These are minor complaints of course, there aren't many better places to move to for the food!

NancyC in General Chowhounding Topics

Food in Syria

Months late, but I absolutely agree. I was only in Aleppo a few days but managed to have the sour cherry kebabs for dinner twice! Attempted to then re-create at home but it was only OK...needed more practice but never got around to it.

NancyC in Middle East, Southwest Asia & Africa