Author: F C

Shoutout

I got a shoutout on the show 5 Takes USA today in their New York City episode when Zach goes to St. Mark’s Comics! It’s on Travel Channel this week in the US (check your listings), or for you folks in Asia, Discovery Travel & Living on December 9 at 21:00 – guaranteed to make you homesick.

Old reliable Joya for dinner. Haven’t been there in a while – and the only Thai place that manages wok hei without burning the pad see you. Had their Coconut soup to start for a change – was even better than the Tom Yum Gui soup.

Went to our friends’ house down the street for their holiday/Desperdida party. Tree.. fireplace .. arts and crafts – traditional. They’re moving to Singapore for 2 years on an expat gig. Need to find an excuse to visit…

Monsoon Season on the Island

Went to dinner yesterday with P- at Noodle Pudding, a classic “hidden spot” at the northern end of the North Heights. We were there courtesy of the moot court team that I was coaching – they gave us a very nice gift certificate. Fantastic Italian food (yes, it’s Italian, not Jewish) – you might think it’s crazy to say that it brought back flavors of childhood, especially with my Chinese background, but it is true. Appertisers: Grilled octopus and Spanish white beans, fried fresh anchovy and calamari. Pasta: Tagatelli Bolognese, Gnochi al Pomodero. Mains: Osso Buco with spinich and polenta, sliced lamb with pumpkin. The grilled octopus reminded me of octopus that we used to grill over the stove, my dad’s fried fish, and the marrow filled bones that were in stew. They passed my gnocchi test with flying colors – soft, pillowy, completely cooked and flavored. Everything is actually very affordable — no credit cards, no reservations taken. Highly recommended.

Because no reservations are taken at Noodle Pudding, there is often a wait. We waited for 45 minutes, so we went down the street to The Blue Pig, which is a boutique ice cream shop. We shared a combo Pumpkin and “Pig Food” which is a dark chocloate ice cream with fudge and cookie pieces. We could only make it through half when massive winds and rains came down – it was literally a typhoon for a good 30-45 minutes. That just made the dinner that much more rewarding when we got a very nice table against the back wall, where we could see everying feasting.