At what point in a friendship is it okay to steal food out of your friends’ chopsticks in the midst of a free for all scramble?

When you find yourself lucky enough to have friends who are willing to engage in a hostile battle for food, bring them to Hagi. It’ll take you forever to find a seat, but it’ll be worth it. And that’s what we did a couple of Saturdays ago. Seven of us waited 40 minutes for a corner table. It was hot, humid, and sticky, but it was all worth it for those four pitchers of beer and intense moments where we scrambled for sustenance.

For a Japanese joint located right next to Times Square, I’d say Hagi is very fairly priced. Everything is generally around $10 or under and granted the portion sizes aren’t huge or anything, but the ambiance is great if you’re looking for a chill hangout spot. This place is like a Kenkas on St. Marks but in Midtown with a pricier tag and an older crowd. Still, I can imagine a night of drinking games or just pure good conversation with old friends at Hagi. The servers are super nice and they don’t mind if you hog the booth for hours. We realized at the very end that it’s because of people like us that we had to wait 40 minutes for a table.

WHERE ARE YOU SETH?!

That’s them, sans Seth and his cousin. We sat at Hagi for three hours where I was appointed the designated food orderer. We took care of business first by ordering not one, not two, and not even three, but FOUR pitchers of beer. I was told that within those three hours, I just kept on ordering and ordering so the food just kept coming out. But when the food hit the table, all became quiet and everyone impatiently waited for me to take a shot. As soon as I gave the okay, chopsticks went flying left and right, hands were getting stabbed, and food was getting stolen right beneath our noses. Food lasted for approximately 20 seconds.

Kirin Pitcher ($12- eh for the price, but totally refreshing on a hot day)

And when you do continuously order plate after plate without regards to the check, you start racking up the final price tag. We had intended to go somewhere cheap, so it was a bit hefty that we all ended up shelling out $20+ at the end. I realized the next morning that I had ordered from so many different and random people – servers/runners/etc… that they didn’t count at least three dishes!

Deep Fried “takoyaki” 5 pieces ($6.50)

Also known as octopus. It’s a popular Japanese “dumpling” where they dice up octopus, tempura, ginger, onion and so forth. They only gave five pieces and as the self acclaimed non-seafood eater, I forewent my piece. It’s okay, really. No apologies necessary there, friends.

Neopolitan: Pork belly, ketchup, onions, soba noodles ($9)

Don’t you dare judge that dish before you try it. I think my friends were a bit hesitant when I was like, “Hey, yo, imma order the ‘neopolitan.’” Someone gave me this stare like, really?! Ketchup?!

Well what do you know. IT WAS A SMASHING HIT! The pork belly (ahem, a privileged sounding name for bacon) was ridiculously delicious. Everyone loved this so much that we ordered another one! Let me tell you. Ketchup tastes good on everything!

Okonomiyaki: Japanese pancake with okonomiyaki sauce with bonito flakes  ($9.75)

This was fairly small and it came cut in four slices so I did the honors by slicing them into eight. Of course, then we ran into the problem of who’d get the extra piece. This was in the beginning of the meal when we were all civilized and well mannered people (and had only drank like 1/4th of a pint of Kirin).

I love how the bonito flakes move back and forth, as if they were dancing. It freaks alot of people out but I get mesmerized just watching the steam cause that effect. This okonomiyaki is just downright greasy but in a good way. It’s what you crave for when you don’t care about your health. Come to think of it, it’s what you crave for when you’re drunk.

Thumbs up (bigger would be nicer though).

Seafood Yakisoba: Octopus and all, cabbage, scallions, beansprouts ($9.50)

Probably one of my lesser favorites of the night because of the octopus, but truthfully, by then, all the food started tasting the same. Actually, you were lucky if you could actually get some food in that mad dash…

Pan Fried noodles: ($9.00)

At this point, everyone was like, JUST TAKE THE PICTURE GODDAMMIT!

Dang it, this hit the spot. I usually love udon, but with so many people, a thinner noodle is the way to go. This was so thin and fragile that it almost tasted like ramen. It may have been ramen… Anyway, I’m sure they cranked up the MSG in this dish because it was just so flavorful. Pan fried though? I don’t think so…

Yakiudon, regular ($9.50)

Hands down, always my favorite dish at any Japanese joint. I’m a sucker for udon, but unfortunately, because of how thick udon is, they don’t give you much here. And no, those aren’t shredded carrots- it’s ginger! I definitely prefer Hagi’s yakiudon to Kenka’s because there’s less sauce on this one. If you’ve never had yakiudon, you’re missing out… big time.

I forgot the name: bean sprouts, cabbage string beans, miso sauce, pork (8.50)

Funny how I can remember everything that was in it and the price, but not the name of the dish. Well I only remember what went in it because Saumya specifically requested that it have the miso sauce . While it was mighty delicious, there were no carbs so it felt just a tad bit too healthy for the occasion.

Someone is in the process of stealing food via chopsticks!

I only caught two hands in the battle. What a rare moment.

My plate, and I believe this was after I did a victory lap after successfully taking some noodles as P.O.W. from Jlee’s chopsticks… SORRY JOONBUG!

Congratulations you two, for being the most photogenic of the night and keeping still. Every other picture turned out blurry…

The table next to us was filled with these white guys in their late 20’s/early 30’s. They got a kick out of us. When the Yakisoba landed on our table, one of them immediately sought out the server and requested, “YOU SEE THAT? WE WANT THAT!”

There was definitely alot more food than that check showed. I mean, three hours?! I can’t believe we ate for three hours! How is that even humanely possible?!

And to end off this post, I wanted to show you Jlee in all of his glory- with my aviators. He was cool for a moment- but only for a moment.

MENU
152 W. 49th St.
New York, NY 10019
Near Seventh Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-764-8549 Send to Phone

Brioche Perdue: French toast made with brioche from “Ceci Cela” with mango, strawberries, bananas, and papaya. Served with a dallop of creme fraiche

France: One Nation Above God

‘Home to Earth’s entire population of 62.6 million people, every single one of the planet’s 427 cities, and all of its history, culture, and beauty, France is the only country in the world.‘

Courtesy of Our Dumb World, a national bestseller, brought to you by The Onion.

Sorry, I just had to insert that. If that kind of humor pertains to you, I’d highly suggest picking up a copy. In fact, I picked up two myself, while convincing a coworker and another friend to do the same.

In all seriousness though, the French are really nice people, barring a couple of encounters that I’ve had. The first encounter was on an overnight train ride from Rome to Nice, where a French couple tried convincing us that they booked the whole cabin for themselves and that we were, unfortunately, unwelcomed. To spite us, they gave us dirty stares while we were sleeping. The second encounter involved the server at L’Orange Bleu. He wasn’t mean or anything, but he looked at me as if I had asked the dumbest question in the world.

Located just above Nolita in SoHo, L’Orange Bleue offers a weekend prix-fixe brunch, which includes a mimosa/sangria/coffee/orange juice and an entree for $15. Their brunch list is pretty decent, ranging from a Brioche French Toast to Huevos Rancheros (how authentically French!), and Croque-Monsieur (at least that’s French).

So what was my dumb question? I asked the waiter whether the sangria was any good and he gave me this blank look like, “Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t it be?!”

I went for the mimosa, and luckily so, because the sangria was eh (Clare ordered it).

Amy sips her cup of joe while Clare dreams about her crabcakes

But besides that one encounter, we didn’t really see the server again. The runners were really friendly (I’ve yet to encounter an unfriendly runner) and the food was delivered on time. So everything else about the meal was pretty decent.

Oeufs poches Maryland: Two poached eggs on crab cakes/Old Bay spiced hollandaise/mesclun/french fries

Clare and Amy both went for the Maryland crabcakes. I had a piece, which while good, was a bit too much for me. Even though they’re really small, I wouldn’t be able to stomach both, especially with that rich hollandaise sauce. But don’t take it from me because Clare and Amy both polished it off.

The highlight of that dish had to be the fries. So crispy. So well seasoned. So soft on the inside. L’Orange Bleue sure knows how to make their fries.

If you imagine hard enough, it sort of looks like the face of that server- an angry face with bulging eyes.

I on the other hand, wanted something on the sweet side and settled for their Brioche French Toast. Honestly, it was good, but it wasn’t outstanding. The french toast itself was light and airy and pulled apart easily with a little tugging from my fork. I liked how it wasn’t overly sweet, probably because of the creme fraiche. But the downside is that the creme fraiche did its job too well and sort of mellowed out all the flavors. I was hoping for the flavors from the fruit to come out a bit more, but the cream muted the sweetness. I shouldn’t complain, though, since I walked out feeling sufficiently full without being on a sugar high. I find that the best french toasts (at least for the first few bites) end up being too heavy in the end because of all that sugar.

The brioche used to be from Balthazar’s Bakery but is now from Ceci Cela’s. Not exactly an upgrade, but Ceci Cela’s is still pretty legit.

Would I come here again? Probably not, although I really did like the ambiance. I will admit that it beats the popular Essex for brunch in terms of the quality of the food and price, but not service. We dined indoors, although there are a line of seats on the left hand side for al fresco dining. The restaurant sits in an area that makes for a quaint and quiet Sunday brunch, but also for a brawly and loud Friday dinner. In fact, they even have belly dancers at night sometimes. They’re also showing all of the World Cup games, although I can’t quite imagine sitting at this Eurocharm cafe with a beer in hand watching football.

That’s the French for you.

Last but not least, THANKS FOR THE MEAL CLARE!

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430 Broome St.
New York, NY 10013
at Crosby St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-226-4999 Send to Phone

Oh, the memories this Japanese joint brings back… A classic favorite of NYU students during my freshman year (partially because of the cheap, cheap food but mostly because of their blind eye towards underage drinking), I remember coming here every Thursday and Friday night while pledging in between exams. And then there were times when we came back twice within a night to a confused waitress that asked us, “Really?! Again?!”

Kenka still stands in the same spot on St. Marks, but the days of non-carding and underage drinking are over. Nowadays, for those of us that can drink legally, they’ve made drinking even cheaper. Where else in New York City can you get a 32 oz Sapporo on draft for only $5?! Heck, we couldn’t even buy a 40 for that price anywhere.

Amy is super excited. (And no, I did not photoshop that $5.00!! red sign into that menu leaflet!)

Actually, Amy agreed to pose since I was the designated photographer. At first, I didn’t realize that 32 oz was that big. The waitress came by and smacked the glass onto the wooden tabletop and our eyes widened. “You’re going to drink all of that?!” Amy inquired. “Um yeah, I hope so,” I responded. Thou shall not waste food beer.

We arrived around 9:15pm on a Saturday night to a long waiting list. Luckily it was just Amy and me because it looked like groups of three or more had to wait alot longer. Staring into Kenkas along the busy nightlife of St. Marks, Kenka epitomized that popular restaurant that you see in a Time Out Japan guidebook. Despite clearly having a heavy Japanese vibe, guests of all races aligned the wooden stools along the bar. It was refreshing to see non-Asians at a restaurant where the menu was the paper version of an anime comic, predominantly in Japanese with few words of English for description purposes.

So we waited for about 10 minutes before we got our seat. And then only a minute before the server came by to take our drink orders.

32 oz Sapporo Draft ($F-to the-I-to the-V-to the-E!!!)

I wish I had taken the shot upon arrival, in all its glory with its 1.5 inch thick foaming head but… It was so difficult to decide what to get. The menu has an extensive list of ramen, udon, and soba, but it was way too hot to get anything with a soup base. Sushi was out of the question (I’m not sure I trust eating raw fish here although I’m sure the turnover rate for the fish must be high), and we sure as heck didn’t want rice, so… we were left with their pancakes.

Oh, and did I mention? They serve turkey testicles and bull penises. Definitely out of the question.

Okonomiyaki: japanese pancake w/ pork, squid and vegetables ($6.00)

Instead, we got the okonomiyaki, the popular Japanese pancake and our favorite of the night. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) actually means “what you want” (okonomi) “grilled” (yaki). The base is usually flour + yam + water + eggs and then your meats, vegetables, and seafood. Man, if I ever go to Japan, heck, I’m not going to Tokyo- I’m going to go to Osaka first to get myself some authentic Osaka style okonomiyaki.

The okonomiyaki is topped with tokatsu sauce and mayo with some bonito flakes sprinkled on top. Bonito flakes are essentially fish flakes and if dropped on top of a steaming plate of okonomiyaki, they start waving back and forth, as if dancing. It’s trippy at first, but it’s really just the steam. I think Amy got a bit scared when I told her it was just fish (omitting telling her flakes).

Yakiudon: fried udon noodle with pork, squid and vegetables ($6.00)

We also ordered the Yakiudon (焼きそば), which should be no stranger to any Japanese food lovers. Udon are thick noodles (my personal favorite) and yakiudon stirfries the udon with vegetables and pork. The traditional version is Yakisoba (made from soba noodles) but the concept is the same. Usually it’s topped with “aonori” or seaweed, but ours wasn’t. Either way, the yakiudon while good, wasn’t terribly delicious. However, with that 32 oz Sapporo, it was good company for my taste buds. The flaw with all yakiudon that I’ve noticed is that THEY GIVE YOU TOO LITTLE!

Modanyaki: japanese pancake w/ noodles, pork, squid and vegetables ($8.50)

Initially, we only ordered two dishes. By the time we finished the food, it was around 10:30pm and my beer still had a third of it left. We were at the mercy of Clare, who was attending a wedding and so Amy and I wanted to sit at Kenka longer. Taking all that into consideration, we ordered another dish. Don’t ask us why now because by the time it came, we were about to burst and couldn’t only manage to eat less than half of it.

Modanyaki (モダン焼き) is okonomiyaki but with thin fried noodles in it. It tasted good, but that’s as much as I can tell you because by that time, food was the last thing on my mind… I do have to say that alot of the flavor from many of their dishes come from the heavy usage of their sauces, but what can you expect for a $6 entree?!

By 11pm, things were starting to get quiet. The table to our right, full of college-age kids, were winding down their drinking games and the long line outside began to dwindle. I can tell you from past experience that this is just a blip, as around midnight, there’s usually another wave of hungry (more like drunk) New Yorkers seeking for cheap grub.

Our whole bill came out to…

$28!

Holy shiz. $28! For that beer large enough to fill my three-person family on a normal night and three entrees?! $28! I still can’t get over it.

Anddd, as if that wasn’t enough, they have a COTTON CANDY MACHINE outside. When they present the bill, they give you a tiny plastic cup of pink sugar. You pay the bill, make your way outside, and flip a switch. The motor starts humming and you spill the sugar into the center of the hole. Then… you start twirling and twirling.

And twirling and twirling…

Too mad neither of us like cotton candy. I just like the concept of me being able to make it.

And Amy does a good job posing as a cotton candy lover.

MENU (although clearly incomplete)
25 St. Marks Pl.
New York, NY 10003
nr. Second Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-254-6363 Send to Phone

Just when you thought those Asian restaurants couldn’t get any better with the names, you get this one. To their credit, it’s simply branded as “B.C.D.” on their rooftop with some Korean words scribbled next to it. And, they’re in Flushing…

So why did we come to BCD? For their soft tofu stew. Oh, and my grandmother lives in Flushing.

Can I tell you something? I don’t even like tofu and if you know me, I hate stew. Okay, fine. I used to hate tofu. But now, I’m “eh” about it. Put it in a stone bowl that’s sizzling upon arrival and that “eh” turns into an “oh boy!” I’ll make an exception for stew if it’s in a hot stone bowl.

Banchan (complimentary)

Before we go any further, just what is tofu? I think it’s a legit question to ask. Because, heck, I don’t even know and I ate it.

Tofu (豆腐) is made of… soy milk! Technically it’s more easily defined as bean curd, but that sounds really disgusting so let’s just stick with soy milk. Soy milk is made by soaking, grinding, boiling, and draining dried soybeans (Wikipedia, “Production” paragraph). You “coagulate” aka curdle soy milk with something acidic like lemon or vinegar. I mean, we’ve all coagulated something right? It’s like making buttermilk at home, where you add vinegar to milk. Then, when the curds form, you press it into blocks, separating it from the whey and you get… tofu!

And yes! The Chinese finally get credit for something that they invented! Tofu is only slowly beginning to gain momentum among non-Asians in America and I have to say, as someone who grew up on American food, I never touched tofu until I went to college. But it’s definitely worth trying. The authors of Skinny Bitch think so too (then again, they think that giving up meat and dairy is a must too…).

So back to BCD! We got to the restaurant a bit before noon on a Saturday and only two other tables were full. Within a couple seconds of handing us the menu, they brought out hot tea and within two to three minutes, we ordered. I know that Korean restaurants usually aren’t timed to the second like this, but the “banchan,” or the tiny plates of bean sprouts, radish, kimchi, tofu, etc., arrived within another two minutes. And as if that weren’t enough, they brought out more a couple of minutes later, seeing as we were a party of six.

Banchan

• Kimchi: A tiny bit disappointing. I mean, it wasn’t bad or anything, but it wasn’t great. Sorta like the kimchi you get from the jar at the Asian market. Some of the really good kimchi that I’ve had have managed to retain a slight crunch despite the aging. This didn’t.
• Bean sprouts: Refreshing, crunchy, and cold. Save it for the tofu bowl where the crunch and coldness contrast the hot and soft texture from the tofu.
• Picked tofu: Ohhh, one of my favorites! The tofu is firm and very well spiced. I actually think that this tofu was better than the tofu from the stew tofu, but, more on that later.
• Picked radish: Not a big fan to begin with. Too sour. These were “eh” again, but I am not the right person to assess.
• Shredded Beef (Jang Jo Rim): It had a garlic on top. It was also cold and salty. Hm. I’m conflicted about this one.
• Dipping sauce with soy sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions (?): No idea what this was for. Nothing needed dipping, or so I thought.

Overall, the banchan was decent. Nothing spectacular, but good enough to make the grade. Service was quite speedy.

Korean Style Seafood Pancake with Onion, Green Onion ($12)

My aunt did most of the ordering when it came to the table food. After the banchan, the seafood pancake arrived. It was huge, probably about 18 inches in diameter and sliced into perfect pieces.

I was very disappointed. First off, Asian pancakes are my absolute favorite carbs in the world. Nothing makes me happier than a scallion pancake top with a scrambled egg. In fact, this morning I had a scallion pancake.

This pancake, however, was bland. It had tentacles (from tiny octopus), squid parts, and shrimp pieces. HOW WAS THERE NO FLAVOR? Sigh.

On the up side, my mother commented on how crisp the bottom of the pancake was. So at least they did something right.

Korean Style Kimchi Pancake with Pork, Onion, Green Onion ($12)

On the flip side, there was also the kimchi pancake, which came out after we finished the seafood pancake. I thought this was phenomenal in terms of flavor. I absolutely loved the chunks of cabbage that you got with each bite and the speck of sourness that you’d detect every now and then. It’s also mildly spicy.

On the downside, this was not as crispy as the other pancake. If only they could have put two and two together. I also like how the pancakes were more expensive than the stew. HA!

Kimchi Soft Tofu: kimchi, choice of beef or pork ($9)

Finally, the soft tofu stew! We ordered three of them for the table. Each stew comes with two small bowls of rice, so it was plenty for the table. The stew also comes with a fresh egg on the side. Upon arrival, you crack the egg into it. The stone bowl is hot enough to cook the egg and if you’re lucky and get the egg whites onto the side of the bowl, the edges crisp up to become sorta like fried eggs.

The problem is, if you’re like me and my mom and don’t want to eat the egg yolk, it’s really difficult for the egg to cook in the stew. So if you’re not up for some good rawness and possible salmonella, I suggest you scramble the yolk into the whites with your chopsticks and thoroughly mix it down to the bottom of the bowl, where it’s nice and toasty.

I know, it looks a bit weird, even disgusting. You take a spoonful of tofu and lay it on top of the rice. I think that’s how you eat it. I’m pretty sure you don’t dump the rice to the stew bowl. First it’d overflow. Second, it’d get pretty soggy…

What I liked:

• The right about of spicyness: You can choose how spicy you want it as in “a little spicy,” “mildly spicy,” or “very spicy.” I got mildly spicy and it was spicy enough for me to get a runny nose but not spicy enough for me to tear. Perfect.
• The onions: I just really like onions.

What I disliked:

• The flavor: If you go to Yelp, you’ll find that several people have commented that the kimchi and pork soft tofu is the best. Without knowing that bit of info, I ordered the dish since you can’t go wrong with kimchi and pork. Well, the tofu was just plain spicy and didn’t really absorb the flavor of the kimchi. Overall, it was like eating spicy tofu, period. As if someone took cayenne pepper and cooked the tofu in it.
• Not enough pork: I think I only got two bites, sadly.

I guess the “dislike” outweighs the “like” in word count. Honestly, the last time I came here, I remember the tofu being alot better (but I only had a couple of bites since I had ordered the bibimap, which was stellar, but it could have been even more stellar had they offered it “dolsot” or in a stone bowl). Like I said, this place is known for their soft tofu stews, so maybe this was an off day.

And, in all fairness, $9 for this hefty meal is pretty much a steal. Unless if you’re my 6 ft tall cousin, you wouldn’t be able to finish this by yourself.

Duk Bokki aka Rice Cake with Carrots, Mushrooms, Onions, Green Onion in a Spicy Sauce  ($10)

I was so impressed with the Cheese Duk Bokki at Arang that I just had to get it here. It counts as an appetizer so we were like, oh wells, there’s six people. We can eat it. WRONG! Too much food!

Duk Bokki is made of rice cakes. These rice cakes were in huge chunks and were sweet. I know that they’re rice cakes, but that’s actually very misleading since rice cakes come in a plain flavor (they’re sort of like pasta but made of rice) and many dishes that use rice cakes are savory.

So the rice cakes too were a disappointment. Somewhere in the middle, the rice cake lost all flavor, even sweetness. Good rice cakes are tender and chewy in a good way. These were tender at first but then almost rubbery (but at least soft rubbery). The only flavor that came from the dish was from the thin strips made of fish (they were also sweet). I wouldn’t order this again.

Overall, even though this was a somewhat more negative review, I have no complaints because of the price. For a party of six that left feeling as if they had just left Thanksgiving dinner, the bill came out to roughly $70! That’s a steal, even in Flushing. Sure you can get a huge bowl of noodles at the mall nearby for $5 a pop, but the $70 includes speedy service, nice plates, stone bowls, and ambiance. Did I mention enough food to stuff you silly?

This has nothing to do with BCD. But just as we finished lunch, Tina asked, “So what’s for dessert?” Patrick and I looked at each other.

Eventually we stopped at Carvel. Tina decided to stay in the car with our grandma and asked us to “surprise” her. We got into Carvel and looked around. First, it was actually connected to a Subway (seriously?) Second, the menu was scant and I didn’t want a sundae. Third, all I could think about was those crunchies smushed in between the ice cream layers of a Carvel ice cream cake.

So we got a cake.

Me: “Okay, so let’s get cake.”

Patrick: “Sure. Medium:

Me: “Small”

Patrick: “Medium”

Me: “We can’t eat a medium.”

Patrick: “I don’t care. If we get cake it has to be medium.”

Me: “Fine”

Me: “We can get it customized!”

Patrick: “Yes”

Me: “Let’s write, ‘It’s a boy!’”

Patrick: “No”

Me: “Yes”

Patrick: “No. How about ‘Congratulations?’ [Tina got accepted into the college of her choice]”

Carvel lady: “Do you want a message on the cake?”

Me: “Yes, ‘It’s a boy!’”

Patrick: “No. ‘Congratulations!’”

Me: “‘NO, WRITE IT’S A BOY, TINA!’”

Carvel lady: [confused] “Do you mean, he’s a boy?!”

Me: “No, ‘It’s a boy!’”

Eventually, I wrote it out for her. She still seemed confused. After we paid and bagged the cake, she chuckled, maybe even giggled right as we turned around.

Patrick, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if we wrote “Congrats.” How terribly unsurprising.

That’s all. It was delicious, as expected.

Then I had food coma.

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98 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354