Tacombi, New York

I hadn't planned to visit Tacombi whilst in New York, but like so many good things on this trip we stumbled across it whilst out strolling around NoLiTa one morning.

There are so many great things about this Mexican street food joint from the two guys cooking up a storm of tacos and tamales in a converted Kombi Van to the old mechanics garage the cafe is located within. Tacombi has a rustic "south of the border" feel, yet also a hard urban edge that is simply too cool for school.  This place is very cool...very New York.

Despite the quirky decor and interior it goes without saying thought that the absolute best thing about Tacombi is the food.  Miss M and I decide to keep our ordering to a minimum as we had a plan to head down the road to Russ and Daughters and pig out on cream cheese with salmon bagels...but that never happened as the deli was so crowded we could hardly get our foot inside the door.

I keep my ordering under control and order just two tacos. The AL PASTOR (marinated pork and roast pineapple) takes my fancy as does the CRISPY FISH (beer battered fish, chipotle mayo and cabbage slaw).

Al Pastor - $3.67

OMG - these tacos were AMAZING! The crispy fish taco blew my mind so much so that I'm going to attempt making this taco at home (using frozen fish from the supermarket though - let's not go too crazy with this whole cooking shingdig). I've already made a pineapple salsa a few times ala the AL PASTOR and it's been a big hit.

Crispy Fish Taco - $3.67

Miss Piggy cannot live on Tacos alone (sadly) so we bought a drink each.  I go for the AGUA DE SANDÍAAGUA (Freshly squeezed lime and watermelon juice) and Miss M goes tropical and opts for a big tall glass of DE JAMAICA (tart, unsweetened tea brewed from hibiscus flower).

Agua De Sandia (on the left) and Agua De Jamaica on the right - $2.67 each

So needless to say I have big regrets in not having eaten my own body weight in delicious tacos and will be hitting up El Loco soon for something a bit more authentic than I can muster up at home.

Thanon Khaosan, Haymarket

It’s a little sad to admit that one of the major drawcards of dining at Thanon Khaosan for me was the cute little Tuk Tuk that is installed in the front of this Thai restaurant. Now I took a Tuk Tuk (that’s a lot of tooks/Tuks in one sentence) in Bangkok just for the heck of it and it was loud and dirty as you breathed in the fumes of all the traffic around you...and you couldn’t really see out the sides all that well unless you ducked your head at an odd angle. Tuk Tuks are better for looking at then riding in I’d say.

Despite the novelty Tuk Tuk at Thanon Khaosan this Thai eatery deep in the bowels of Sydney’s Thainatown (I always feel like I’m lisping when I say Thainatown), also serves up some pretty decent Thai food. There are quite a few items on the menu that I’ve not seen any of the other Thai places around – such as Tap Kai Yang (BBQ Chicken Liver with tamarind sauce).

On this visit The BFF and I are dining on another spreets voucher. This one was a real bargain, two entrees, two mains, two desserts and two glasses of wine all for $39. What a steal!

Apologies for the terrible, fuzzy, dark photos. I swear that as soon as we sat down and they saw my camera the lights were dimmed to near darkness!  It was nearly too much for the Canon G11 to handle.

We start things off with an order of Moo Ping (BBQ Pork with tamarind sauce – normally $5.00 for 3 pieces). This was a sensationally delicious entree. The pork was tender and moist, yet charred on the outside.

Next is an entree I’ve not seen on a Thai menu anywhere before. I’m not sure if it is an authentic dish or something that has been added to the menu for the Aussie palate. Either way I was chuffed with the Kiew Kai Tod (Fried Wonton Filled with Quail Egg - $5.00 for 2 pieces). Each skewer held three crispy wontons wrapped around a plump little quail egg - certainly an interesting dish. The yolk was quite firm which was a shame as I love the pop biting in a quail egg and hitting rich, oozey yolk. I’m not sure how you would get a runny yolk with deep-frying the whole thing?

For mains we shared a Som Tum Poo (Thai papaya salad with raw pickled crabs - $8.90). This dish was really interesting and probably one of those that I need instructions for. The papaya salad was the standard sort you would get pretty much anywhere, but the pickled crab was what we both found really interesting.

Two tiny little crabs sat hidden under the mess of papaya salad – shells still intact. They would’ve been no bigger than a 50 cent piece. The BFF and I debated over whether or not we should eat them, or if they were just there for seasoning or just decoration. Mid debate The BFF pops one into his mouth and crunches away declaring it is OK, kind of salty. I decide to try a leg off the second crab. Oh my god – it was SO salty, like drinking a glass of sea water. So I guess, now that the research has been done, you don’t eat the crab (or do you)?

The Ped Nam Buoy (roasted duck served with stir fried shitake mushroom - $24.90) was far less challenging for us. There was no question that you dug in and ate as much of this lush, fatty duck meat as you could.

Dessert was a slice of pandan jelly topped with a white coconut jelly of sorts, and a slab of peanut “something something”. Both were really nice, not to sweet and the peanut thingy-ma-jig reminded me a bit of Indian Barfi.

Display of sweeties on the cart at the front of the store.

Thanon Khaosan is at 413 Pitt Street, Haymarket. Phone 9211 1194

Pho Pasteur, Emperor's Puff and Sweeties Delight, Haymarket

I think Pho Pasteur was the first place the BFF and I ever went to for a meal together - back in the 90s so I'm talking like a million years ago. Back then I was living on the North Shore "darling" and the BFF was worried that my North Shore sensibilities couldn't handle this grungy little Vietnamese diner.  To be fare I was squatting in my sisters sunroom as I couldn't afford to live anywhere else - a cheap and cheerful meal was exactly what I was after.

Fast forward quite a few years and I swear to the food Gods above that Pho Pasteur has not changed one little bit - the same worn tiled floor, batteried laminate tables and vinyl covered chairs.  And the menu looks unchanged as well - which is fine. Why mess with simple perfection I say?

A meal here always starts with the obligatory silver pot of free tea.  Not a bad drop and tastes just as good hot as it does cold - which inevitably happens when you're gossiping away over a meal with friends.

First up we order a serve of Seafood Spring Rolls ($10.00 for six).  Before anything else arrives on the table a plate arrives bearing a tumble of lettuce leaves, mint and bean sprouts (that's it in the background of this shot). Moments later the super crispy spring rolls arrive - yum!

Step 1: various bits and bobs arrive at the table

Step 2: a plate of irresistibly crispy spring rolls arrive shortly after

Step 3: wrap your spring roll in the lettuce leaf (and other bits and pieces), dip in the sauce provided and ENJOY!

Because the weather has been a bit all over the place lately, and Sydney is in a "cold spell" on the night of this dinner (plus I was feeling a bit "under the weather") I decide a bowl of steaming hot Pho with Grilled Beef  ($10.50 for a small bowl) is in order.

Now my Aussie friends I have it on good authority that a) Pho will cure anything that ails you and b) it's pronounced more like the word "Fur" not "Foe". Pho/Fur can also come with thinly sliced Raw Beef that cooks quickly in the hot broth, but I've decided that I prefer the Grilled Beef much more.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to dunk the grilled beef into the Pho, or just eat it as a side dish...so I do both (best of both worlds approach). The second plate of goodies that arrived at our table early on is for the Pho...a squeeze of lemon, some bean sprouts and Vietnamese Basil all go into the soup before you begin slurping away.

The BFF goes for a very healthy and refreshing bowl of Grilled Beef with Vermicelli ($10.00).  Whilst the Grilled Beef that is wrapped around grilled onion is delicious, it is the hidden nubbins of deep fried pork fat that really put a smile on my face.  Pork Fat! Deep Fried! What could be better? So really, this dish is not that healthy after all. Whatever!

Seeing as our so called "healthy dinner" descended into a pork fat love fest we decide it's only fitting to go in search of something sweet to end our night on. I've always been intrigued by the little hole-in-the-wall on Dixon Street selling "Emperor's Puff". Normally there is a long queue stretching back from this tiny window, but this night the joint was deserted (or desserted) so we buy four of these delectable little custard puffs to see all the fuss is about. At $1.00 for 4 this must be the cheapest sugar hit in Sydney.

Caution: the custard filling is SERIOUSLY hot, I swear I lost a layer of skin off the roof of my mouth. Ouch!

Now whilst the Emperor's Puff were good, the BFF's sweet tooth still wasn't satisfied so we went in search of more sugar. We were headed for Meet Fresh when we spotted the "same same but different" Sweetie's Paradise on Dixon Street.

The BFF decides to order something hot (given that his dinner was a cold salad) and order a bowl of Almond Soup and Black Glutinous Rice ($4.70). I'm not normally a fan of rice pudding type dishes, but this was actually really tasty (but way too filling). I quite liked my foray into Herbal Jelly at Meet Fresh to go for the Mango Grass Jelly ($4.99).  The Grass Jelly is really quite flavourless, but weirdly refreshing at the same time.

Pho Pasteur is at 709 George Street, Haymarket.



You can buy Emperor's Puff from the hole-in-the-wall window at Emperor's Garden Cake and Bakery in Chinatown (96-100 Hay Street {though the bakery is actually on Dixton Street}, Haymarket).




Sweetie's Paradise is at 45 Dixon Street.

Momofuku Ssam Bar and Milk Bar, New York

Any food lover worth their weight in pork buns is sure to make a pit stop at Momofuku in New York. The only question is which one? Ssam, The Noodle Bar, Ko or Ma Peche. Of course it goes without saying that whichever Momofuku you choose to dine at you have to complete the meal with dessert from the Momofuku Milk Bar.

David Chang is the brainchild behind the Momofuku restaurants, focusing on a fusion of Korean/American cuisine. His legendary pork buns are the stuff of foodie dreams - and they are as good as all the hype makes them out to be.  

We didn't visit Momofuku until quite late in our trip and my stomach was suffering from serious food fatigue. We decided to hit up Momofuku Ssam for a few smaller tapas style dishes, rather than the Noodle Bar as it just wasn't Ramen weather - being a hot and sunny day.

We start with a steamed pork bun each (these are too good to consider sharing no matter how full you are from 10 solid days of eating). I love the soft, doughy buns that look like Pacman gobbling up a sweet, fatty piece of pork.  Pacman also has a good does of flavoursome hoisin, cucumbers and scallions in his gob.  I really wish we could get pork buns like this in Sydney. Sigh.

Unbeknownst to me Ssam also do a pulled duck bun (*happy dance*). Despite being slathered with just a bit too much smoked mayo, the shredded duck was AMAZING and resplendent with a crispy, salty tile of duck skin on top. There's also a bit of sauerkraut in there somewhere.

We thought we were being healthy by ordering a broccoli salad with a smoked bluefish vinaigrette. This salad was DELICIOUS, and the waitress tells us anything cooked in rendered duck fat and topped with crispy flecks of duck crackling ought to taste mind blowing.  Well, it blew our feeble little minds that's for sure.

After our few healthy (*cough cough*) small plates we decide to upsize things and order a lunch plate of 
rotisserie duck over rice with “all the fixings”, or as the waitress said “one tricked out duck over rice”.  The scaled down version of the lunch plate comes with just duck, scallion, ssam sauce and crispy shallot.  We added  lettuce and chive pancakes so we could make delicious, ducky, tasty wraps.

Our plan after lunch was head directly across the road to the Momofuku Milkbar so I could inhale a piece or three of their famous Crack Pie, but we were so full we had to go for a walk to let lunch settle down into our hollow legs.

So a little stroll around the streets of the Lower East Side bring us back to the Milkbar with slightly emptied stomachs.

I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to buy but was very nearly sidetracked by the tempting display of cookies, cakes and slices on the counter.  Corn Cookie? Sounds tempting, but I needed to stay focused.

I order a slice of my long dreamed about Crack Pie which is so sweet I'm sure I got cavities in my teeth at the very first bite.  The pie is called Crack Pie as it is purported to be as addictive as Crack. Not that I've had Crack, but the pie is pretty nice, however I don't feel like I'm addicted to it (which is good as it's long way back to the visit the Milkbar from Sydney, and I can't bake one myself as...I can't bake).   The pie is a super sweet mix of butter, cream, brown sugar, regular sugar, and a corn flour and the taste and texture reminds me a litlte of the caramel in our caramel slice.  Plenty of people have blogged about baking this pie and it's pretty easy to find a recipe online if you feel the ned to test your addiction levels.

I also grab a Compost Cookie for the road.  Another quirky name for a cookie that contains just about everything you'd throw into a compost bin - though it tastes (and smells) better than I imagine any compost bin would.  The cookie contains everything from potato chips, pretzels, coffee grounds (yes coffee grounds), chocolate chips and butterscotch chips (plus what I suspect is a whole tonne of butter) resulting in a moist, chewy, tasty cookie.

The Cereal Milk Soft Serve grabs Miss M's eye.  The ice-cream tastes just like the left over milk in the bottom of your cornflakes bowl. Not my cup of tea, but I think cereal lovers would be pretty chuffed.

David Chang has recently opened a Momofuku at the casino in Sydney - a bit more fancy schmancy (and pricey) than Ssam, but I hear that the pork buns are on the menu.

Shake Shack, New York

I've been deciding if I should write any more posts about my eating adventure in NYC - after all we ate SO much it's a bit overwhelming to decide what to write about and where to even begin. I'm also trying to cut down on my blogging as I've having some "issues" with my arms and typing/computer work is a real pain (literally).

But then I started looking through my photos of my trip to NYC and the photos of our meal/s at Shake Shack had my reliving the "best burger of my life" moment.  So I'll begin my NYC posts with the best thing I ate...a simple, mind-blowing cheeseburger.

The first Shake Shack we visited was in Madison Square Park - an outdoor kiosk where you sit under ferry lights and eat your mind-blowing burgers whilst already plotting the next time you can get back to Shake Shack for your next burger hit.  As it was pretty dark my photos didn't turn out all that well (it was also raining which made eating outdoors a bit of a challenge) - so I knew a daylight revisit was going to be in order.

Luckily for me there is another Shake Shack further uptown near Times Square where we happened to be one lunchtime.

Up in lights at the Theatre District branch.

There it is - the best cheeseburger of my life! Why is it the best cheeseburger I hear you ask?

Well (I'll try and keep this brief) for starters the the Shake Shack patty's are 100% ground beef and are ground fresh every day - no frozen yukky patty's here.  This means the patty's are moist, totally delicious and flavoursome. Simply it tastes amazing. And the bun - oh the bun!  The buns at Shake Shack are super soft and squishy and toasted to perfection. Oh, and look at that oozy, melty cheese...and the thick slice of pickle. Man oh man what I wouldn't give to be back in NYC right now biting into one of these babies.

Cheeseburger - $4.00 for a single patty

My travel buddy Miss M prefers her burger with a bit of greenery so opts for the Shakeburger. Personally I don't want any pesky salad getting in the way of my Cheeseburger experience, but Miss M seems pretty happy.

Shakeburger - $4.50 for a single patty

Of course you can't have a burger without a side of fries. I like the novelty factor of the crinkly fries here - though the fires aren't a patch on their world changing burgers.

Fries - $2.65, crinkles included

Refreshments - the tall and the short.

I order a Root Beer Float just for the pure novelty factor. Root Beer tastes like Sarsaparilla which I know a lot of people don't like as it has a bit of a medicinal taste, but I LOVE it. Add in a scoop of ice-cream and you have a frothy, fluffy "float".

Root Beer Float - $4.75

Miss M orders a Concrete - which is a bit like a McFlurry from McDonalds. A "concrete" is a super dense frozen custard blended which is mixed with a bunch of toppings and other bits and pieces like chocolate, honeycomb and god knows what else we choose to go into the mix.

Concrete - $6.00

If you're on your way to The Big Apple I would highly recommend grabbing yourself a Cheeseburger from Shake Shack. Perhaps you can bring one home for me?

Ooo look, a yellow cab. How New York is that?