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.

The first problem I encountered was cooking the products.  The ingredients that make up the pasta make it brittle, and unless the it’s perfectly cooked, the final product either ends up chewy or into broken little pieces.  The first batch of penne and spaghetti I cooked came out overcooked and torn, the second batch was chewy and starchy.  It took a few more tries to find the equilibrium I wanted, and I still have some trouble cooking it.

Looks like any other kind of whole grain and multi grain pasta right out of the box.

The cooking instructions for both products are as follows: Boil 4 quarts water.  Add contents of this package to boiling water; stir gently until water boils again.  Cook 4-6 minutes or until al dente-do not overcook.  Drain and rinse with cold water. For those of us who are used to cooking regular pasta, we all know that cooking times are different for each variety of pasta, and the results are pretty much on par with the cooking instructions printed on the box.  However, the cooking instructions for the gluten free pasta and spaghetti should be taken with a grain of salt.  Cooking the penne for 6 minutes yielded an al-dente bite, yet cooking the spaghetti for the same time yielded broken spaghetti.  What’s more, the pasta has to be rinsed with cold water immediately after cooking, or it’ll be clumped together by this starchy and sticky residue.  It should also be noted that the pasta should be rinsed gently, a strong stream of water will break the pasta as well.

Cooked for 6 minutes and the penne is a bit broken.

I prefer eating my pasta tossed with olive oil, butter, and a bit of salt.  That’s where I encountered my second problem.  Tossing the pasta in a sauté pan with the aforementioned ingredients broke it up into even smaller pieces.  While a fork is perfectly adequate to eat with, having a spoon to scoop up the scattered pieces doesn’t hurt.

When cooked correctly, the penne still lacks the bounciness and bite than that of regular pasta, but as a gluten free alternative, it isn’t that bad. The spaghetti on the other hand, seems to be lacking and needs more work.  I’ll eat the gluten free spaghetti after I finish my boxes of Barilla pasta.

I recommend the penne over the spaghetti, but it’s going to take some finesse to cook it properly.  For me, desired results came from cooking the penne pasta for about 5 minutes and 30 seconds in medium boiling water, rinsed gently with cold water, and set aside for 5-6 minutes to rest.  It’s a bit of work for cooking pasta and who knew something so simple would be so challenging.

Cost ranges from $1.50 to $2.50 a box. So far, I’ve only seen them at Whole Foods.

~ Kin

I wonder if chicken sausage is any healthier than pork sausage?  Somehow I doubt it.  But it does sound healthier, and that’s good enough for me.  I picked up a package of Brat Hans Chicken Sausage: Spicy Andouille flavor, a couple of days ago at where else, Whole Foods.  I don’t usually eat sausage because it is loaded with preservatives, nitrates, and a heaping dose of sodium.  However, this brand of sausage doesn’t contain nitrates and monosodium glutamate.  It also follows  the trend of listing “no antibiotics” on the packaging.

The directions call for grilling the sausages.  Since I don’t own a grill and I didn’t feel like busting out the stove-top cast iron grill, I cooked it in a stainless steel pan, with a bit of oil.

I didn’t have high hopes at first.  I envisioned the sausage to be bland and mushy.  To my surprise, it wasn’t so.  It definitely had that smoked sausage flavor, it  just wasn’t as strong as that of a pork sausage.  The texture was firm, and the bit of spiciness gave some depth.   All in all, not bad at all, in fact, it was good.

Sausage doesn’t have to be boring.  Set on a bed of guacamole, a perfect complement to the andouille flavor.

Brat Hans Chicken Sausage
$5.99 for a pack of 4 at Whole Foods

Continuing on my quest for great ramen,  I went to Setagaya Ramen at University Place for dinner.  There are two other Setagayas in the city, but this one was the closest at the time.

It was around 6pm on Saturday and there was only one other person in the place.  By the time I left, half of the restaurant was filled with customers.  The setup is comprised of large communal tables and stools, and I was seated towards the door, right in front of the TV that was airing incomprehensible but intriguing Japanese commercials.  The weather was amazing that day and the door was open.  The amount of light and breeze that came in made the meal more enjoyable.  There’s nothing better than sunlight and fresh air while you’re eating.

I ordered the large Shio Ramen, which comes with noodles, seaweed, half of an hard-boiled egg, and four slices of fatty pork.  When the bowl came out, I immediately noticed the presentation.  The noodles could hardly be seen and the fixings were floating close to the surface.  Gorgeous.  Perhaps what I liked the most was that the hard-boiled egg wasn’t completely hard boiled, the yolk was left runny, which I thought was a rather nice touch because I dislike fully cooked egg yolks.  Win.

A great bowl of ramen in my opinion has three important components, the broth, the noodles, and the pork.  The broth I can say is average, nothing really to right home about.  The noodles on the other hand, outperformed the rest of the ingredients.  Perfectly cooked, chewy and bouncy, I loved it so much that I ate all of the ramen before I ate anything else!  Also maybe the lighting at the place was good, the noodles just glistened underneath the light.  Dare I say the noodles are better than those of Ippudo?  I do.  The slices of braised fatty pork were also well prepared.  The meat was tender and the fat just melts when it hits your mouth.  I also enjoyed that there was no wait.

Final Thoughts
When you get the ramen crave, you want it fast!  I would’ve given the ramen a higher rating, but the broth just wasn’t up to par with the rest.  I would definitely come again, and I look forward to visiting the other two sometime soon, but I heard the quality amongst the stores isn’t too consistent.  Recommended.

Food: 4 out of 5

Service: 3 out of 5

Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5

OMS/B
Website
156 East 45th St., NY,NY 10017
Mon-Fri 8:00-19:30
Sat 11:00-17:30
Sun Closed

Ah, Japanese rice balls.  Even if you have never seen a rice ball in real life, I’m sure you’ve seen them in Japanese animations, that is if you watch anime.  What are rice balls?  Well, in the cartoons, they’re usually depicted as a triangular wad of rice that’s wrapped in seaweed.  Sort of like the ones shown on the left.

Known as Omusubi, or Onigiri, the rice ball originated in and is found all over Japan.  They are also popular in Taiwan and Korea.  A traditional rice ball is either triangular or oval in shape, and contains a filling inside the center, usually of cooked fish or vegetables.  They are popular due to their size for portability and for convenience.  For a history of omusubi, head over to the wiki here.

I discovered a store in New York City that specializes in omusubi.  It carries a vast selection of rice balls and the prices are rather decent.  You have the option of buying the rice balls separately or ordering a set, which contains 3 rice balls of your choosing, and a soup.  Some items are excluded from the set though.  A set costs $8.50.

The shop is small, and only has about 6 or so small tables.  By the time I got there, which was about 3pm on Saturday, the selection was rather limited.  It looks like once a certain item is sold out, it’s not replenished.  I would recommend going early on Saturday.

Items are selected through the see-through glass, and you get your food and you pay at the register, so there really isn’t any waiting service.

I ordered the eel rice ball, the wasabi wrapped rice ball, and the cod roe rice ball.

The mayo lobster rice ball, the shrimp tempura rice ball, and the football rice ball.

Final Thoughts:

In all, I thought the rice balls were good.  While they didn’t blow me out of the water, I like how the presentation adds an extra touch to the food.  It didn’t exactly fill me up, but a set of 3 rice balls and soup is perfect for a snack.  Especially when you’ve been walking around the city and need an energy boost.  Recommended (Just barely)

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5