xin york

new york new york. how i've missed thee. 


the first part aka the supposed-to-be-relaxing part of my trip was a bust because ganmaole (i caught a cold). unfortunately, i spent the entire weekend indoors, catching up on all things trashy: real housewives, kardashians, around the world in 80 plates, bachelorette, etc etc. aka i made myself sick so that i could stay home for two days :P 


then the crazy work week began and i was MIA til 9 pm every night and snuck out for select dinners and drinks. here are a few highlights:


1. my fellow china (peng you) men: j chiang and kris k. j being my former colleague and both of them being new york foodies called for a gossip filled, delicious dinner. we dined at apiary but skipped the generic restaurant week menu for hamachi apps and loads of cocktails and wine. true friends :) COME VISIT ME IN CHINA. 

2. mehtaphor. jehangir mehta owns a few tiny (and by tiny, i mean TINY) indian inspired eateries in lower manhattan, one being the oddly shaped mehtaphor attached to the duane hotel in tribeca. seeing as the office is down the street, this place has become a new fave. ish and i dined here and got too many courses to count, this one being the last...roasted lamb with sweet potato fries. omg. so tasty but no bueno after 6 other courses. next time will be less aggressive (ha!). but twas memorable to say the least. my recommendation is to check out his other tiny joint graffiti...more interesting combos and less serious. but the crabmeat, truffle mushroom, goat cheese pizza is a must at mehtaphor!

3. osteria morini with the one and only kendal beer and her better half eric! the two are getting married in 1 week and are the calmest couple alive which makes me obsessed. ive been to osteria a few times in soho but this time was the best ordering i've done - the tuna, grape and lima bean salad was a refreshing start to the hearty tagliatelle w meat sauce, truffle cream pappardelle, cauliflower gratin and mixed grilled meat plate. omg the mixed meat plate! i would never think to order a mixed meat plate and here comes the beers to the rescue (yes eric i used her last name as yours)! ah yes, and let's not forget the bottle of wine. CONGRATS and can't wait to see your married faces. 

4. Eat Me frosting. some of you may not know what this is, but it will change your life. said bestie above kendal beer has taken her baking skills to another level, by sharing it with the world. her new frosting line appropriately titled 'eat me' is the tastiest jarred frosting you will ever taste! look out for this at your local markets in a few months!
http://www.facebook.com/EatMeFrosting

5. megu restaurant week. a little splurging is necessary when you're with kirk pestlin, matt m and alex g!! die. so much to catch up on now that us original SFers are all in NY! after rounds and rounds of cocktails, tuna tartare (amaze), shrimp and asparagus tempura, sizzling wagyu beef and some very interesting green tea crepes, we rubbed the ice buddha belly sculpture and took some overexposed photos to disguise the long work week's wear. so happy to see you guys again!

5. also had a little chai chat (haha all you penners!) with neha at hamtpon chutney in soho before i was off back to shang. after that me and the rents had my last meal at rosa mexicano. the table side guac and roasted  corn crema shall not be underestimated. give my rents a classic marg and its over. i think my mom has the pic of all three of us, but we spent 20 minutes perfecting this mother daughter shot which i love! new york does something good to my hair. 

 things that made the list but im too lazy to type: cavatappo duck pappardelle...that is always my first meal back on UES! ask for sarah she will treat you well. amish market deli sandwich. just classic good cold cuts, slathered mayo, avocado on a italian roll...ggggiiiirrrrllll. what up. also sent a box home with peanut butter newman oreos, tortilla chips, boxed cake mix (hao's new place has an oven!), oatmeal, granola bars, candy candy candy, fiber one bars (lord knows i need these), crumbs cupcakes (oh hey newark airport), clinique chubby sticks (obsessed), a pasta machine for hao's new obsession, softer bath towels, apricot scrub, floss picks and loads of old navy's new triblend vintage tees. omg obsessed. massively obsessed (when you wash them and air dry you don't have to iron!). now i'm set for another 3 months. 


to come:
-hong kong for store opening and junk boat fest!
-parents' visit to shanghai and our trip to xi'an
-golden week: vacay tbd!
-hawaiiiiiiiiii
-back to ny in october! mark it on the calendar.


back in shanghai...scorching heat but not a cloud in the sky. can actually see the stars on some really pleasant nights. work is nuts but nothing new. making up for it by eating a lot. new shang obsessions (posts to come): coconut yogurt that i randomly found at family mart the other morning and can't stop thinking about, this dongbei place near the office, ae kitchen (awesomely cheap american breakfast), watermelon, xuegua icepops. 

japanese gummy bears are the best

a few weeks ago my sister and her hubby bri came to visit shanghai and we did a tour of beijing and tokyo. in predictable fashion, here is a list of highlights for fear i might bore you (read: make you jealous) with the fabulously luxurious details of said trip.

beijing

1. da dong. boom shakalaka. traditional peking duck in a very modern setting. the coolest part is they let you in the oven room where all the ducks are roasting and where they platter them up for carving. pics are a bit blurry in here bc of all the heat or my unsteady hands as i was more focused on not drooling on the equipment. 

-crispy duck skin dipped in sugar. boom.

-duck 'hamburger': crispy duck stuffed in those little delicate sesame pillows. omg.

 2. raffles hotel. extremely nice and dare i say cute concierge. amazing location, right smack in the middle of forbidden city and wanfujing. perfect place to stay with only 2 days and 3 meals in beijing! 

we also toured the great wall and summer palace (my first times) despite the downpour and cloudy vision. sadly they were not as majestic as hoped but very cool nonetheless, and more importantly, we got to rock these awesome colored ponchos the entire day. what up fashion blog!

tokyo

if there was a sentence that could sum up my experience in tokyo it would be: :D

haha. yes, this is an azian sentence. 

our days were more filled with fun exploration then guided tour, which was a nice break from our packed days in beijing. the weather cleared up and it was pretty much sunny and 75 each day. hen hao. 

1. ritz carlton in roppongi. i am graciously indebted to my sister for her magnificent 'choice' in hotels...those of you who know her know what i mean. this room was insane. maybe 4x my apt size with private walk-in closet, insane views of tokyo, separate bath and shower, pjs (see below pics in said pjs), fluffy slippers, candy jars at the lobby, and your own LOOFAH. what up!! life doesn't get any better than this my friends.

2. harajuku - duh. anyone who knows me knows three things, 1. i am weird, 2. i like a deal, 3. i am weird. can we say "harajuku"? obsessed with the tiny streets, hipster peeps, stalls of sweet treats, cray fashion deals and fawning over celebrities. this seriously is up my alley. could have spent days and days there except a 'deal' in tokyo is like ordering a steak because the lobster is too expensive. alas i acquired a lot of nautical inspired fashion pieces, a necklace with my name in japanese, a 'bomb' churro, a new backpack and some nail art inspiration.

3. food food food. i mean we could go on for days. but seriously.

-north japanese style ramen. clear clam broth, tender pork, fresh noodles...

-fried gyoza. what is the fried goodness on top? don't ask, just eat. 

-sukiyaki udon. omg. 

-yakitori joint: tasty skewers but cooler is the hipster crowd at 9 pm on a monday, downing pints and gobbling up chicken liver skewers, fried chicken, potato salad...nom nom nom. 

-on our last day we went with a tokyo friend to this peaceful teahouse in the middle of a lake. sipped some delicious green tea and had a dainty japanese dessert. 

-teppanyaki. what an experience. after moving to the four seasons in chinzan-so neighborhood, we asked the concierge for a good teppanyaki place near our hotel. it was my birthday dinner and our last dinner in tokyo. we specifically asked for a local joint, nothing too fancy. well we were in for a treat. down the street in a small alley sat a small family joint plastered with photos of the one and only mariah carey!!! yes, she too dined at this very spot, in the very same seat! my trip to tokyo was complete! after, of course, many courses of simple melt in your mouth beef, veggies, fried garlic and hibachi sauteed apples with caramel and ice cream...happy birthday!

4. the people. many friends have told me that they are obsessed with tokyo but that no one really speaks english so you have to get around yourself. not a problem my friends! after living in the shang for 6 months, i have mastered the 'bu hui shuo yingwen' situation. from my perspective, people in tokyo are fluent in english. like, can you re-teach me english because it's better than mine. very nice, helpful people who genuinely think about others when doing things. i.e. pedestrians have the right of way, no means no, customer service, clean bathrooms, etc. below is a photo of bri's good friends who live in tokyo and graciously took us to their local spots - including an evening of fine karaoke. 

5. public bathrooms! haha it became a quick running motif that my sister and i visited every public bathroom in each district of tokyo. we have pictures to prove it. but i'm not sure they're appropriate for my public blog. ha...ha. jk. 

and that my friends is the best trip this year! great food, great sights and great company! here i am back in shanghai about 8 lbs heavier and slightly tired. success.