End of Year Noodle

Traditionally, people in Japan eat noodles (buckwheat noodle called Soba) on the New Year's Eve. It's a wish for longer, healthy life. You can have soba noodle in hot broth soup or cold with dipping sauce. Soba is super healthy with fiber, rutin, protein and polyphenol. I ordered fresh soba noodle from a restaurant in East Village (Sobaya). Fresh noodle, just like pasta, cooks in a minute. This year, we had it with tempura and some Japanese shimeji mushroom. If you could get yuzu citrus, its zest would add incredible flavor to the soup.

Shachis - Venezuelan Arepa Joint

While Caracas and Arepa Arepa attracts W'burg hipsters by their casual, cute dining environments, Shachis Restaurant on South 4 and Havameyer (right under the BQE crossing) might satisfy real foodies in its family-owned, laid-back atmosphere. Unless you look for the name and have exact location, you could easily pass by this joint. Nothing fancy but clean, and lovely place.

The complimentary crispy fried plantain chips with original green salsa sauce hit my spot. Be careful; this is addictive. We started with Guacamole and chips: As good as their fresh guaca is the chips—really thin chips unlike regular tortillas. For non-alcohol drinkers, their homemade slushy juice (guava, passion fruit, pineapple, mango, etc.) for $3 in a large glass is recommended.

Then we took recommendation from NY Times review and had 2 arepas (venezuelan sandwich)—Reina Pepiada (chicken, potato and avocado); fresh and light but filling, and Pabellon (shredded beef, sweet plantain, beens and cheese); very rich and heavy, which alone makes a dinner.

Not knowing their arepas are so rich and filling, we ordered an entree as well. Arrozo con Pollo. It's like a stir fried rice with chicken, veggie and chorizo. We decided to savor aprea and take the rice home. The owner was right: We were ordering too much food.

They have less than 15 seats and it was pretty busy for Tuesday night. We didn't wait for the food but the service could be a bit slow, to the acceptable range. So go there relaxed. It's definitely a good place to pick up couple arepas to go.

197 Havemeyer Street
Brooklyn, NY11211
Phone (718)388-8884
Map

Le Labo

This is a new exciting addition to my life: Le Labo. I started working at the high-end, niche perfume store as Store Manager. Founded by two creative French guys, Le Labo has so many fans worldwide. I'm at the headquarter store on Elizabeth Street between Houston and Prince. Interior to packaging, it's very simple and minimal. I'm very happy to work in a creative atmosphere.

Here at Le Labo, we provide the perfume of your choice made freshly on order. Each of the 12 scents is so unique and addictive. I also love their candles! The packaging is simple and minimal that fits anybody's taste: You wouldn't want to use an overly gender-specific bottle even if you liked the smell. We do not custom-make perfume. Why? Because creating a good perfume to meet someone's expectation takes a long process and time. The magic doesn't happen in a minute. We do trust and respect the top perfumers in the world who have created our perfume lines. We do, however, do the last step of formulation by mixing the alcohol and scent oil and personalize each label.

Enough with sales talk. Not really. But stop by and spray as much as you like!

Le Labo
www.lelabofragrances.com
233 Elizabeth Street, NYC
Daily: 11am - 7pm (I'm off on Wed and Thurs)

Williamsburg Flea Market

I finally set up a little shop at a flea market to sell my potteries. One of the sunniest Sunday in July, Little Miko's Ceramics started a business in this new Williamsburg Flea Market.




Next to me, this lovely jewelry designer's shop with inspiring display was always busy. She actually liked one of my mini-dishes and bought them to use as a display element. So nice to have my piece be part of such a cute store! My dear husband bought me this beautiful, unique necklace. (24 karas by Elizabeth Karas)

Asian Pork Chop

HUGE pork chop from a great butcher shop in Hell's Kitchen. Marinated in Asian seasoning of soy sauce, fish sauce, chili, garlic, ginger, scallion. The side of Italian beans salad with basil and fresh mint surprisingly worked really nicely with this Asian meat dish.

Kimono Gallery in Wabasha, MN

My mother-in-law introduced this interesting gallery that displays Japanese vintage kimono (kee-mo-no). The Wind Whisper West gallery is in a little town of Wabasha, 2-hour drive away from the Twin Cities along Mississippi river. Who would imagine you could find over 3,000 antique kimono from Japan. Richard, the owner, was stationed in Japan during WWII. He then became an art dealer, and in the last five years he's been collecting old kimono from Japan. Why in Washaba? Because his wife (who by the way is not from Japan) and her family are from this town. He was very interesting and told me lots of stories to the unusual Japanese visitor.

I was unable to take many photos due to the gallery's policy. But Richard let me take a few of my favorite piece. Most of the pieces displayed here are wedding kimono. Some with a very rare design and print, some are the work of famous Japanese designers like Hanae Mori and Yoji Yamamoto.



This kimono uses the color palette inspired by Shintoism. Bright yet subtle color scheme is marvelously placed in such charming details.

On the way home, we had a lunch at the Harbor View Cafe in the town of Pepin, WI. They were very nice and welcoming even though it was just the time they were closing.

A charming interior.

I ordered the catfish with hot salsa. It was really good. But a bit too much flavor in sauce—against my expectation for a light fish meal.

Braised Pork Shank was excellent.

Wind Whipser West - Kimono Gallery
http://www.windwhisperwest.com/Home.html

July 4 in Minnesota

We were invited to the annual July 4 party hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Emmings, good friends of my husband's parents. They have a fabulous house right by a lake. The party has a great reputation for a wonderful meal, not to mention the fun group of people.

This year, it was all about paella. The chef from a local restaurant cooked outside—semi outdoor cooking class.

After waiting for over an hour, a huge, heavy dish was carried down to the shore.

Chicken, clams, crawfish, squid, shrimp, mussels... Thanks to my impeccable skill with eating every part of fish, I probably enjoyed this meal more than anyone.

The meal culminates to the famous Judy's flag cake and homemade ice cream: coffee, lemon buttermilk, strawberry rhubarb.

A lovely July 4 weekend had a perfect weather for paddling, too. Almost a ritual activity for summer in Minnesota.

SUIREN

The two fledgling Japanese restaurants seem to have embarked on a tough challenge of appealing epicurean Williamsburg residences. The only place in this hood for good/decent Japanese dining experience is Zenkichi—except for their prices. So I was quite excited about these newcomers with reasonable pricing. According to my friends, 'qoo' that opened first is not worth trying; poor in both quality and experience. Then comes Suiren. My husband got a flyer and he mentioned the owner was a nice person. After reading good reviews online, I tried Suiren with a few Japanese friends.

Verdict: Unless with a major improvement, I'd never go back.
Reason: The food is a not really good. Although friendly, the waiters don't offer a through service. Almost no Japanese staff here. I have no problem with that alone, but their knowledge of Japanese food/dishes was so poor that we, Japanese, felt awkward and unsatisfied. If they introduce a Japanese culture, I'd like it to be done properly, with a good service Japanese are known for.

As soon as we got there, they told us they had no liquor license. There was no liquor store nearby. I wish they told me that when I called. Our friend managed to pick up some drinks. The waiter served our wine in a tiny glass. With less than a few sips, the glasses went empty. She didn't seem to come back for refills, so we asked for bigger glasses. It wasn't even busy at all... She was probably unfamiliar with this business.

We initially ordered Chicken Nanbam but it was out. I got a bit annoyed by this friendly-yet-inadequate service and asked her what else they didn't have; they were also out of a few other items. Hummm....

Grilled Little Neck Clam
As we were four people, we asked if they could make it 4 pieces instead of 3 on the menu. She checked with the chef and the answer was NO. A bit inflexible, I thought . The clam wasn't fresh. Fishy. Lukewarm. Disappointment.

Eggplant with Miso Paste
It should be so hard to make this dish bad. And they did it. They used Chinese eggplant with really tough skin. Miso paste was overly sweet. I can make a better one.

At this point, it was apparent that this place wasn't owned by a Japanese. Weird as the website was in EN and JP.

Black Edamame
One of the few things we enjoyed. Finally a nice and hot dish.

Iceberg Lettuce Salad
Another so-so dish. Grilled on the surface, served with caesar dressing.

Ramen
They were surprisingly ok. Two flavors: Soy sauce flavor with duck meat, and Miso flavor with veggies. Neither was good on its own. The broth was not rich—no complexity like at Ippudo. Miso version tasted so much of butter, probably a gimmick to add richness. We enjoyed it by blending two flavors.

Desserts
Yuzu Cream Cheese Cake: It wasn't bad. But the yuzu flavor and cream cheese were not in harmony.
Japanese Pancake with Green Tea Ice Cream: The dough was too tough and the ice cream melted completely. Not something you want to pay for.

I hope they will get better soon.

Lovin' It!

My new hair salon uses Malin+Goetz's shampoo. According to the stylist, many of organic products are not moisturizing enough for Asian hairs—but Malin+Goetz is an exception. So I walked in to miomia, a cosmetic/body care store who carries their products. Among tons of hair products, the owner and my friend Katie actually recommended me this series called CUTLER, which she loves and uses herself. They are cheaper than Malin+Goetz and very hydrating. I've never found shampoo with such long-lasting scent. It is indeed very hydrating, too. I use the intensive conditioner and extra gentle shampoo, which smells a bit stronger than the regular ones. My relative who was staying with us noticed the smell after I took a shower, fell in love with the scent and became a fan of CUTLER. I highly recommend this product, especially to Asian girls with thick, dry hair.

Another favorite of mine from this store is the Marvis toothpaste. Read the post on this.

Visit miomia online shop

Summer Cocktail

Waiting for a table to grab a burger at Peter Luger, we perked ourselves up with some summery drinks at Dressler, one of our favorite restaurants in NY and a perfect spot for a fun, romantic date. I got a classic Bloody Mary. My friends tried a new cocktail called the Mutt, a new creation of Isaac, the bartender who is in the shot. It's made with Sauza, Budweiser, black pepper and lime. If you like Michelada, you would like this drink with a twist.

Eccentric object

So real that a walking dog tried to jump on. Stuffed coyote for $300 sold on a street in Williamsburg.

Homey Japanese Restaurant

I want to keep this a secret so this hidden spot won't be much harder to get a reservation. So here's a little sneak peak for ya. This new Japanese restaurant is very small, seats for only 30 or so. One of the best thing about this spot is its space. They have a small Japanese garden inside. With modern furniture and a few crafts by Japanese artists, the owner/chef hopes this to be his own house in which he entertains his guests (customers).

As per my friends' recommendation, we had the course. This course is incredibly reasonable. Almost too much food. First dish was veggie salad with bagna càuda. The sauce was a bit too loose  and hard to eat. But the taste is amazing. Some Japanese daikon radish, endive, beets...

We also ordered a few dishes from the menu. Their house-smoked meat was simply fantastic. Each meat is smoked slightly differently. See the duck with yummy fat? 

Baked seasonal fish and vegetable. It's a whole fish for two people. Thanks to my skill with chopsticks, I ate everything but bones. 

One of the main dishes is this mini Wagyu burger with sun dried tomato and caramelized onion. It was good. I wish they cooked it close to rare. At this point, we were so stuffed. 

This place, for now, is BYOB, which is AWESOME. The staff (hostesses) are very kind and nice. The owner/chef comes out to the dining room to greet every guest, like we are his friends. If you want to experience this place, it might be hard to do unless you walk in there. The numbers on review and websites are not really working. The best bet is "Be friends with Miko!" like my friend hooked me up. 

Sunday Suppers

A friend of mine introduced me to this private cooking class. It's held at an apartment in south Williamsburg. The host/owner of this apartment is a lovely couple — the wife is a professional photographer who takes fabulous photos during the class. The husband, also a really nice guy, is a great host.

First thing you notice is the fantastic presentation. They work with a designer and floral coordinator for each event. This time, it's coordinated with purple flowers, a theme of french country side.

For this day, the idea was to cook with locally grown products. The chef/instructor got groceries from a farmers' market. All ingredients are labeled with a beautiful handwriting. Most of them are so fresh and good that we munched them raw during the cooking.

A super smart idea: Menu made of a paper bag, which becomes a bag for participants to take a few peaches home as a gift. The designer printed the handwritten menu on brown paper bags. Simple, functional, brilliant!


First dish: Mix market green salad with green apple, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and champaign vinegar dressing. I LOVED this salad. Such a simple dressing works so well with the mix green and herbs. This mix green, available at the Union Sq. farmers' market, is unfortunately really pricey...

Second dish: Fresh pasta with mushroom and fresh asparagus. Fresh pasta makes an enormous difference. The idea of slicing asparagus with a peeler and toss with the pasta is now my new favorite technique. It adds a contrast to the sauteed mushroom sauce and fresh pasta.

Third dish: Baked trout with parsley pesto. I made this pesto. It tastes super green on its own. But the fish makes it milder. It cleanses your body, too! 

Dessert: Lemon and rosemary cake with strawberry sauce. I normally don't eat sweets and I was pretty full at this point. But this cake was so good that I cleaned up the plate. Strawberries are in season now. Just cook them down without sugar and it's a lovely marriage with lemony sponge cake. 

Big Wing Wong

A lunch with my girlfriend in Chinatown. We both love congee so we tried Big Wong, which was favored by a few trustworthy dining sites.

They are famous for its roast duck. We got congee with sliced fish and a noodle soup with roast duck. Neither was amazing. Perhaps we picked wrong ones. The fish was too thick and congee itself was bland. On the other hand, the noodle is a bit too salty. It's really cheap, both around $3, and the small portions are good for sharing. The roast duck must have been better over rice.

Pressure Cooker

This newly released documentary movie Pressure Cooker, to me, was a refreshing, uplifting emotional roller coaster. As a big fan of food movies and from the title, I hoped it would be about food. Well, it is, but not so much in a traditional way.

Very basic background of this movie
Mrs. Stephenson is a Philly public high-school teacher. Because of her blunt character and strict disciplinary style, she gets on the bad side of other teachers who also train their students to compete for scholarships—through a cooking tournament sponsored by C-CAP. There's no such sour reputation in her own school—because she is not an unreasonably audacious tyrant. She is a tough yet caring teacher who tries to bring opportunities to her students from working-class families. As amazing as Mrs. Stephenson is these kids. All are very hard working in the cooking class, on grades, with sports (some of them belong to the cheer leading team which Mrs. Stephenson coaches), against adversities in each family.

I know nothing about making films and no doubt every movie presents directors' intention or view, which is also true to documentaries. In Pressure Cooker, however, intentional gimmicks or editing play very humbly, in my opinion. In the after-screening interview, the directors explained the process was very spontaneous. Mrs. Stephenson was also on stage with one of her students from the movie. She remembers getting annoyed with the camera in the kitchen first but then didn't even notice afterwards.

I laughed a lot and cried almost the entire 90 minutes. It was a very strange feeling; to cry and feel very warm in heart simultaneously. While other reviews tell too many details on what happens in one scene to next, I hope you just go straight to IFC (a nice size theater with great seats)!

FYI: One of the directors Mark Beckers' former movie Romántico is also a very wonderful documentary, a portrait of a Mexican musician. Now available on DVD.

Beer? Bacon? Beer.

I like beer and bacon. But my better half LOVES them both. For him, this smokey beer from a German brewery Schlenkerla must be a heaven. It truly smells like bacon. In our hood, W'burg, a craft beer bar called Lenora's Way on Bedford Avenue used to carry this beer. (Sadly, they are closing down soon and no longer carries this beer.) Another place to try this beer is The Diamond in Greenpoint. This bar is pretty cozy with a nice backyard, away from hipster-jammed main streets. It's worth a try but could be too intense for most people.

Mongolian Spot

My big, nephew's butt. Don't worry. He's not abused. The blue bruise is called Mongolian Spot, a birthmark that appears on most Asian babies and some hispanic babies. I hear that some western social workers and nannies confuse with child abuse. They disappear as they grow.

Tora, Tora, Tora!

My friend's 3-month old boy, Tora (Tiger), is one of the cutest, calmest baby. He didn't mind Mr. M's corse beard and stayed happy on his laps for hours.