Eating New York - Cronuts at Dominique Ansel Bakery

As I mentioned here I was in New York for two weeks, I'm back on the Jozi Cool as of  this past Sunday. Of course after the craze and my craving (see here), I couldn't be in New York and stop in at Dominique's for the real deal, he patented the name CRONUT and for a quick pose of course!

Dominique and I

After a full week and a half in New York, promising to be in SoHo (South of Houston said HOUSE TON) by 6 am, finally Thithi (of teeteeiswithme) and I made it to SoHo. An hour and a half waiting on line, we finally made it to the counter to order.  I ordered my allocated two per customer cronuts along with ten made to order madeleines and the magic souffle. Welcome to pastry heaven and sugar rush central, oh yeah we ordered coffee to go with it all too.

Madeleines and the magic souffle

This month (September 2013) is the Fig Mascarpone Cronut month. The Cronut is layers of laminated dough (almost flaky croissant like pastry) proofed, shaped, fried and rolled in sugar like a donut with a sublime filling. I'm am using the word sublime objectively. The fig mascarpone filling is a texture combination of a cream, meets a creme anglaise that holds ever so well in the cronut.

The September mascarpone with a fig preserve swirl filling, is light, creamy & perfectly sweet. At first bite you get the slightly crisp exterior, a glazed sugary lip then the layers of flaky pastry and finally a creamy balanced not overly sweet mascarpone cream and a fig preserve kick. It's truly to adults what a finger in a jam donut is to kids.

Merci  beaucoup Dominique!

What is the magic souffle you ask? I'm dedicating a whole post to Dominique's latest, watch this space.

Photography by Thithi Nteta of teeteeiswithme

Eating Amsterdam - Le Pain Quotidien

After spending a wonderful morning riding the trams, yes just watching the city go by hopping on and hopping off. Then a familiar cafe caught my eye Le Pain Quotidien, so off the tram I hopped in De Pijp. I got to know of the Le Pain Quotidien brand when in New York, so it was particularly funny that I was flanked by two tables that had American accents. It was filled with quite a few foreigners, in fact I made a friend a French guy who had just settled in Amsterdam after a decade in Australia. Meetings like these can only happen at the communal table that is Le Pain Quotidien De Pijp.

The menu is more or less the same as the New York menu, with a few specials. I started with my Le Pain usual the latte in their big cups - I love those cups.

 I opted for a special to eat, the tomato scrambled eggs on rye topped with Avo and served with a tomato relish. Now let's talk about the tomato relish, it's thick, savoury with a sweet undertone - Wonderful! I washed it down with a tart homemade raspberry lemonade. 

Hi I'm Thando I drank an all American lemonade in Amsterdam.

Le Pain Quotidien
020-675 05 06
De Pijp, Cornelius Troostplein 4hs
Best for: The latte (in that big cup), the tartiest homemade raspberry lemonade
Not sold on: The service is super relaxed, not a Jozi girl's cup of lait for sure!

Eating Amsterdam - Salad at Edel

My first lunch in Amsterdam was at Edel, a great spot along the canal with a floating deck. I was starving and it was a spot recommended by my host Flavia that was within walking distance of the apartment. I spent my afternoon sitting out in the sun, watching boats go by and sipping on Old Jamaican ginger beer.

I ordered the chef's salad which was a fresh salad of parma ham, strawberries set on a bed of sliced radish, rocket and mixed greens with a balsamic dressing and slices of the best sourdough loaf. I really enjoyed my fresh R100 (yeah the exchange rate killed me) salad especially the sweet salty parma ham strawberry combination. The Jamaican ginger beer tastes better than stoney, yeah I said it!

Edel

020-7995000

POSTJESWEG 1, 1057 DT AMSTERDAM

Best for: A casual lunch laying out in the sun and boat watching along the canal

When in A'dam have a R100 salad, lol!

Thando

Eating Tunis - Doughnuts at Sidi Bou Said Market

I was in Tunisia a couple of weeks ago and I am still craving the donuts (doughnuts) I bought in the Sidi Bou Said market.

The market is set in atop the blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said. It's a tourist market which means it is bustling on most days of the week. I found it as expected slightly over priced, as it is geared for tourists, although with some serious haggling you can get good deals, bring your A game.

The market offers beautiful ceramics, rugs, jewellery and normal knick knacks like fridge magnets. I of course opted to buy something to eat instead. the DOUGHNUT!

Ceramics at the Sidi Bou Said market

The doughnuts are piping hot fresh out of the fryer tossed in sugar. They are light, sugary and also have an unexpected salty element which makes them a real treat. I love unexpected savoury sweet combinations. If you find yourself at the Sidi Bou Said market in Tunis, make your way to the top street and buy that doughnut, thank me later!

Sidi Bou Said Market

Best for Doughnuts, ceramics and trinkets

One night at El Burro

El Burro is a Mexican joint that offers authentic cusine, the best I've tried in South Africa, and a tequila bar. Have I mentioned that tequila is one of my favourite alcoholic beverages. ElBurro is warm welcoming, and we happened to have a model-esque, nonchalant waitress which adds to the charm.

I love a good margarita and El Burro served up a great salt rimmed margarita. I could've stayed and drank margaritas all nigh, but we had work to do in the morning.

I was accompanied by fellow foodie Nomi (of Nom Nom Nomi) and we had two starters and two mains to share.

Starters
Chilli Rellenos, queso fresco stuffed smoked Jalapenos. What is queso fresco? It's a mild white cheese that melts oh so well and balances the spicy jalapeno. These are spicy! so not for the fainthearted but they sure are tasty.  A picture would not do the rellenos justice.

The Ceviche of diced line fish marinated in lime juice, serrano chillies, red onion, ginger and coriander.It was tasty but was a tad heavy on the red onion for my liking.

Ceviche

Mains
Based on the waitress recommendation and popular dishes we went for the Chilorio Pork Tacos and the chicken enchilada verde. The enchilada verde is rich and man sized, don't say you weren't warned.

The Chilorio Pork tacos with guac, salsa, assortment of chillies including a roast tomato salsa and pickles is a winner!

Alas we didn't have space for dessert, but I was told by Fritz of real men can cook that the churros are seriously good, sometimes one serving isn't enough kind of good!

I will be back every time I go to Cape Town, I heart Mexican!

El Burro
81 Main Road, Green Point, Cape Town
021 433 2364
Best for: Mexican dinners with friends and tequila lovers. Oh they also have weekday lunchtime specials.

Follow El Burro on twitter for details @_El_Burro

In The Kitchen

I was in Cape Town for a wedding weekend before last and managed to pop into The Kitchen in Woodstock. Unfortunately due to my lack of planning it was sans my copy of A week in the Kitchen.
The feel is very homely and so inviting, and as patrons came in and out it really felt like Cheers without the booze of course.

Karen was in and out of the kitchen to greet & have a quick chat with patrons whilst the lunch salad offering was being prepared. Lunch for me was the five salads with slices of turkey and homemade cranberry sauce. Absolutely delish! Hearty, healthy and uber tasty!

Rounded off with perfectly mild latte.

Next time you're in Cape Town make a turn at The Kitchen, especially if you're vegetarian.

New York Foodie Fixing Must EATS!

So after a full month of being back on the Jozi Cool I have finally compiled my list of must do eats in New York City.

Brunching:
I'll start with what we, The Love World Tour-ists, did the most and the best Brunch

1. Revel in the Meatpacking District for bottomless mimosas
2. The Dutch in SoHo also great for fried chicken and dessert pies
3. Ze Cafe Midtown try anything with crab
4. The Co Op for the Everyday People Brunch Lower Eastside

As you can imagine there was lots to do in New York so most of my lunching was done on the go, these are my favourites. Cost effective and a little grease with the shake shack burgers.
Lunching on the go:

1. Hampton Chutney Upper Westside for dosas 
2. The City Bakery for healthy buffet
3. Shake Shack for a shack burger and black & white shake
4. Cafe Duke Soho for hearty Asian inspired buffet
5. Olives Soho for fresh sandwiches and choc chip cookies

Dinners:
We have an apartment in New York so most dinners were homemade by myself or my mum but we did manage to get a few GREAT dinners in.

1. Gramercy Tavern Flatiron district the Tavern for the vibe and the dining room for fine dining
2. Fatty Crab Upper Westside for the chili crab
3. Momofuku Noodle Bar East Village for RAMEN! their pork, shrimp or mushroom buns are AMAZE!

Sweets and treats
I am a sucker for sweets, especially pastries and I have to say if you can only pick one sweet treat head over to Dominique Ansel Bakery during the day. You will not regret it

1. Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo for salted caramel eclairs, macaroons and made to order madeleines
2. Baked by Melissa Soho for mini cupcakes on the go
3. The Big Gay ice cream shop for red velvet ice cream sandwich and the salty  pimp
4. Momofuku Milk Bar Upper Westside for cereal milk ice cream and a slice of sickly sweet yet addictive crack pie
5. Veneiros Italian Bakery East Village for cannolis

Happy New York Eating!

The City Bakery buffet style

Looking for wholesome & healthy then city bakery is a goodie. That is if you consider a chocolate room healthy, which I of course do.The City Bakery is ideal for those who work in the area looking for variety and a good meal in 30 minutes. It has a wide range of savoury and sweets on offer.

Grilled cheeses, bruschetta

Chicken wings, fried chicken, mac 'n cheese

Gazpacho

Salads

After circling the buffet twice, I opted for healthy Israeli couscous salad with a side of wholesome slightly crispy, spicy chicken wangs. It was all super tasty but a little warming up is needed. I added a non-alcoholic sangria, which conceptually made sense but for me the wine was missing. For the South Africans the non-alcoholic sangria tasted a bit like purity baby juice.

In the chocolate room

The City Bakery is great for freshness and variety, also my brother recommends their brunch time french toast.

The City Bakery

3 West 18th Street, NY

Hampton Chutney Dosas

This post is for those gluten-free people like my mum. Dosas are crispy crepes made from rice with a slightly sourdough taste. On my Upper West Side trip I was given a recommendation to try Hampton Chutney for their Dosas.

 I asked for the most popular dosa curry chutney chicken with spinach, balsamic onions & a side of cilantro (coriander) chutney. 

It's packed full of flavour; spicy and turmeric yellow. What they don't tell you is that a dosa is huge, like Akhalwaya's AK huge, so go hungry! 

I could only get half way because I had to save some space for a yummy mango lassi.

Hampton Chutney Co.

464 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, NY

Saturday = Smorgasburg

Saturdays for me are market days, off to Williamsburg I went for a food market fix at Smorgasburg.

The Smorgasburg is a melting pot if people; families, hipsters & a sprinkling of cool kids. Too many options so little time!

Jerk Chicken

Meat sandwiches

Drip coffee

I settled for Handsome Hank's shrimp and chips. Squeeze of lemon on the lightly battered shrimp a dip in tartare and pop nom nom nom.

Dessert was a lemonade with a scoop of the most beautiful cucumber white wine mint sorbet in it. Über refreshing!

Happy market day! If you're in New York head to the Smorgasurg it's right on the water.

On the go Kung Fu Milk Tea

Decided to grab a drink on the go while waiting for the M15 bus, I was always on a bus. Spotted this tiny shop, Kung Fu Tea, full of people which is always a good sign.

I said I'm a first timer what should I have? The Kung fu milk tea with bubbles of course. The bubbles being tapioca balls. I have to tell you, it's a trip this drink. For South Africans it's best described as a mild kinda flo, cold tea with large black sago balls in it.

 

One of the must tries in New York is bubble tea, so do it!

Kung Fu Tea
241 E 10th St, East Village, NY

A taste of Fatty Crab

My brother recommended Fatty Crab as a must go to while in NY, so off to Fatty Crab I went. Stepping in from the rain to a bustling restaurant with a bar in the back, it turns out they jotted down our reservation incorrectly so we had to wait 15 minutes for a table but I'll put this down to lost in translation. Though I have to note I have a great American twang which I use when calling, that's right Boo!

We were told that ordering five dishes would be a good amount for the three of us (my mum, aunt and myself). I took the liberty of ordering the watermelon pickle & crispy pork, green mango & papaya salad, oysters, chili crab, pork buns and the fatty duck.

The green mango and papaya salad is not for the faint-hearted it is fiery hot with fresh slices of chilli. But tasty with a balance of ginger, green mango, ripe mango and sweet papaya.

Green mango & papaya salad

The pork buns, are alas not Momofuku buns, and lacked a little lustre. It was in need of a little cucumber and radish pickle with a bit of oyster sauce.

Pork buns

The pickled watermelon with crispy pork belly was interesting. The textures complimented each other with the soft watermelon and the crunchy yet soft pork.

Pickled watermelon & crispy pork belly

The best dish of the night was the chili crab served with two doorstop slices of white bread. The crab is cooked in a sweet coconut cream based sauce that has an ever so slight hint of chilli. Delish! I even tucked my napkin in my shirt cos "I'm just mobbing like that" lol!

Chili crab

Oh you're waiting to read about the fatty duck, well it didn't ever reach our table. So will have to try it next time.

Dessert was a coconut-lemongrass panna cotta which had the absolute perfect wobble with a sweet savoury taste to it.

Coconut-lemongrass panna cotta

Get your hands dirty and sink your teeth into Fatty Crab! Do let me know what the fatty duck is like.

Fatty Crab

2170 Broadway, Upper West Side, New York

Heaven in Dominique Ansel Bakery

There's this little bakery in Soho that offers little pieces of heaven. Dominique Ansel Bakery is sweet goodness in a store even for those who are gluten intolerant, the have pavlovas and flourless chocolate cake.

Madeleines are made to order, warm with a hint of lemon and sprinkling of powdered sugar.

The salted caramel eclair is perfect with a sprinkling of salt

 

I juist had to take something away for later, more madeleines and a box of macaroons. Earl Grey, Raspberry Balsamic, Pistachio, Vanilla and Chocolate mocha macaroons.

 

I always take a piece of heaven to go!

Dominique Ansel Bakery

189 Spring street, Soho, NY

Late night sweets at the Momofuku Milk Bar

Had a serious sweet craving the other night so hopped on a bus crosstown to the Momofuku Milk Bar on the upper west side.

No surprises the Milk Bar was full of customers trying to get their fix and the most popular item ordered was the crack pie, yes you read right the crack pie. Cookies, pie slices, and soft serve ice cream in cereal milk flavour.

If you want a piece of Milk Bar at home they have lots for sale cookie mix, cereal milk mix and of course signed copies of the Momofuku cookbooks.

So this is my Milk Bar fix, a set of truffles, a slice of crack pie and an Arnie Palmer (half ice tea half lemonade) to wash it all down. The crack pie is a buttery sweet salty filling almost condense milk type filling in a toasted oats crust.

The truffles are strawberry lemon, b'day cake and mint cookies 'n cream. My fave was the sweet tart strawberry lemon truffle is a sweet tart bite. The b'day cake tastes like a ball of all sorts of hundreds and thousands.

Momofuku Milk Bar (upper west side)

561 Columbus ave