Larb Ubol, Thai restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, New York

0

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own! 

There are so many Thai restaurants in New York, that I was a bit skeptical when I received an invitation from Kao Srisuphasiri, one of the owners of Larb Ubol, a Thai restaurant located in the bottom part of Hell's Kitchen. Even there, that restaurant is surrounded by other ones serving Thai food. I soon understood why Larb Ubol is original. 

Well, like many Thai places, you do not go there for the decor and they admit that they prefer putting the money on the food as this is the reason why customers come back. Entering in the restaurant, you immediately notice the big empty space at the entrance: at this point, they are not really sure what to put there, whether a plant, fountain or tables. For the moment, it is nice because it does not feel too crowded. 

The decor is very simplistic: banquettes and chair backs are covered with Thailand’s traditional checkered pha khao ma cloth used to fashion everything from sarongs to hammocks. On the ceiling and walls, some small umbrellas coming from Thailand:

So, it was clear that we were there for the food, and we made sure we tried several dishes prepared by Chef Ratchanee Sumpatboon, who worked for 20 years in New York City, in well known restaurants, such as Zabb Elee. Her menu is Isan cuisine, from the North East of Thailand, characterized by its heat, chili peppers being prominent, as well as sticky rice, used as we would bread.

Looking at the menu, I immediately noticed the absence of the massaman or penang curry I am used to seeing in Thai restaurants, the only well known dishes being Pad See ew or Pad Thai. I guess that is where Larb Ubol is different. So, it was time to check it out!

To start our feast, we ordered a Thai beer (Singha):

As well as Thai iced tea that was perfect to cool me from the heat of the dishes.

To start, we ordered a couple of appetizers. First was the Larb, a spicy ground meat salad that gave its name to the restaurant (Ubol comes from the city of Ubon Ratchathani where the Chef grew up).

We had the following choices for the ground meat: chicken, pork, beef, veggie duck...We went for beef (Nuer Larb). It was good, but spicy and I loved mixing the spicy meat with the refreshing cucumber or mint leaves. I liked it so much that I kept going at it.

Then, I tried the grilled chicken liver skewer (Tub Yang), served with a tamarind dipping sauce:

If like me, you like chicken liver, this dish is for you. I admit that it was a bit dry, but the tamarind sauce did its magic, making it a very enjoyable appetizer.

The next dish was Peek Kai Tod or marinated chicken wings, served with a sweet chili sauce:

I thought it would be spicy, but it was not the case at all: the sauce was on the sweet side and was perfect with the moist chicken wings. Good dish for bird lovers.

Then, we had the Pukk Boong Fai Dang or sautéed morning glory with fresh chili:

I do not think I ever had morning glory before. It looks like this:

I enjoyed the dish, but should have ordered it with crispy pork as I am not too much of a vegetarian. The morning glory tasted a bit like spinach, maybe a bit less bitter.

Then was the Chicken Pad Ped:

It is one of their Chef's special, composed of chicken, Thai eggplant, bell pepper, basil, wild ginger and drenched in a spicy curry paste. I should add the large quantity of peppercorn...

After one bite, my mouth was literally on fire and I was glad I had the sticky rice and Thai iced tea to cool down!

I also ate some Pad See Ew that helped against the heat:

We went for the tofu version that was very good.

Last was dessert: we ordered the fried ice cream.

I always find fried ice cream to be an interesting dessert: who got this idea to fry ice cream? 

This was a very addictive dessert, the vanilla ice cream pairing well with its shell that was slightly crispy and deliciously sweet.

This was a very good dinner and I am glad I had the opportunity to try a different cuisine. Larb Ubol is definitely unique and stands out from the traditional Thai restaurants. Would I go back: certainly. But this time, I'll ask for non spicy dishes...

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Larb Ubol

Continue Reading »

Taste of Asia 2014: Huaiyang cuisine cook off!

0

I was recently invited by the Epoch Times to attend the final cook off of Taste Of Asia, a collaborative project between the Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television part of a celebration of Asian Restaurant Month. During that month, several famous Asian restaurants in New York such as Junoon, Kittichai or Prime & Beyond, offer a prix-fixe menu or special deals. 

So you understand what the invited part means, let me explain: this is a free event, open to everybody, where you can attend some of the workshops to learn, for example, how to make Chinese and Korean hand-pulled noodles, mochi or dumplings (in fact there was even a dumpling eating contest).

You will also find many booths proposing Asian cuisine, such as Nyonya, a Malaysian restaurant.

I have tried their chicken curry with pickled vegetables and it was fantastic, a bit spicy, but so good, the pickles adding a refreshing part to the dish.

Nyonya
199 Grand St
New York, NY 10013

No, the most important part of the invitation was the possibility to try some of the dishes that the Chefs were cooking during the cook off. So it all started when our hosts presented the Chefs:

On the left is Kean Wong, host at NTD Television and producer of the movie Free China, The Courage to Believe. On the left, Jenny,  anchor of Global Watch and also the Hostess of Time with Fang Fei on NTD Television.

First was Chef Ueda Tadayoshi from Japan:

Chef Tong Yuncai from the US:

Chef Zhang Jun from Germany:

The jury was composed of Chefs as well as Akiko Katayama, a food writer that you may have seen as a guest judge on Iron Chef America on the Food Network.

The Chefs had 45 minutes to cook dishes inspired from the Huaiyang cuisine, known for its delicate taste and demand on technique. I got to sample three of them:

Braised dried tofu shred from Chef Ueda Tadayoshi from Japan:

Similar dish from Chef Tong Yuncai from the US, but with shrimp:

Based on the taste, I believe that the shrimp were dried, having a bit of a fishy taste. I definitely preferred the first one from Chef Ueda Tadayoshi.

The next dish I tried was sweet and sour swordfish from Chef Ueda Tadayoshi:

The bright color of the dish was spectacular, as was the dish, that had a nice sweetness and crispiness also; the only negative being the bones...

I did not try any other dishes, but was waiting for the judges to declare the winner. First, each of the contestants had to face the jury:

Chef Ueda Tadayoshi (Japan) and the jury

Chef Tong Yuncai (US) and the Jury

Chef Zhang Jun (Germany) and the Jury

I am sure the Chefs were impatient to know the result, so was the audience. Few minutes after deliberation, it was time to discover whose cuisine reigned supreme. But it was not announced like that, after reading the name of the winner on the microphone.

It was written in Shūfǎ or Chinese calligraphy.

And the winner was:

Chef Ueda Tadayoshi (Japan)

Second was Chef Tong Yuncai (US) and third, Chef Zhang Jun (Germany)

It was great to see the competition and try some of the dishes (I am glad I liked the one from the winner, Chef Ueda Tadayoshi). I think this event is a perfect way to learn few things about Asian cuisine. Thank you to The Epoch Times for giving me the opportunity to attend!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Continue Reading »

Brunch at Sounds Of Brazil SOB's in NY, New York

0

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

I do not know how many times I passed by SOB's, but I truthfully thought it was just another club that entertained many for more than 25 years. Until I received an invite to come and try it. This venue that can accommodate up to 450 people is huge and composed of different sections:

The bar area:

With its table football that was there especially for the World Cup.

Its large dining area with a stage where they play music for patrons who either want to eat, drink or dance.

In fact, during our brunch, there was band playing some Brazilian songs.

I admit that when they arrived on stage, I was thinking that it will probably be loud and annoying as I like to enjoy my meal in a atmosphere where I can talk to my wife without screaming. It was perfect, being more in the background; the acoustic was fantastic and the band was very good.

They brought us the brunch menu that, for $31, includes unlimited sangria (red or white), an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. I was more inclined to try a caipirinha, Brazil's national cocktail made with  cachaça, sugar and lime.

I truly appreciated the fact that it was not too sweet and well balanced, with a nice quantity of lime in it.

At the same time, they brought us a bread basket:

It was composed of a small croissant, bread, corn bread and of course, some cheese bread or pao de queijo (I love it):

Then of course was the food. The menu, crafted by Chef Jorge Lima is latin, not only Brazilian.

So we started with the appetizers. We went for the butternut squash soup with toasted pumpkin pepitos and crème fraiche:

It was very good, with a nice sweetness from the butternut that worked perfectly with the crème fraiche (I just wish there was more of it).

The second appetizer was the empanadas:

One was made with cheese:

The other one with some spicy beef:

Both were good and I could not decide which one I liked best. The shell was delightfully crispy and flaky. Dipped in their spicy red pepper sauce, it was divine!

Let me tell you: this sauce was very hot, but so good, that I could not resist dipping the empanadas in it.

Then, Jodi got the fish tacos:

It is like a do-it-yourself version of it, made with pan-fried tilapia served with chopped greens, fresh tomatillo salsa, avocado relish and sour cream. The fish was perfectly cooked, slightly crispy and not greasy and at some point, I did not care about the tortilla and just ate it with the different components it was served with. It is a great dish.

But, the specialty I was thrilled to try at SOB's is the feijoada:

It is Brazil's national dish made with pork ears and tail, dried beef and black beans (feijão is the Portuguese for "beans"). Yes, I was thrilled to eat it because I first tried it in April at a restaurant called Bolinha in São Paulo. It was also served with rice, collard greens (surprisingly delicious as I tend to find them too bitter), a slice of orange and manioc flour. Was it close to what I tried in Brazil? Yes, Although Chef Jorge Lima told me that he is trying to recreate it with the ingredients he can find here. And I am sure anyway that everyone has its own recipe. What I can tell you is that it was very good and comforting: the meat was very tasty (they had a generous amount of it) and I liked mixing the different components together.

You are probably wondering at this point if we were still hungry. Well, not really, but we could not leave without trying some desserts! We tried:

The flan:

And the empanadas with chocolate and banana:

My favorite was the flan: dense, it was prepared with condensed milk, like in Brazil. This is definitely a dessert I recommend. The empanada? It was just ok: I thought that there was not enough filling and that it was not heavenly spread, only one bite (photo below), having a nice amount of chocolate.

This was a fantastic brunch and surprising: I would have never thought about going to SOB's for lunch or brunch. Would I go back? Hell, yeah!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

SOB's

Continue Reading »