My manager at work alerted me to an amazing knife deal and I managed to score 8 Ken Onion Shun knives and the honing steel for almost 65% off retail price.  I would never buy these knives at full retail cost, that’s just crazy, but the deal was too good to pass up.

The set included the following Ken Onion Series Shuns:

6″ Chef Knife
7″ Santoku
4″ Chef Knife
5″ Serrated Utility Knife
9″ Slicing Knife
3″ Paring Knife
Boning Knife
Bread Knife
Honing Steal

Although the set did not include the spotlight-hogging 8″ Chef Knife that every one has been raving about, I was fine without it. It’s just too much knife for most of us who solely cook at home.  The title of kitchen workhorse should belong to its 6″ inch brethren.  It seems to be more practical when it comes to everyday kitchen tasks and other mundane chops, yet it still outshines where performance is desired.  The size is just right, and the balance is right on.

The knives are sturdy and much heavier than I thought, reminding me of Western knives such as WÜSTHOF, but still not as heavy.  What’s more important is that it feels good when it’s held.

The handle is designed to be ergonomic in eliminating stress on the hand and wrist, and while it fits well in the palm of the hand, it doesn’t matter to me because I hold the knife by pinching the bolster with my thumb and index finger.  For those who use the pinch-grip method, the curved side bolster makes it extremely comfortable to hold the knife.  It’s the way I learned to hold a knife, and holding it by the handle still feels awkward, no matter how ergonomic it is.

Aesthetically speaking, these knives look great, especially when they glimmer under the light.  I found myself cleaning them almost immediately after use.  They didn’t deserve to be left dirty after delivering such precision on the chopping block.

By far, these are the sharpest knives I have ever used.  So sharp that these put my Globals to shame.  While I was cutting chicken breast after chicken breast, I didn’t have to exert much force and the knife did  most of the work, a true testament to the sharp edge and weight of the knife working in conjunction. There was no resistance from the meat, as if it just gave up on life and let me hack away.

Switching to these knives might be too much of a leap for novice home cooks looking to step up their knife game, but seasoned home cooks who have mastered knife basics will have no time adjusting.  In all honestly, it’s difficult to justify the price, as most of us would never drop over $1200 for a set of knives.  I only got these because they were on sale.  If you had to get one, go for the 6″ Chef knife if you can find it.

Happy cutting, and watch those fingers!

~ Kin

Never would I thought to write a camera review on this site, but here I am.  I was never satisfied with the quality of the food pictures that my compact camera snapped, and I was fed up carrying my dSLR every where I went.  So when I heard the Canon S90 was a compact camera that performed well at taking low light pictures, I went out and got myself one.

I spent a month taking pictures of almost everything I ate when I dined out with the S90.  It’s not as slim as the other present Canon compacts, it’s about the size of the older Canon PowerShot Digital Elph 400.  Still, it’s small enough to fit in the front pants pocket without being too bulky.

While it’s not the best camera to use in low-light situations, it sure has beat out every other compact camera I have owned.  This model is also marketed to camera enthusiasts, but I think photographers of all levels should own one of these babies.  For those unfamiliar with using manual settings on a dSLR, there will be a learning curve.  Sure, the automatic function is good and all, but to truly make the pictures shine, they should be taken in manual mode, so the files can be saved in the RAW format for further tinkering as well.

Below are a bunch of pictures I took in the past 30 days or so.  All pictures were taken in Manual mode with an aperture of 2.0, shutter speed of 1/6 to 1/250, and ISO ranging from 200 to 400 in macro mode.  No flash was fired, the pictures were taken indoors and saved in RAW format, and some were enhanced with the included photo editing software (Canon’s Digital Photo Professional).  I only tinkered with the brightness, contrast, tone, and saturation settings.  No noise reduction was used either.

Tonkatsu ISO 250, F2.0 1/50 – No Retouching.

Stuffed Pancakes ISO 250, F2.0, 1/250 – Increased saturation and brightness a bit post snap

Sushi ISO 200, F2.0, 1/40 – Increased saturation and brightness post snap.

Beef Chow Fun ISO 400, F2.0, 1/30 – Increased saturation, tone, contrast, and brightness post snap.  I was seated in a very dark corner.

Shepherd’s Pie ISO 400, F2.0, 1/6 – Increased saturation, tone, contrast, and brightness post snap.  This place was pretty dimly lit.

Penne Vodka ISO 400, F2.0, 1/6 – Increased saturation, tone, contrast, and brightness post snap.  Same location as above.

Roti Canai ISO 200, F2.0, 1/10 – Slight tone correction post snap.

Toasted Bread ISO 400, F2.0, 1/25 – Increased saturation, tone, contrast, and brightness post snap.

Biscuits ISO 400, F2.0, 1/20 – Increased saturation, tone, contrast, and brightness post snap.

Meat ISO 200, F2.0, 1/30 – Slight saturation increase post snap.

Clams ISO 200, F2.0, 1/30 – Slight saturation increase, tone correction, and brightness increase post snap.

The camera performs remarkably well up to ISO 400, any more and the pictures will start to get noisy.  The image stabilization performs well and those with minor hand trembles will find this camera to be a good ally. Unfortunately, the camera’s cost comes at a premium, hovering around the $400.00 mark.

So it’s time to be the food photographer that you were meant to be!  Check out more samples here.

~ Kin

Last night, I left Pure Food and Wine mildly satiated and was in search of a filling desert joint.  I was craving cake to be more exact.  Plugging in the word “dessert” into the Yelp search bar, Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar popped up and it was just two blocks away.  Seeing that Angela and I had never been there, there was no better time to go and get a sugar fix.

Upon entering, the senses are filled with scents of butter and sugar, it’s exactly how a bakery should smell.  There are no stools to sit at, just long wooden tables.  The place looks to be designed for quick eating, get in and get out.  The place offers soft serve, milks, shakes, cookies, cakes, pies, breads, pork buns, and even spreads such as kimchi butter, miso butter, and burnt honey.  Looking at the paper menu, the Crack Pie and Pistachio Cake looked to be the winners, but then after a quick glance at the chalkboard menu hanging above the counter and cake display case, we saw the words Dulce de Leche.  Well, so much for the Pistachio cake.

The Delicious Crack Pie – I didn’t want it to end.

The slice of Crack Pie was small, but don’t let the size fool you.  It’s a concentrated slab of sugary and buttery goodness.  Appropriately named, the sweetness alone will drive you into a sugar rush, and the smooth, gooey and buttery filling just tops everything off.  You’ll probably want more after the one slice.  I’m disappointed that I just discovered this place.  I’m moving to Chicago soon and I’m going to miss New York City even more now.

Dulce de Leche

The Dulce de Leche cake isn’t as memorable as the Crack Pie but it’s still good.  It’s nowhere as sweet as the Crack Pie, but it’s just right.  I’ve had better Dulce de Leche cakes at other places, but Momofuku’s version still holds up rather venerably.  What threw me off were the milk crumbs in the filling.  They are these milky and hard clusters that worked against the soft and moist texture of the cake.  Imagine driving down a newly paved road and then running over a pothole.  It’s not a good transition.  I like it when the cake slowly dissolves and melts in the mouth, and having to bite down on something that’s rock hard just takes away from the cake eating experience.

Literally 5 minutes later…

While the Crack Pie and Dulce de Leche might have given me the quickest sugar rush in a long time, it’s good to be cake whore from time to time.  Recommended, especially for those with a sweet tooth.

Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar
207 2nd Ave
(between 12th St & 13th St)
New York, NY 10003

Food: 4 out of 5

Service: 3 out of 5

Ambiance: 3 out of 5

Out of the four dishes ordered, 2 were pretty good, one was just ok, and one managed to get an “interesting” from the both of us.

The appetizers (first course) started out strong, so we were looking forward to the main course (second course).  Unfortunately, the appetizers out-shined the main dishes, which were rather disappointing.  I have to admit though, it was my first time eating many of the ingredients so I did not know what to expect.  Going in with an inexperienced vegan palette might have put me at a disadvantage as an food reviewer, but it allowed me to be as objective as possible.  Dessert is classified as a third course, but we didn’t order any.

King Oyster Mushroom Scallops – This dish was well done.  The texture of the mushroom went really well with the chive crème fraiche.  The tomato broth was a bit light on the flavor and the flavor the black caviar was masked by the crème fraiche.  The wilted watercress was cooked with black garlic, but I couldn’t taste the black garlic.

Green Papaya Salad – Crunchy, spicy, and tangy.  This was my favorite dish of the night.

Beet Ravioli – While it might not look like ravioli in the traditional sense, it’s basically a soft cheese sandwiched between two thin slices of pickled beets.  The flavor of the cheese reminded me of the crème fraiche.

Enchiladas – The term enchilada is loosely used for this dish.  The different layers of flavor hits the tongue at all angles.  First comes the hints of Mexican spices, then the flavor of cinnamon and the pumpkin seeds takes over.  It’s a bit of Mexico, and a bit of Autumn.  The flavors seemed to clash a bit.  As Angela put it, this dish would be better used as a spread than an entree.  The texture is soft with the occasional soft crunch of pumpkin seeds.  Interesting.

Final Thoughts

This type of food isn’t for everybody, but I suggest you go and try it out for yourself.  Don’t forget, this is a vegan restaurant.  If you’re a full-time carnivore, I don’t think anything on the menu is going to give you the satisfaction that you’re looking for.  It’s going to be hit or miss when it comes to the food, and your palette will either be in for a treat or a shock.  The place has the atmosphere of fine dining and the food isn’t cheap.  There’s nothing special about the ambiance.  Dimmed lights, small votive candle…been there, done that.  Going in too hungry might result in searching for a heavier meal someplace else afterwards.  I left barely satiated and my stomach still had vacancies for more.  Reservations are recommended.   Three out of the four items we ordered were not on the online menu, so choose your dishes when you get to the restaurant.  Recommended for vegans, vegetarians, and those who can keep an open mind.

Pure Food and Wine
54 Irving Place
New York, NY

Food: 3.5 out of 5

Service: 4 out of 5

Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5

I arrived around 10:15AM and there was a line.  If there was a line on a Thursday morning, imagine what craziness the weekend brings.  Don’t be fooled by the name of the establishment as it serves omelets, crepes, waffles, and other breakfast items.  The omelets are oven-baked and these things are ginormous.  Just picture three regular moleskin notebooks stacked together, or maybe a baby manatee.  In any case, it’s a meal in itself.  As tempting as it was to order the omelet, I was there for the pancakes.

I ordered the buttermilk bacon pancakes and the southern-style hash browns.  The hash browns weren’t anything special, so let’s just move on to the pancakes.  I was expecting a big, fluffy stack of pancakes, but it wasn’t so.

Don’t let the picture fool you, these pancakes were small, thin, flat, and lifeless.  Did the cook sit on the pancakes?  And do you know what happens to thin pancakes?  They get cold really fast!  And nobody likes cold pancakes.  The savory-ness of the bacon and the sweetness of the syrup went together very well, but I think I would’ve enjoyed them much more if I wasn’t in a race against time.  The last bite of pancake was on the cool side, and the whipped butter no longer melted into the porous surface.

After battling the wind and rain on Michigan Ave, I knew I had enough because my shoes and socks were starting to get a bit moist (from the rain).  Walking around N. State St. and Rush Street, I decided to have lunch at Tavern on Rush.

I was led to a table by a very pretty hostess where I was glad to be finally taking off my heavy  and overstuffed backpack.  The lunch menu contained so much deliciousness that it was hard to decide on a choice, but I settled on the Rib Eye Steak Sandwich.  8 ounces of meat sandwiched between fancy bread?  It’s a good start.  I’ve had good rib-eye sandwiches in my day, was I going to be in for a treat or disappointment?

The sandwich came with chipotle mayonnaise, sautéed onions, lettuce, cremini mushrooms and was served in a toasted onion ciabatta roll, which gave the occasional crunch.  I held out on the tomatoes and the fontina cheese.  My cooking preference for the meat was medium, and do you know what I got?  Medium.  That’s right, the people in the kitchen got it right.  Extra points are rewarded just for that.  The meat was tender, well-marbled and full-flavored.  It got a little messy with the sauce dripping, onions and mushrooms creeping out, but that’s how a good sandwich should be.  The meat and bread ratio was also right on.  As far as rib-eye sandwiches go, Tavern on Rush’s version is my new favorite.  Man, the things you discover when you step out of the NJ/NYC area.

Today was my third and final day of getting to know Chicago.  The city didn’t leave me with a great impression with the rain, cold and strong wind gusts.  Despite the gloomy weather, I had a really great time there.  I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind, but the people I met really made it worthwhile.  Having lived, studied, and worked in New Jersey pretty much all of my life, I wonder if I’m really ready to leave it all behind and start fresh in a big and unfamiliar city.  I guess there’s no better way to get acquainted but to dive in head first.

Thanks to Bruno and Jennifer from Apartment People for being so accommodating.  Thanks to Gene from the Talbott Hotel for being so helpful.  Thanks to Ardena for the conversation at Lao Shanghai, that place was way too quiet and boring after the lunch crowd left.  Thanks to Vanessa for showing me that apartment with the amazing view of the lake.

The Original Pancake House
22 E Bellevue Pl
(between Rush St & State St)
Chicago, IL 60611

Tavern on Rush
1031 Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Today was my second day of the “Getting to Know Chicago” trip. With the apartment hunting behind me, I can finally focus on exploring the city and try out some eats while I’m at it. So far, I’m enjoying the vibe that the city is giving off, but the wind chill and the cold makes it really tough to breathe in a breath of fresh air. None-the-less, the idea of living in the heart of the city is very exciting.

I started the day a bit late. Windows Vista decided to install an automatic update around 3:00am even though the machine was in hibernation mode. The update failed and caused my laptop to go into a reboot loop. After spending most of the morning troubleshooting and recovering the system, I was ready to head out for breakfast.

I decided to try out the cafe at Fox and Obel Food Market. In the hierarchy of food markets, it stands one notch above other stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. It was located only a mile away from my hotel, so I decided to take a power walk and check out Michigan Ave on my way there. By the time I arrived at the market, my legs were burning and I was gasping for air. That’s what happens when you haven’t worked in months and stay home to play video games all day.

Once inside, I walked through the aisles and perused the items to get a sense of what the store was about. I wasn’t blown away by it, but it did remind me of a food market called Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, NJ. I’ve been to Market Basket many times in the past and this doppelganger in Chicago certainly has the same feel. I made my way to the cafe towards the back and ordered the Cobb Egg White Omelet.

The omelet took a little while to come out but it was really well cooked. With the grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, scallions, and avocado in the mix, it turned out to be a great power breakfast and helped restore some energy and gusto that I had lost during my brisk mile-long walk. The portion was generous, and the eggs were cooked very well. The egg whites were neither burnt nor runny, and the ingredients were well distributed.

I liked the place. The cafe has a nice atmosphere for getting some writing done or for casual conversations. I also like how this place is two blocks away from my new apartment.

The next stop was Chinatown.  I heard it was the second largest in the US and since I’m Chinese, I had to visit it.  I have to say, Chicago’s Chinatown is pretty clean, in fact it was too clean to be called Chinatown.  My lunch destination was Lao Shanghai.  It had received pretty decent online reviews and I looked at the menu online before I went.  The fancy and well put together menu gave me pretty high expectations of the place.  Sadly, the food and the restaurant didn’t meet any of them.

Upon entering, I saw an old Chinese couple just finishing up their meals.  In my mind I thought, “Ah, old Chinese people are eating here, this place must be good.”  The size of the restaurant was smaller than I had expected, and while the walls were elegantly decorated, I couldn’t say the same for the tables and the floor tiles.  Each table had a white piece of parchment paper covering the white tablecloth underneath and it reminded me of the Macaroni Grill.  I had the weird sensation of asking the waiter for crayons.  The floor tiles clashed with the rest of the decor.  It was something more suited for the bathroom.  Ok, on to the food.

The first dish I ordered was the xiao long bao, or Shanghai soup dumplings.  Since the place is called Lao Shanghai, I figured it would be fairly decent.  The dumplings came out in a bamboo steamer and boy, was I ready to dig in.  As I lifted the lid, I noticed the dumplings were a bit undersized.  Is the shrinkage from the cold weather?  As I took the first one out of the steamer, I noticed that the wrapper was a bit on the thick side.  Taking a bite, I thought to myself, “where’s the hot, steamy, mouth-blistering broth?”

Look closely at the picture above.  Do you see any broth?  Just barely.  All in all, I was extremely disappointed with the dumplings and I would compare them to store  bought brands.  There’s a restaurant by where I live in New Jersey and it’s far better than what was served at Lao Shanghai.  Damn, Chicago – 0, New Jersey – 1

The next dish that came was the Braised Pork Belly in Preserved Bean Curd Sauce.

I was expecting something like the picture shown in the menu, but instead out came this gelatinous mass that was a little too heavy on the red food coloring.  After brushing off the thick red sauce, the pork belly that was revealed underneath was actually quite tasty.  After downing all that pork and pork fat, I realized that I didn’t really taste any of the bean curd that it was braised in.  I don’t think I’ve had that much pork fat in a while.  I felt like a pork slut afterwards.

Next was the seasonal Tong Cai greens stir-fried with garlic.  This dish was fresh, the flavor was just right and didn’t have the overpowering taste in garlic.  All in all, a job well done.

The forth dish I ordered was the Beef Short Ribs in Chef’s Special Sauce.  Odd, I didn’t find anything special about it.  The short ribs were dry, a bit chewy, and way too salty.

I thought the food at the restaurant to be average.  Maybe I went into the restaurant with high expectations and high hopes.  There’s nothing that really distinguishes this place from all the other Chinese restaurants I have eaten at.  Even though the place is called Lao Shanghai, a good number of dishes are not Shanghainese, but in fact remind me more of Cantonese cooking.  On a lighter note, the price point will do little damage to your wallet.  Each lunch portion I ordered hovered around the $4.50 mark and the portions are more than enough for the average person.  If you’re looking for an authentic Shanghainese Restaurant, this place isn’t it.

The day ended with a bit of sunshine.  I took a pretty lengthy subway ride and walk to Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville.  It’s a small restaurant and it specializes in home-style Japanese cuisine.  There’s no sushi to be found here, and that’s quite alright with me.  The menu might seem run-of-the-mill, but don’t let that fool you.  The Japanese Chef has perfected the craft of Japanese home-style cooking.  The food is simple, yet wholesome and delicious.

I’m a sucker for handmade dumplings, so I had to order the pan-fried gzoyas.  The spicy dipping sauce that came with it really made the dish harmonious.

Next up were the potato croquettes.  Perfectly shaped and fried, there’s no better way to eat a potato.  They paired nicely with the tonkatsu sauce.  I would come back to the cafe just for these babies.

Finally, the tonkatsu made it’s way to the table.  Perfectly breaded and not greasy, this was a real treat.  In fact, I savored it.  By the end, I was too full to move, even breathing was difficult.

The food was served by a little old Asian lady in an apron.  She reminded me of my grandmother, except my grandmother just sits on the couch and watches Chinese dramas all day long.  Sunshine Cafe has been around for 15 years.  The owner used to have a sushi restaurant in the area, but she got tired of it and decided to do home-style cooking instead.

I know there are many great restaurants in Chicago such as Alinea and other gastro pubs.  But it’s not fun to go to those places alone.  Those dining experiences are best shared with friends.  Time to make new friends!

Fox and Obel
401 E Illinois St
(between New St & Park Dr)
Chicago, IL 60611

Lao Shanghai
2163 S China Pl
Ste 1F
(between Princeton Ave & Wells St)
Chicago, IL 60616

Sunshine Cafe
5449 N Clark St
(between Catalpa Ave & Rascher Ave)
Chicago, IL 60640

Today marks my first full day in Chicago.  I came to the city with low expectations, well, it’s more like no expectations.  I just returned to my hotel room after a long day of apartment searching with the folks over at Apartment People.  A special thanks to Bruno and Jennifer in the 51 W. Huron office are in order!

I’ve been up since 5am and I took an early flight over from Newark Liberty Airport.  One thing that I noticed immediately upon landing is that it’s already uber cold in October!  I currently live in the greater New York City area, but it’s still around 50 degrees or so over there.  Besides the cold, I immediately noticed the vast amounts of restaurants in the downtown area, and Chicago is known to be a foodie town.  I also wasn’t ready for the friendliness of the people in the city…must be a Mid-West thing.  Although I found it to be a little intense, it really is a welcome change.  The friendliness here is definitely quite warming on a cold day.  I must say, I’m really digging this city and I should’ve came out here with my mom and sister when they visited some years ago.

After a day of apartment hunting, my stomach was ready for a taste of Chicago’s culinary culture.  I wanted my first dining experience in the city to be easy-going, friendly, and of course, tasty.  Fortunately, a couple of days before my visit, my good friend Mark recommended the Twin Anchors Restaurant and Tavern for the ribs.  Seeing that Mark was born in Chicago and has lived there himself, I had much faith in his recommendation.

I took a cab from the hotel and found myself at the doorsteps of the Twin Anchors Restaurant and Tavern within 10 minutes.  I haven’t had good ribs in a long time, and I really hoped that this place would make a great first impression on me.  So there I was, a Jersey boy in one of the most famous restaurants in Chicago.  I’m a seasoned foodie, so bring it on!  The waitress was really super friendly and she asked where I was from.  I told her I was visiting from New Jersey and then she told me that Frank Sinatra (born in Hoboken, New Jersey), was the person who really put Twin Anchors on the map as it was one of favorite stops in the city.

I ordered the chicken and ribs combination.  I had the choice of dark or white chicken meat and I chose the latter.  I was curious to see how the chicken breast meat would turn out.  The dish came with a big bowl of zesty barbeque sauce and a delicious side of baked beans with shredded pork.  Usually when I eat something this heavy, I feel pretty guilty afterwards.  This time around, no guilt what-so-ever.  In fact, I was sad when I ate the last piece of rib meat.  The rib meat fell right off the bone, but it wasn’t as fatty and juicy as I expected.  Still, it was really good and I was yearning for more afterwards.  The chicken was cooked very well too.  The breast meat wasn’t dry, in fact, I was surprised that it held in some of the moisture.

Squeaky clean.

Tomorrow I’m planning to hit up the China town area in search of xiao long bao (soup dumplings).  Will there be anything in Chicago that can match up to Joe Shanghai in NYC?

Having low expectations, I wasn’t expecting much, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  It cooked evenly and had a nice ‘al dente’ bite after six minutes of cooking.  It holds together really well and has a crisp and bouncy texture to it.  The size of the macaroni in the box might be a bit deceiving at first, but they’ll grow to twice the size after cooking.

Andean Dream Quinoa Macaroni Pasta is gluten free, %100 organic and kosher.  One down side of it is that for $4.00 a box, you don’t get much bang for your buck.  Available at Whole Foods.

So I finally got my hands on a couple bulbs of black garlic.  When I was searching for it months ago, I couldn’t find it, and when I’m not looking for it, it just pops out of nowhere.  Nowhere being Whole Foods.  Black garlic is created by fermenting garlic for a month under a special process where the meat softens, turns black, and the flavor mellows out into a sweet, yet light  tangy taste.

I took one bulb out of the package and brought it to my nose.  After a prolonged sniff, it reminded me of something familiar.  It was at the tip of my tongue, and after a few minutes of deep thinking, I had it.  It smelled just like Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce!  While I can’t say the flavors of the two products taste the the same, they do turn out to be similar, since the jarred sauce contains fermented black beans and garlic.

Here’s a look at the packaging.  The actual color of the garlic bulbs aren’t white, but are more brown and caramelized, similar to that of roasted garlic.

Black garlic is quite palatable eaten raw, but can still be used in cooking as well.  Chances of coming across them in a store might be difficult, but it looks like Whole Foods is one of the company’s selected resellers.  Check out Black Garlic, Inc for more information.

A package of Black Garlic contains 2 medium-sized bulbs (about 36g) and costs $2.99.